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Experts Urge PMB to Proclaim October Nigeria’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Stakeholders in Nigeria’s converged ICT and broadcasting sectors have asked the federal government of Nigeria to consider the adoption of October as the national cybersecurity awareness month in line with global best practices as a matter of urgent national priority.
This call was made at the National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NASCAM) conference held at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos, recently.
The call was the consensus of most speakers and participants at the one-day conference.
They stressed that cyber security should be given additional attention by the federal government of Nigeria going by the exponential growth of Internet related activities in the country and the growing vulnerability of the government, corporate and individual citizens to the threats of cyber criminals.
Delivering a paper on ‘Internet Jurisdiction: A Catch-22 Situation And The Trajectory Of Nigeria’s Judicial System’, Kunle Adegoke, managing partner, M. A. Banire and Associates said, “The evil effect of cybercrimes can be hardly exhaustively appreciated as same may seem to be limitless. According to a report, “Cyber-crime costs the global economy about $445 billion every year, with the damage to business from the theft of intellectual property exceeding the $160 billion loss to individuals from hacking”. A 2012 report says that Nigeria lost over 2 trillion naira to cybercrime in 2012and $200 million per annum. The amount of loss annually occasioned now can be better imagined as youths today see cybercrime as an open sesame to sudden riches.”
While commending the Nigerian government for enacting the enabling law to deal with cyber criminality, he called for the strengthening of the existing laws because “The computer has created a different world of cyber existence where man can live without laws of ancient regime. The benefits of burden of human relations have occasioned cyber-crime as well.”
He expressed concern that “it is not good for technology to run faster than law. Whenever, technology moves faster than law, what you will have is a legal vacuum”. Nigeria suffered this legal vacuum for a long while.”
Emeka Mba, immediate past director general, National Broadcasting Commission, also expressed the need for increased citizens and government’s participation in awareness creating and pragmatic interventions in the cyber security issues and challenges.
He said that even the broadcast industry that used to have a sense of immunity against cyber-attacks is now more vulnerable like every other IT entities because of the convergence of technology which has allowed for the integration of Internet Protocols in the broadcasting industry and the emergence of Smart television sets.
He underscored in his concern when he cited the instance On April 8, 2015, hackers penetrated the French broadcaster TV5Monde, crippling email and production facilities, hijacking social media accounts and disrupting the transmission of 11 channels for three hours.
Putting it in context, Mba said “that Few years ago, the major head ache for a pay tv service was smart card hacking, and piracy, today its much worse. According to a new report in Digital TV Europe “Cybercriminals target broadcasters up to 1,000 times a day.”
According to him, for years the industry has been moving away from traditional, analog audiovisual broadcasting technology towards digital-only, network-based infrastructures.
This is a logical and necessary process for broadcast companies to keep pace with technological development, and to benefit from the efficiencies of digital media network distribution.
But any system based on delivering digital media over the internet is potentially vulnerable to cyber-attack from outside.
“Broadcast signal intrusion is the hijacking of broadcast signals of radio, television stations, cable television broadcast feeds or satellite signals. Hijacking incidents have involved local TV and radio stations as well as cable and national networks, he stated.
Reverend Sunday Afolayan, president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association, (NIRA), who spoke on Internet governance, highlighted some of the issues that have made it pertinent for the Nigerian government to speedily consider the presidential proclamation of October as the national cyber security awareness month.
According to him, the proliferation of the IoT has led to the issue of breaches and surveillance (by the Government or Individuals) because most of our data are online.
He said as well that broadband penetration is narrowing digital, physical, economic and educational divides. This according to him is resulting in global GDP growth.
Afolayan noted as well that the cyber space is now a veritable channel for the dissemination of “propaganda to promote violence. This includes radicalization, recruitment and financing organized crimes using the Internet. Online child sexual exploitation. The internet as both tool and object of militant protest either for liberation or for domination”.
Shina Badaru, publisher and founder Technology Times, canvassed for a presidential amnesty for cyber criminals in order to allow government access the potentials of the IT savvy individuals for positive trajectories in building a wall of defence in the nation’s electronic boundaries across the board.
While saying that the nation’s conventional security forces might have been over stretched and ill-equipped to tackle the dynamic tactics and strategies of the cyber goons, Badaru said that those granted the amnesty could be converted to the nation’s strategic ‘army’ to combat the looming threats from the new frontiers to national security.
Victor Phikparobo Idohor, director general, Cyber Security Challenge Nigeria, said cautioned that no one or organisation is immune to the real and present danger in the cyber space.
He concurred with Badaru on the need for a dedicated law enforcement agency particularly for cyber security in Nigeria. He stressed that the emerging threats in the cyber space is beyond amateur hacks to the looming attacks on corporate entities and businesses.
According to him, the attacks on infrastructure presents gloomy picture of the threats to nation at large.
Ikem Ohuhu, Brandish.com.ng Publisher, spoke on the break away from the silos of expert discussion on cyber security to a more inclusive citizens’ participation at all levels.
According to him, cyber security challenge has gone beyond the experts’ enclave and should now be broken down in the common man’s language in order to have a comprehensive frontal defeat of the menace.
The one-day conference was attended by representatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, EFCC, DSS, civil society group, Lagos State government, students, developers, start-ups, entrepreneurs, banks, insurance companies and ICTs fraternal agencies and the media.4
InfraCredit, a specialised infrastructure credit guarantee institution, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Africa Minigrid Developers Association (AMDA) to boost access to long-term local currency financing for mini-grid and distributed renewable energy (DRE) projects across Africa.
The agreement aims to strengthen market development and address long-standing financing barriers in the mini-grid sector, especially in Nigeria and other underserved African markets.
The collaboration is aligned with InfraCredit’s Clean Energy Funding Programme (CEFP), which offers credit enhancement, due diligence support, and technical assistance to renewable energy developers.
“With an estimated 86 million Nigerians, alongside hundreds of millions across Africa—still living without electricity, bridging this energy access gap demands a pipeline of investment-ready, well-prepared projects that can unlock scalable capital and accelerate financial close,” said Chinua Azubike, CEO of InfraCredit.
“This partnership creates a practical pathway to scale the impact of our Clean Energy Funding Programme by equipping more developers to structure commercially viable mini-grid and DRE projects that qualify for long-term local currency finance,” Azubike added.
Through the agreement, both InfraCredit and AMDA will work together to facilitate technical assistance, share toolkits, and deploy credit modelling frameworks, including InfraCredit’s Distributed Renewable Energy Lending Toolkit (DRELT) and DRE Credit Rating Model. These tools aim to enhance the bankability of projects and improve developers’ ability to secure patient capital in local currency.
AMDA, which represents mini-grid developers operating in over 20 African countries, brings deep sector expertise and a strong network of DRE operators to the partnership.
According to Lamide Niyi-Afuye, CEO of AMDA, the collaboration addresses one of the most persistent challenges in the sector.
“We are pleased to collaborate with InfraCredit to address one of the most persistent barriers in the minigrid sector, access to affordable, long-term local currency finance,” said Niyi-Afuye.
“By aligning AMDA’s advocacy and technical support efforts with InfraCredit’s proven models and tools, we aim to accelerate the deployment of resilient, decentralised energy solutions that deliver tangible socioeconomic benefits in Africa. We view this partnership as a blueprint that will be used beyond borders, paving the way for broader regional impact,” he added.
The partnership will also support the development of transaction-ready pipelines, capacity-building initiatives, and investor-developer forums aimed at improving market transparency and accelerating the roll-out of commercially viable mini-grids.
By facilitating access to domestic blended finance and strengthening project preparation, the partnership hopes to unlock greater private sector participation, mobilise local capital, and expand clean energy access across unserved and underserved communities in Africa.
Transcorp Power Plc, one of Nigeria’s foremost electricity generating companies and a key subsidiary of Transnational Corporation Plc, has reported a robust financial performance for the half-year ended June 30, 2025.
In a statement issued on Sunday in Delta, the company disclosed a significant revenue growth of 52 per cent year-on-year, rising to ₦205.8 billion from ₦135.4 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.
The company said that its gross profit surged to ₦77.6 billion, with a gross margin of 23 per cent, while profit before tax grew to ₦58.7 billion, representing a 15 per cent increase compared to ₦51 billion in H1 2024.
It attributed the improved performance to increased generation capacity, strategic investment in infrastructure, and enhanced operational efficiency.
Speaking on the development, the Chairman of Transcorp Power, Mr Emmanuel Nnorom, said the half-year results reflect the company’s commitment to disciplined cost management and sustainable value creation.
“Our resilient performance despite economic headwinds reaffirms investor confidence in our long-term prospects,” he said.
The company also declared an interim dividend of ₦11.25 billion, amounting to ₦1.50 for every 50 kobo ordinary share, subject to withholding tax.
Commenting on the operational gains, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Peter Ikenga, said Transcorp Power increased its generation capacity by 100MW within the period.
“We remain focused on powering Nigeria and Africa, as we build on our momentum into the second half of the year,” Ikenga said.
Transcorp Power is a listed entity on the Nigerian Exchange and operates as one of the country’s leading power generation companies, with a track record of driving economic growth through reliable electricity supply.
Two Nigerian lawyers have sued promoters of the Nigerian Law Society (NLS) over allegations of electoral fraud and unlawful use of personal data.
The legal actions follow the recent election conducted by the NLS, a breakaway association formed as an alternative to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), to elect its national officers.
In one of the suits, marked FHC/ABJ/05/1506/2025 and filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, a lawyer, Timothy Tersugh Ahua, is challenging the conduct of the election and the legitimacy of the electoral process.
Ahua named several NLS promoters, including prominent lawyers, as defendants.
They include Senior Advocates, Chief Mela Audu Nunghe, Dr. Ugoji Eze, Secretary of the NLS Electoral Committee, and Chief Bolaji, Chairman of the NLS.
Others named in the suit are Ferguson Chioma Blessing, Chief Emeka Ichoku, and Tejumola Adigun.
Citing provisions of the Federal High Court Civil Procedure Rules, Ahua is asking the court to declare that the NLS electoral process violated its constitution.
He is seeking a declaration that all unopposed candidates, including himself, be declared elected, as published by Dr. Tonye Clinton Jaja, the alternate Chairman of the NLS Electoral Committee.
Ahua claims he was duly nominated for the position of Secretary General but was unjustly excluded, accusing the defendants of hand-picking candidates in breach of the rules.
He further alleged that the exclusion caused him financial loss, reputational damage, and personal hardship, urging the court to correct what he described as a grave injustice.
In a separate suit before the Federal High Court in Abeokuta, another lawyer, Oluwadare Thomas, sued Chief Mela Nunghe, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Ugoji Eze, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC), over alleged violation of his data privacy rights.
Thomas is asking the court to determine whether the use and publication of his personal data by NLS election officials without his consent amounts to a breach of Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution and the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
He also wants the court to consider whether the use of the NLS name for the election, despite a CAC notice and a pending suit, constitutes contempt of court and abuse of legal process.
He is seeking several declaratory and injunctive reliefs, including a court order restraining the continued use of his personal data and an order compelling NITDA and NDPC to investigate and sanction the respondents.
Thomas is also demanding N50m in compensation for the alleged unlawful processing and exposure of his personal information.
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