The Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) has reaffirmed its commitment to fortifying Nigeria’s digital sovereignty through strategic, locally driven cybersecurity reforms. At the 2025 Cybersecurity Forum themed “Digital Sovereignty: Building an Agile and Resilient Nation,” the umbrella body for IT professionals in Nigeria spotlighted cybersecurity resilience as a national imperative. With more than 20,000 members and strong representation in all 36 states, the NCS used the forum to rally stakeholders toward a unified vision of a digitally self-reliant Nigeria.
Held as a high-level convergence of policymakers, academia, and private sector leaders, the forum featured workshops, technical sessions, and keynote presentations. NCS President, Dr. Muhammad Sirajo Aliyu, opened the event with a call for multilateral cooperation to address the nation’s pressing cybersecurity threats. He stressed the need to modernize Nigeria’s legal frameworks, develop cyber talent, and foster public-private collaboration. The forum, according to Aliyu, reflects a shift from reactionary defense to proactive cybersecurity strategy.
One of the event’s highlights was the keynote by Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, MD/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, who laid out a vision for cyber independence. He urged the nation to reduce reliance on foreign infrastructure and prioritize homegrown digital solutions backed by strong data protection laws. Dr. Aliyu echoed these sentiments, presenting key focus areas including legal alignment with global standards, youth-focused cyber education, intelligence-sharing platforms, and heightened awareness of emerging threats like AI, IoT, and cloud-based vulnerabilities.
As the forum concluded, NCS unveiled new initiatives aimed at cementing Nigeria’s status as a continental leader in cybersecurity. These include launching a national threat intelligence platform, expanding advanced training programs, and enhancing industry engagement through policy advocacy and digital literacy campaigns. For the NCS, digital sovereignty is no longer an aspiration—it is a necessity. “We are not just reacting to threats,” Dr. Aliyu said, “we are building the foundation of a cyber-resilient nation powered by its own people and protected by its own systems.”