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Smile Communications Stimulates Free WiFi in Metrotaxi

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*Some of the metrotaxis connected with WiFi by Smile Communications
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Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, the 4G/LTE broadband provider, renowned for superfast and reliable Internet service, has scored another first in the industry activating free WiFi in over 200 Metrotaxis in Lagos. 

The feat is consequent upon the consummation of the partnership between Smile Communications and popular auto service firm Metro-taxi

At the official announcement of the partnership, Mrs. Alero Ladipo, ‎chief marketing officer, Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, described the feat as a ‘partnership’ designed to redefine life style among Metro-taxi passengers.

She said that the partnership was in line with Smile’s philosophy as the broadband provider of choice in Nigeria and will enable the teeming customers of Metrotaxi to fully benefit from the Internet world.

“Smile Communications Nigeria Limited”, she reiterated,” is uniquely famous for its transformative objective of using the best and most innovative technologies to provide its customers with high quality, easy to use and affordable communication services”.

Ladipo affirmed that “a lot of people think about The Internet from utility point of view. We are reinforcing the view that people should remain connected to the internet while on the go. The internet is about a more productive lifestyle. In spite of the strata of the society you belong, you should live a connected life. That is what Smile is advocating”.

According to her, “people are connected in different ways. Initially, in Nigeria, it was about making voice calls on your phone, but now people are connected via internet data making calls through Whatsapp, BBM etc. So, the partnership will intertwine the way we live our daily lives; riding in cars, cabs, buses, everyday. Before you know it, buses will have data and every street would become ‘smart’ ones, always connected. This is just a first step to what will happen in future”.

On why the telecom company chose MetroTaxi among competition, the Smile CMO said “Apart from Smile Communications being the ultimate 4G/LTE Company in Nigeria, we are creatively adding value to our customers’ lifestyle. The purpose of partnering with MetroTaxi is to improve on the conducive environment Metro taxi provides. Metro taxi maintains a standard and that is why we have partnered with them. They have maintained the integrity they promised from onset, which is in line with our principle”.

The benefits of the partnership, surmised Ladipo, are all encompassing for “It is also good for the drivers as well, because they have an opportunity to use the Google Map to locate their routes instead of stopping and asking people. At the same time, that passenger, whether or not he is a Smile Communications customer, has received additional value”.

Mrs. Priscilla Ibe, chief executive officer of Metrotaxi, said the company is thrilled by Smile’s magnanimity, adding that such partnership will even lift the company’s business profile.

She described Smile as a forward looking company that is true to the transformative objective that informed its establishment.

On its part Metro Taxi Limited, a subsidiary of The Philly & Mools Group, has set out to be an innovative customer oriented company, with the sole aim of providing unparalleled transportation service for both individual and corporate bodies.

Ibe said, “We are happy about this partnership. One of the basic needs of a Lagosian is to have a reliable, safe and comfortable ride. We thought of putting WiFi in the cabs so that while on the go the passenger can be connected-browsing, chatting, receiving and replying to business emails, among other bundles of opportunities this partnership will offer our passengers. We hope this is just the beginning with our 250 taxies already connected.

On fears that the free WiFi might lead to fare increase, Ibe allayed such fears. “Our fares remain the same. We are not considering increase or an upward review of the fares. Our collective desire is to offer our riders comfort and connectivity.

“This is going to improve our service because locating routes will become easier for the drivers. I look forward to getting passengers’ feedback. They will really enjoy it. Everybody wants access to the internet for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, sharing, uploading and downloading.

“Our cars are Bluetooth enabled. So, when the drivers are on the road, they connect the Bluetooth and give commands to the car with the DVD panel that shows the maps. We have already trained them on the safety side too. We also have a back-office system to help us monitor, through GPS, what the drivers are doing. In addition, we have fleet officers on the road monitoring the drivers and that also curtails misbehaviours.

Also speaking on the occasion, Mr. Tobe Okigbo, chief corporate services officer for Smile Communications Nigeria Limited, said the gesture was in furtherance of the company’s resolve to enable the Internet of Things (IoT) capable of increasing individuals, corporations and the nation’s economic base.

Okigbo said, “The truth is this: the way the world is going now like the phenomenal Digital Dividend, it is about how the internet, incrementally, helps you to achieve more. Can you imagine how much manpower that is lost in traffic gridlocks in Lagos? People should work even while they are in traffic. They should continue to be productive. In number terms, assuming people spend three hours/day in traffic. Let’s quantify it at $300/hour in lost productivity. If they are able to remain productive, the $300 adds to their income.

“So, it has multiplier effect. Think about it, if they don’t lose it, then, they earn more money. If they earn more, government earns more tax (revenue) and provides more services. All this because they have been empowered via Smile Communications free WiFi in MetroTaxi. The impact of the internet on our way of life has become ubiquitous. When you are talking about Internet of Things (IoT), for instance, MetroTaxis will in future talk to each other. There are instances where equipment, without human intervention, based on algorithms, talk to each other and things get done in more efficient ways”.

He highlighted that the partnership will even lead to a whole lot of innovations in future.


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Trump Threatens More Strikes in Nigeria

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President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could carry out further military strikes in Nigeria if Christians continue to be killed, reigniting a sensitive debate over religious violence and foreign intervention in Africa’s most populous nation.

Trump Threatens More Strikes in Nigeria

President Donald Trump

Trump made the remarks in an interview with The New York Times, published on Thursday, while responding to questions about a US military strike carried out in Nigeria on Christmas Day.

At the time, the US military said the operation targeted Islamic State militants in north-west Nigeria and was conducted at the request of the Nigerian government.

Nigeria, however, described the operation as a joint counterterrorism effort, stressing that it was aimed at armed groups designated as terrorists and “had nothing to do with a particular religion”.

“I’d love to make it a one-time strike,” Trump was quoted as saying. “But if they continue to kill Christians, it will be a many-time strike.”

Pressed on comments by his own Africa adviser that extremist groups such as Islamic State and Boko Haram have killed more Muslims than Christians in Nigeria, Trump acknowledged that Muslims were also victims but insisted that Christians were being targeted disproportionately.

“I think that Muslims are being killed also in Nigeria. But it’s mostly Christians,” he said.

Trump has repeatedly raised alarms about the safety of Christians in Nigeria, beginning in late October when he warned that Christianity faced what he described as an “existential threat” in the country. He has accused Nigerian authorities of failing to adequately protect Christian communities and has openly threatened US military intervention if the violence continues.

Nigeria has firmly rejected claims of systematic persecution of Christians. The government maintains that the country’s security challenges are complex and largely driven by insurgency, banditry and criminal violence rather than religious targeting.

With a population of more than 230 million people, Nigeria is almost evenly divided between Christians, who are concentrated mainly in the south, and Muslims, who predominate in the north. Islamist insurgencies, particularly Boko Haram and its offshoots, have plagued parts of northern Nigeria for more than a decade, killing thousands and displacing millions.

Nigerian authorities have repeatedly pointed out that militant attacks have claimed the lives of both Muslims and Christians, arguing that framing the violence along religious lines oversimplifies the crisis and risks inflaming tensions.

Following Trump’s earlier threats, the Nigerian government said it was willing to continue cooperating with Washington in combating terrorism but rejected language suggesting that Christians alone were under threat.

The latest comments are likely to strain diplomatic relations further, as Nigeria balances its partnership with the United States against concerns over sovereignty, security cooperation and the portrayal of its internal conflicts on the global stage.


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OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health

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OpenAI maker of ChatGPT is rolling out a health-focused feature to the generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool that’s used by nearly a billion users.

Named ChatGPT Health, the new feature aims to provide users with health and wellness information. This, as health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT, according to OpenAI.

In a blog post, Microsoft-backed OpenAI says de-identified analysis of conversations show that over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness-related questions on ChatGPT every week.

ChatGPT Health will also “securely” connect medical records and wellness apps to ground conversations with a user’s own health information, making responses more relevant and useful.

“Designed in close collaboration with physicians, ChatGPT Health helps people take a more active role in understanding and managing their health and wellness – while supporting, not replacing, care from clinicians.”

According to OpenAI, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notes making it hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own.

“ChatGPT Health builds on these so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness apps – like Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPal – so ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the trade-offs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.”

According to the company, ChatGPT Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care, adding that it is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. “Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over time – not just moments of illness – so you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations.

“To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, we’ll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.”

OpenAI adds that access to ChatGPT Health has started with a small group of early users to learn and continue refining the experience, adding that users with ChatGPT Free, Go, Plus, and Pro plans outside of the European Economic Area, Switzerland, and the UK are eligible.

“As we make improvements, we plan to expand access and make Health available to all users on web and iOS in the coming weeks.

“Medical record integrations and some apps are available in the US only, and connecting Apple Health requires iOS.”


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Kaspersky Shares AI Cybersecurity Predictions for 2026

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Kaspersky experts outline how the rapid development of AI is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape in 2026, both for individual users and for businesses. Large language models (LLMs) are influencing defensive capabilities while simultaneously expanding opportunities for threat actors.

Deepfakes are becoming a mainstream technology, and awareness will continue to grow. Companies are increasingly discussing the risks of synthetic content and training employees to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to it. As the volume of deepfakes grows, so does the range of formats in which they appear.

At the same time, awareness is rising not only within organisations but also among regular users: end consumers encounter fake content more often and better understand the nature of such threats. As a result, deepfakes are becoming a stable element of the security agenda, requiring a systematic approach to training and internal policies.

Deepfake quality will improve through better audio and a lowering barrier to entry. The visual quality of deepfakes is already high, while realistic audio remains the main area for future growth.

At the same time, content generation tools are becoming easier to use: even non-experts can now create a mid-quality deepfake in just a few clicks. As a result, the average quality continues to rise, creation becomes accessible to a far broader audience, and these capabilities will inevitably continue to be leveraged by cybercriminals.

Online deepfakes will continue to evolve but remain tools for advanced users. Real-time face and voice swapping technologies are improving, but their setup still requires more advanced technical skills. Wide adoption is unlikely, yet the risks in targeted scenarios will grow: increasing realism and the ability to manipulate video through virtual cameras make such attacks more convincing.

Efforts to develop a reliable system for labelling AI-generated content will continue. There are still no unified criteria for reliably identifying synthetic content, and current labels are easy to bypass or remove, especially when working with open-source models. For this reason, new technical and regulatory initiatives aimed at addressing the problem are likely to emerge.

Open-weight models will approach top closed models in many cybersecurity-related tasks, which create more opportunities for misuse. Closed models still offer stricter control mechanisms and safeguards, limiting abuse.

However, open-source systems are rapidly catching up in functionality and circulate without comparable restrictions. This blurs the difference between proprietary models and open-source models both of which can be used efficiently for undesired or malicious purposes.

The line between legitimate and fraudulent AI-generated content will become increasingly blurred. AI can already produce well-crafted scam emails, convincing visual identities, and high-quality phishing pages.

At the same time, major brands are adopting synthetic materials in advertising, making AI-generated content look familiar and visually “normal.” As a result, distinguishing real from fake will become even more challenging, both for users and for automated detection systems.

AI will become a cross-chain tool in cyberattacks and be used across most stages of the kill chain. Threat actors already employ LLMs to write code, build infrastructure, and automate operational tasks.

Further advances will reinforce this trend: AI will increasingly support multiple stages of an attack, from preparation and communication to assembling malicious components, probing for vulnerabilities and deploying tools. Attackers will also work to hide signs of AI involvement, making such operations harder to analyse.

“While AI tools are being used in cyberattacks, they are also becoming a more common tool in security analysis and influence how SOC teams work. Agent-based systems will be able to continuously scan infrastructure, identify vulnerabilities, and gather contextual information for investigations, reducing the amount of manual routine work.

“As a result, specialists will shift from manually searching for data to making decisions based on already-prepared context. In parallel, security tools will transition to natural-language interfaces, enabling prompts instead of complex technical queries,” adds Vladislav Tushkanov, Research Development Group Manager at Kaspersky.

 


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