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The Value of Broadband Internet

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In order for the country of Nigeria to become a significant contributor to the global economy, the connectivity issues that are prevalent in the more remote parts of the country ideally need to be addressed and resolved.

People that have access to pervasive broadbandhttp://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadband/10719-what-is-needed-for-pervasive-broadband.html are proven to directly influence a faster economic growth but in order for this to happen, the networks that provide the broadband coverage firstly need funding and building.

A broader coverage of networks would provide the general public with faster, widespread access to the Internet which in turn could become a platform for the development and growth of the Nigerian economy.

A Better Quality of Life
Pervasive Internet delivers such things as better quality education, healthcare information and employment opportunities which would enable citizens to improve their standards of living.

In regards to education, having access to the Internet for citizens in more remote locations would allow the potential for high quality, distance learning which would improve the value of students in the employment sector.

Cooperation between Nigerian universities and foreign institutions could also be encouraged, forging essential links to other educational establishments that could also be beneficial to the growth of the economy.

Conversely, highly qualified retired professionals (teachers, doctors, scientists) could impart their knowledge over the Internet to willing students from isolated locations, at no significant cost to themselves.

Similarly for healthcare, professionals can provide the public with information that people in the more remote areas of Nigeria would not previously have had access to, benefitting the healthcare services across the country.

The Need for Investment
Despite the introduction of new broadband cable http://www.budde.com.au/Research/Nigeria-Broadband-and-Internet-Market-Digital-Economy.html networks over the past few years, the coverage tends to be limited to the more densely populated areas of the coastline, with undersea cable networks laid near the coast, whereas the hinterlands must tolerate restricted access while the infrastructure cannot support the extension of the networks.

Furthermore, the price of broadband internet http://www.money.co.uk/broadband.htm has not become more accessible to promote increased usage, as might have been expected, meaning it is still largely out of reach for the greater part of the Nigerian population.

Building such a network would require a huge investment, which is why investors are unwilling to spend in to something that doesn’t have a short-term profit return.

Without the willingness of financial investors to advance the provision of a broader service, and without the stimulation of competition in the marketplace, something which the Nigerian market really needs for prices to be able to be reduced, the prices will remain high and inaccessible to the majority of citizens.

The Vision of the Future
Electronic-commerce and electronic payment schemes are made possible and are encouraged with the provision of accessible, affordable, high speed broadband Internet and with the extension of these networks, this could become available to those who reside in the more remote parts of Nigeria as well.

The Nigerian Communications Commission seems unwavering in it’s determination to provide universal access across the country, delivering efficient low-cost access to the Internet and consciously encouraging competition in the market to enable the prices to be lowered.

Omobola Johnson, Minister for Communications Technology has also promised to help the development of the infrastructure in order to increase the number of Internet users in Nigeria to 70 million by 2015. At the moment, out of 40 million Nigerians with access to the Internet, only around 3% have access to the higher quality broadband, and this 3% tends to be the higher socio-economic groups of citizens.

She also aims to promote investment into skills that are required to power the emerging industry and provide ‘digital havens’, places where the public can go to connect to the global network.

In India, the ICT sector contributes up to 6% of its nation’s GDP, whilst Nigeria’s currently makes up 3.5%. By 2015, this is hoped to be raised up to 5%.

Expansion of the Market
After the arrival of fibre-optic broadband in Nigeria in 2010 and 2012, additional cable networks are expected to be launched in 2013 and 2014 to further provide Internet to remote areas.

Due to this expansion of the market, the price of international broadband internet could be seen to drop by up to 90%, making it much more accessible.

The economy in Nigeria is beginning to rapidly evolve, in turn promoting the application of e-commerce, e-learning, e-health and online banking.


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E-Business

Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

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Chinese “threat actors” have hacked Microsoft’s SharePoint document software servers and targeted the data of the businesses using it, the firm has said.

Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

 

China state-backed Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon as well as China-based Storm-2603 were said to have “exploited vulnerabilities” in on-premises SharePoint servers, the kind used by firms, but not in its cloud-based service.

The US tech giant has released security updates in response and has advised all on-premises SharePoint server customers to install them.

“Investigations into other actors also using these exploits are still ongoing,” Microsoft said in a statement.

The firm said it had “high confidence” the hackers would continue to target systems which have not installed its security updates.

It added that it would update its website blog with more information as its investigation continues.

Microsoft said it had observed attacks in which hackers had sent a request to a SharePoint server “enabling the theft of the key material by threat actors”.

Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Mandiant Consulting firm, a division of Google Cloud, told reporter, it was “aware of several victims in several different sectors across a number of global geographies”.

Carmakal said it appeared that governments and businesses that use SharePoint on their sites were the primary target.

A number of adversaries who stole material encoded by cryptography were then able to regain ongoing access to the victims’ SharePoint data, he said.

“This was exploited in a very broad way, very opportunistically before a patch was made available. That’s why this is significant,” Carmakal said.

Carmakal said the “China-nexus actor” was deploying techniques similar to previous campaigns associated with Beijing.

Microsoft said Linen Typhoon had “focused on stealing intellectual property, primarily targeting organizations related to government, defence, strategic planning, and human rights” for 13 years.

It added that Violet Typhoon had been “dedicated to espionage”, primarily targeting former government and military staff, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, higher education, the media, the financial sector and the health sector in the US, Europe, and East Asia.

Meanwhile, Storm-2603 was “assessed with medium confidence to be a China-based threat actor”.

 

 

 


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NIMC Warns Nigerians of Fake NIN Website

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued a public warning that it is not associated with NINcard.com.

NIMC Warns Nigerians of Fake NIN Website

According to the commission, the website has been circulating online to offer services for Nigerians seeking National Identification Number (NIN) services.

NIMC, in a post on its official X account on Wednesday, said, “NINcard.com is not in anyway affiliated to NIMC. Stay vigilant!”

The warning was accompanied by screenshots of fake payment receipts and OTP request pages from the website, both of which were boldly stamped “FAKE” by NIMC to alert the public.


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NITDA, API Partner Against Harmful Online Content

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National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in partnership with the Advocacy for Policy and Innovation (API), has convened a one-day workshop in Abuja to advance dialogue on the draft Online Harm Protection (OHP) Bill to confront harmful online content.

NITDA, API Partner Against Harmful Online Content

The bill, a rights-based, locally rooted, and multi-stakeholder initiative, is aimed at addressing the challenges of the digital age.

The event, which held yesterday, brought together government officials, civil society, academics, digital platforms, and legal experts to shape a policy framework designed to combat online ills such as cyberbullying, disinformation, hate speech, digital exploitation, and gender-based violence, while safeguarding democratic freedoms and digital inclusion.

In his keynote remarks, Kashifu Inuwa, director general, NITDA urged a paradigm shift in the way society engages with digital technologies.

“For almost two decades, we have viewed digital technology through a consumer lens. But these technologies are not just products and services. They are transforming how we live, work, and interact. They shape our politics, our society, and our democracy,” he said.

Warning against unaccountable digital power in the hands of private corporations, the DG likened the digital journey to the tale of Alice in Wonderland, where initial fascination with innovation has given way to deeper concerns about privacy, autonomy, and manipulation by big tech platforms.

“We thought we were using Google, but now we realise Google is using us. Social media, once a tool of expression, has become a tool of surveillance and influence,” Inuwa noted.

He, therefore, emphasised the urgency of developing a democratic and accountable framework.  He explained that following the 2021 Twitter ban, NITDA facilitated dialogue between the government and platform operators, leading to a Code of Practice that stressed Nigeria’s sovereignty and legal standards.

According to him, the same process birthed the multi-stakeholder steering committee and the OHP White Paper in December 2024, laying the foundation for the current legislative push.

Earlier in her opening remarks,  Victoria Manya, co-founder, API, observed the moral and civic necessity of the bill.

Her words: “The internet did not break society, it merely revealed its unfiltered version. Every day, Nigerians are exposed to harassment, disinformation, exploitation, and even algorithmic violence. The OHP Bill is not a war on the Internet. It is a peace offering to its users, a social contract for a digital future that is safe, inclusive, and democratic.

“We cannot answer the question of algorithmic power with unchecked state control. We must answer it with shared, rights-based governance. This bill must not be written for the people, but with them.”


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