E-Business
State of Nigeria’s Cyber Security
In spite of the fact that the Cybercrime Act was passed into law in 2015, key stakeholders, such as the Judiciary and the Law Enforcement agencies are yet to come to terms in understanding and implementing the law. I recently had a discussion with Remi Afon, President of Cyber Security Experts Association of Nigeria on the activities of the Nigerian Cyber Security space.
On whether the Nigerian cyber security space is safe or not, Remi is of the view that it is not yet in a safe position.
This is because Nigeria faces a lot of threats and man of the things we are supposed to put in place to allow us move closer to being safe are not in place.. According to him, some of the things that are supposed to be in place include proper regulation.
He stated that, although, we have a Cybercrime law in place, there are still some other laws that are supposed to be put in place, such as the Data Protection law.
The Data Protection law, he maintained, will force organisations to be more responsible in protecting other people’s data under their custody and the ability to know and inform whenever there is a reach.
Remi stated that lots of attacks are going on in the country which were not reported and these are making organisations very irresponsible. He is of the opinion that there is the need for responsibility, governance and compliance when it comes to cybercrime in Nigeria.
When asked to give examples of cyber-attacks that were not reported, Remi was, however, reluctant to do this because he stated that he got those information in confidence. He, however, opined that some Telecommunications companies in Nigeria, on good report, have admitted being attacked and data stolen from them.
He also noted that some banks have been attacked, with some being reported and taken into account by the CBN while others were not reported.
Reacting to the figure of cyber-attacks reeled out by the National Security Adviser for last year, Remi said it is just a tip of the iceberg, noting that lots of cyber-attacks took place in this country last year that went unreported, hence, those figures were not part of the figure stated by the National Security Adviser.
He also stated that the figures given was just the financial loss incurred due to the breaches and does not include loss to other countries from cybercrime activities in Nigeria.
On whether Nigeria is taking the issue of Cyber security seriously or not, Remi is of the view that we are not. He stated that there is the need to have a body in charge of cyber security as we have in some advanced countries. He stated that CERRT that is on ground in Nigeria is not working. Their website is not anything to write home about.when compared with similar sites in other countries in terms of threat intelligence carried out, mehods of gathering information and working with stakeholders. Remi, therefore, recommended the complete overhaul of the entire cyber security posture of the country. He stated that a cyber security strategy and policy which were done by the last administration are in place, but these now needs to be implemented.
When asked of what will happen if we neglect to do what we ought to do in terms of checkmating cybercrime, Remi stated that we have a lot of critical infrastructure in this country which can be brought down. Ransomware threats are also on the cards.
Reacting to whether his Association is in collaboration with the security outfits in the country, he said that his Association has been trying to hav an audience with the National Security Adviser but this has not yet materialised.
He said security outfits may not be taking his Association seriously because they do not know the impact of cybercrime.
Top cyber security threats that Remi thinks we are facing in Nigeria include Ransomware, The CEO Scam, Online Assisted Kidnapping and Cyber-bullying. He emphasized that cyber-bullying is a crime punishable within the purview of the Cybercrime law, but in spite of the fact that people are carrying out this crime in Nigeria, no one has has been prosecuted so far.
On people’s assertion that the Cybercrime law is tilted towards financial aspects of cybercrime, Remi is of the opinion that it is not true because the law covers both the financial and non-financial aspects of cybercrime.
When asked whose responsibility it is to enforce the Cybercrime law, he stated that that is another gap to be filled because the law says that all relevant agencies are responsible for its enforcement. He said that one of the things his Association is advocating for is that a specific body be assigned to enforce the Cybercrime law.
The outfit will have to be prosecuting cyber criminals and carrying out and carrying out a lot of research on threat intelligence. He stated that the outfit will have to be proactive and penetrate the dark web to know what is happening there, etc.
Remi is of the view that Blockchain technology is a good technology that has come to stay and the earlier we embrace it because, in the long run, it will make physical cash outdated. He state that there is a way to block money laundering and other vices while using the Blockchain technology.
CFA is the Founder, www.CFAtech.ng & Co-producer/Presenter,Tech Trends on Channels Television
Microsoft has announced plans to invest $80 billion in the 2025 fiscal year to expand its data centre infrastructure.
The investment will focus on supporting the training of artificial intelligence (AI) models and the deployment of AI and cloud-based applications.
The company disclosed this initiative in a blog post on Friday, emphasising its commitment to advancing AI and cloud technology.
Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, investment in AI has surged as businesses across sectors strive to integrate artificial intelligence into their products and services.
AI requires enormous computing power, pushing demand for specialised data centres that enable tech companies to link thousands of chips together in clusters.
Before now, Microsoft has invested billions of dollars to enhance its AI infrastructure, broadening its data centre network.
Analysts project Microsoft’s fiscal 2025 capital expenditure, including capital leases, to reach $84.24 billion, according to Visible Alpha.
The company’s capital expenditure in the first quarter of the fiscal year rose by 5.3% to $20 billion.
As the primary backer of OpenAI, the tech giant is considered a leading player among Big Tech companies in the AI race, owing to its exclusive partnership with the AI chatbot developer.
More than half of Microsoft’s $80 billion investment will be allocated to the United States, Brad Smith, vice chair and president noted in the blog post.
“Today, the United States leads the global AI race due to the investment of private capital and innovations by American companies of all sizes, from dynamic start-ups to well-established enterprises,” Smith remarked.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has announced plans to significantly ramp up enforcement and impose substantial fines on data controllers and processors that violate the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) of 2023.
Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner/CEO. NDPC
This was disclosed by Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner/CEO of the Commission, in a video message outlining the Commission’s 2025 agenda, shared on the agency’s social media platforms.
A statement issued by the Communications Division of the Commission on Friday quoted Dr Olatunji as saying that, “For data controllers and processors, there is going to be massive enforcement. We have never really issued any fine, but going forward, you’ll hear us giving heavy penalties.”
He assured Nigerians that their data rights, as guaranteed by the NDPA, will be fully protected, and defaulting data controllers and processors will face strict consequences.
The Commissioner highlighted the NDPC’s extensive engagements with stakeholders across public and private sectors to promote awareness and compliance with the Commission’s mandate.
The efforts, he said, have resulted in the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with key organisations, including the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), the Data Privacy Office of Canada, and the Dubai International Financial Centre Authority (DIFC), among others.
Dr Olatunji also shared that the NDPC will advance to the second phase of its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (NDP-SRAP 2023-2027) in 2025.
This phase is expected to create job opportunities within Nigeria’s data protection and privacy ecosystem, particularly for young people.
The Commission has been actively training Nigerians in data protection and privacy, creating a pool of globally competitive experts within the data protection sector in 2025.
“There are a lot of data controllers and processors that are looking for people to work with them. Now those that we have trained in 2024, those we have certified, we are going to do more this year to actually launch them to the job market where they can really work with data controllers and processors,” he said.
Additionally, the NDPC will continue nationwide efforts to promote data protection awareness.
The Commission aims to educate citizens about their rights and the importance of data privacy while reminding data controllers and processors of their obligations under the NDP Act.
Dr Olatunji emphasised that these initiatives are part of the broader goal to embed a culture of data protection and privacy in Nigeria.
As part of its international engagement efforts, Nigeria will host the “Network of African Data Protection Authorities Conference” in May 2025, with over 40 nations with existing data protection laws expected to attend.
According to Dr Olatunji, this global event will position Nigeria as a leader in the data protection ecosystem, and bring significant economic benefits to the country.
The NDPC reiterated its commitment to ensuring data protection and privacy become integral to Nigeria’s digital landscape, building trust and fostering economic growth, the statement added.
Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST), achieved a 275 percent increase in revenue for the year 2024, according to Tola Odeyemi, postmaster general.
At the beginning of the year, NIPOST set an ambitious target of generating N10 billion in revenue.
Although specific figures for the end of the year were not disclosed, the reported increase suggests a significant recovery for the postal service, which had previously faced consistent decline.
Odeyemi, who made the disclosure while listing NIPOST’s achievements for the year recently, attributed the growth to a series of reforms aimed at enhancing service quality and eliminating revenue leakages
The NIPOST boss detailed the steps taken to boost revenue, noting the implementation of Point of Sale (PoS) terminals in high-transaction areas, which has streamlined payment processes and improved customer experience.
She said, “One of the major achievements for us in 2024 has been a 275% increase in revenue from 2023. We achieved this by plugging a lot of the revenue leakages that we have by deploying PoS terminals for payment in our high transaction areas, as well as ensuring that our quality of service goes up.”
Looking ahead, Odeyemi outlined NIPOST’s plans to sustain this growth trajectory.
She said the organisation has embarked on renovations and upgrades of key locations in Abuja, Lagos, and Kaduna, alongside enhancements to the Postal Institute, which is central to the agency’s change management initiatives.
Furthermore, she stated that NIPOST is gearing up for several major developments in 2025, including the rollout of a national addressing system and digital postcode services, specialised logistics for agriculture and healthcare, and a relaunch of its financial services.
“There will be infrastructure upgrades, which will take place across the Federation and there will be an increase in access to government services through your local NIPOST location,” she said.
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