NITDA calls for DNS to be designated as critical national infrastructure

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is advocating for Nigeria’s Domain Name System (DNS) to be officially classified as critical national information infrastructure. During a webinar organized by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), NITDA Director-General Kashifu Abdullahi emphasized that the DNS is vital to national operations, including government services, financial platforms, and essential digital activities.

Abdullahi warned that disruptions or manipulations of DNS records could redirect users to malicious websites, leading to cyberattacks and financial losses. He noted that while NiRA deployed DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) for the .ng domain registry in February 2026, wider adoption is necessary. Currently, uptake of DNSSEC stands at only 9.15 percent.

To strengthen national cyber resilience, NITDA is urging website owners and government agencies to activate DNSSEC to establish a chain of trust through cryptographic verification. The agency stressed that securing the registry alone is insufficient and must be complemented by infrastructure redundancy and continuous security monitoring.