E-Business
How Nigeria can Turn Almajiris to Digital Millionaires – Ekeh, Zinox Boss
Leo Stan Ekeh, serial digital entrepreneur and chairman of Zinox Group said that Nigeria can turn the poor, nomadic children popularly called Almajiri into millionaires, employers of labour or even employable citizens if a digital solution is applied to address their peculiar plight.
Leo Stan Ekeh
Ekeh, who delivered an impassioned and workable solutions to the age-long Almajiri issue which government appears yet to find a fitting solution to, spoke as one of the panellists at the Africa Independent Television (AIT) Virtual Town Hall Forum with the theme: The Economic Implications of the New Normal Post-Covid-19 – Anticipated Revolution in Digital Economy, Business Re-Engineering, Government, Trade and Effects on Global Economic Recovery.
Speaking on the impact of COVID-19, Ekeh said one of the major classes of Nigerians negatively affected by the pandemic were the Almajiri who have been tossed from state to state like articles of trade nobody wanted to buy.
A 2014 UNICEF report estimated that there are 9.5 million Almajiri children in Nigeria, which accounted for 72 per cent of the nation’s out-of-school children.
Nigeria is estimated to currently harbour between 13.2 million and 15 million out-of-school children, most of them in the North.
However, Ekeh held that with a digital approach, the potential in these Almajiri that nobody wanted to have anything to do with, can be converted to treasures of gold in the vastly growing digital economy because they are young, brilliant with huge doses of energy.
‘‘I had the privilege of engaging with some of them in Lagos and Abuja. They sound like glorious messengers and have enhanced psychology of begging which, if retrained, could make them best sales persons of the second quarter of this century. We must not abandon them.
“Among these Almajiris, there are smart people whom we can turn to coders (software Application developers) if they are fast tracked under conducive environment with quality welfare program that influences them psychologically to anticipate a wealthy future.
‘‘They are Nigerians on the street and they feel the power of wealth around them but are handicapped because of their circumstances and place of birth. We cannot abandon them.
“The world needs about one million coders yearly and through coding, they can become millionaires and employers of labour. They don’t need to go to the university or secondary school.
‘‘All they need is a special finishing school for about six years where they would be turned to nerds and that will mark the end of poverty in their lives and in their families,” Ekeh said.
‘‘The nation and their states must provide for them, else they shall provide for themselves to survive like others, and it could negatively impact on the society from generation to generation. If we can turn waste to productive use why not human beings created by God?’’
Ekeh, who likened the COVID-19 pandemic to a war, affirmed that the best way to win a war is to anticipate it, stressing that in life, “you must be prepared to win a war before the war begins.”
He emphasised that Nigeria was not prepared for the COVID-19 war, hence the seemingly difficult struggle to deal with it.
Further, he explained that the sudden rush for e-learning in the country was what he had anticipated 15 years ago but added that the Nigerian government did not buy the proposal to make e-learning a life style among the people, noting that COVID-19 has validated his assertion that without digital technology as a way of life and doing business, a nation cannot be truly independent or sovereign in the 21st century.
He warned that companies and organisations including those in the public sector that failed to take advantage of COVID-19 realities to scale up their technologies as necessary tools in the workplace will either suffer huge loss or go into extinction.
“Post COVID-19, a lot will change; a lot of companies will die. We are witnessing huge disruption with digital solutions which have taken the form of technologies worth millions of naira invested to provide teleconferencing as we used to know it. Today, it’s Zoom. That’s disruption and such incidents will continue to define mankind.”
The Zinox boss, who is credited with pioneering a series of innovative firsts in the Nigerian technology sector, insisted that Nigeria must see opportunities inherent in the post COVID-19 economy and take advantage of them.
“I see infinite possibilities and opportunities arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. One of such was that, instead of importing face masks from China or anywhere, the government ought to have deliberately engaged Nigerians tailors, put them in school halls, give them electricity.
“They already have their machines. By the time we create such clusters in different states, we would have locally produced face masks that would serve 200 million people and that would translate to millions of naira for the tailors and indirectly for the government.
“The same tailors can transit to making school uniforms, under wears, ties, bed sheets and pillow cases, designer dresses etc., after the pandemic rather than having some schools import their uniforms from Asia and Europe,” he said.
Ekeh,a global advisor to renowned technology giants, Microsoft and the first to pioneer e-commerce in Africa when he launched BuyRight Africa.com, regretted that the Federal Government lost an opportunity to help grow e-commerce when it failed to initially clearly delineate e-commerce workers as persons on essential duty and e-commerce as essential service during the lockdown.
He cited the example of Amazon which, through the support of the United States government went a long way in helping Americans observe social distancing and keeping many employed even during the lockdown.
The serial digital entrepreneur added that e-commerce is a very cost-intensive venture, noting that e-commerce companies in Nigeria such as Konga are bearing huge losses in view of the complicated and exorbitant applications which drive the business and their status as heavy employers of labour.
Nevertheless, Ekeh insists that despite the lost opportunity, e-commerce remains the future of Nigeria and Africa in terms of jobs and wealth creation.
The only difference between the success recorded here and in other climes, he disclosed, was the institutional support received by players in the sector.
National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has kicked off a three-day training program for 388 personnel aimed at enhancing the National Identification Number (NIN) enrolment process across the country.
The training, tagged “Refresher Training of Trainers on NIN Integration to the National Social Register: Technical and hands-on devices and field operations and procedures”, is in collaboration with the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office.
The training is also to equip personnel with the necessary skills to efficiently handle the complexities of enrolment processes
In her address at the event held in Port Harcourt on Monday, Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director-general and chief executive officer, NIMC, noted that the initiative aligns with the commission’s overarching goal of achieving secured and great success for the Renewed Hope social initiatives.
Represented by Adedapo Adedoyin, her technical advisor on ICT, the NIMC DG said the event is a pivotal initiative that marks a significant step forward in our mission to enhance and modernize the National Identification Number enrolment process across Nigeria.
She stated, “Today, I am pleased to announce the launch of a comprehensive training program aimed at refreshing the technical and operational skills of the National Social Safety-Net Coordinating Office State Operations Coordinating Unit and NIMC staff.
“This initiative focuses on practical and field-based exercises, ensuring that our teams are well-equipped to handle the complexities of enrolment processes with precision and efficiency.
“This initiative aligns with our overarching goal of achieving secured and great success for the Renewed Hope social initiatives. Through verified digital identification, we aim to improve the lives of Nigerians by providing them with access to essential services and opportunities that require a reliable and secure identity verification system”.
Coker-Odusote explained that the training program will be conducted in two batches, encompassing four states: Kwara, Nasarawa, Kano, and Rivers. A total of 388 attendees will participate in this initiative, including 225 NASSCO State Operations Coordinating Unit representatives, 35 NIMC facilitators, and 128 State support staff.
She added, “The sessions are meticulously designed to foster knowledge sharing and hands-on experience with NIMC’s enrolment device and software, ensuring that our personnel are adept at using these tools to their full potential.
“By empowering our teams with enhanced skills and practical experience, we are setting the stage for more efficient and accurate NIN enrolment processes across the nation”.
Coker-Odusote further said the training program “is a crucial step toward achieving the World Bank’s Identification for Development Initiative target of enrolling 180 million Nigerians with secure digital IDs.
“By bolstering our technical and operational capabilities, we are ensuring that NIMC is well-positioned to meet and exceed this target, thereby contributing to the global vision of inclusive and accessible digital identification for all”.
The NIMC boss8 called for collaboration between all stakeholders saying, “As we embark on this journey, I urge all participants to embrace this opportunity for growth and development.
“Together, we can build a robust and efficient National Identification System that will serve as the cornerstone for Nigeria’s social and economic progress.”
Kaspersky experts have uncovered a new phishing scam targeting businesses that promote their pages on Facebook. Scammers send emails allegedly on behalf of Meta for Business – Facebook’s platform for businesses – claiming the recipient’s page contains prohibited content.
The email suggests users provide explanations in order for their account and page to be unblocked. The goal of the attackers is likely to get access to users’ business accounts.
Kaspersky’s anonymised data shows that such emails started reaching users on 14 December 2024, with complaints coming from organisations all over the world, including the Middle East, Turkiye and Africa.
By examining the “From” field in the email it can be seen that the domain does not belong to Facebook. According to Kaspersky data the emails that this campaign used were sent from different domains.
The link in the email redirects users to Facebook Messenger. On Messenger, the account posing as Facebook’s support team appears legitimate, creating a false sense of trust.
There is an indication that this is a fan page, but it is easy to miss in a situation of high stress after being accused of spreading illegitimate content.
This scheme stands out for its sophistication. Unlike earlier scams that accused users of copyright violations and directed them to respond via email, this approach simulates internal communication on the Facebook platform itself.
“In 2025, we anticipate a rise in attacks leveraging social engineering and user trust in major platforms. Scams like this are becoming more sophisticated as attackers strive to mimic official services closely.
“Users must remain vigilant, verify the authenticity of messages, and avoid clicking on suspicious links. We strongly advise users not to engage with suspicious accounts and to activate additional security measures, such as two-factor authentication.
“If you receive such an email, report the incident to Facebook’s support team and update your passwords immediately if any information has been compromised,” comments Andrey Kovtun, Email Threats Protection Group Manager at Kaspersky.
Lagos State government and the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) are joining forces to revolutionise e-commerce logistics in Nigeria’s economic capital.
The collaboration aims to enhance last-mile delivery and optimise connectivity within Lagos and beyond.
During a courtesy visit to governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Ms. Tola Odeyemi, postmaster-general and CEO of NIPOST, highlighted the strategic importance of Lagos in driving innovation in the e-commerce sector.
“As the e-commerce landscape continues to evolve, Lagos leads the charge in this growth. Through enhanced postal and logistics services, we seek to empower small businesses and individuals engaging in this expanding sector,” Odeyemi said.
She underscored her commitment to fostering partnerships that would align NIPOST with the demands of a modern economy, identifying Lagos as a pivotal partner.
Lagos is central to achieving our vision of efficient and future-ready postal services, she added.
Odeyemi applauded Lagos state for its vibrant programmes that drew global attention during the December festivities, stating that such initiatives could drive further economic growth and diaspora engagement.
She pledged enhanced postal and logistics support to drive e-commerce growth and empower small businesses in Nigeria., highlighting NIPOST’s readiness to collaborate with Lagos State to enhance last-mile delivery, foster innovation, and improve public service delivery.
Lagos, as Nigeria’s economic hub, is a critical partner in our vision to make NIPOST’s services more efficient and relevant in today’s world, Odeyemi stated.
She commended Lagos State for its strides in infrastructure and governance, underscoring the importance of strategic partnerships to optimize connectivity within Lagos and nationwide.
Governor Sanwo-Olu challenged NIPOST to rethink its approach and embrace technology as a transformative tool for business facilitation.
“For NIPOST to remain relevant, you must challenge the status quo, revamp your services, and adopt innovative strategies that address today’s needs and anticipate future demands,” the governor advised.
He also pledged Lagos state’s support in upgrading NIPOST’s infrastructure to improve service delivery and create an enabling environment for seamless e-commerce operations.
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