Lagos, Nigeria
In line with its commitment to promoting cybersecurity awareness, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc yesterday hosted its 2025 Cybersecurity Webinar (virtual) themed “Securing Our World.”
The event brought together participants from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), financial institutions, and global cybersecurity experts, all of whom underscored the need for collective responsibility and proactive engagement in tackling growing cyber threats.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of CSCS Plc, emphasized that cybersecurity must be viewed as a shared duty across all levels of society.
“Whatever we do as individuals, teams, or organizations, we must all play a part in keeping our digital world safe,” he said. “Our world is only as secure as the actions we take every day.”
Jalo-Waziri explained that CSCS launched the annual cybersecurity seminar years ago to drive security awareness and thought leadership within the capital market, given the organization’s role as a key market infrastructure.
“The seminar is a global call to action and a reminder that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility,” he added. “As leaders, we must demonstrate good security behaviour not only through policies but through our daily actions.”
He reiterated that at CSCS, cybersecurity is not merely a technology concern but a business imperative and shared value, embedded in the company’s decision-making and culture. He assured that CSCS would continue to invest in awareness programmes and empower its people to make secure, confident decisions.
Delivering a presentation titled “Why the Human Firewall is Important,” Daniel Onyekpeze, Head of Incident Handling (ngCERT) at ONSA, highlighted the human element as a major vulnerability in organizational cybersecurity.
He noted that most cyber incidents stem from human actions and urged organizations to prioritize continuous staff training to help employees detect and respond appropriately to threats.
“Humans remain the most targeted and affected in organizations. Regular training and a whole-organization awareness approach are key to building a strong human firewall,” he stressed.
Speaking on “Cybersecurity in a Hyper-Connected World,” Zechariah Akinpelu, Chief Information Security Officer, Unity Bank Plc, observed that with over 30 billion Internet of Things (IoT) devices expected globally by 2030, the world has become more interconnected—and more exposed.
While IoT technologies bring convenience, he warned, they also create new security risks that hackers actively exploit. Akinpelu advised individuals to adopt strong passwords, update devices regularly, and carefully manage app permissions, while urging organizations to implement Zero-Trust architectures, AI-based defense systems, and vendor risk management frameworks.
Also speaking, Jon Hamlet of CyberSoc Africa, in his presentation titled “Global Threats, Local Impact – Enterprise Strategies for a Connected World,” stressed that Nigerian organizations must strengthen enterprise resilience by embedding cybersecurity into their corporate culture.
He advised institutions to proactively manage risks across their supply chains, comply with regulations, and address global cyber threats with comprehensive risk management strategies.
In his closing remarks, Adeyinka Shonekan, Executive Director, CSCS, reiterated the organization’s commitment to cybersecurity leadership.
“In an increasingly digital and interconnected world, the responsibility to protect our systems, data, and people rests on all of us—individually, organisationally, and nationally,” he said. “At CSCS, we remain steadfast in advancing cybersecurity excellence within the capital market and the wider financial ecosystem. Collaboration, awareness, and innovation are the cornerstones of our resilience.”
