Nigeria Launches National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026
The agency said it remains committed, through its computer emergency response structure, to equipping citizens and organisations with the tools, knowledge and frameworks needed to reduce digital risks, report incidents and foster a secure, inclusive digital economy.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has officially launched National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2026 under the theme “Together for a Safer Cyberspace.” The month-long campaign is meant as a national call to action, with NITDA stressing that digital safety is no longer only the responsibility of IT professionals, government agencies or security experts. It requires an active, shared commitment from every citizen, business and institution online.
The agency warned that the rapid shift toward artificial intelligence and automated systems has moved modern cyber threats beyond standard phishing. It pointed to a worldwide rise in sophisticated risks, including AI-driven social engineering, deepfake impersonations, voice cloning and fraudulent QR code attacks, known as “quishing.” NITDA said building a resilient cyberspace depends heavily on individual vigilance and proactive personal security practices.
To help Nigerians protect themselves, NITDA advised adopting a set of core cyber hygiene habits. These include using strong, unique passwords stored in a password manager, enabling multi-factor authentication on personal, professional and financial accounts, and promptly installing security patches and system updates. The agency also urged people never to share one-time passwords, PINs or online banking log-in details under any circumstances.
NITDA further cautioned against uploading sensitive personal, financial or proprietary corporate information to public AI models or unfamiliar online platforms. It advised people to verify links and media before interacting with them, and to be wary of suspicious attachments and unsolicited requests for personal information, especially those that use urgent language, synthetic audio or deepfake visuals. It also noted that oversharing on public social media can enable targeted social engineering attacks, and recommended keeping important personal and organisational data backed up both offline and in the cloud to allow swift recovery from ransomware or system disruptions.
The agency said it remains committed, through its computer emergency response structure, to equipping citizens and organisations with the tools, knowledge and frameworks needed to reduce digital risks, report incidents and foster a secure, inclusive digital economy.
