By Emmanuel Okogba

In an exclusive and far-reaching interview with Vanguard Nigeria, Michael Friday Umakor CISSP CCSP offered a candid reflection on his journey in the world of cybersecurity, and his enduring belief that digital security is essential to national development.

You’ve led cybersecurity efforts across healthcare, agriculture, and SMEs. What inspires your work?

I see cybersecurity as a civic duty. Our economy is becoming digital, but our security structures haven’t kept pace. For me, it’s about ensuring that every Nigerian institution—whether it’s a hospital or a rural co-op, has the tools to operate safely in the digital age.

Tell us about your most significant impact during your time at Hoollaa Connect.

Between 2017 and 2022, I led the transformation of cloud systems for more than 30 hospitals and agri-enterprises. We moved from fragile, legacy systems to encrypted, multilayered cloud architectures, with real-time threat detection and local engineer training. I personally helped train over 100 engineers across Lagos, Kaduna, and Ogun states. These were people who now build and maintain secure systems themselves, that’s legacy.

You were also part of regulatory work?

Yes. I worked with NITDA and other policy stakeholders to draft cybersecurity protocols designed specifically for SMEs. A lot of global solutions don’t fit our budget or infrastructure. I helped build something uniquely Nigerian, scalable, effective, and practical.

What’s your current focus?

In March 2025, I joined a leading Financial Institution in the U.S. to further the frontier of Emerging Technology Security via the intersection of AI, Cybersecurity and Enterprise Product Security at a global scale. But I remain deeply committed to Nigeria. I’m working with partners to develop African cybersecurity governance models that reflect our culture, risks, and values, and I intend to return that knowledge home.