E-Business
Customs to Sack Non-ICT Compliant Officers in 2023 — Ali

Mr Hameed Ali, comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), on Friday reminded his officers and men to be fully computer literate and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) complaint, warning that those who fall below standard will be flushed out in 2023, when the e-Customs regime will be in operation.
Ali gave the advise in Abuja at the graduation ceremony of 80 Customs officials who underwent courses in the Junior and Senior cadre at the Customs Command and Staff College, Gwagwalada.
40 officers made up the Senior Course 4, while another 40 were for the Junior Course 8.
According to him, the recent approval of the e-Customs project by the Federal Executive Council was a wake up call to all members of the Customs community that it will no longer be business as usual, as officers and men are expected to up the ante in service delivery.
He said: “e-Customs is a game changer. It’ll reduce human contact at various entry and exit points. You no longer need much paper work and all that.
“We will move into paperless operations in 2023, but we have to ensure we are prepared. By then, any Customs officer who can’t operate the computer has no place in Customs. You can on your own upgrade yourselves before we put you to the system. Learn to operate the computer.
“We will monitor all entrance and exit points live from a central location. That is full ICT deployment.
“We must just accept that change has come and we need to change our ways by training and retraining and complying with international best practices”.
On border closure, Ali reiterated that only four land borders have been reopened to ensure Nigeria complies with the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCTA).
“We can’t keep our land borders closed any longer. Seme and Mfun borders in the Southwest, Ilela and Maigatari borders in the Northwest are the ones approved for reopening.
“Again, we’ve been able to strike a deal with neighbouring countries to police our borders effectively. We have put parameters in place in this regard and it’s time to test what has been put in place.
“Let’s see if goods transited through Benin Republic are handed over to us intact as per the way it was originally.
“Now, we have border patrol that works 24-hours. The borders will be opened fully from today. Modalities have been finalised.
We’ve developed measures to reduce infractions. It’s now time to walk the talk.
“Those borders that haven’t been opened should not be used for movement of goods and services. These four for now are the only allowed entry and exit points.
“We will reduce arms and other smuggling to the barest minimum. Border communities must be ready to work with us”, he stated.
Also speaking at the event, Wale Adeniyi, commandant, Customs Command and Staff College, an Assistant Comptroller-General, said that inspite of the challenges earlier mentioned COVID-19 and #EndSARS protest, the College maintained 100% pass in both the senior and junior courses.
“In the Senior Course 4, 25% of the class finished with HC and above representing an increase of 2% pass rate over SC 3. The JC produced 67.5% with HC and above compared with the previous course 7 which recorded 40%. Two students in the Junior Course improved the record of their predecessors by scoring B+ in the overall result”, he added.
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone, Rural Electrification Agency Commit to Deepening Digital and Energy Access Across Nigeria

In a major step towards deepening Nigeria’s digital and energy infrastructure, Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a brief but impactful ceremony held in Abuja.
The MoU signals a collaborative effort between both agencies to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda by integrating reliable energy solutions with cutting-edge ICT infrastructure, especially in higher institutions, Government institutions, underserved and rural communities across the country.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim A. Adeyanju, described the partnership as “a landmark moment in Nigeria’s journey towards a digitally empowered, sustainably powered, and inclusively connected nation.”
“This partnership exemplifies what is possible when two visionary government institutions come together, united by shared goals and driven by the desire to improve the lives of Nigerians everywhere,” he said.
Professor Adeyanju emphasized that while Galaxy Backbone’s core mandate is to provide secure digital infrastructure that powers government operations, reliable and sustainable energy particularly in rural areas is essential to fully actualize digital transformation.
Major highlights of the MoU include:
- Solar electrification of some of GBB’s Metro Fibre sites in Abuja by the REA.
- Powering Hostels of Higher Institutions across the country through the Fibre to Hostel Project being driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE).
- Support for the rollout of the 774 Local Government Digitization Initiative, beginning with six pilot Local Government Areas.
- Provision of LANs, access points, cloud services, colocation infrastructure, and temporary connectivity to enhance REA’s operational facilities nationwide.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency Mr Abba Aliyu, in his remarks, expressed optimism that this collaboration will further bridge the digital and energy divide across Nigeria. He noted that by combining REA’s achievements in expanding energy access with GBB’s robust ICT backbone, both agencies are poised to create lasting impact across governance, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.
This partnership is also in direct alignment with the Renewed Hope Digital Transformation Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which envisions an inclusive digital economy powered by innovation and sustainable energy.
The ceremony was attended by top management from both organizations as well as members of the media.
With today’s signing, Galaxy Backbone and the Rural Electrification Agency have set the tone for stronger, smarter, and more inclusive public service delivery powered by strategic inter-agency collaboration.
E-Business
NIMC Says NIN Services Back Online

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced the restoration of its National Identification Number (NIN) verification services nationwide.
This, according to the commission, follows the completion of a system maintenance exercise.
In a statement issued on Friday, the NIMC confirmed that all previously disrupted services have resumed.
“NIMC wishes to inform the general public that the recent technical maintenance has been completed and all services have been restored,” the statement read.
The NIMC urged Nigerians seeking to enroll for NIN to visit the its official website to locate the nearest enrollment centers.
The agency also encouraged individuals to make use of its self-service portal for tasks such as data modification, including name changes.
To further ease the verification process, the Commission recommended downloading the NIMC NameAuth app (oath.app) from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store for quick and secure NIN authentication.
NIMC expressed appreciation for the public’s patience during the service disruption, which had impacted banks, telecom providers, and government agencies that rely on NIN verification for their operations.
E-Business
Report Reveals African Organizations Dangerously Overestimating Cyber defences

Many businesses are overestimating their defence against cyber attacks, which creates a significant human risk blind spot. A new KnowBe4 report exposes a worrying disconnect between what leaders think about their cyber security readiness and what employees experience.
According to the KnowBe4 Africa Human Risk Management Report 2025, based on insights from cyber security decision-makers across 30 African countries, despite high awareness, a critical gap exists in turning that awareness into actual readiness and resilient behaviour.
Key findings from the KnowBe4 Africa Human Risk Management Report 2025:
Confidence vs awareness: While cyber security awareness is high, leaders express uncertainty about their workforce’s ability to act on that awareness. Many feel employees may overestimate their capabilities in recognising, reporting and mitigating threats.
The need for adaptive and personalised security awareness training: Many companies fail to personalise security awareness training to specific roles or risk exposures.
Widespread BYOD usage: A large percentage of employees (between 41% and 80%) use their personal devices for work.
AI policy development is lagging: Many companies (46%) are still in the process of developing policies for using AI tools in the workplace.
Regional variation: Southern Africa trains more, East Africa governs AI better and West/Central Africa sees the most human-related security incidents.
This gap is significant because Africa has become an attractive target to cyber criminals, especially those that launch AI-powered attacks. A LexisNexis Risk Solutions study found 60% of South African organisations have seen an increase in AI-facilitated financial crime – above the 56% global average.
Kehinde Popoola, regional manager and key representative for West and East Africa at Rubrik, said digital transformation is gaining momentum in Africa and companies are more exposed to cyber risk. The Rubrik executive adds that amid an increase in threats, it is crucial that organisations adopt an assumed breach mindset.
The KnowBe4 research shows that cyber security preparedness and the actual structures required to support secure behaviour seem misaligned.
The report highlights that just 10% of cyber security leaders are fully confident that staff would report a phishing attack or other cyber threat, despite rating employee security awareness of cyber threats at four out of five or higher.
There is also a significant perception gap between decision-makers and general employees in Africa regarding security awareness training, with 68% of leaders believing that training is tailored to roles, compared to only a third of employees feeling adequately trained.
KnowBe4 asserts that many organisations only conduct annual or biannual training that is too generic to effectively change behaviour, contributing to uncertainty about its effectiveness.
According to another report, the KnowBe4 African Cybersecurity and Awareness Report 2025, which focuses on end-user based responses, only 43% of African respondents felt confident in their ability to recognise a cyber threat, and just one in three believed their security awareness training was adequately tailored to their role. This comparison suggests the development of a dangerous perception gap in many organisations.
“There’s a disconnect here – between what leaders think is happening and what employees are actually experiencing,” says Anna Collard, SVP content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa. “The data shows that without procedural and cultural follow-through, awareness simply doesn’t translate into readiness.”
“The continent’s cyber security posture may be more confident than it is truly resilient,” Collard adds.
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