The Federal Government is stepping up efforts to address a new wave of cybersecurity risks as artificial intelligence begins to reshape how digital attacks are carried out and scaled.
The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, warned that the country’s current approach to cybersecurity must evolve quickly to keep pace with emerging threats, many of which are now powered by AI.
Speaking ahead of the planned inauguration of a national cybersecurity advisory council, Inuwa said the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will convene at least two additional stakeholder sessions.
He noted that the engagements are designed to bring public and private actors into the conversation, following a similar approach used in developing Nigeria’s National AI Strategy.
“AI is changing the game and elevating the threat landscape. The more we integrate AI into our lives, the more we need to change the way we look at cybersecurity,” he said.
According to him, the nature of cyber risk is expanding in two directions at once. Attacks are no longer limited to traditional systems but are increasingly targeting artificial intelligence tools themselves, while also being executed using AI technologies to increase speed, scale and precision.
This shift, he explained, is already visible in the rise of advanced social engineering tactics. Tools such as deepfakes are making it harder to verify identity, particularly in digital environments where voice and video interactions were once considered reliable.
“We are also witnessing increasingly sophisticated AI-driven social engineering. The emergence of deepfakes makes it difficult to distinguish between AI-generated audio or video and authentic content,” he said, adding that such tools are already being used during virtual interactions.
The implication is broader than isolated incidents. As more organisations adopt AI systems, vulnerabilities within one entity can create entry points into larger networks.
“We are only as strong as our weakest link. If one entity is compromised, it creates risks for others within the network,” Inuwa noted, referencing recent cases where financial institutions were exploited to access wider payment systems and public infrastructure.
In response, the proposed cybersecurity advisory council is expected to serve as a platform for coordination, allowing stakeholders to share intelligence, align strategies and strengthen collective response mechanisms.
Inuwa described the initiative as a necessary step in building a more resilient digital ecosystem, stressing that no single institution can address the scale of the threat alone.
“This is the reality of the world we live in today, and it is not a challenge any single entity can address in isolation. The only way forward is to strengthen collaboration between governments and the private sector,” he said.
The move reflects a growing recognition within government that cybersecurity is no longer confined to technical teams but now sits at the centre of national stability, economic activity and public trust.
As digital systems continue to expand across sectors, the challenge is shifting from protecting individual platforms to securing interconnected networks where a single breach can have wider consequences.
