The Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria (CSEAN) was honoured with the Cyber Security Research Excellence Award at the inaugural National Cybersecurity Conference (NCSC 2025), held from July 9 to 10 in Abuja. The award recognises CSEAN’s impactful research and policy contributions, crucial for Nigeria’s evolving digital landscape.
As Nigeria continues its rapid digital transformation, new and complex threats to its digital infrastructure and economy have emerged. NCSC 2025, with the theme “Building a Resilient Digital Future,” brought together key players from government, industry, and academia to address these challenges.
The conference was organised by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), hosted by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and the Digital Economy, and co-hosted by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
CSEAN’s Vice President, Dr. Umar Sa’ad, accepted the award on behalf of the association. In his remarks, CSEAN President Ade Shoyinka commended NITDA for a successful event and congratulated all award winners. He also acknowledged the dedicated work of the CSEAN Research Team, led by Director of Research and Development John Odumesi. The team’s members include Oluwafemi Osho, Jonathan Ayodele, Polra Victor Falade, Hamzat Lateef, and Olajumoke Oloyede.
The research team’s work has been instrumental in shaping national policy and cybersecurity preparedness. They have produced several technical reports, including National Cyber Threat Forecasts 2022 to 2025, and Landscapes for 2022 to 2025, which document academic insights from past conferences. All these are publicly available on the official CSEAN website. Additionally, the team serves as managing editors for the peer-reviewed Conference Proceedings of Cyber Secure Nigeria, which documents academic insights from past conferences.
The award presentation to CSEAN reinforces the importance of research in building a secure digital future for Nigeria. This recognition comes ahead of the upcoming CSEAN Cyber Secure Nigeria Conference, to be held on October 8 and 9, 2025, in Lagos. With the theme “Digital Trust as National Capital: Enabling Secure, Inclusive Digital Economies,” the conference will build on the momentum from NCSC 2025 to further national conversations on innovation, trust, and secure digital solutions.