E-Business
NIMC, ALGON Join Hands for Enrollment Centres in LGAs
Chris Onyemenam, director general, National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), has called on the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON) to support, partner and cooperate with NIMC to enable the Commission establish enrolment centres in the 774 local governments in the country for effective grassroots NIN registration exercise.
Onyemenam, who was speaking at the pre-summit meeting of first Local Government Areas (LGAs) Summit on the National Identity Management System (NIMS) held with ALGON members in Abuja, said NIMC was in a hurry to set-up enrolment centres and commence local government NIN registration quickly, hence the need for this collaboration.
“We are established by Act No. 23 of 2007 to foster on orderly development of an identity sector and build a modern identity management system for Nigeria, we do four important things, the first has to do with the creation of National Identity Management Database, Manage Identity Authentication and Verification Service Infrastructure, Establish Registration Centres in every state capital and with your cooperation and support in every local government area, and then we can begin to talk of issuing National Identity Card”.
“If we are unable to build a database founded on a system that can enable us at any point in time to update our records, we would not have a national identity management system. If we have no way of telling the identity of an individual and affirming that identity, we will not be able to collect government revenues properly both at Federal, State and local government levels and we be unable to fight crime and criminal activities especially those that are related with identity of an individual”.
While welcoming and appreciating the ALGON members, mostly chairmen of local government councils and other executives for honouring the commission’s invitation the DG noted that the essence of the meeting was to introduce them to the journey of carrying out massive local government NIN enrolment that NIMC believes its success lie on the effective and efficient collaboration and cooperation between ALGON and NIMC in order to deliver on the mandate.
In his remark, Chief Nwabueze Okafor, national chairman of ALGON, called on members to recall the long journey of Nigeria in implementing the National Identity Project and see it as the project that must be completed, stressing that NIMC under the new management has demonstrated good handling competencies by deploying modern technology systems in line with international standard that have enough capacity to meet the yeaning and aspiration of the Federal Government and people of Nigeria.
Chief Nwabueze, who spoke through the Local Government Area Summit Consultant and ALGON executive, Mr. Felix Imoisili, said that the summit has been grouped into three zones with locations in Abuja to cover North-East, North-Central and North-West; Lagos location to cover south-West and the last will hold in Asaba to cover South-South and South-East.
The arrangement will cover all zones and eliminate challenges that will come up if 774 local government chairmen should gather in one hall for such a meeting.
He said that NIMC was wise in taking this step, knowing fully-well the great success that will be recorded in using ALGON to reach grassroots for the NIN registration.
In the same vein all ALGON members present promised to support and assist NIMC in the implementation of the NIMS Projects in their various states and Local Government Areas.
E-Business
Court Affirms ARCON’s Power to Regulate Ads on Social Media, Others

Federal High Court sitting in Lagos has declared that Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) has the legal authority to regulate advertising across all media platforms, including traditional outlets such as print and broadcast, as well as digital and social media.
The landmark ruling strengthens the regulatory powers of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria.
The ruling was delivered by Honourable Justice Aluko in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/1262/2024, filed by Digi Bay Limited (trading under the name and style of Betway Nigeria), Super Group Limited, and Otunba Kunle Olamuyiwa against the Attorney General of the Federation and ARCON.
The originating summons, dated 12 July 2024, sought a judicial determination of ARCON’s powers, particularly concerning advertising content published on digital platforms and by individuals not registered as advertising practitioners.
The court held that ARCON possesses the statutory authority to regulate all forms of advertising, regardless of the platform on which they appear.
The judgement also stated unequivocally that ARCON’s regulatory mandate extends beyond registered advertising agencies and includes private individuals who engage in advertising activities.
Justice Aluko emphasised that the determining factor is the nature of the activity—advertising—not the status of the individual or entity as a practitioner or non-practitioner.
One of the most significant outcomes of the ruling was the court’s position on social media regulation, affirming that ARCON, as the apex regulatory body in the nation’s advertising ecosystem, has the power to regulate advertisements on platforms such as Instagram, despite being privately owned.
The court noted that social media platforms are publicly accessible spaces used to broadcast advertising to wide audiences and, as such, fall under ARCON’s jurisdiction.
Regarding whether ARCON has the power to impose sanctions or fines on erring individuals or entities, the court provided clarity by affirming that ARCON may issue letters of violation or notices of infractions.
However, the power to determine and impose sanctions, it stated, resides solely with the Advertising Offences Tribunal, as prescribed by law.
The court also ruled that all advertising content—whether created by agencies, organisations, or individuals—must be vetted and approved by ARCON before being published or aired.
This decision reinforces ARCON’s role as the central authority responsible for ensuring that all advertising materials conform to ethical and professional standards, regardless of the platform.
Several practitioners in the nation’s advertising sector view the judgement as a significant legal victory for ARCON, especially in light of the increasing challenges it has faced since transitioning from the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) to ARCON under a revised legal framework, which extended the scope and influence of its powers.
In recent years, the agency has faced legal and media scrutiny from various quarters regarding the extent of its regulatory powers, particularly in the rapidly growing and often unregulated digital advertising space.
The decision, they argued, will have far-reaching implications for content creators, influencers, advertisers, and brands operating within the country, as compliance with ARCON’s vetting and regulatory processes becomes legally binding.
The ruling also signals a new phase in Nigeria’s advertising industry, where regulatory oversight will no longer be limited to traditional media and certain digital channels but will encompass the entire spectrum of public communication.
E-Business
Zoho Suspends $700m Chipmaking Plan

Zoho, Indian software firmhas suspended its year-long pursuit of a $700 million plan to expand into chip manufacturing, its co-founder said, confirming a story and dealing another blow to the Indian government’s semiconductor plans.
Zoho struggled to find the right technology partner required to advise on complex chipmaking processes, one source familiar with the matter told newsmen earlier.
Report said that Indian billionaire Gautam Adani’s group has also paused discussions with Israel’s Tower Semiconductor for its $10 billion chip project following an internal evaluation by the Indian group.
Zoho, valued at around $12 billion, offers cheaper alternatives to cloud-based software tools made by the likes of Microsoft.
Its billionaire co-founder, Sridhar Vembu is known for his popular and unconventional approach of locating business operations in rural villages.
Vembu confirmed the decision after the story was published, saying “we did not have that confidence in the tech,” in a social media post.
“Since this business is so capital intensive, it requires government backing, we wanted to be absolutely sure of the technology path before we take taxpayer money,” he said.
In a bid to diversify, Zoho had planned to invest $400 million in a semiconductor facility in Karnataka state in south India.
The entire chipmaking plan, first reported by newsmen in May 2024, has for now been suspended.
Representatives for Karnataka state did not respond to a request for comment.
Zoho’s retreat will be a setback to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has for several years tried to lure companies in his pursuit to make India a global chip manufacturing hub.
India does not have a single operational chipmaking facility.
Zoho, established in 1996, offers software and related services on subscription to businesses in 150 countries and has over 18,000 employees and more than 120 million users.
Zoho’s Silectric Semiconductor Manufacturing last year made a handful of hires and formed a board to oversee chipmaking efforts, the source, who gave the reason for the failed plan, said.
The Karnataka government said in December it had given landmark approval to Zoho’s planned $400 million facility in Mysuru region, which would have generated 460 jobs and been the first such project in the state.
E-Business
FG Partners UK to Combat Cross-border Cyber-crime

The federal government and the United Kingdom signed an agreement Tuesday to combat the growing threat of cyber-crime. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed following a courtesy visit by David George Hanson, minister of the home office, UK, to the Nigeria Police Force headquarters, Louis Edet House in Abuja.
Transnational crime is a big problem for both the UK and Nigeria, so the governments intend to strengthen existing collaboration efforts to crack down on cyber-criminals and protect their industries from unlawful activities.
Offences such as online fraud, identity theft, digital extortion, and ransomware , operate across many jurisdictions, and frequently necessitate sophisticated cooperation efforts, according to the two governments during a press conference.
Furthermore, Lateef Fagbemi, Nigeria’s attorney-general and minister of justice, established the Joint Case Team on Cybercrime, which aims to address the need for a coordinated and robust approach to combating cybercrime, as stated in the Cybercrimes Act of 2015, which criminalises cyber-related offences.
Hanson underlined the importance of ongoing cooperation efforts to combat international crime in a number of areas, affecting vulnerable individuals.
He said: “We need to look again at how we can build cooperation between the Federal Government, the federal police, and our police forces and National Crime Agency to take action against these international criminals, who are exploiting vulnerable people in a whole range of areas. The National Crime Agency, the Home Office Fraud Department, and the High Commission need to make sure we make a big impact on this transnational crime.”
“The collaboration between the Nigerian Police Force and National Crime Agency continues to serve as a model in international law enforcement cooperation. We have successfully conducted joint operations into many cases of cybercrimes and online fraud. With your [UK government] cooperation, we have continued to bust other criminal networks around the world,” added inspector-general of Nigerian Police Force, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun.
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