Nigerian tech companies must urgently integrate artificial intelligence into their cybersecurity strategies to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated digital threats, Chidinma Oboli, Integrated Management System Lead at Nomba Financial Services, has said.
“In today’s product-led world, AI is not just an enhancement to security — it is redefining it entirely,” Oboli said in a statement. “Traditional firewalls and patch updates are no longer enough. Attackers are moving faster, and human teams can’t keep up.”
Oboli, who recently led Nomba’s compliance initiative on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s IT Standard — achieving Level 3 maturity in ISO 27017 and ISO 27032, above the required Level 2 — said the future of cyber defence lies in AI-powered systems that are capable of real-time detection and response.
He pointed to industry data indicating that AI-enhanced security platforms are now detecting cyber threats 60% faster than conventional tools. This, he said, makes AI indispensable for digital companies trying to scale while safeguarding customer trust.
Oboli described how AI systems can flag anomalies within milliseconds, automate threat triage, and adapt access controls based on user behavior and context — capabilities that are transforming cybersecurity from a reactive to a predictive function.
“This isn’t some futuristic concept. These systems are already in production — detecting fraud, scanning for phishing patterns using natural language processing, and enabling smarter authentication flows,” he said.
For Nigeria, which is seeing rapid growth in its fintech and digital services sectors, the stakes are high. Oboli warned that while the market is expanding, the risk surface is growing just as quickly.
“The rise of mobile-first services, limited local cybersecurity talent, and increasing regulatory pressure all compound the risks,” he said. “But by embedding AI in our security approach now, we can build safer platforms, even with lean teams.”
He further argued that cybersecurity is no longer the sole responsibility of security teams. “Security is now a product decision — it influences growth, user experience, compliance, and ultimately, customer trust,” Oboli said.
Oboli urged founders, developers, and product managers across the Nigerian tech ecosystem to view AI security as a foundation for sustainable digital innovation, not just a backend concern.
“AI won’t solve poor governance or fix broken systems on its own,” he said. “But when combined with strong leadership and good policies, it becomes a force multiplier. In this era, the companies that get security right will be the ones that lead.”
