By Gloria Irabor
The Federal Government has called for enhanced child online protection measures, comprehensive digital literacy and confidential reporting mechanisms to counter rising cyber threats.
Speaking at the 2026 annual summit held in Abuja by Child Online Safety, Protection and Reporting of Abuse (COSPRA), the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh SAN, warned that rapid developments in artificial intelligence (AI) present new vectors for exploitation, including cyberbullying, grooming, extortion, sexual exploitation and data privacy breaches.
The Minister’s message was delivered by the Deputy Director and Head Engineering and Emerging Technologies Service Team at SITOPEO-5 at the ministry, Dr. Engr Patricks Oghuma
In his words, “Technology should not only connect us; it must also protect us. As Nigeria advances its digital transformation agenda, child safety must remain central to innovation policies. Every child must hear the message of if something happens to you online, it is not your fault. Do not remain silent. Speak to someone you trust and report it.’”
He listed the following points as crucial
National priority: safeguarding children in the digital landscape is vital as smartphone, tablet, and gaming platform usage grows among youth;
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: A coordinated framework is needed across parents, educators, government agencies, security forces, and tech platforms;
Platform Responsibility: Tech companies are urged to implement “Safety-by-Design,” enhance privacy features, detect harmful content, and create accessible, child-friendly reporting channels;
Empowering Youth: Children and young people are recognized as active partners in digital safety—encouraged to practice cautious sharing and support peers.
Earlier In her welcome address, Executive Secretary of the Ndukwe Kalu Foundation—co-organizers of the summit—Erica Okibe pointed out how AI tools can manipulate minors, generate harmful images from ordinary photos and render scams harder to spot.
She explained that the COSPRA initiative rests on four pillars which are prevention, protection, reporting and accountability.
Hosting this year’s summit in Abuja was a strategic decision to align conversations directly with lawmakers and regulatory bodies such as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The summit will culminate in the adoption of the COSPRA 2026 Communiqué and a national pledge on child online safety to drive regulatory and legislative action.
The Ndukwe Kalu Foundation was
established in 2013 by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) in memory of pioneer president Engr. Ndukwe Kalu, the foundation promotes child online safety, builds digital capacity among young people and deepens public understanding of internet infrastructure across Nigeria.
