Nigerian Govt Outsources Upcoming National Cybersecurity Conference to UAE Firm, Excludes Local Experts

The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy has outsourced the organisation of Nigeria’s upcoming National Cybersecurity Conference to a company based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a source familiar with the matter told West Africa Weekly.

The move has sparked outrage among Nigerian cybersecurity professionals who say they have been deliberately excluded from an event that should have been local, inclusive, and genuinely community-driven.

According to the source, a seasoned cybersecurity expert with over 19 years of experience, the event, branded as a Nigerian national conference, has been hijacked by private interests, with registration blocked for local participants.

“The registration page was disabled,” he lamented in an email addressed to the Minister of Communications, Bosun Tijani, and the Director-General of NITDA,  Kashifu Abdullahi.

When I reached out via WhatsApp (to a number beginning with +971), I was told the event was private—reserved for politicians—and that access could be gained by sponsoring it, at the cost of thousands of dollars. In my own country?”

“This is not just a logistical misstep; it is a security risk and a failure of leadership. As public servants, you are stewards of the national interest. Delegating control of such a strategically significant event to a foreign entity undermines our sovereignty and excludes the very professionals who have built, defended, and advanced our digital infrastructure,” he added.

He also criticised the quality and credibility of the event itself, stating that the speaker selection was not based on expertise, but on political connections, as he described one listed speaker as someone “who belongs in a CBT 101 seminar.”

This outsourcing comes at a time when the UAE still blocks visa access to Nigerians and reportedly demands bank records showing $60,000 before granting entry.

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