The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to establish a National Cybersecurity Coordination Council to bolster the nation’s defenses against escalating cyber threats and enhance the resilience of its digital economy.
The initiative, led by the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, marks a strategic shift toward a “collective defense” model to safeguard the nation’s digital ecosystem.
The Council, according to the Minister, is designed as a non-statutory, multi-stakeholder platform aimed at addressing coordination gaps and enhancing Nigeria’s resilience against increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.
Its core objectives include information sharing by establishing trusted mechanisms for real-time threat intelligence sharing to improve early detection.
Its objective also extends to coordinated response that comes from enhancing the ability of public and private institutions to respond to and recover from cyber incidents.
It will in addition provide guidance to the government on strategies and frameworks to strengthen national cyber readiness as well as launching capacity-building programs to close the cybersecurity talent gap in Nigeria.
The government has outlined a structured approach for the Council’s rollout, which includes a dedicated secretariat, supported by key agencies like the NCC and NITDA.
A National Cybersecurity Industry Roundtable is planned to begin in April 2026 by which the Council aims to bring together CISOs, law enforcement, and professional bodies for a unified defense strategy.
The Council is also expected to provide advisory support to the government on strategy and regulatory alignment to protect Nigeria’s digital infrastructure.
