E-Business
As Nigeria marks 19 years of democracy after the return to civilian rule, opinion is divided on how well the country has harnessed the dividends of democratic governance.
While a school of thought holds that the dark days of military dictatorship and autocratic rule, which the return to democracy in 1999 put paid to, remains a high point worth celebrating; there is a contrary view in many quarters that, in spite of the switch from jack-boots to civilian attire, Nigeria remains mired in a seemingly unending struggle to enthrone the values of true and all-inclusive democracy.
On May 29th 1999, Nigerians had witnessed a momentous change of guard; one which finally saw the country shed its well-worn toga of a pariah state when Chief Olusegun Obasanjo took office as President of Nigeria, the first elected and civilian head of state following 16 long years of military rule.
Nineteen years after, the jury is still out on whether our nascent democracy is thriving…
One area in which a sense of democracy has thrived and continues to thrive, however, is the Nigerian e-commerce sector.
For long regarded as a potential cash-cow, e-commerce in Nigeria has seen the influx of a number of entrants or players, foreign and local, all of whom capitalized on the freedom and democratization of access to take roots, spread their tentacles and attempt to reap the windfall from an industry that has been severally predicted to explode.
And why not?
With a booming youthful population, growing internet access and an aspirational mindset among the majority of its populace, e-commerce in Nigeria is widely regarded as the next big thing; an industry that could transform even the most hopeless start-up to a multi-million-dollar company in a couple of years.
Experience, nevertheless, tells a different tale.
A tale of false starts, of shattered dreams, of the untold stories of many who came, saw and quietly exited the scene.
The Nigerian business terrain, democratic though it may be, is a tough one to successfully navigate. Aside the near-absence of any form of government support for the technology sector, in which e-commerce is firmly situated, start-ups in this industry face a herculean battle to stay afloat.
It is a battle akin to swimming against a strong tide.
In addition to being a cost-intensive venture, cracking e-commerce in Nigeria requires a large dose of local knowledge; not only of the peculiar business terrain but also of the cultural nuances and predilections that shape the shopping behavior of the average Nigerian.
One of these shopping traits is the uncompromising desire of every Nigerian for genuine quality.
You may claim to offer the best prices unmatched anywhere else but as long as the item or product in question is fake or sourced from a grey channel, you had better not waste that marketing budget.
Here in Nigeria, e-commerce is democracy; a democratic rule governed by offering the average shopper a range of shopping platforms, online and offline; a multiplicity of payment options: cash, online payment, e-wallet, etc. and delivery solutions that guarantee no late delivery stories.
Above all, you must provide access to genuine products and take responsibility for it.
In reality though, a pertinent question worth asking: how many e-commerce companies in Nigeria can claim absolute responsibility for the quality of products they carry? How many can trace the source of their items to the Original Equipment Manufacturers? And how many can boast of owning warehouses for stocking large volumes?
Perhaps, only one stands out…
Recently, smart Nigerians have begun pushing a movement to enthrone quality democracy in their shopping activities; a democratic insistence on quality.
It began like a whisper that started catching on in social circles and has now gained currency among many.
Konga Me
A phrase that brings to life the determination of every Nigerian shopper to get only the very best quality. Put in another way, Konga Me is a new universal language for genuine products only. It is a term that has become popular, not only among young ones, but among adults and trendy youths to differentiate quality products from fake ones sourced from unreliable platforms.
Used to refer quality-minded shoppers to Konga, the e-commerce giant that emerged from the merger between Yudala and Konga after the latter’s acquisition by the Zinox Group, Konga Me is also used to request for quality gifts or favours from friends, family and associates.
As Nigeria marks 19 years of democracy today, Tuesday May 29th 2018, there is no better time to insist on quality product democracy… Indeed, no better time to Konga Me.
Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, minister of Interior, has announced the launch of an Online Visa Approval Center to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and reduce corruption in the visa application process.
Commissioned by the President in December, the new system ensures that applicants no longer need to visit a visa office, know anyone in the system, or lobby for approvals.
At a stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) 2025, yesterday in Abuja, Dr. Tunji-Ojo said the visa is considered a very important document by the government because it is an instrument of migration management and an instrument of economic development.
The minister explained that Nigeria has to strike a delicate balance between national security and, of course, the ease of migration.
“And we think that it’s something that we can do and something we will do.
“We don’t have a physical Visa Approval Center. If you apply for a Nigerian visa anywhere in the world, you do so online. We process it here in Nigeria, and if approved, you receive your e-visa in your email,” he explained.
To enhance efficiency, the government has set a 48-hour deadline for processing e-visas.
“It is unprofessional and unacceptable for the Nigeria Immigration Service not to approve or provide feedback within 48 hours,” the minister stated.
“It breaks my heart that people need to lobby to even get visas to Nigeria. It shouldn’t be so. It shouldn’t be.
“For anybody that is qualified, for anybody that wants to do legitimate activities in Nigeria, such people should be able to come to Nigeria easily. And this is why we are opening our space. Mr. President is interested in foreign direct investments.”
Further, he said Nigeria is interested in partnering with the rest of the world to develop its economy but, “We can’t do that when we allow bottlenecks to hold us down. So these reforms, basically, are aimed at opening our space, enhancing national security, and we hope that the primary responsibilities of the visa scheme will be achieved.”
Kemi Nandap, controller general, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), said the NIS would fully digitize its e-visa platform and reduce visa classifications from 79 to 44 to enhance accessibility, transparency, and efficiency in the new visa policy.
She said, “At the core of this policy is the new e-visa platform—a fully digitized, centralized system that revolutionizes how foreign nationals interact with our country’s entry procedures. As part of this transformation, the Nigerian Visa Policy 2024 underwent a comprehensive review, resulting in a significant reduction in visa classifications from 79 to 44.
“These categories have been logically grouped to simplify procedures, reduce complexities, and greatly improve the user experience. Importantly, we have maintained the original purpose and intent of each visa class throughout this reform.”
Mr. Takao Shimokawa, director general, Economic Development Department at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has visited the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to discuss the forthcoming launch of the Nigeria-Japan Startup Hub Project.
Mr. Dejo Olawunmi, director of IT Infrastructure Solutions at NITDA and Mr. Takao Shimokawa, director general, Economic Development Department at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
This is in a strategic move to strengthen Nigeria’s startup ecosystem.
During his visit, Mr. Shimokawa was received by Mr. Dejo Olawunmi, director of IT Infrastructure Solutions at NITDA.
Their discussions focused on advancing technological innovation, fostering entrepreneurship, and enhancing venture capital development to support early-stage startups in Nigeria.
The Nigeria-Japan Startup Hub Project is designed to provide Nigerian startups with access to Japanese expertise, mentorship, and investment opportunities.
The initiative aims to create a collaborative environment where local entrepreneurs can scale their businesses by leveraging Japan’s advanced technology and business models.
By bridging Nigerian startups with Japanese investors and industry leaders, the project seeks to drive sustainable growth and innovation in Nigeria’s tech industry.
This partnership underscores the increasing economic and technological cooperation between the two nations, positioning Nigeria as a key player in the global startup landscape.
With the hub set to launch soon, stakeholders anticipate that it will provide critical resources for startups, enabling them to compete in the global market and contribute to Nigeria’s digital economy.
Kaspersky has identified and helped patch a sophisticated zero-day vulnerability in Google Chrome (CVE-2025-2783) that allowed attackers to bypass the browser’s sandbox protection system.
The exploit, discovered by Kaspersky’s Global Research and Analysis Team (GReAT), required no user interaction beyond clicking a malicious link and demonstrated exceptional technical complexity. Kaspersky researchers have been acknowledged by Google for discovering and reporting this vulnerability.
In mid-March 2025, Kaspersky detected a wave of infections triggered when users clicked personalised phishing links delivered via email. After clicking, no additional action was needed to compromise their systems.
Once Kaspersky’s analysis confirmed that the exploit leveraged a previously unknown vulnerability in the latest version of Google Chrome, Kaspersky swiftly alerted Google’s security team. A security patch for the vulnerability was released on March 25, 2025.
Kaspersky researchers dubbed the campaign “Operation ForumTroll”, as attackers sent personalised phishing emails inviting recipients to the “Primakov Readings” forum. These lures targeted media outlets, educational institutions, and government organisations in Russia.
The malicious links were extremely short-lived to evade detection, and in most cases ultimately redirected to the legitimate website for “Primakov Readings” once the exploit was taken down.
The zero-day vulnerability in Chrome was only part of a chain that included at least two exploits: a still-unobtained remote code execution (RCE) exploit that apparently launched the attack, while the sandbox escape discovered by Kaspersky constituted the second stage. Analysis of the malware’s functionality suggests the operation was designed primarily for espionage. All evidence points to an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) group.
“This vulnerability stands out among the dozens of zero-days we’ve discovered over the years,” said Boris Larin, principal security researcher at Kaspersky GReAT. “The exploit bypassed Chrome’s sandbox protection without performing any obviously malicious operations – it’s as if the security boundary simply didn’t exist.
The technical sophistication displayed here indicates development by highly skilled actors with substantial resources. We strongly advise all users to update their Google Chrome and any Chromium-based browser to the latest version to protect against this vulnerability.”
Google has credited Kaspersky for uncovering and reporting the issue, reflecting the company’s ongoing commitment to collaboration with the global cybersecurity community and ensuring user safety.
Kaspersky continues to investigate Operation ForumTroll. Further details, including a technical analysis of the exploits and malicious payload, will be released in a forthcoming report once Google Chrome user security is assured.
Meanwhile, all Kaspersky products detect and protect against this exploit chain and associated malware, ensuring users are shielded from the threat.
This discovery follows Kaspersky GReAT’s previous identification of another Chrome zero-day (CVE-2024-4947), which was exploited last year by the Lazarus APT group in a cryptocurrency theft campaign.
In that case, Kaspersky researchers found a type confusion bug in Google’s V8 JavaScript engine that enabled attackers to bypass security features through a fake cryptogame website.
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