General News
(Opinion) How educators can help stem the tide of cyberbullying
By Akin Banuso, Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria,
It’s perhaps one of the great paradoxes of our time – the opportunities that technology presents come with complexities that can be difficult to navigate. Nowhere is this more evident than in today’s classrooms. Whiletechnology is helping transform the learning experience in profound ways, it can also leave students exposed to significant online risk if the right measures aren’t in place.
A recent survey on online bullying in the Middle East and North Africa revealed the depth of the challenge educators and parents face, highlighting that at least 85 percent of UAE children have been bullied online.
In Nigeria, the government has addressed this plight through the provision for an Act that protects people from cyberbullying. However, there is much that still needs to be done in curbing cyberbullying by providing effective means of prosecuting cases in this regard and by raising awareness of the Cybercrimes Act in order to encourage victims of to report the offenders.
As a means of dealing with a wide variety of technology-based threats, the National Assembly enacted an Act called The Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) Act 2015 Cybercrimes (” Cybercrimes Act”) with the purpose of providing an effective and unified legal, regulatory and institutional framework for the prohibition, prevention, detection, prosecution and punishment of cybercrimes in Nigeria. It’s worth noting there two specific forms of cyberbullying have been criminalised – cyberstalking and racial and homophobic offenses.
Vast research has showed that children lack the necessary supervision required to effectively safeguard them from becoming victims of any form of cyberbullying. While parents have a role to play in limiting and supervising access to the internet, educators can also make a key difference. The more teachers are equipped themselves to deal with cyberbullying, the better the chance we have of combatting the online threat. In fact, there are several powerful ways we as adults can intervene in the cycle of online bullying.
Helping to prevent cyberbullying begins with listening to children. Ask them to talk about their lives. Sit with younger children while they play and explore online. It’s a good idea to regularly ask tweens and teens to show you around the websites they visit, where they hang out, who with, and how they talk to each other. This is particularly important in a school setting, where online activities should be closely monitored so that appropriate online behaviour can be encouraged.
There are also ways of watching out for signs of online cruelty. This typically involves taking note when children get upset while online or texting, or when they have a reluctance to be at school. At the same time, teachers can keep an eye out for children being mean to others online.
Greater awareness around the consequences of bullying can assist in discouraging a culture of cyberbullying. Help children understand that cyberbullying can get them into serious trouble. In some cases, this might even involve legal ramifications. At the same time, encourage them to think about the psychological effects cyberbullying might have on others.
Its important children feel they can report cyberbullying to you. Microsoft’s recent Digital Civility Index reveals that while cyberbullying is frequently listed as one of the most painful online risks, just 56 percent of teens in Turkey and 46 percent in South Africa ask for help when dealing with an online threat.
To counteract this, adults need to promise unconditional support. Part of this involves reassuring children that you won’t curtail phone, gaming, or computer privileges because of others’ behaviour. In the context of a classroom specifically, this would also involve providing students with an anonymous platform from which they can report cyberbullying.
One of the most effective ways to prevent online bullying is social and emotional learning—the process through which we learn to build strong relationships and develop healthy boundaries and self-perceptions.
Key to this is promoting empathy and kindness. Actively teach thoughtfulness. This can help students understand how small, thoughtful actions can make a huge difference in others’ lives.
Educators can even advocate for empathy training at school or start a kindness campaign within their classrooms. This could be as simple as each student agreeing to do one kind thing a day, or it could have a much broader scope, such as developing a programme to challenge a culture of criticism with the school. Similar campaigns can be replicated at home or even in a broader neighbourhood.
As a teacher, you can collaborate with other educators to create programmes that explicitly address social-emotional skills. In fact, collaborative learning platforms can enable students to work together respectfully and to negotiate as they co-create. For example, by having students learn how to accommodate the needs of others when creating worlds in Minecraft, teachers can find opportunities to develop deeper emotional literacy and introduce strategies to resolve challenges or understand perspectives.
Like teachers, parents have a critical role in identifying and stopping cyberbullying. As a parent, you might be surprised how difficult it can be for a child to admit, even to you, that they are being bullied. To help them get past this, create an environment that allows them to feel safe to tell you the full story. From there, together, you can come up with a plan of action. Encourage your child not to retaliate and to rather ignore or block the bully. Save the online discussions as evidence just in case it escalates to threats of violence and the police need to be involved. Approach their teacher or school counsellor and find out what steps can be taken to prevent it from happening in the future.
Reassure your child that they always have your support and shouldn’t feel ashamed. Get them involved in activities that make them feel good so that they can move on and heal from the incident.
At the end of the day, combatting online risks like cyberbullying begins with promoting digital civility and helping one another to be responsible digital citizens.
The median edition of Lagos Slush’D 2025, an innovation-driven, founder-focused startup conference begins today. The two-day event holding at The Podium, Lekki, Lagos, is part of the global Slush’D movement under the world-renowned Slush Helsinki brand.
Lagos Slush’D 2025 will showcase Nigeria’s fast-growing start-up ecosystem and spotlight the creativity, resilience, and ambition of Nigerian founders.
Mr. Kolawole Okuboyejo, Director, Lagos Slush’D, said the event will also connect local startups with global innovation networks, particularly the Nordics (Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland), known for world-leading innovation, sustainability, and impact entrepreneurship.
“It will facilitate meaningful partnerships between start-ups, investors, corporates, accelerators, and policymakers to drive funding, market access, and knowledge exchange.
“Promote inclusive and scalable innovation that tackles Africa’s biggest challenges — from food security and digital inclusion to climate adaptation and affordable healthcare. Strengthen the Nigeria-Nordics connection, building long-term bridges between ecosystems that believe in entrepreneurship as a driver of societal and economic progress.
“Lagos Slush’D is where ambition meets opportunity — a space for start-ups to pitch bold ideas, meet future partners, and accelerate their journey from local to global impact,” he said.
He noted that Lagos Slush’D place a special emphasis on the Nigeria-Nordics connection, drawing from the Nordics’ strengths in clean technologies, impact investing, sustainability, and start-up innovation, while tapping into Nigeria’s fast-growing, opportunity-rich market.
“Nigeria boasts a young, tech-savvy, urban population, a growing middle class, and rapidly expanding mobile and internet connectivity — all fueling digital innovation.
“Nigeria is home to Africa’s largest economy and most vibrant start-up scene. Over 600 active tech hubs across Africa. African start-ups raised over $5 billion in funding in 2023, with projections for a fivefold increase by 2030.
Africa’s combined GDP is projected to reach $3.2 trillion by 2030. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) will become the world’s largest free trade zone, unlocking massive cross-border opportunities.
Jumia, pan-African e-commerce platform, has announced the expansion of its logistics service, Jumia Delivery, to Nigeria. Building on its successful operations in Côte d’Ivoire, Jumia Delivery offers individuals and businesses a fast, secure, and cost-effective parcel delivery service across the country.
With one of the largest delivery fleets and a distribution network spanning over hundreds of cities, Jumia Delivery is set to revolutionize logistics and enhance shipping convenience for all. Customers can now send parcels with ease, benefiting from Jumia’s reliable logistics infrastructure and extensive partnerships with third-party logistics providers.
“Africa’s growing digital economy demands robust and efficient delivery services, and we are excited to introduce Jumia Delivery as a reliable solution to improve last-mile logistics. The introduction of Jumia Delivery in Nigeria, following our success in Côte d’Ivoire, is a major step forward in addressing logistics challenges and meeting the evolving needs of both individuals and businesses,” said Francis Dufay, CEO of Jumia.
Following its rollout in Nigeria, Jumia plans to expand Jumia Delivery to other key markets including Kenya, Ghana and Senegal, further extending its logistics capabilities across the continent.
With a customer-centric approach, Jumia continues to innovate and expand its logistics infrastructure, reinforcing its role as a key enabler of Africa’s e-commerce ecosystem.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Nigerians to shun Ponzi schemes as many of such schemes have destroyed lives, eroded trust and undermined national development.
Aisha Abubakar, acting zonal director, Enugu Zonal Directorate and assistant commander of the EFCC, gave this charge during the 2025 Annual Management Retreat of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps which was held at Jubilee Hall, Holy-ghost Cathedral, Ogbete, Enugu State.
Speaking on the topic, “Get-Rich-Quick Syndrome and the Youth Vulnerability: The Case Study of Ponzi scheme-The Role of Law Enforcement in Prevention and Disruption”, Abubakar said that the get-rich-quick syndrome has become a serious economic and security threat in Nigeria, with the youths bearing the brunt.
She said that the get-rich-quick syndrome is a mindset characterized by the desire to attain wealth without legitimate, gradual effort, adding that the craving is often fueled by social media portrayals of instant riches and social pressure.
“In Nigeria today, the aspiration for wealth has grown increasingly urgent among the youth, leading to vulnerability to financial frauds such as Ponzi schemes. They often fall victim to enticing schemes that offer double returns within short timeframes, despite the absence of legitimate business operations. The desperation to escape poverty and fund small projects pushes many into high-risk unregulated investments”, she said.
While citing the causes of get-rich-quick syndromes among the youths, Abubakar said that greed, financial illiteracy, peer pressure, social pressure, digital and technological exposure, drugs, disappearance of cherished family and societal values, extravagant lifestyle, depression, unproductive lodging in hotels, impatience, frustration with traditional systems and psychological factors are some of the things that cause many to fall prey to schemes “even when they suspect it’s too good to be true”.
“Notable examples in Nigeria include, MMM Nigeria, MBA Forex, Chinmark Group and CBEX. In April 2025, Nigeria witnessed one of its most devastating financial scams with the collapse of CBEX, a digital asset trading platform that operated as a Ponzi scheme. It promised investors a 100% return on investment within 30 days, leveraging on the allure of cryptocurrency trading and artificial intelligence-driven strategies”, she said.
Abubakar listed types of get-rich-quick syndromes which include advance fee fraud, fake jobs and scholarship schemes, online loan and grant scams, fake forex and crypto currency platforms, amongst others.
She said that cybercrimes, which she identified as an activity of get-rich-quick syndrome, have adverse effects on the country’s economy. She lamented that cybercrime has earned the nation a bad reputation in the global world, thereby reducing foreign investments in Nigeria, which has affected in totality, the growth of our economy.
She said that the reputational damage affects even individuals in Nigeria, as the global world has no confidence in Nigerians, within and outside the borders of the country.
“Cybercrime has created a market system where fraudsters obtain competitive advantage and drive out legitimate business. A lot of funds are lost to internet fraud, some of which are eventually used to fund organized crime groups and terrorism, potentially leading to further crime and terrorist attacks. I am sure you will agree with me that it has also undermined national defence and security in Nigeria and this has contributed to negative output in the economy”, she said.
She thereafter discussed the roles the Commission has played in the prevention and disruption of these schemes.
“Through roadshows, social media campaigns and partnerships with youth-focused institutions, the EFCC has raised awareness of fraudulent investment scheme. We partner with the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Security and Exchange Commission, Banks and global bodies like the INTERPOL to trace funds, monitor financial flows and disrupt scam networks”, she said.
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