…rallies collective action for a safer digital Nigeria
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has launched the 2026 National Cybersecurity Awareness Month with a call for Nigerians to adopt safer digital practices amid the growing sophistication of cyber threats.
The month-long campaign, themed “Together for a Safer Cyberspace,” underscores the shared responsibility of citizens, businesses and institutions in protecting Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
In a statement on Thursday, NITDA said cybersecurity could no longer be left to IT professionals, government agencies and security experts alone, stressing that every participant in the digital space has a role to play in ensuring online safety.
The agency noted that the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and automated systems had expanded the cyber threat landscape beyond conventional phishing attacks to include AI-driven social engineering, deepfake impersonation, voice cloning and fraudulent QR-code attacks, known as “quishing.”
To mitigate the emerging threats, NITDA advised Nigerians to practise basic cyber hygiene, including using strong and unique passwords, avoiding password reuse and using secure password managers.
It also urged citizens to enable multi-factor authentication on personal, professional and financial accounts; promptly install software updates and security patches; and never disclose One-Time Passwords (OTPs), Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) or online banking credentials.
The agency further advised Nigerians to exercise caution when using AI tools and other emerging online platforms by avoiding the disclosure of sensitive personal, financial or corporate information.
It also urged users to verify suspicious links, attachments, unsolicited requests and media content, particularly those involving urgent demands, synthetic audio or deepfake visuals.
NITDA also cautioned against oversharing personal information on social media, noting that such details could be exploited for targeted social engineering attacks.
It recommended regular offline and cloud backups of important personal and organisational data to facilitate recovery in the event of ransomware attacks or system disruptions.
