Cybercrime is now fully weaponised, automated, and disturbingly intelligent. In 2025, the digital space has become a high-stakes battlefield, where attackers have gone beyond hackers in hoodies, to well-organised groups using artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and fraud-as-a-service to breach global systems with terrifying precision.
Cybercrime will cost the global economy an estimated $10.5 trillion this year. Phishing attacks have surged over 4000% since 2022, cloud intrusions are up 75%, and only 4% of organisations feel confident in the security of their connected devices.
Meanwhile, 66% of companies believe AI and machine learning will impact the sustainability of cybersecurity, but less than 40% have the systems in place to assess the risks of those very tools.
The threat is beyond technical; it’s human. The cybersecurity workforce gap has widened to over 4.1 million unfilled roles globally, and Africa alone faces a shortage of more than 3.5 million skilled professionals.
In Nigeria, over 68,000 cybersecurity roles are vacant, an issue worsened by migration and insufficient training pipelines.
The situation is compounded by digital illiteracy in the country, regulatory gaps, and a talent exodus driven by the ongoing Japa wave. However, despite this challenge, a guard of cybersecurity leaders are not relenting.
These ten personalities are building companies that secure mobile payments and smart homes, they’re impacting policy frameworks, training armies of young professionals, and leading cross-border collaborations.
This list is a look into the minds ensuring the global cybersecurity revolution in 2025. Be it Lagos, London, or Nairobi, their impact is unmistakable, cutting across sectors, banking, energy, e-commerce, public safety and continents.
Let’s meet the top ten personalities, not limited to these, driving cybersecurity resilience in 2025.
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1. Confidence Staveley: The Relatable Cybersecurity Leader
Beyond a cybersecurity expert, Confidence Staveley is a movement. Her name has become synonymous with resilience, inclusion, and strategy in Nigeria’s digital security sector.
Staveley is the founder of CyberSafe Foundation and MerkleFence, leading with conviction and vision; building secure-by-design systems and empowering the next generation of African cybersecurity professionals.
Her journey spans over a decade of building secure products, embedding security deep into development lifecycles, and leading high-performing teams across continents. She’s both a theorist and a doer, integrating automated security into CI/CD pipelines, publishing the bestselling book API Security for White Hat Hackers, and delivering results, raising the bar.
Through CyberGirls Fellowship, Africa’s largest female-focused cybersecurity training initiative, Confidence opens doors for young women who might otherwise be excluded from the tech revolution. She mentors, she teaches, and she amplifies voices that matter.
Her recognition includes SC Media’s Women in IT Security Power Player, Cybersecurity Woman of the World, and Top 40 Global Thought Leader in Security and Safety, among others. Her superpower isn’t just the certifications or accolades, but her ability to make security human, accessible, and empowering. When she says she’s “The Relatable CyberSecurity Leader,” it’s not just branding, it’s truth.
2. Professor Obadare Peter Adewale: Nigeria’s First Cybersecurity Professor and Visionary Technopreneur
Professor Obadare Peter Adewale is a name you’ll find etched into Nigeria’s cybersecurity history. A pioneer and one of the continent’s most credentialled cybersecurity leaders, Obadare combines academia, entrepreneurship, and policy advocacy with unmatched precision.
As the Chief Visionary Officer of Digital Encode, Obadare has spent over two decades helping institutions navigate the highly technical and rapidly changing cybersecurity ecosystem. His expertise spans penetration testing, risk management, GRC (Governance, Risk, and Compliance), digital forensics, and AI governance.
He holds elite global credentials and fellowships, including with the British Computer Society, Forbes Technology Council, and as Africa’s first EC-Council Licensed Pen Tester.
In 2024, he was appointed Nigeria’s first Professor of Practice in Cybersecurity, a role that bridges the gap between classroom theory and industry reality. Through this position at Miva Open University, he brings real-world exposure into academia, helping produce a new generation of industry-ready professionals.
His work on AI governance at the Centre for Artificial Intelligence Governance, combined with certifications from Oxford, Harvard, and MIT, stressed his relentless pursuit of innovation and relevance.
From designing ISO-compliant security architectures to mentoring C-level executives, Obadare is not just part of the cybersecurity revolution; he helped start it.
His current projects, including AI risk management frameworks and digital sovereignty initiatives, have implications far beyond Nigeria. They position him as a global authority on digital trust and national cyber resilience. In Obadare, Nigeria has a cybersecurity leader and a visionary building bridges to the future.
3. Peter Ejiofor: Building Resilience from the Ground Up
Peter Ejiofor is the embodiment of locally-grown innovation in Nigeria’s cybersecurity ecosystem. As CEO of Ethnos IT Solutions, he has created one of the most respected indigenous cybersecurity firms on the continent, rooted in technical excellence, community engagement, and strategic foresight.
Ejiofor’s career spans two decades of enterprise-level cybersecurity architecture, particularly in financial services and telecoms. But what sets him apart is his focus on making cybersecurity accessible and affordable, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the most vulnerable segment in Nigeria’s digital economy.
Under his leadership, Ethnos developed Aquila, an AI-driven mobile app that scans and secures devices for SMEs, and Castellum, a next-gen encryption framework tailored for African businesses. These tools are not theoretical, they’re already changing how companies approach security.
Beyond tools, Ejiofor invests in talent. Through the Ethnos Cybersecurity Academy, he trains beginners and career switchers, providing them with hands-on, practical skills that go beyond theory.
His commitment to demystifying cybersecurity has led to real impact, clients prepared for compliance audits, SMEs winning contracts thanks to improved security posture, and graduates joining elite security teams.
He’s also a respected certified ISO/IEC 27001 auditor and senior pen tester, and a member of leading African cybersecurity associations. When Zenith Bank showcased Aquila and Castellum at its Tech Fair, it went beyond a product launch to show how local expertise can deliver world-class solutions.
4. Innocent Paul Ojo: Building Cybersecurity Where IT Meets OT
Few professionals navigate as fluidly between IT and operational technology (OT) environments as Innocent Paul Ojo. A rare blend of strategist, analyst, and researcher, Innocent brings together real-world execution and academic rigour into one streamlined career focused on securing systems where the digital converges with the physical.
As the founder of CoreDefense, Innocent is redefining how cybersecurity is approached holistically and contextually. Whether it’s securing smart factories, industrial control systems, or fintech APIs, he’s known for designing and implementing end-to-end security architectures that go far beyond baseline protections.
At Persimmon Homes, he worked closely with OT stakeholders to improve the cybersecurity posture of smart factory assets. From hardening programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and securing building automation systems to deploying network segmentation, asset visibility tools like Nozomi Networks, and SIEM integrations using Splunk, Innocent helped reduce detection and incident triage time by over 60%. His approach: fusing security-by-design with deep visibility across the operational stack.
But it’s not just the technologies he uses, Wireshark, Ghidra, PE-bear, Burp Suite, OWASP ZAP, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Azure Lighthouse, Kali Linux, and Tenable Nessus, it’s how he uses them that distinguishes his work. His detailed work in threat modelling, subdomain takeover testing, firmware analysis, and network protocol dissection has earned him trust in highly regulated sectors such as healthcare, fintech, and industrial manufacturing.
Innocent brings clarity to complexity, aligning controls with frameworks like NIST CSF, ISO 27001, and DORA, ensuring governance and compliance objectives are met with technical precision and strategic foresight.
Certified by ISC2 and CompTIA, Innocent’s work reflects a force-multiplier mindset, fusing technical excellence with leadership and execution.
Whether volunteering with the Centre for Cyber Safety and Education, mentoring emerging talent, or performing red team-style assessments at fintech platforms like CreditCliq, Innocent demonstrates an unwavering commitment to uplifting the cybersecurity community while building secure, resilient systems.
He’s not just participating in the cybersecurity revolution; he’s helping engineer its foundation, particularly where traditional infrastructure meets cloud-native and cyber-physical systems.
5. Timmy Iwoni: The Cross-Sector Engineer Turning Cybersecurity Into Solutions
Timmy Iwoni is a cybersecurity expert and a builder—of systems, teams, and companies. He is CEO of Reconnaissance Technologies, where he leads one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing tech firms at the cutting edge of digital defence, artificial intelligence, and fintech infrastructure.
What makes Timmy’s journey commendable is his ability to move seamlessly across sectors. He’s as comfortable talking about AI-powered CRMs like Nebula as he is explaining penetration testing protocols. Under his leadership, Reconnaissance launched secure platforms like AgoPay and Fricana Mart, products that merge security-first fintech and e-commerce into everyday solutions.
Trained in Computer Engineering (JAIN College, India) and Chemical Engineering (FUT Yola), Timmy blends analytical rigour with technical depth. His early years managing IT infrastructure at BOSIP Enterprises and later leading software development at ISF Technologies, India, shaped a mindset focused on resilience, optimisation, and usability.
His secret? A vision that scales. Timmy doesn’t isolate cybersecurity from innovation; he integrates it, embedding security into product design and cloud systems from day one. His work helps SMEs and corporates alike avoid vulnerabilities without sacrificing performance.
Timmy is part of a new generation of cybersecurity leaders in Nigeria: problem solvers and solution builders, rooted in code, powered by strategy, and driven by purpose.
6. Abdulqudus Isa: Driving Cybersecurity Transformation
Abdulqudus Isa is a leading voice in cybersecurity, renowned for bridging the gap between cyber risk strategy and real-world implementation.
With a strong background in Cybersecurity, Risk Management, Governance, and IT Audit, Abdulqudus has been instrumental in helping organizations build resilient digital infrastructures, particularly within regulated industries like banking, insurance, fintech, and energy.
At KPMG Nigeria, Abdulqudus Isa served within the Cyber and Privacy Advisory unit, helping clients navigate the complexities of digital transformation while staying secure and compliant.
His work ranged across: Cybersecurity Assessments & Audits; ISO 27001 and NIST Compliance Implementation; IT General Controls (ITGC) Testing; Cloud and Application Security Reviews; Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Planning, and .Vulnerability and Threat Management Frameworks
His KPMG experience positioned him as a trusted advisor to large corporations seeking guidance on end-to-end cyber risk governance and digital trust.
Abdulqudus holds multiple industry-recognized certifications and has deep technical fluency in frameworks such as: ISO 27001; NIST CSF; PCI-DSS; SWIFT Customer Security Programme (CSP), and Microsoft Security tools & environments.
He also holds a degree in Engineering and has consistently upskilled across cybersecurity trends including cloud security, penetration testing, and risk analysis.
With a deep understanding of attacker tactics and evolving threat landscapes, Abdulqudus Isa represents a new generation of cybersecurity professionals who combine policy-level governance with frontline threat intelligence. He is known for crafting proactive strategies that help organizations predict, prevent, and respond to cybersecurity threats.
His influence is felt across boardrooms and operational security teams alike, as he drives awareness, compliance, and resilience in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber risks.
7. Dr. Basil Udotai: The Strategist Who Wrote Nigeria’s Cybersecurity Playbook
When the conversation turns to the architects of Nigeria’s cybersecurity framework, Dr. Basil Udotai is impossible to overlook. He is a huge part of the digital security conversation and helped write its earliest chapters.
As the pioneer Director of Cybersecurity at Nigeria’s Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Dr. Udotai was key in establishing the very Directorate for Cybersecurity, an office now central to Nigeria’s defence against digital threats.
His legal background, paired with deep policy insight, gave him a unique ability to design protections and entire governance structures for national cybersecurity.
Before entering the policy arena, Dr. Udotai was General Counsel and Legal Adviser at NITDA, where he helped drive the implementation of the National IT Policy. This dual fluency, in law and technology, is rare, making him one of the most trusted advisors in Nigeria’s cyber policy circles.
Today, as Managing Partner at Technology Advisors LLP, he consults for both government and enterprise clients, shaping digital transformation and compliance strategies across industries. His legal precision makes him a go-to figure for navigating cybercrime laws, data protection regulations, and emerging tech risks.
Dr. Udotai is a key voice at international conferences, including the National Cybersecurity Conference 2025, where his contributions to Nigeria’s digital resilience strategy were widely acknowledged.
His legacy is in laying the foundation. While others manage cyber risk, Dr. Basil Udotai helped define what that risk means for a nation. Beyond being a part of Nigeria’s cybersecurity revolution, he was there at its inception.
8. Dr. Vincent Olatunji: Bridging Data Protection and Cybersecurity for National Impact
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, as the National Commissioner and CEO of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), leads a mission that sits at the heart of Nigeria’s digital trust: protecting data in the complex cyber space.
While his mandate centres on data protection, the overlap with cybersecurity is direct and undeniable. Under his leadership, the NDPC has moved beyond bureaucratic compliance and into active transformation, launching the Virtual Privacy Academy, conducting sector-wide regulatory audits, and enforcing policies in healthcare, oil and gas, and hospitality.
But Dr. Olatunji’s impact is not confined to national borders. In April 2025, he was appointed Chair of the Anglophone Countries Committee within NADPA, tasked with coordinating data privacy strategies across English-speaking African nations. That role gives him a direct hand in shaping policies that affect over 1.4 billion people.
His global credentials are also solid. He participated in a cybersecurity study tour of Estonia, widely regarded as a pioneer in national digital infrastructure. The experience influenced his approach to cross-border data governance and the localisation of international best practices.
Under his watch, Nigeria has created a Digital Sovereignty Framework, aligned itself with global privacy standards, and taken an active role in the governance of emerging technologies.
Dr. Olatunji is not a traditional cybersecurity practitioner, but in 2025, cybersecurity is no longer just about firewalls and encryption; it’s about trust, transparency, and control. Few embody this transformation better than he.
9. Dr. David Isiavwe: Securing Nigeria’s Financial Systems, One Layer at a Time
In Nigeria’s financial sector, where billions are moved digitally every day, Dr. David Isiavwe is one of the most trusted minds working behind the scenes to ensure everything runs safely and securely.
President of the Information Security Society of Africa – Nigeria (ISSAN), Dr. Isiavwe leads capacity building, public-private collaboration, and financial sector readiness. His organisation has hosted some of the most impactful cybersecurity conferences in the region, including the Q1 2025 Cybersecurity Roundtable, which tackled real-world issues like identity access management in zero-trust environments.
Beyond advocacy, Dr. Isiavwe wears a different hat as Executive Director of Operations and IT at Nova Bank. With past roles at Ecobank, UBA Africa, and Union Bank, his perspective is unmatched when it comes to the fusion of banking operations and digital risk management.
His academic credentials only reinforce his standing. He holds a PhD in Accounting, is a CISSP, a CGEIT, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. His training at Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Boston University speaks volumes about his commitment to global best practices.
Dr. Isiavwe is also a loud voice in the talent retention debate. At the 2024 ISSAN Cybersecurity Conference, he called for curriculum reform, competitive incentives, and continuous learning pathways to retain Nigeria’s top cyber talent.
10. Olufemi Ake: Bolstering Cybersecurity Through Education and Strategy
If Nigeria is serious about closing its widening cybersecurity talent gap, it needs more leaders like Olufemi Ake, a professional who combines technical insight with a deep passion for education, policy, and youth empowerment.
He’s the Managing Director of ESET West Africa, who oversees operations in key Anglophone markets such as Nigeria and Ghana. But his impact runs deeper than business development. He has worked tirelessly to embed cybersecurity awareness into institutions and communities that were once far removed from the conversation.
What truly sets Ake apart, however, is his work in academia and curriculum reform. He’s played a huge role in developing cybersecurity training frameworks adopted by Nigerian universities and professional bodies. His advocacy has led to structured education pathways that didn’t exist a decade ago, helping hundreds of professionals earn globally relevant credentials and enter critical security roles.
Ake has also lent his expertise to government policymaking, advising on issues ranging from digital identity and cybercrime legislation to cloud compliance and cross-border data regulation.
Through hackathons, CTF competitions, and NITDA-backed bootcamps, Ake has created training and mentorship opportunities that give Nigerian youth a stake in the cybersecurity industry. He speaks often, and with urgency, about the 68,000+ unfilled cybersecurity jobs across the country, and the need to develop home-grown talent fast.
He is also part of regional alliances like the African Union Cybersecurity Experts Group, where he helps shape continental policy on cyber norms, shared threat intelligence, and digital inclusion.
