Telecom
NCC Unveils Cybersecurity Blueprint to Fortify Nigeria’s Telecom Backbone
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is firming up a cybersecurity framework for securing digital infrastructure and enhancing online safety for consumers in the Nigerian communications industry.
L-R: President, International Youth Parliament, Hon. Promise Digos; Chief Executive Officer, Megamore Wireless Limited, Amin Dayekh; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Abraham Oshadami; Head, Cybersecurity and Internet Governance Department, NCC, Babagana Digima; Chief Executive Officer, Cybernover, Dr. Kazeem Durodoye at the 2nd Cyber Security Stakeholder Workshop Hosted by the Nigerian Communications Commission in Abuja on Wednesday (27th August 2025).
The framework, with likely implementation timeline by telecom licensees set for 2026, will address security challenges arising from the emerging technologies towards creating a more secure digital economy in Nigeria.
During the second phase of the cybersecurity framework development meeting with relevant stakeholders, hosted by the Commission in Abuja on Wednesday, following the initial meeting held earlier in the year, NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services (ECTS), Abraham Oshadami, stressed the need for a water-tight approach to addressing the sophistication of cyber threats in the industry.
Oshadami said given the increasing digitalization of services, the rapid growth of data exchange, and the sophisticated nature of modern cyber threats, the need for a robust, adaptive, and inclusive cybersecurity framework has never been more urgent.
According to him, as emerging technologies reshape the landscape, cybersecurity now extends beyond the traditional triad of confidentiality, integrity, and availability (CIA), adding that intensifying geopolitical tensions and increasingly sophisticated threats are heightening risks to critical infrastructure irrespective of whether they are built on interconnected devices or legacy systems.
“Both state and non-state actors are targeting essential sectors—including ours – through coordinated cyber and physical attacks. These attacks frequently target control systems and data integrity, underscoring the critical risks posed to operational technology (OT)—especially in our sector.
“As cyberthreats evolve, they endanger not only system performance but also human safety, amplifying the severity and consequences of disruptions to vital communications infrastructure. Cybersecurity now encompasses human safety and must address the real risk to people’s lives when a system is attacked or compromised,” he said.
While emphasizing the need to develop the framework, Oshadami said as telecommunications industry continues to serve as the backbone of Nigeria’s digital economy, its critical role in national development, economic transformation, and societal interaction makes it a strategic asset and unfortunately, a prime target for cyber threats.
Oshadami further explained that the second stakeholders meeting on the cybersecurity framework was to present the progress made since the initial meeting, including the refined framework based on stakeholder input; and to further validate key components, design principles, and implementation strategies of the proposed framework, among others.
The ECTS stated that as the national regulator, the NCC remains committed to an inclusive and consultative process, recognizing that sustainable cybersecurity outcomes can only be achieved through shared responsibility and strong public-private partnerships. “With your continued expertise, insight, and collaboration, we are confident that we can co-create a framework that not only secures our digital infrastructure but also fosters innovation, competitiveness, and long-term industry growth,” he said.
The presentation of the proposed framework by the Chief Executive Officer of CyberNover, the consultants to the Commission on the project, Dr. Kazeem Durodoye, further provided details of the framework to stakeholders at the invents, cutting across representatives of telecom licensees and government agencies in the digital economy ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the NCC’s Head of Cybersecurity and Internet Governance, Babagana Digima, while stating that the project is supported by the World Bank, commended all stakeholders for their input, saying while it was expected that the proposed framework will be finalized by end of third quarter of 2025, its implementation is expected to take off in early 2026.
The forum provided a platform to consolidate a shared understanding of the strategic relevance of the proposed cybersecurity framework in enhancing national cybersecurity preparedness and sector resilience; and review and refine the preliminary inputs gathered during the first engagement, incorporating technical perspectives and sector-specific concerns, among others.
Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) has named the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) among the top three Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government with the Best Ranking in Website Performance for 2025.
L-R: Head Special Projects, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Salamatu Andu; Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Engr. Abaraham Oshadame; Director General Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Head Customer Support Service, Galaxy Backbone, Rosemary Ehize; Secretary to the ES. Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Tahir Aminu at the BPSR award ceremony for top four MDAs in BPSR Website Performance and Ranking 2025 at the BPSR office on Tuesday, 23rd December, 2025.
This is coming barely three weeks after the telecom regulator was recognized as one of the top five best-performing Federal Government agencies for 2025 by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) – a testament to the Commission’s consistency in investment in technology for ensuring efficient service delivery.
In the BPSR 2024/2025 scorecard ranking of agencies’ websites, the NCC came second in the ranking, trailing behind Galaxy Backbone Limited, which came first while the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) clinched the third position, from a pool of 235 MDAs, whose website were evaluated.
BPSR deployed 14 evaluation criteria in include MDA’s website compliance with .gov.ng domain name, appearance and aesthetics (look and feel) of the website, content, relevance to MDAs mandate/government policy and the website’ structure.
Others include website’s responsiveness (device compatibility), security, load time, usability/ease of navigation, availability/uptime, functionality, interactivity, accessibility and capacity building.
The recognition was announced at the official release of Federal Government 2024/2025 Scorecard Ranking for MDAs’ Website held at the Federal Ministry of Finance Auditorium in Abuja on Monday (December 22, 2025) while the award presentation took place at BPSR’s Office on Tuesday (December 23, 2025).
The award, which is an important index metric of the National e-Government Masterplan for determining the Nigeria e-Government Status, was received by the Commission in recognition of its commitment to maintaining a world-class website that enhances service delivery to the citizens.
Receiving the award on behalf of the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, the NCC’s Executive Commissioner, Technical Services, Abraham Oshadami, appreciated the BPSR for the recognition, describing the award as “another encouragement for the Commission to be a better public service institution leveraging digital platforms such as our web presence to enhance public service delivery to our various stakeholders, thereby implementing the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business policy direction.”
While presenting the award to the NCC, alongside other two agencies, BPSR’s Director-General, Mr. Dasuki Arabi, commended the top three for their proactive decisions in maintaining world-class websites, which are compliant with the Federal Government’s policy direction in effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.
According to the DG, the 2024/2025 MDA’s websites’ ranking represents a collective effort of federal public institutions in Nigeria to be transparent, accountable and open in governance, as well as a confirmation to align with global best practices in service delivery to the citizens.
Developed about six years ago, Arabi said as a result of the annual ranking, more public institutions have indicated readiness to embrace reforms, and align with the policy direction of the current administration’s Renewed Hope agenda on improve governance for effective service delivery, as introduced by His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“The ideals of harnessing and deploying technological tools for service delivery has become imperative following the COVID pandemic, and distortions of socio-economic system of nations, culminating in the evolution of competitiveness, cost effectiveness, and agile governance.
“As engine room of governance, it behoves on us in the public service to perform our statutory duties and we must put in place technological innovations and standardized websites to operate services as well as deliver service needs to citizens,” he said.
The Scorecard exercise, he said, is part of the BPSR reform broader function of conducting research on reform implementation efforts and presenting ‘best practice’ models to the entire Public Service, and to among others, improve access to government information, facilitate seamless financial transaction, eliminate corruption and cyber theft, as well as facilitate access to government services.
Speaking on the rigorous nature of the exercise that produced the top three winners, the DG said “in the past few weeks members of the Scorecard Jury drawn from inter-Ministerial Agencies, had worked tirelessly to mill websites of selected MDAs through a rigorous process of enduring criteria for the ranking and the outcome had also passed through a quality assurance mechanism to validate the outcome.”
Taiwo Oyedele, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has dismissed reports that bank accounts not linked to a Tax Identification Number (TIN) will be frozen or automatically debited from January 1, 2026.
Taiwo Oyedele
Oyedele described the claims as false and misleading, warning Nigerians against panic over misinformation surrounding recent tax and financial reforms.
In a post on his X handle Tuesday morning, he wrote: “Don’t let anyone manipulate you. Your bank account is safe. Misinformation makes you panic and fear a reform that is designed to help you.
“When they tell you that your account will be frozen or automatically debited from January 2026, ask them for the evidence in the new law. Be wise.”
He stressed that no provision in the new tax laws authorises the freezing of bank accounts, adding that the rumours are part of widespread misrepresentation of the reforms.
The committee chairman reiterated that the reforms are intended to simplify Nigeria’s tax system and ease the burden on ordinary citizens, not to impose punitive measures on bank customers.
US tech giant, Amazon has disclosed that it blocked more than 1,800 North Koreans from applying for jobs, amid growing concerns that Pyongyang is deploying large numbers of IT workers overseas to earn and launder funds.
Amazon
In a LinkedIn post, Amazon’s Chief Security Officer, Stephen Schmidt, said North Korean nationals have been attempting to secure remote IT roles with companies around the world, particularly in the United States.
He noted that the company recorded nearly a one-third increase in such applications over the past year.
According to Schmidt, many of the applicants operate through so-called “laptop farms” — computers physically located in the US but remotely controlled from abroad.
He warned that the issue is not unique to Amazon and is likely occurring at scale across the tech industry.
He added that common red flags include incorrectly formatted phone numbers and questionable academic credentials.
The issue has previously drawn the attention of US authorities. In July, a woman in Arizona was sentenced to more than eight years in prison for running a laptop farm that helped North Korean IT workers obtain remote jobs at more than 300 US companies.
Officials said the scheme generated over $17 million in revenue for both the woman and North Korea.
Last year, South Korea’s intelligence agency also warned that North Korean operatives were using LinkedIn to pose as recruiters, approaching South Koreans working at defence companies in an attempt to steal sensitive technological information.
“North Korea is actively training cyber personnel and infiltrating key locations worldwide,” Hong Min, an analyst at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AFP.
He added that, given Amazon’s business model, the motivation behind such operations is largely economic, with a high likelihood of attempts to steal financial assets.
North Korea’s cyber warfare programme dates back to at least the mid-1990s and has since expanded into a cyber unit of about 6,000 personnel known as Bureau 121, according to a 2020 US military report.
In November, Washington announced sanctions against eight individuals accused of being state-sponsored hackers, alleging their illicit activities were carried out to fund North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.
The US Treasury has also accused North Korea-linked cybercriminals of stealing more than $3 billion over the past three years, primarily through cryptocurrency-related crimes.
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