Telecom
Fake Mobile Phones Dominate African Market –SON
Dr. Joseph Odumodu, director-general, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has said that about 80 per cent of mobile phones at the said largest technology market in Africa (Computer Village in Lagos) are fake products.
Odumodu said officials of SON discovered this after series of investigations and surveys.
He said the findings showed that the larger percentage of sales from brands including Hewlett Packard, Nokia, Samsung, and others, were not coming from their manufacturers directly but through counterfeiting.
The SON DG made this disclosure when asked on the organisation’s contribution to the ongoing war being waged by Hewlett Packard against product counterfeiting in Nigeria.
He said, “Some dealers of the global brands appoint agents locally that engaged in counterfeiting, by so doing, doing more damage to the brands and the market.”
According to him, people make more money by copying; becoming more powerful than the owners.
He said, “This is the battle we are currently fighting as an agency and we shall win the fight.
“Already, the one week deadline we gave to dealers of fake phones, computers and other accessories in Computer Village has expired and we shall storm there again in no time for a final cleansing.”
The District Manager, English Africa, Printing and Personal Systems, HP, Jean-Paul Pinto, had earlier told our correspondent that though new style of Information Technology is emerging in mobility; cloud, social and big data, counterfeiting has remained a major threat.
Pinto, who said Africa is important to HP not only because of the money, but also to impact lives with technology, disclosed that the Nigerian market accounts for 20 per cent of HP’s sales globally.
He said, “HP sells two Personal Computers and one printer every minute in Africa, with major sales coming from Nigeria, reason we know that if we succeed in tackling counterfeits in Nigeria, we can equally succeed in other part of the continent.”
Lead Investigation for HP Anti-counterfeiting Programme for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Geofrey Eyles, said counterfeiting feeds from huge investments of businessmen and women. “So, everyone must collaborate against these rings in other to protect the economy,” he said.
He added, “All international crimes are a local crime somewhere. So, there is need for global approach to fight counterfeiting.”
Only recently, Reuters had reported that security researchers have revealed two separate threats that could put up to 90 per cent of the world’s two billion plus smartphones at risk of password theft, stolen data and in some cases let hackers take full control of devices.
According to analysts, if users of genuine smartphones can be at risk, those with fake mobile phones are fully at risk.
The Reuters report entitled, ‘Smartphone management flaws puts users at risk,’ which was published on July 31, said that one vulnerability involved flaws in the way scores of manufacturers of Apple, Google Android and Blackberry devices, among others, have implemented an obscure industry standard that controls how everything from network connections to user identities are managed.
The threat could enable attackers to remotely wipe devices, install malicious software, access data and run applications on smartphones, Mathew Solnik, a mobile researcher with Denver-based cyber security firm Accuvant, said in a phone interview.
A separate threat specifically affecting up to three-quarters of devices running older Android software has been unearthed by researchers at Bluebox Security of San Francisco. Dubbed “Fake ID”, the vulnerability allows malicious applications to trick trusted software from Adobe, Google and others on Android devices without any user notification, the company said on Wednesday.
“Essentially anything that relies on verified signature chains of an Android application is undermined by this vulnerability,” Bluebox said in a statement referring to devices built before Google updated its core software late last year.
These risks could not be independently verified by Reuters.
MTN Nigeria is set to reignite the dreams of creatives with the launch of its Best of the Streets talent competition for the 2025 edition. This initiative aims to discover and nurture Nigeria’s next generation of creative talent.
L-R: Mobolaji Ogunlende, Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Lagos State; Dapo “D’Banj” Oyebanjo, Singer and Founder of C.R.E.A.M platform; Dandizzy, Rapper and Singer; A’isha Umar Mumuni, Chief Digital Officer, MTN Nigeria and Obi Asika, Nigerian music executive and Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, NCAC., at the Best of the Streets press briefing on Wednesday, April 23 held at the MTN Rooftop Events Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Slated to commence on May 1, 2025, the competition offers unsigned artists a transformative platform to compete for life-changing rewards, including a grand money prize, professional music video production, and an EP recording deal.
At the press briefing on Wednesday April 23, A’isha Umar Mumuni, Chief Digital Officer of MTN Nigeria, emphasized the initiative’s impact.
“The premise of Best of the Streets is that there’s talent in every street in Nigeria, whether it’s acting, singing, dancing, comedy or other performance arts.
“Best of the Streets seeks to bring out that talent, to show Nigerian youths that there are opportunities everywhere; and at MTN, we are very proud to take part in creating these opportunities.”
Best of the Streets is in collaboration with C.R.E.A.M (Creative Reality Entertainment Art and Music), founded by Nigerian rapper, Dapo “D’Banj” Oyebanjo is a platform which provides talent management, publishing, and funding support to grassroots artists.
“The C.R.E.A.M platform provides solutions and services for talents, creatives and entrepreneurs, by granting them convenient access to showcase their skills and monetize their content. With our newly launched distribution arm, we are not just discovering talent, we are giving them the tools to take them global,” D’banj explained.
Chris Anokute, Nigerian-born LA-based American Executive, known for discovering global superstar Katy Perry, commended the efforts of this initiative in pushing local Nigerian music to the international stage. “Best of the Streets is the greatest artiste discovery platform I’ve seen come out of Africa.
“The music industry is, as of last year, a 30-billion-dollar industry. Afrobeats is the fastest growing genre in the entire world, over 1.1 million hours of music streamed out of Nigeria on Spotify this year alone.”
On the importance of empowering the creative capacities of the youth, Mobolaji Ogunlende, Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development in Lagos State. “As a government, we have vowed not to leave anybody behind in Lagos state, irrespective of their background.
“There are about 30 million citizens in Lagos, and 60% of the youth. Not every youth will be able to go to school, but we still have the creatives, digital, fashion icons, among others. This platform is an avenue to encourage them.”
To participate, aspiring contestants can dial *463# on their MTN line, upload original content via the official @creamplatform, and mobilise votes from the public. Over 2584 creatives are set to be showcased and rewarded this year. Entries into this competition continue up until December, with daily, weekly and monthly winners, with a final winner who will secure the grand prize.
The Best of the Streets initiative reinforces MTN’s commitment to youth empowerment and creative innovation, aligning with Nigeria’s growing entertainment industry demands.
Meta has announced its intention to appeal the decision of the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal (CCPT), which upheld a $220 million fine imposed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) over its data practices.
The penalty follows a 38-month investigation conducted by the FCCPC, in collaboration with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), which ran from 2021 to December 2023.
The investigation found evidence of unauthorised data sharing, insufficient user consent mechanisms, and discriminatory practices that treated Nigerian consumers differently from those in other regions.
In July 2024, the FCCPC imposed the $220 million fine on Meta and WhatsApp, citing violations of Nigeria’s data protection and consumer rights laws. Additionally, the ruling mandated corrective actions to ensure that Meta’s business practices comply with Nigerian regulations.
In a decision delivered on Friday, April 25, the tribunal upheld the fine, reaffirming the FCCPC’s authority and investigative processes. The tribunal also ordered Meta to pay an additional $35,000 to cover the costs incurred during the investigation.
However, Meta expressed disagreement with the tribunal’s ruling, stating in a statement on Saturday, April 26, that it would urgently seek to appeal the decision and apply for a stay of execution.
“We are urgently applying to stay the order and appeal today’s decision to avoid any impact to users,” WhatsApp said.
The company also contested the tribunal’s findings, claiming that the ruling misrepresented how WhatsApp operates and contained inaccuracies regarding its data practices.
Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal has upheld a $220 million fine imposed by the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) on Meta Platforms Inc. and WhatsApp LLC for data privacy violations in Nigeria.
The Tribunal also awarded $35,000 in investigative costs to the country’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission .
In a statement issued by the FCCPC, the Tribunal delivered its judgment in the appeal filed by Meta Platforms Incorporated (Facebook) and WhatsApp LLC against the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), affirming the Commission’s authority and ruling in favour of its actions on nearly all contested issues.
According to the statement by the FCCPC, “The Tribunal specifically determined that the Commission adhered to prevailing laws, fulfilled its mandate, and exercised its powers by the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
“It ruled that the multiple actions by WhatsApp and Meta, for which the Commission made findings of violations, were correctly identified, and that the Commission did not err in making those findings.”
The statement revealed that WhatsApp and Meta’s legal team was led by Professor Gbolahan Elias (SAN), while the FCCPC was represented by Babatunde Irukera.
It added that both legal teams presented their final arguments on behalf of their respective clients on January 28, 2025.
“The FCCPC had on July on July 19, 2024, issued a Final Order imposing a $220 million administrative penalty after concluding that the companies engaged in discriminatory and exploitative practices against Nigerian consumers, the investigation started in 2020.
“The case arose from a 38-month joint investigation initiated by the FCCPC and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) into the conduct, privacy practices, and consumer data policies of Meta Platforms and WhatsApp.
“Dissatisfied with the Order last year, Meta and WhatsApp appealed to the Tribunal, challenging both the legal basis and the findings of the Commission,” FCCPC said.
The Tribunal upheld the FCCPC’s authority and investigative procedures in Meta and WhatsApp’s appeal, resolving most of the contested issues in the Commission’s favour.
It confirmed that the FCCPC acted within its constitutional and statutory mandate, particularly regarding fair hearing, data protection, and consumer rights.
While it dismissed the majority of the appellants’ objections, it set aside one specific order (Order 7) for lacking sufficient legal basis.
While expressing satisfaction with the judgment, Tunji Bello, executive vice chairman/CEO, commended the Commission’s legal team for their exceptional diligence and forensic expertise in assembling evidence and presenting their case.
He reaffirmed the FCCPC’s unwavering commitment not only to protecting the rights of Nigerian consumers but also to promoting fair business practices in line with the FCCPA (2018) and the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Nigerian government.
AFC Appoints Ireti Samuel-Ogbu as Chair of Board of Directors
FG to Sanction Airports Without Permits from January 2026
CBN Urges Banks to Source FX for PAPSS Settlement Through NFEM
FIRS Orders Banks to Close Unauthorised Tax Collection Accounts
NCAA Tightens Regulations: Unlicensed Airports to Face Penalties in 2026
Telecom1 day agoMeta Challenges Nigerian Tribunal’s $220M Fine over Data Breaches
Broadcasting1 day agoAI and Cybersecurity: Balancing Innovation with Caution
E-Financial1 day agoSupreme Court Sets Aside N22 Trillion Judgement against Union Bank
E-Business1 day agoFG Warns Nigerians Against Growing Threat of Cyber Slavery in West Africa
News1 day agoEFCC Bans Cash above $10,000 from Leaving Nigeria without Declaration
E-Financial1 day agoUBA Envisions Footprint in over 100 Countries
General News1 day agoAfe Babalola University Partners with New Horizons to Integrate 4IR Skills into Academic Curriculum
E-Business1 day agoNCC Vows to Tackle Online Infringement, Block Illegal Music Websites