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Digital Technology, a Veritable Tool in Combating Insecurity — DG NITDA
Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) said that warfare is no longer physical and therefore imperative for the Nigerian Army to embrace and adopt 21st century military infrastructures and technology in enhancing National Security.
The Director General made this call Tuesday when he received the Chief of Defence Communications of the Nigerian Army, Major General Elvis Njoku and his team who were at the Corporate headquaters of the Agency to seek collaboration with the aim of improving military operations.
Abdullahi said that the collaboration is necessary in addressing the current insecurity challenge faced by the country.
He asserted that it was important for the Nigerian Army to measure up with the global modernized military infrastructures which will help them in achieving their mandate.
The Director General said that NITDA was established to implement National IT Policy but the Federal Government has recently replaced the policy with the National Digital Economic Policy and Strategy for a Digital Nigeria.
“Digital transformation is about using digital technology to enhance existing traditional processes and using it as a source of inspiration to come up with a new value proposition” the DG noted.
Mallam Abdullahi stated that technology has affected every aspect which includes security.
“It is important to know how to use technology not just as an enabler but a strategic design for your strategy in general which will inspire you to do more” he said.
The Director General said that the data resource of any organization regardless of their size or business activities otherwise known as Ubiquitous data which gives information about everything you want to know and how to use them, Connectivity, in which individuals can connect and communicate with anything such as smart cars, televisions, home appliances and Computing processing power are important parameters that Digital Technology has brought.
“When you talk about Defence and Intelligence, you need to have data, identify the enemy and have a technical know how of targeting them with minimal collateral damage” the DG averred.
The Director General said the Agency’s focus is improving on how things are being done using technology and innovations by creating an enabling environment and an innovation ecosystem which will allow a smooth digitized process.
Mallam Abdullahi stated that innovation does not happen in isolation but rather, with proper alignment and positioning in a relevant ecosytem which necessitates the proposed collaboration between the two parties.
The Director General noted that there is cross pollination between the ICT and the Ministry of Defence. “A lot of what started in ICT such as the OODA law; Observe, Orient, Decide and Act originated from defence” the DG said.
Abdullahi stated that apart from the good relationship and collaborations the Agency has with the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Police Force and other paramilitary agencies in areas of capacity building and cyber security, it is willing to go beyond that and collaborate on more intensive areas.
“There is a National problem and we need to collaborate together to identify and solve the problem” he mentioned.
The Director General said that combating National insecurity challenge is a collective responsibility and assured the Major General of the Agency’s support in coming up with solutions, exploring technology to detect improvised explosive devices and exploiting all resources such as use of drones, artificial intelligence and robotics in ensuring optimal National security.
“Let us work together, develop solutions and as part of our mandates which National Security is priority, see how we can use emerging technologies in helping our great Nation, Nigeria” the DG concluded
Major General Elvis Njoku, chief of Defence Communications, earlier expressed his gratitude at the warm welcome received by the Agency despite the short notice.
He said that the new Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor mandated him to visit all Communications and IT related Government established institutions, collaborate with them with the purpose of tackling the contemporary security challenges.
He said that the use of technology is a force multiplier which will definitely impact positively in the Nigerian Army’s operations and hopes for a possible rich collaboration with NITDA which will help them in achieving their mandate.
MTN Foundation has been spotlighted as a model for private sector-driven healthcare development in Nigeria, following commendations at the 6th Arthur Mbanefo Lecture held at the University of Lagos, Akoka.
Themed “A Healthy Nation is a Wealthy Nation: The Role of Impact Investments and Sustainable Financing in Nigeria,” the lecture featured Dr. Tolulope Adewole, Managing Director of NSIA Advanced Medical Services Limited (MedServe), as keynote speaker.
Dr. Adewole praised the Foundation’s strategic investments, noting that MTN commits 1% of its profit after tax annually to development sectors. “They’ve invested ₦31.75 billion, reaching over 32 million Nigerians. Though only 25% went to health, it accounted for 51% of all lives impacted. That’s catalytic,” he said.
He cited MTN’s dialysis centre programme as a transformative intervention for patients with kidney disease, and highlighted community-focused initiatives like the Y’ello Doctor mobile scheme and ‘What Can We Do Together’ (WCWDT) programme, which revitalised 164 Primary Healthcare Centres, including 44 in 2024 alone.
Executive Director of MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya, reflected on the COVID-19 pandemic’s exposure of systemic health vulnerabilities. “When COVID hit, we realised a health emergency is also an economic and social emergency,” she said.
Sanya revealed that of the 52 PHCs remodeled in 2024, only one had clean water. “I’m not a doctor, but I know you can’t live a good life without clean water,” she added, reaffirming the Foundation’s commitment to bridging healthcare gaps in underserved communities.
Hundreds of university students across Africa are set to benefit from a new gamified learning experience on digital rights and inclusion launched by the leading pan-African non-profit organisation, Paradigm Initiative (PIN).
The Digital Rights and Inclusion Board Learning Experience (DRIBLE) is a game developed by Paradigm Initiative with support from the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The custom-designed board game provides young individuals with a fun and engaging entry point into digital rights and inclusion conversations, training sessions and storytelling tools.
The board game aims to build digital literacy, deepen understanding of online safety, and introduce young individuals to the organisation’s tools of impact. Currently being piloted in three universities: University of Lagos, Nigeria, the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) in Nairobi, Kenya and the Dakar American University of Science and Technology (DAUST) in Dakar, Senegal, it will enhance interactions and create a holistic experience.
Speaking at the event launch at the University of Lagos, Nigeria, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Paradigm Initiative’s Executive Director, said: “PIN’s vision is to reach 20 million people through our Digital Inclusion and Digital Rights interventions. From Lagos, to Dakar, to Nairobi.. we will use the vehicle of our new Digital Rights and Inclusion Board Learning Experience (DRIBLE) which entails using gamification, training, multimedia materials, tools and other interventions to connect African youth with digital opportunities and protect their digital rights.”
‘Gbenga gave the keynote address on “Digital inclusion at PIN, our Past, Present and Future” and Nnenna Paul-Ugochukwu, the organisation’s Chief Operating Officer, said the goal of the learning experience would be instrumental in raising awareness of digital rights among the youth, building their capacity to address digital rights and inclusion issues in their communities. Prof. Olunifesi Adekunle Suraj shared a goodwill message with the students and other stakeholders.
Paradigm Initiative, which has been operational since 2007, started in a tiny cybercafe in Ajegunle, Lagos, Nigeria. Today, the organisation has expanded its wings to cover six African countries; Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Zambia and Zimbabwe, impacting the livelihoods of over 150,000 young Africans.
The launch of DRIBLE builds on the progress the organisation has made over the years in tackling the challenge of digital exclusion across Africa.
Paradigm Initiative’s tools of impact include Ripoti, a platform that enables individuals to report digital rights violations, Ayeta, a platform that provides digital security resources for stakeholders, more so human rights activists, defenders, journalists and other vulnerable groups, and the organisation’s latest short film, Whispers in the Wires.
Targeted at students, PIN rolled out a Campus Tour in the three universities on the continent starting July 15th, 2025.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook, has intensified its crackdown on fake accounts and spam, announcing it removed over 10 million fake profiles and roughly 500,000 spam accounts in the first half of 2025.
The sweeping purge is part of Meta’s broader effort to combat impersonation, fake engagement, and content duplication, aiming to elevate authentic creators and improve the quality of content across its platforms.
In a blog post, Meta said: “We’re making progress. In the first half of 2025, we took action on around 500,000 accounts engaged in spammy behaviour or fake engagement. We also removed about 10 million profiles impersonating large content producers.”
Meta stressed that accounts which primarily repost or recycle content without meaningful edits will face penalties such as reduced reach and the loss of monetisation tools.
The company also warned that repeatedly sharing unoriginal content — whether videos, photos, or text — undermines the platform’s integrity by crowding out genuine voices and making it harder for new creators to grow.
To support authentic creators, Meta is rolling out new tools that automatically trace reposted content back to its original source. The company says this will help ensure rightful credit and give higher visibility to original posts.
“Pages and profiles that post mostly original content tend to enjoy wider distribution across Facebook. Simply stitching clips together or adding a watermark will no longer count as meaningful editing. Content that provides real value and tells an authentic story is likely to perform better,” Meta explained.
Creators are also being cautioned against uploading content that includes watermarks from other platforms. Such posts could see their reach restricted or lose monetisation privileges altogether.
As part of its latest update, Meta introduced post-level insights on the Professional Dashboard, allowing creators to monitor how individual posts perform. They can also check their Support Home screen to see if their content or earnings are facing restrictions.
In a parallel development, Google’s YouTube updated its monetisation guidelines, stating that content deemed mass-produced or excessively repetitive will no longer qualify for ad revenue. The announcement initially sparked concern among creators, who feared it was a blanket ban on AI-generated content. YouTube later clarified:
“We welcome creators using AI tools to enhance their storytelling, and channels that use AI in their content remain eligible to monetise.”
Both tech giants say these new policies are aimed at raising content standards and safeguarding genuine creators in a crowded and rapidly evolving digital landscape.
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