E-Business
Experts Hinge Nigeria’s Survival on Digital Skills

By peter oluka
Nigeria, and indeed, Africa’s ability to develop the youths’ digital skills will definitely bequeath some economic powers, according to some information and communications technology (ICT) experts.
The experts who spoke to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek on the backdrop of statistics shared by World Bank, unanimously agreed that technology is the promise and ultimately the final hope for Africa’s youth.
According to the World Bank, 11 million youths enter the African labour market every year over the next decade.
Mr. Chinenye Mba-Uzoukwu, CEO, InfoGraphics, said, “Africa will indeed be the youngest continent on the planet between 2030 and 2050 depending on whose data you use. Between 2017 and then, the continent will either fracture or surge. If the latter, it will be wrenched violently apart by the uncontainable forces of food insecurity, plunging health, social dislocation, rural to urban surges, functional illiteracy and a dysfunctional education system, an expanding digital divide and negative technology penetration, crime/cybercrime and other vices.
“Any African of working age (18-65) is challenged by the same things his counterparts the world over are: relevant skills/competencies and opportunities for self-actualisation.
He said that the 21st century of the age of the entrepreneur – Africa’s youth will enter the workforce earlier as both employee and employer, they will work in diverse sectors in different functions for much longer than any generation preceding them.
“The key to this is to empower them with capacity – knowledge, tools and competence – to create economic value for themselves and the community in which they live. Every aspect of their lives will be mediated through technology and digital literacy and fluency will be the critical determinant in their self-actualisation”.
Mr. Olaniyi Alao, president and CEO of Web4Africa, spoke on how to fast track digital skills development in Nigeria, and urged the authorities, Federal and State Ministries of Education, to ensure that even more institutions offer IT-related skills as part of their degree and diploma courses.
“Of course, every secondary school student needs to deliberately acquire some IT skills during their free time. Social networking activities from smartphones are hardly usable skills unless one is a celebrity.
On his part, Mr. Celestine Achi, founder of DigitalPRWire, believes the African proverb that says, “He that must lead the orchestra, must learn to back the crowd. To Fast track digital skills, emphasis must be placed on collaborative learnings, partnerships and startups support. The future success of Nigeria’s youth depends on their ability to understand and use technology effectively”, he said.
E-Business
Human Hacking: When Cyber Criminals Target You

By Nancy Werteen
When you get anti-hacking advice, you’ve probably heard “Don’t use a simple password,” or “Don’t plug in that USB you found on the ground.”
But there’s one form of hacking that doesn’t always require a computer, and it costs businesses about 4.88 million dollars a year.
Modern hackers aren’t trying to get into your computer; they’re trying to get into you.
“They’ll try to learn about you a little bit, and they’ll try to use that information against you to try to get you to complete some action, maybe to send somebody some money,” said Kevin Moran, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Cyber Security and Privacy Cluster, University of Central Florida.
IBM calls this human hacking, because it exploits human error instead of system error.
“With people just being busy and maybe not very carefully checking some of the emails or the phone calls that they get, can be something unfortunately that people can fall victim to,” said Moran.
Also known as social engineering, this often takes the form of phishing, where the hacker tries to “fish” the information out of you by impersonating family, friends, or even your bank.
There’s also baiting, where the hacker baits you with something of value. Remember the Nigerian prince scam?
That’s a famous example of baiting. There’s also pretexting, where the hacker will claim the victim has already been hacked, and that the hacker can fix it if you just send over your passwords. So, what can you do?
“Just as a rule of thumb, instead of clicking on links and emails, just go to the website yourself. And that will prevent, a lot of these types of attacks from happening,” explained Moran.
Phishing can take many forms.
Spear phishing targets people with access to confidential information, often to get access into an entire business, and whale phishing targets CEOs or political figures.
Search engine phishing is when hackers create fake websites promising services or goods you’ll never receive.
Angler phishing is when hackers create fake social media accounts impersonating famous people or companies.
Finally, vishing and smishing is phishing done through phone calls and texts respectively.
E-Business
FG Enrolls 59,786 Inmates on NIN Platform

Federal government has said that it has successfully captured 59,786 inmates, representing approximately 74 percent of the total prison population into the National Identity Number (NIN) database.
This figure is based on a total of 80,879 inmates across 256 custodial centres across the country.
Abubakar Umar, spokesman, Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), Deputy Controller of Corrections, who made this disclosure in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, dismissed recent media reports alleging that the NIN registration had yet to begin in custodial centres.
Umar described such report as misleading, inaccurate, and not representative of the current situation.
According to Umar, the NIN registration exercise within the correctional facilities was ongoing and has achieved substantial progress.
He credited the achievement to collaboration between the NCoS and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which has enabled successful enrollment of majority of inmates into the national identity database.
According to him, “As of June 7, 2025, a total of 59,786 inmates, roughly 74 percent cent of the total inmate population have been captured on the NIMC platform,” Umar said.
“Efforts are ongoing to register the remaining inmates, and necessary mechanisms have been established to ensure the seamless completion of the process.”
He emphasised that the assertion that NIN registration has not started in custodial centres was factually incorrect and overlooks the extensive work already carried out.
The Service reaffirmed its commitment to integrating all inmates into national data systems, including NIN registration, as part of broader efforts to support rehabilitation, reintegration, and digital inclusion for individuals in custody.
Umar also urged media outlets to confirm their information with appropriate authorities before publication to prevent the spread of misinformation that could undermine the Service’s progress and public understanding.
E-Business
NIMC Denies Blocking Police Commission from Verification Server

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has clarified that all its verification service platforms remain fully functional and accessible to all authorized partners, including security agencies.

Abisoye Coker-Odusote, DG, NIMC
In a statement on Thursday, the Commission firmly denied claims that it had denied the Police Service Commission (PSC) access to its verification server.
Dr. Kayode Adegoke, head of Corporate Communications, NIMC, described the reported “inability of the Police Service Commission to access the NIMC verification server” as misleading and inaccurate.
He suggested that any challenges faced by the PSC may be due to internal issues within the commission itself, not from NIMC’s end.
The statement reads: “To set the record straight, the NIMC granted verification access to all Nigerian Police formations for the verification of the National Identification Number (NIN). The NPF, PSC and other security agencies have been enjoying uninterrupted verification services for over five years.
“NIMC has provided top-notch verification services for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force, as conducted by the PSC and at no time have there been any complaints or issues regarding NIN Verification by the NPF or PSC.
“The Commission has a robust and harmonious working relationship with the Nigerian Police Force and the Police Service Commission. The Information Communications and Technology (ICT) department of the Nigeria Police Force is actively managing the long-standing verification and integration service between the NIMC and all Nigeria Police formations.Entertainment tourism packages
“NIMC will continue to provide flawless verification services for the purpose of recruitment, security mapping, cybercrime control, and any other security matters.
“The framework by which NIMC provides services to the security agencies was recently restructured for standardization and effective implementation, following consultation with the Office of the National Security Adviser, and NPF has confirmed the verification services have continued to be available. We therefore believe that any service interruption experienced by PSC may be due to internal matters.
“NIMC is committed to providing excellent verification services to the PSC, NPF and all its partners but the terms and conditions inherent must be adhered to for uninterrupted flow of service.”
- E-Financial2 days ago
Cyber Crime: Hackers to Hold Secret Conference 3.0 July 25
- General News2 days ago
Wema Bank Workers, Others Arraigned over Alleged N8.9Bn Cybercrime
- Telecom2 days ago
Gaps on Phone Number Recycling Fuel Identity Theft, Data Breaches- ICIR
- General News2 days ago
Music Stars, Comedians Light Up “Evening with Glo” in Ijebu Ode
- E-Business2 days ago
FG Enrolls 59,786 Inmates on NIN Platform
- E-Financial2 days ago
SEC Flags ‘Punisher Coin’ As High-Risk Scheme
- Telecom17 hours ago
Telcos Hit by Major Outages across Lagos, Enugu, Others
- E-Financial17 hours ago
Confidence in Nigerian Economy Grows as Forex Inflows Reach $5.96Bn