CEO, CIO – Technyfire Dapo Aruwajoye has warned that Nigeria remains dangerously exposed to rising cyber threats due to weak cybersecurity investment, limited skilled manpower, and slow institutional response systems.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Aruwajoye said ordinary Nigerians face growing risks as personal and institutional data continues to circulate on the dark web, with millions of records already exposed and cyber attacks occurring at an increasingly rapid rate.
“Apparently, on the dark web already we have about 80 million of our data circulating”he said, stressing that most citizens are unaware of the scale of exposure
He also referenced official cyberattack figures, noting that thousands of incidents are recorded within short timeframes, but warned that the actual number is likely higher due to underreporting by affected institutions such as telecoms and fintech companies.
According to him, many organisations avoid disclosing breaches, creating gaps in public awareness and weakening collective response efforts.
Aruwajoye explained that the dark web operates as a marketplace where stolen data is traded for illicit financial activities, making sensitive information such as OTPs and personal records easily accessible to criminals.
“In the dark web, it’s like we’re fighting against principalities and powers,” he explained, describing the scale and sophistication of cybercrime networks.
He further argued that although government agencies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Data Protection Commission, and the Office of the National Security Adviser have introduced regulatory measures, policy implementation is still too slow to match the speed of modern cyber attacks
“We’re talking about automated polymorphic attack and they change every second,” he warned, noting that Nigeria’s systems are struggling to keep up
Aruwajoye also highlighted a growing skills gap in the cybersecurity sector, linking it partly to brain drain and insufficient investment in local talent development.
He stressed that Nigeria must prioritize human capacity development, stronger institutions, and faster response frameworks rather than relying solely on policy formulation.
Turning to solutions, he called for urgent investment in cybersecurity professionals and improved coordination between government and private sector operators, including mandatory breach reporting within 24 hours to strengthen national response systems.
He also emphasized the importance of sovereign digital infrastructure, warning against reliance on foreign jurisdictions for data storage and control.
“Our data should be sovereign, under which law? Under whose law?” he said, describing the situation as a risk for developing countries.
Aruwajoye concluded that while initiatives such as the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme are a step in the right direction, the pace and scale of training must be significantly expanded to keep up with the fast-evolving nature of AI-driven cyber threats.
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