A cybersecurity expert has called on the Federal Government to treat practical cybersecurity as a critical pillar of Nigeria’s national security architecture, warning that growing digital threats pose serious risks to the economy and public safety.
The call was made in early January 2026 by Benedict Ugwuja, Lead Consultant and Director of Technical Services at Cybergon Limited, during a live hacking conference themed “The Last Data Breach.” The event was designed to expose real-world cyber vulnerabilities and demonstrate how both public and private organizations can be compromised if security is poorly implemented.
During the conference, Ugwuja and his team carried out live hacking demonstrations, showing in real time how systems could be breached through weak configurations, poor monitoring, and outdated defenses. He criticized what he described as Nigeria’s overreliance on “paper-based compliance,” where organizations focus on documentation and policies rather than practical testing and active defense. According to him, this approach leaves institutions exposed to cyber incidents that are often preventable.
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Ugwuja stressed that visibility is fundamental to security, summarizing the lesson with the phrase, “You cannot protect what you cannot see.” He argued that without continuous testing and monitoring, organizations remain unaware of hidden weaknesses within their digital infrastructure.
Outlining recommendations for government action, Ugwuja said cyberspace has become a central battlefield in modern warfare, giving countries with strong cyber capabilities a strategic advantage. He urged increased government funding for hands-on cybersecurity initiatives, including penetration testing, threat simulation, and system audits. He also called for closer collaboration between military and intelligence agencies and private-sector cybersecurity firms, noting that such partnerships are standard practice in advanced economies.
The Cybergon executive further emphasized the need for early cybersecurity education, likening it to other essential life skills. He said students must be taught how to protect themselves online as digital tools become central to learning and daily life.
The warning comes amid predictions that Nigeria’s cybercrime environment will grow more sophisticated in 2026. Other experts, including Remi Afon, have cautioned that criminal networks may increasingly deploy artificial intelligence to automate fraud and craft highly convincing scams in English, Pidgin, and local languages. Ugwuja warned that failure to secure cyberspace could undermine not only individual organizations but the broader national economy.
