Students Trained on Cyber Safety as CITAD, Partners Tackle Online Harassment

By: Julian Osamoto

In a bid to tackle the growing threat of cyberbullying and promote responsible use of technology among young Nigerians, the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), in collaboration with the Ndukwe Kalu Foundation, has launched a cyber safety training for junior secondary school students in Abuja.

The program, which held at JSS Zone 1, is part of a broader digital rights and child online protection campaign targeting over 500 students in the FCT and thousands more across Kano, Bauchi, and Jigawa states.

Speaking during the training, Usman Isa, Technical Officer of CITAD in the FCT, said the initiative was borne out of concern for rising online abuse, misinformation, and data breaches affecting young people.

“We are training the children because they are the future. If they have the basic digital safety knowledge now, we can reduce online risks and abuse in the near future,” Isa said.

He noted that although schools face challenges such as lack of ICT equipment, the organization’s role is to advocate to government and stakeholders for support and infrastructure.

For many students, the training opened their eyes to the dangers lurking online. Nathan Itabu, a student from JSS Zone 1, described cyberbullying as a form of online harassment that should never be ignored.

“If someone harasses you on social media, you don’t reply. You report it to platforms like Facebook so the person can be banned,” he said.

He revealed that he also learned not to share personal details like name, location, or passwords with strangers and to avoid revealing sensitive codes received via phone.

Another student, Maryam Abiyogadro, said the training has made her and her peers more conscious of digital safety.

“We now know how to create strong passwords and avoid sharing our data with strangers online,” she noted.

In her remarks, the Principal of JSS Zone 1, Dr. Mrs. Mary Abrahams, expressed appreciation for the training, describing it as timely and proactive.

She, however, lamented the lack of digital learning equipment, noting that past efforts at e-learning have been abandoned due to poor policy continuity.

“We used to have PC-mates, laptops, and digital broadcasts, but they’ve become obsolete. We don’t even have a functional ICT classroom anymore,”

“Government must provide a fully equipped ICT lab with laptops for both teachers and students to prepare them for CBT and future demands.” she stated.

Though the school prohibits the use of phones, the principal admitted that some students still face cyberbullying through contact outside school hours, with disputes often spilling into the school environment.

“We’ve had cases where quarrels started at home or online, then continued here. That’s why we talk to them about it frequently and invite experts to sensitise them.”

The CITAD cyber safety initiative is a much-needed intervention as Nigeria’s education system increasingly incorporates digital technologies.

While student awareness is growing, educators and facilitators agree that government support in digital infrastructure is essential for long-term impact.