An executive bill seeking to amend the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Act is to be forwarded by President Bola Tinubu to the National Assembly.

The bill aims to provide that everybody living in Nigeria, including foreigners must be registered and given the National Identity Number (NIN) so that they can be taxed.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, revealed this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday alongside O’tega Ogra, senior special assistant to the President on Digital Strategy, Engagement and Communications.

This is part of the economic stabilization bills approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting held on Monday.

Onanuga said the economic stabilisation bills which are about twenty in number also include bills to amend the Acts establishing the Nigerian Port Authority and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

According to him, the two bills seek to ensure transactions by the two agencies are paid for in Naira.

He said the decision is part of measures by Tinubu’s administration to promote the national currency and reduce the dollarization of Nigeria’s economy.

In late August 2024, Kaspersky experts identified a new version of the Necro Trojan that had infiltrated several popular applications on Google Play and modified applications on unofficial platforms, including Spotify, WhatsApp and Minecraft.

Necro is an Android downloader that downloads and runs other malicious components on infected devices based on commands issued by the Trojan’s creators. Kaspersky’s solutions recorded* Necro attacks targeting users in Russia, Brazil, Vietnam, Ecuador, and Mexico as part of this malicious campaign.

Capabilities of the Necro Trojan 

The variant of Necro discovered by Kaspersky experts can download modules onto infected smartphones that display ads in invisible windows and click on them, download executable files, install third-party applications, and open arbitrary links in invisible WebView windows to execute JavaScript code.

Based on its technical characteristics, the Trojan is also likely capable of subscribing users to paid services. Additionally, the downloaded modules allow attackers to redirect Internet traffic through the victim’s device. This enables cybercriminals to visit prohibited or desired resources using the victim’s device, potentially utilising it as part of a proxy botnet.

Infected Apps on Unofficial Platforms

The first discovery of Necro by company’s experts was in a modified version of Spotify Plus. The creators of the app claimed that it was safe for devices and offered additional features not found in the official music streaming app.

Subsequently, experts also found a modified version of WhatsApp containing the Necro downloader, followed by infected versions of popular games, including Minecraft, Stumble Guys, and Car Parking Multiplayer. Necro was embedded into these applications via an unverified ad module.

Infected Apps on Google Play

The Necro campaign extended beyond third-party platforms and was also discovered on Google Play. The malicious downloader was found in the Wuta Camera app and Max Browser.

According to Google Play statistics, the combined downloads of these apps exceeded 11 million. On this platform, Necro was also distributed via an unverified ad module. Following Kaspersky’s report to Google, the malicious code was removed from Wuta Camera, and Max Browser was taken down from the store. However, users still risk encountering Necro on unofficial platforms.

“Users often download unofficial, modified apps to bypass restrictions in official applications or to access additional free features. Cybercriminals exploit this behaviour, spreading malware with these apps as there is no moderation on third-party platforms,” comments Dmitry Kalinin, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky.

“It is also noteworthy that the version of Necro embedded in these applications used steganography techniques, hiding its payload within images to remain undetected – a very rare method for mobile malware.”

M-KOPA, emerging market fintech, announced that it has surpassed 5 million customers across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa. Two million of these customers have come onboard in the past 15 months.

M-KOPA’s innovative model makes affordable smartphones embedded with financial services available to ‘Every Day Earners’: the wide majority of African adults who earn their income daily but struggle to afford smartphones and typically fail to qualify for conventional financial services.

According to the World Bank, 75% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa remain financially excluded. To date, M-KOPA has supported its customer base with more than US $1.5 billion in financing.

Starting with smartphone access, customers gain entry to the digital economy with an affordable daily repayment model, which fits their daily income and cash flow and makes it easier to manage. By leveraging rich payments data and proprietary AI-driven analytics, M-KOPA builds a credit record for each customer which forms the foundation for a long-term financial relationship for lower cost digital loans, affordable data subscriptions and medical insurance.

According to M-KOPA co-founder and CEO, Jesse Moore: “We are thrilled to welcome our 5 millionth customer to M-KOPA this month. The scale of our operations and our positive impact on customers is what keeps us working hard to go even further. We’re just getting started; the opportunity for much larger impact and scale is right in front of us.”

M-KOPA also published its 2024 Impact Report this week, in which the company annually releases its progress against key social and environmental impact metrics.  As with prior reports, the 2024 survey of M-KOPA customers was undertaken by a third-party company – Dalberg Research.

Key impact highlights from the 2024 report include:

– 92% confirm that M-KOPA’s financing has made technology more affordable.

– 80% of customers report an improved quality of life thanks to M-KOPA’s products.

– 70% credit M-KOPA with helping them achieve their financial goals, demonstrating the company’s contribution to financial empowerment.

– 62% use their M-KOPA product to generate income

The company is having a major impact in improving digital access in Africa. Nearly 2 million customers are first-time mobile internet users and 40% are women. M-KOPA also built the first and largest smartphone assembly factory in Kenya – which has produced more than 1m phones locally and further reduced the cost of access.

As with prior reports, M-KOPA’s board and management use the annual impact report to help shape forward company strategy. Based on this year’s findings, M-KOPA is working to further increase its percentage of female customers to 50%, to reduce its carbon footprint by making circularity central to its smartphone supply chain, and to continue pioneering green products like electric motorbikes that contribute to the health and sustainability of the communities where it operates.

M-KOPA’s Chief Product Officer Nena Sanderson, notes: “Our product and services build pathways to prosperity for our customers and agents, enabling them to overcome financial setbacks, generate income and progress towards the futures they aspire to. Our impact extends beyond our customers, reaching their families and communities, and contributing to building a more sustainable world.”

Headquartered in London, UK, M-KOPA now creates employment for more than 3,000 staff and 30,000 commission-based sales agents across Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa.

The company has been recognised by the Financial Times as one of Africa’s Fastest Growing Companies for the past 3 years, and by Time Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential Companies globally for the past 2 years.