The call comes as part of activities marking the 2025 National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

With technology now part of everyday life, including mobile banking and social communication, among others, NITDA says awareness and personal discipline are essential in preventing cyber incidents that target unsuspecting users. 

The agency warned that while Nigeria’s digital economy grows, the risks grow with it, and citizens must adopt habits that make them less vulnerable to hackers and online fraud.

According to NITDA, simple habits can make a significant difference in keeping individuals safe online. These include using strong and unique passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, updating software regularly, and backing up important data. 

The agency also cautioned against opening links or attachments from unknown sources and advised people to think twice before sharing personal or financial details online.

This year’s theme, “Cyber Hygiene for a Safer Tomorrow,” reinforces the idea that cyber safety is not limited to individual behaviour. It is a shared responsibility that, when collectively observed, helps protect families, workplaces, and the wider digital community.

“Cyber hygiene is not only a personal responsibility but a collective effort. When individuals protect themselves, they also safeguard their families, workplaces, and the broader digital community,” the agency stated.

NITDA’s warning comes as more cyber incidents target both private citizens and organisations across Nigeria. The agency noted that strengthening cyber hygiene is indispensable in building a secure and resilient digital nation.

As part of its cyber safety campaign, NITDA urged Nigerians to “stay alert, click wisely, and stay safe online,” reminding everyone that cybersecurity starts with individual action.

The statement was signed by Mrs. Hadiza Umar, director of Corporate Communications and Media Relations at NITDA.

Now recognised among Nigeria’s Top 50 Public Relations Professionals in the prestigious GLG Communications Power List 2025, in partnership with The Guardian Newspaper, and previously honoured in Techeconomy’s IWD2025: 100 Women Shaping the Future, Umar’s rising profile is no accident, it is the result of a career defined by vision, discipline, and excellence.

As the Director of Corporate Communications and External Relations at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Hadiza Umar has emerged as a critical voice in shaping how Nigeria’s digital transformation story is told, not just to citizens, but to the world.

A Strategic Storyteller in a Digital Era

In a world increasingly influenced by perception, misinformation, and digital velocity, effective communication is more than a PR tool, it’s national infrastructure.

Hadiza Umar understands this deeply. She has strategically positioned NITDA as not just a government agency, but a policy shaper, innovation driver, and development catalyst.

Through her leadership, NITDA’s communications strategy has evolved into a coherent, multi-stakeholder engagement system that resonates with Nigeria’s youth, private sector, development partners, and the international community. She has successfully led campaigns that demystify technology policies, promote data protection, digital skills, and indigenous tech innovation — amplifying both NITDA’s mandate and Nigeria’s global voice.

The Power List Recognition: A Career Milestone

Her inclusion in the GLG Top 50 PR Power List 2025 places her alongside Nigeria’s most accomplished communicators, professionals shaping public opinion, building brands, and steering national narratives.

This recognition underscores her role in positioning public institutions as modern, responsive, and aligned with Nigeria’s digital aspirations.

“She embodies what it means to be a communications leader in today’s Nigeria,” noted GLG’s editorial team. “She doesn’t just represent a government agency; she represents a movement towards greater transparency, digital inclusion, and public accountability.”

A Trailblazer Among Women in Tech and Policy

Earlier in the year, Hadiza was also listed among Techeconomy’s “100 Women Shaping the Future”, a powerful compilation of women leaders redefining the tech and innovation landscape in Africa. Her dual recognitions in both public relations and technology spheres reflect a unique ability to bridge sectors, a rare and valuable asset in the modern communications space.

Being one of the few women leading communications at the highest level of Nigeria’s digital governance structure, she continues to serve as a role model for young women aspiring to careers in ICT, media, and policy.

Leadership Rooted in Purpose

What makes Hadiza Umar stand out is not just her professionalism, but her deep-rooted belief in the power of communication to enable change. Whether she’s managing a crisis, promoting a national initiative like the Nigeria Data Protection Act, or guiding NITDA’s media engagements, she does so with calm confidence and strategic foresight.

Beyond her role at NITDA, she is actively involved in inter-agency coordination, public sector reform discussions, and capacity development initiatives, especially around women’s leadership in ICT and governance.

Looking Ahead: A New Generation of Public Communicators

Hadiza’s influence signals a broader shift in Nigeria’s public communication landscape, one that prioritises engagement over propaganda, clarity over obfuscation, and digital reach over bureaucracy. She represents the new face of strategic communication in government, where storytelling, technology, and trust converge.

As she continues to elevate public discourse and connect citizens with policies that matter, Hadiza Umar is not just managing communications. She is reshaping national perception and lighting a path for the next generation of communicators.

In a time when trust in institutions is fragile and attention spans fleeting, professionals like Hadiza Umar remind us that effective communication remains a cornerstone of progress. And for Nigeria’s digital future, hers is a voice we’ll be hearing, and learning from, for years to come.

The review, Techeconony’s correspondent gathered, is designed to streamline the process for the delivery of IT services to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

Confirming the development, Hadiza Umar (Mrs), head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations at NITDA, she clarified that these guidelines, initially issued in 2018, has outlined the registration process for Indigenous IT service providers that guarantees the delivery of high-quality IT projects to the federal government, uphold the highest standards of professionalism in IT services, and nourish the growth of local IT companies, all in adherence to the relevant Presidential Executive Orders.

“Since the issuance of the guidelines, the Agency has identified the need to improve the efficiency in the process of registration, promote indigenous IT service provision, ensure competent vendors are engaged for IT service delivery to Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“This is in line with the present administration’s drive to ensure collective prosperity through efficiency and innovation.

“The review, which will result in the amendment of the guidelines, will create opportunities for more digital services to be provided by Nigerian companies while strengthening the ease of doing business for IT service providers.

“It is the desire of NITDA to collaborate with all stakeholders to ensure that Nigerians benefit from the use of Information Technology to enhance and simplify their daily activities, especially service delivery by government and other institutions.

“In view of this, The Agency kindly invites the public to provide their comments, inputs, and feedback on or before the Sunday 21st January 2024, via this link.

A journalist, PR professional with practical experience, Hadiza Umar has worked in different faculties from the period of her employment in 1997.

She joined the NITDA from NBC in 2009 as the Head of Corporate Affairs.

She hails from Gwoza LGA of Borno State, a graduate of Mass Communication from University of Maiduguri, Borno State.

With thorough understanding of government operations, she has demonstrated a good relationship between the Agency and stakeholders in the Information Technology industry in Nigeria and global IT community.

Through her supervisory role, Mrs Umar was able to relate, maintain and sustain a favourable communication channel and understanding between the Agency and its public, while collaborating with various departments to provide updates on IT services and monitoring of NITDA collaboration network with focal organisations and stakeholders both national and international.

With her vast experience and training in public relations management and practices, Hadiza Umar is determined to reposition NITDA using the various PR tools and strategies towards achieving its vision as the prime catalyst for transforming Nigeria into a knowledge-driven economy.

Mrs Umar has attended various PR and Management Training programmes and conferences national and international.

She is also a member of Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR); African Business School (ABS); Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM); Fellow, Chartered Institute of Corporate Administration (CICA).

NITDA Hackathon is a national event in collaboration with academic institutions to drive digital innovation and entrepreneurship by challenging Nigeria’s teeming youths to ideate and develop solutions from inception through to the market.

According to a statement signed by Mrs. Hadiza Umar, head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations at NITDA, the hackathon is set to develop and grow a global network of IT experts, comprising Nigerian youths within the country and in the diaspora.

It is targeted at inculcating entrepreneurship spirit in academia, creating a platform where industry and public institutions will leverage the academic research ecosystem to solve national challenges using technology.

This year, the focus is on Agriculture, Security and Logistics.

The first edition of the hackathon will be held between 18th – 20th January 2022 at the Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola, Adamawa.

And the second edition will hold between 25th – 27th January 2022 at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, while the third edition will hold between 31st January – 2nd February 2022 at the University of Calabar, Cross Rivers State.

The challenge is open to ALL- students, entrepreneurs and innovators.

The successful startups’ groups in each category will be awarded cash prizes and will have the opportunity to develop their idea further for commercialisation with NITDA’s support.

For more details, visit the website HERE.

More about NCAIR

The National Centre for Artificial Intelligence and Robotics (NCAIR) is one of NITDA’s special purpose vehicles created to promote research and development on emerging technologies and their practical application in areas of Nigerian national interest. NCAIR is also focused on creating a thriving ecosystem for innovation-driven entrepreneurship (IDE), job creation, and national development.

The list, according to a statement signed by Mrs. Hadiza Umar, head Corporate Affairs and External Affairs at National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), is an authoritative repository of organizations that have prioritized compliance with the NDPR, and has become a reference point for global law firms, multinationals, investors, and compliance enthusiasts.

“The list indicates those organisations that have undergone the NDPR Audit process to ascertain their level of compliance, and identify areas for improvement.

“All the listed organizations have engaged a Data Protection Compliance Organization (DPCO) to train their staff, and to implement basic data protection protocols.

She said that the list comprises One Thousand Two Hundred and Thirteen (1,213) organizations from 13 sectors that contribute to Nigeria’s GDP.

They include Health, Transport & Logistics, Public Sector, Industrial and Extractive, ICT and Media, Energy and Power, Education, Finance, Commerce, and  Consulting.

The comprehensive list is published on NITDA’s website and accessible through the link HERE.