EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The economy of a modern Nigeria is anchored and sustained on two major infrastructural
landscape (i.e. Physical and Digital) working together to sustain critical and non-critical
sectors of the economy in Government, Manufacturing, Dams, Defence, Chemical
Sector {Oil and Gas}, Power and Energy, Commercial Facilities, Financial Services,
Food and Agro-allied, Emergency Services Transportation Systems, Public Health and
Healthcare Sector, Water and Waste Water systems. Digital infrastructure is the
National Information Infrastructure (NII) component that permeates the physical
infrastructural landscape supporting it to function seamlessly, endlessly and
sustainably. The NII is the backbone of the nation’s active presence in cyberspace.
Significant disruption of its operation will undermine the confidentiality, integrity and
availability of essential national services, which will be inimical to national economy
and security.
In comparison with other industrial and commercial entities, the Internet has been with
us for a relatively short period of time. It has been responsible for the most
revolutionary and rapid changes to the way we communicate, undertake business,
perform job functions as well as boost our military strategies. We have seen the
examples in the home schooling, social media and cloud computing rising on the tails
of the Internet phenomenon.
The Internet has given the phrase “global village” an appropriate meaning, this is
driven home with the illustration that an individual in Nigeria can immediately set up an
online conference call and chat with group of people on the other side of the planet in
real-time. The majority of users of the Internet conduct their activities in a legitimate
and above board manner, while on the other side of the internet there are individuals,
organisations, foreign intelligence agencies and state sponsored actors that have used
the very benefits of the internet, i.e. its speed, global presence and openness, to carry
out criminal activities that can cause havoc to those that are not aware, prepared or
equipped to deal with such undertakings.
This document therefore examines the strategic imperative of a national cybersecurity.
It highlights various strategies that will be used to implement the measures outlined in
the new National Cybersecurity Policy.