By Chimezie Godfrey
Galaxy Backbone Limited has positioned itself at the heart of Nigeria’s evolving cybersecurity architecture, pledging to deepen protection of government digital infrastructure as the Federal Government moves to establish a coordinated national response framework through a proposed Cybersecurity Advisory Council.
Speaking at the inaugural stakeholder session in Abuja, the Executive Director, Digital Exploration and Technical Services, Olumide Akingugbe, said the agency’s role in the emerging cybersecurity ecosystem would be anchored on its mandate as the Federal Government’s shared ICT infrastructure provider for Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He explained that Galaxy Backbone already provides a centralised platform for government digital services, making it a critical layer in Nigeria’s cyber defence architecture. According to him, “Galaxy Backbone has been mandated by the Federal Government of Nigeria to act as the infrastructure shared services provider for ICT services for all MDAs,” stressing that this responsibility places the organisation at the frontline of securing government-wide digital operations.
Expanding on this, Akingugbe said the agency currently supports a wide range of applications and productivity tools used across MDAs, backed by a robust monitoring system. “All the ICT services that are normally supposed to be procured by the various MDAs are being provided by Galaxy Backbone,” he said, adding that, “to that extent, Galaxy Backbone has a Security Operations Centre that actually manages a lot of the applications and productivity tools that most of the MDAs are using today.”
He noted that the centralised nature of these services makes cybersecurity not just an operational concern but a national imperative, especially as government systems become increasingly interconnected. According to him, the proposed Cybersecurity Coordination Council would further strengthen this ecosystem by enabling faster information exchange and coordinated response to threats across institutions.
On the issue of protecting critical infrastructure, Akingugbe clarified that Galaxy Backbone operates within a collaborative security framework, working closely with national security institutions to safeguard both physical and digital assets. “Galaxy Backbone is not a security services organization,” he said, “so for us to be able to achieve that, we work extensively with the security services, Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, as well as the Armed Forces.”
He added that many of the platforms managed by the agency have now been classified as critical national infrastructure, requiring heightened protection and coordinated oversight. “Most of these services have been categorized as critical national infrastructure,” he noted, explaining that this classification ensures that both physical and cyber layers of security are taken seriously at the highest levels of government.
Beyond infrastructure, Akingugbe placed strong emphasis on human factors in cybersecurity, describing personnel as the most critical line of defence in any digital system. “Your first line of defense is usually your people,” he said, stressing that organisations must prioritise identity management and access control. “It is important that we know who they are, they’re properly identified, and we’re also able to track and manage them,” he added.
He said that without strong authentication systems and proper identity governance, even the most advanced technological infrastructure could be compromised, noting that insider threats and human error remain major vulnerabilities in cybersecurity.
The Galaxy Backbone executive further aligned the agency’s operations with the broader national push for coordinated cyber resilience, saying the proposed council would help bring together fragmented efforts into a unified system. He noted that as government digital services expand, the risks associated with cyber threats also increase, making collaboration across agencies and sectors inevitable.
According to him, the council would serve as a platform to harmonise cybersecurity practices, strengthen institutional accountability and ensure that intelligence gathered from different sectors is effectively utilised to prevent and respond to threats.
The stakeholder engagement, convened by the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is part of ongoing consultations to shape the structure and operational framework of the proposed council before its formal inauguration.