Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has called for a fundamental shift in Kano State’s economic strategy, urging stakeholders to embrace innovation, technology and collaboration as the drivers of growth in the 21st century.

Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA)

This is contained in a press statement e-authored by the Director of Corporate Communications & External Relations at NITDA, Hajia Hadiza Umar.

Speaking at the Kano Startup Weekend, Mallam Abdullahi acknowledged Kano’s long-standing reputation as the commercial nerve centre of Northern Nigeria and the wider Sahelian region, noting that its history of trade, enterprise and human capital provided a solid foundation for future growth.

Abdullahi emphasised that while these strengths powered Kano’s success for centuries, the modern economy now offered even greater opportunities through innovation and technology.

He described innovation as the process of transforming ideas into impactful solutions through commercialization, stressing that when ideas were effectively deployed, they created value, solved societal challenges and generated sustainable economic growth.

He noted that Kano’s large market, strategic location and vibrant entrepreneurial culture placed it in a strong position to take advantage of innovation-driven opportunities.

According to him, “Innovation is the process of taking an idea from inception to impact. Invention on its own is a cost centre, but when you commercialise an idea, when you turn it into a product or service that solves a real problem and creates value, that is when you begin to drive economic growth and inclusion.”

He noted that the state hosted numerous degree-awarding institutions across federal, state and private ownership, providing a strong base for human capital development.

However, the NITDA DG expressed concern that these institutions often operated in isolation from industry, with research outputs rarely translating into commercial or industrial applications.

He explained that innovation did not happen in silos and stressed the need for a strong, interconnected ecosystem that brought together academia, industry, startups, entrepreneurs and government.

According to him, universities should conduct research informed by industry needs, industries should leverage research to improve productivity and competitiveness, and startups should serve as the bridge that converted ideas into market-ready solutions.

The NITDA boss further encouraged entrepreneurs to leverage technology to build businesses that could grow beyond local markets, explaining that innovation-driven enterprises had the power to scale rapidly, create jobs and position Kano competitively at both national and global levels.

According to him, digital platforms and emerging technologies now made it easier for startups to reach wider markets and develop solutions that were previously unimaginable.

“You can start your business here in Kano, but your thinking must be global from day one. Technology has removed barriers. With the right skills and platforms, a startup in Kano can build solutions that serve not just Nigeria, but the world,” he noted.

Highlighting NITDA’s ongoing interventions, its Director-General outlined the Agency’s commitment to building national innovation capacity through targeted human capital development programmes.

He cited the Digital Literacy for All (DL4ALL) initiative, which aimed to equip Nigerians across all segments of society with essential digital skills, and the 3 Million Technical Talents (3MTT) programme, designed to produce a pipeline of globally competitive technical professionals in areas such as software development, data analysis and emerging technologies.

He said, “Through DL4ALL, we are ensuring that Nigerians at all levels have the basic digital skills needed to participate in the digital economy, while 3MTT is deliberately building a pipeline of globally competitive technical talents who can drive innovation, create jobs and attract investment.”

Abdullahi explained that these programmes were key pillars of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritised skills development, innovation, job creation and inclusive economic growth as pathways to national prosperity.

According to him, empowering Nigerians with digital and technical skills was essential for building a resilient economy capable of competing in the global digital landscape.

“President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda is about investing in people, empowering them with relevant skills and creating opportunities for inclusive growth.

“At NITDA, we are using digital skills and innovation as tools to translate that vision into real economic impact for Nigerians,” he said.

The NITDA boss urged all stakeholders in Kano to work together to build a functional innovation ecosystem that could unlock the state’s vast potential and expressed confidence that with the right mindset, strong collaboration and sustained investment in digital skills and innovation, Kano could reclaim its historic leadership role and emerge as a major innovation and entrepreneurship hub in Nigeria and beyond.

Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, yesterday claimed that bandits and terrorists are able to communicate and coordinate their activities with ease because they exploit gaps in the country’s telecommunications network.

Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy,

Tijani, who spoke  Politics Today, a Channels Television’s programme, on Friday, Tijani said the criminals exploit gaps in the country’s telecommunications network.

He also claimed the bandits use advanced technology to bounce calls across multiple towers in areas with poor connectivity.

“They weren’t using the normal towers; they bounced calls off multiple towers, which is why they favor areas that are largely unconnected,” he said.

When asked about reports that unregistered or fraudulently registered SIM cards are still in use despite the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and the National Identification Number (NIN)–Subscriber Identity Module linkage policies, Tijani said the issue is technically complex and the reports are not fully verified.

“Whether it’s fact or not, I do not know where you’re getting that from, and I do not know who has evidence that there are people with unregistered SIMs,” he added.

The minister stated that the federal government is investing in telecom towers in underserved regions, upgrading the country’s communication satellites to improve coverage, and expanding fiber-optic networks to strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure.

“If our towers are not working, our satellites will work. Nigeria is the only country in West Africa with communication satellites, and we are bringing new satellites to upgrade their capabilities,” Tijani said.

He added that these initiatives aim to ensure better connectivity for Nigerians while closing loopholes that criminals exploit, thereby enhancing national security.

The minister’s comments come amid rising concerns over insecurity in several parts of the North, where banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism have escalated in recent years.

There are also reports of bandits flaunting ransom payments on social media platforms such as TikTok, raising alarm among authorities and the public

Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, has announced its best-ever results in the MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise 2025 Evaluation.

MITRE ATT&CK Enterprise 2025 Evaluation

Sophos XDR detected 100% of adversary behaviors (sub-steps)¹ across two complex attack scenarios: Scattered Spider, which Sophos X-Ops tracks as GOLD HARVEST, a financially motivated cybercriminal collective, and Mustang Panda, which Sophos X-Ops tracks as BRONZE PRESIDENT, a People’s Republic of China (PRC) espionage group.

The Scattered Spider scenario included activity across Windows, Linux, and AWS cloud environments, and the Mustang Panda scenario focused on Windows only.

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Sophos XDR achieved:

• 100% detection coverage¹ for all 90 adversary sub-steps across two complex attack scenarios across Windows, Linux, and AWS cloud environments

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• Highest possible (“Technique”) ratings for 61 out of 62 of sub-steps in the Scattered Spider scenario involving identity abuse, cloud exploitation, and data exfiltration

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Understanding The Threat Actors

Sophos X-Ops has tracked GOLD HARVEST (Scattered Spider) since 2022, observing a loosely affiliated cybercriminal collective driven by both financial motives and a desire to elevate their reputations on underground forums.

Despite several arrests, operators and associates continue to launch high-profile attacks across the U.K. and U.S., at times partnering with major Russian-speaking ransomware groups.

Their sophisticated social engineering capabilities enable them to compromise even well-defended organizations, underscoring the importance of strong behavioral detections within modern security operations.

In parallel, Sophos X-Ops has monitored BRONZE PRESIDENT (Mustang Panda) for many years.

This long-running PRC espionage group conducts intelligence-led operations that align closely with priorities of China’s Ministry of State Security. Recent targeting includes activity against Tibetan communities surrounding the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday, as well as intrusions on Thai government and military offices during periods of heightened regional tension.

BRONZE PRESIDENT remains one of the most active and persistent state-aligned threat actors operating today.

MITRE ATT&CK Evaluations are among the world’s most rigorous independent security tests.

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