The Lagos State Government says plans are advancing to establish a Cybersecurity Operations Centre for stronger protection of residents’ data and digital transactions.

Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology, Tunbosun Alake, disclosed this on Wednesday during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing in Alausa, Ikeja.

Alake said the initiative became necessary as more residents embraced digital payment platforms, online services and technology-driven systems in daily commercial activities.

“We are building a Cybersecurity Operations Centre to protect residents’ data as digital transactions and online services continue expanding across Lagos State,” he said.

According to him, the state currently has 109 Data Protection Officers deployed across Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

He described the figure as the highest number of Data Protection Officers currently recorded by any state in Nigeria.

Alake said government also launched the Lagos Campus Network Upgrade to strengthen digital infrastructure within the public service.

“The network upgrade will improve efficiency, automate processes, enhance citizen engagement and support our vision of a smarter city environment,” he said.

The commissioner reaffirmed government’s commitment to supporting innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-driven solutions among young people.

“In the year under review, over N900 million was disbursed to support 75 startups and more than 80 research projects,” he said.

Alake added that Lagos continued attracting the highest international research funding support because of its rapidly expanding innovation ecosystem.

He also said the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) had significantly expanded its residents’ database.

According to him, LASRRA now holds over 6.8 million registration records, including more than 2.5 million adults and over 2.5 million children.

(NAN)