E-Business
Is the Issuance of Remote Licences Good for the Nigerian Gambling Industry?

Gambling regulators in Nigeria recently announced that they would start issuing remote licences to offshore operators that wish to offer their services to Nigerian players.
This would allow such companies to legally do business in Nigeria without having a physical presence in the country.
Apart from being permitted to legally provide gambling services to Nigerians, these companies would also be able to advertise their products in the print media and via affiliate marketing platforms if they own this remote licence permit.
“We are welcoming all responsible offshore gaming operators to apply for a remote operator permit as long as they pass all the relevant criteria including full AML screening and responsible gaming practices”, said Lanre Gbajabiamila, Director-General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.
Based on this new system, any gambling operator that wants the remote permit would have to pay an initial fee of USD 100,000, followed by a sum of USD 50,000 in each of the next four years.
Remote operators would also be mandated to pay tax to the government, via the Sentinel system provided by UK-based company, E-Technologies Global Limited. The Sentinel system allows payment providers to deduct tax at the point of transaction and immediately pass on the money to the national treasury.
All of these look great on first viewing, but is it really the best way to go?
To be fair, the fact that Nigeria is thinking about extracting more revenue from offshore operators is a positive thing.
Because of Nigeria’s vague laws on sports betting, especially online betting, offshore operators have been freely rendering their services to Nigerian customers over the internet without having to pay any form of tax or invest any of their revenue into the country.
They have basically been syphoning money away from Nigeria, further weakening our already dire economy. The remote gambling licence will go a long way in addressing this.
However, not everyone is on board with this new system.
Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Lottery and Gaming Authority, Bashir Abiola Are, has not been impressed with the idea.
The Lagos State Gaming chief insists that the federal body does not have the constitutional right to issue betting licences without the consent of the state bodies.
“The state gaming regulators are also against it because we believe it is under our purview constitutionally and you cannot issue remote gaming licences to foreign operators without our consent”, he said.
“Even if you have to do it, you do it on our behalf. We have to give you permission to do it”.
This has further brought to light the on-going feud between the federal regulator- the National Lottery Regulatory Commission- and the state bodies.
Until both parties somehow reach a compromise, there will always be proposals and counter-proposals from both ends without any meaningful resolutions.
Perhaps, Nigeria would be better off emulating the Kenyan system, which has a uniform regulatory body for sports betting all through the country.
While Nigerian bookies may have multiple licences from the federal and state authorities, betting sites in Kenya are all registered with the supreme body- Betting Control and Licensing Board.
Also, Are believes that issuing licences without mandating the operators to have physical presence in the country would be detrimental to the development of the Nigerian gambling industry; and to the country as a whole.
“You are telling them they don’t have to invest locally; that they can just pay some peanuts and make huge amounts of money. There will be capital flight, but no development”, Are said.
“All these companies that you want to grant offshore licences to are not based in Nigeria. What we need is a lot of local content so that we can grow the sector within and we can export. Our people are capable when you give them the platform”, he continued.
Are does make a great point here. By having a physical presence in Nigeria, gambling operators would not just boost the development of the industry in the country, they would also offer other economic benefits such as creating more job opportunities for Nigerian youths.
While the remote licensing system has its positives, it is perhaps better for Nigeria if these international companies are also compelled to have offices and shops in Nigeria before being allowed to legally operate in the country.
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-Financial1 day ago
Cyber Crime: Hackers to Hold Secret Conference 3.0 July 25
- General News1 day ago
Wema Bank Workers, Others Arraigned over Alleged N8.9Bn Cybercrime
- Telecom1 day ago
Gaps on Phone Number Recycling Fuel Identity Theft, Data Breaches- ICIR
- E-Financial1 day ago
SEC Flags ‘Punisher Coin’ As High-Risk Scheme
- General News1 day ago
Music Stars, Comedians Light Up “Evening with Glo” in Ijebu Ode
- E-Business1 day ago
FG Enrolls 59,786 Inmates on NIN Platform
- News5 hours ago
AAAN Congratulates Steve Babaeko, X3M Ideas on Financial Times Recognition
- Telecom5 hours ago
Telcos Hit by Major Outages across Lagos, Enugu, Others