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ABUJA, FCT — By Prime Brief Media

Nigeria is currently recording an average of 4,200 cyber-attacks weekly, a stark illustration of the growing digital threats confronting Africa's largest economy as it undergoes rapid technological transformation.

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, disclosed this alarming statistic on Wednesday during the inaugural stakeholders' session for the proposed National Ministerial Advisory Council on Cybersecurity Coordination. The session, held in Abuja, brought together representatives from government agencies, private sector technology firms, financial institutions, and international development partners.

"The expansion of Nigeria's digital economy has brought immense opportunities, but it has also expanded our attack surface," Dr. Tijani stated. "We are recording an average of 4,200 cyber-attacks every single week. These are not merely nuisance attempts; many are sophisticated, targeted, and potentially devastating operations aimed at our critical national infrastructure, financial systems, and citizen data."

The minister explained that the proposed Advisory Council is designed to address what he described as the "fragmented and reactive" nature of Nigeria's current cybersecurity posture. The council would bring together key stakeholders under a unified framework to share threat intelligence, coordinate incident response, and develop long-term resilience strategies aligned with the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021.

Nigeria has witnessed a series of high-profile cybersecurity incidents in recent weeks. The Corporate Affairs Commission suffered a ransomware attack that compromised over 15 million company documents. Sterling Bank reportedly experienced a breach affecting 900,000 customer accounts. The Remita government payment platform was also targeted by threat actors seeking to disrupt public financial operations.

Cybersecurity experts who attended the stakeholders' session welcomed the minister's initiative but emphasised that coordination alone is insufficient. "We need investment in domestic cybersecurity capacity, including threat hunting teams, security operations centres, and a pipeline of skilled cybersecurity professionals," said a Lagos-based security consultant who spoke to Prime Brief Media on condition of anonymity. "Four thousand two hundred attacks a week is a volume that demands both technology and talent."

The minister acknowledged these concerns and indicated that the Federal Government is exploring partnerships with international cybersecurity organisations and private technology firms to enhance Nigeria's defensive capabilities. He also emphasised the importance of public awareness, noting that a significant proportion of successful cyber-attacks exploit human error rather than technical vulnerabilities.

Prime Brief Media continues to monitor developments in Nigeria's cybersecurity landscape and will provide updates on the establishment and work of the proposed Advisory Council.