Telecom
COVID-19: NITDA Advises Nigerians on Data Backup As Impact Mitigation Strategy
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has advised Nigerians on Data Backup as the World Celebrates International Data Backup Day
Mrs Hadiza Umar, head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) stated this in a statement released on Tuesday, in Abuja.
According to the statement, “with the mandate of developing and regulating Information Technology (IT) for sustainable national development, we join the global community in celebrating World Backup Day.
“March 31st has been set aside as World Backup Day internationally, to remind users of computing devices of the potential consequences of stolen, lost or failed device.
“It is also a day used for creating awareness on the importance of protecting computing assets by regularly backing-up data.
“Making a regular backup is one way to minimize the damage that can be caused by malware that encrypts your data.
“Having a clean data backup means you can restore most of your data from a non-infected backup whenever the need arises.
“NITDA therefore encourages organizations and the general public to make and safely store backup copies of all valuable data, whether from personal computers, servers, storage devices or personal electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets”.
The statement further said, “as we intensify our efforts of diversifying the Nigerian economy from resource-based to knowledge-based, it is imperative that we are mindful of the amount of data generated on a daily basis as well as its implication in the digital economy.
“A World Economic Forum study revealed that on a daily basis, 500 million tweets are sent, 294 billion emails are sent, 4 petabytes of data are created on Facebook, 65 billion messages are sent on WhatsApp, and about 3.5 billion searches are made on Google.
“Furthermore, the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for people to work from home means that more data will be generated and may not necessarily be backed-up appropriately.
“Therefore, as we strive towards the realization of Digital Nigeria in these challenging times, the importance of creating a culture of regular data backup among Nigerians cannot be overemphasized.
“Data backup is keeping a clean copy of any important digital content aimed at guaranteeing service availability even when computer crashes, cell phones or tablets are lost, data becomes corrupted or a virus destroys data.Data backup is a mission-critical process that NITDA enjoins all to adopt, either as individuals or organizations.
“As we celebrate the World BackupDay, we call on all Nigerians to embrace the culture of regularly backing-up their data.
The following basic guides are recommended:
- ensure that you backup your data frequently and at regular intervals;
- consider using remote storage for your backups;
- ensure that the files containing your data backups are encrypted and protected; and
- use multiple methods and multiple media for your data backups.
Telecom
Celebrating African Creativity: Made by Africa, Loved by the World’ Returns for Its Fifth Year
The “Made by Africa, Loved by the World” campaign is back for its fifth year, celebrating African creativity and global influence. This year’s theme, “Where Culture Meets Connection,” highlights how social media fosters conversations around cultural moments worldwide.
The campaign features three cinematic films premiering on the Meta Africa page, showcasing the groundbreaking work and personal stories of six dynamic African creatives.
These artists, from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, and South Africa, represent diverse disciplines, including rap, animation, dance, photography, fashion, and videography.
Here are some of the featured talents:
- Ladipoe (Nigeria) – A BET-nominated rapper known for blending global hip-hop with African rhythms.
- Fatboy Animations (Kenya) – An animation studio founded by Michael Muthiga, recognized by Forbes for its original African storytelling.
- Lisa Quama (Ghana) – A dancer who gained fame after appearing in Beyoncé’s “Already” music video.
- Gilbert Asante (Ghana) – A photographer and creative director featured in GQ and Glam Africa.
- David Tlale (South Africa) – A fashion designer whose bold designs have been showcased at major fashion events, including the Met Gala.
- Ofentse Mwase (South Africa) – A filmmaker with over 24 international awards for his unique visual storytelling.
Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Director for Africa, Middle East & Turkey, emphasized that the campaign not only celebrates individual success stories but also showcases how culture and social media drive meaningful connections and inspiration.
Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
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