NITDA launches 2026 cybersecurity awareness campaign
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NITDA launches 2026 cybersecurity awareness campaign
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
The National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA has launched the 2026 National Cybersecurity Awareness Month with a call on Nigerians to adopt stronger digital security practices amid the growing sophistication of cyber threats.
The month-long campaign, themed “Together for a Safer Cyberspace,” seeks to promote shared responsibility for protecting Nigeria’s increasingly digital economy and public infrastructure.
NITDA, in a statement signed by its Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs Hadiza Umar and obtained by INCNews247, said cybersecurity could no longer be regarded as the responsibility of information technology professionals, government agencies and security experts alone.
The agency said individuals, businesses and institutions all had a role to play in securing the country’s digital ecosystem as technology continued to transform commerce, governance and everyday activities.
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It warned that the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence and automated systems had also changed the nature of cyber threats, with criminals increasingly deploying sophisticated methods such as AI-powered social engineering, deepfake impersonation, voice cloning and fraudulent QR-code attacks, commonly known as “quishing.”
According to the agency, individual vigilance and basic cyber hygiene remained critical to reducing exposure to such threats.
NITDA urged Nigerians to use strong and unique passwords for their accounts and avoid recycling the same password across multiple platforms, while recommending the use of secure password managers for creating and storing complex passphrases.
It also advised users to activate multi-factor authentication on personal, professional and financial accounts to provide an additional layer of protection against unauthorised access.
The agency urged Nigerians to keep their phones, computers and other digital devices updated by promptly installing security patches and operating system updates designed to address known vulnerabilities.
NITDA further cautioned citizens against disclosing sensitive financial information, including One-Time Passwords, Personal Identification Numbers and online banking login details, stressing that such credentials should not be shared with anyone.
The agency also advised Nigerians to exercise caution when using artificial intelligence tools and unfamiliar online platforms, particularly when handling sensitive personal, financial or corporate information.
It urged users to verify links, attachments, audio and visual content before interacting with them, particularly when messages contained urgent requests or appeared to use synthetic voices and deepfake imagery.
The agency also called for responsible use of social media, warning that excessive disclosure of personal information could provide cybercriminals with material for targeted social engineering attacks.
It recommended that individuals and organisations maintain regular offline and cloud backups of critical data to facilitate recovery in the event of ransomware attacks or system disruptions.
NITDA said its computer emergency response structure remained committed to equipping citizens and organisations with the knowledge, tools and frameworks needed to prevent cyber incidents, report threats and contribute to a safer digital environment.
The agency encouraged Nigerians to follow its official cybersecurity updates, awareness messages and threat advisories through @NITDANigeria.
For cybersecurity incidents and related enquiries, members of the public can contact the Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team through www.cerrt.ng, email cerrt@nitda.gov.ng, or telephone +234 817 877 4580.
