E-Business
Stakeholders Seek Collaboration to Mitigate Cyberattacks in Organizations
Information security stakeholders have laid out the recipe for activating a secured cyber environment for Nigeria. Speaking at the Annual Cybersecurity Conference organised by Information Security Society of Africa –Nigeria (ISSAN) on Tuesday, stakeholders from the financial and information technology sectors stressed on the need for collaboration and organisational security consciousness as means of ensuring that cyberattacks are mitigated in organisations.
In his address at the event which had its theme as ‘Cybersecurity Imperatives For Business: Practical Considerations’, ISSAN Board Chairman, and General Manager, Eco Bank, Dr. David Isiavwe highlighted the importance of cybersecurity in the wellbeing of every organisation and spoke of the need to urgently address issues around cyberattacks, especially in the financial sector.
Several cybersecurity challenges and solutions were brought to the fore at the event.
Dr. Austine Ohwobete, Managing Director, CyberTechNX, spoke about vendor risk assessment and individual management, while taking a 360o look at the organisation’s environment as a means of identifying and curbing cyber threat incidences.
Mrs. Rakiya Mohammed, Director of IT at CBN, who spoke on ‘eNaira: The Journey So Far’, reiterated the need to ensure that alternative transaction channels are created, which gave rise to the birth of the Federal Government’s eNaira.
She noted that the digital currency still need to be widely accepted hence the need for accelerated public enlightenment. “There is still a lot to be done in terms of enlightenment”.
She revealed that eNaira boast of being the 6th in global volume of transaction rating, with 12 banks currently transacting on it, and has been carefully designed with robust security features.
Similolu Akinnusi, founder and CEO of Mint FT/Innovative, spoke on the need to ensure systems are resilient to cyber attacks, and build on the principles of data pillars, which are Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability. Also there is a need for policy content monitoring.
He noted that threats are going to come worse and stronger. “The internet was originally designed to be an open system, it wasn’t meant for running the world with, so we need to think of securiring the architecture.”
Basil Udotai, former Director of Cybersecurity, NSA and Managing Partner, Technology Advisors, noted that there is a major loophole in cybersecurity in Nigeria.
He pointed out that the loophole is in certifications. “Cybersecurity is about technology, process and people. There has been process in technology and processes, but zero progress with people.”
He explained that most certifications encourage fortification of technology and processes, but do not consider certifying the human factor in cycersecurity. “If cybersecurity is about technology, process and people, the people element should be neutral to technology originators. People-oriented certifications should be commercialised.”
He further maintained that there should be local approach to our local cybersecurity issues. “The last joint to secure cybersecurity is to take the tech culture from all parts of the world and develop a cybersecurity architecture that borders on human certification.”
Mr. Harrison Nnaji, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of First Bank Nigeria, listed some of the security measures to be taken by organisations to include data erasure (primary and secondary erasure), encryption, access restriction, backup and recovery, data masking, among others.
He challenged organisations to “own the data” they collect from people, and not to collect data they cannot secure. He further charged organisations to identify and classify their data for easier protection.
Speaking on “Balancing Cybersecurity & Seamless Customer Experience in the Digital World”, Prince Ayewoh, Group Head, Customer Fulfillment Centre (CFC), United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, noted that there is a need to engage every department in an organization to tackle cybersecurity, even the human resources and employment process.
He further challenged the CBN to make banks seat up to be proactive, rather than reactive to their security infrastructure.
In a panel discussion, the stakeholders unanimously agreed that the level of cybersecurity in Nigeria is still low, especially in organisational structures, and called for collaboration between all stakeholders in areas of data sharing and infrastructure sharing.
Data remains the most viable tool to fight cyber threats. Stakeholders maintain that shared infrastructure and data on cybersecurity will go a long way in mitigating against cyber threat. These include shared platform and shared services.
Dr. Adewale Peter Obadare, the Co-founder/Chief Visionary Officer of Digital Encode, while expressing his views at the panel session, noted the need to build cybersecurity intelligence quotient, while will comprise of Augmented Intelligence to check what is happening on the system real time, Anticipatory Intelligence to analyse what could happen, and Assistive intelligence to determine needs to be done.
He further recommended that digitisation, digitalisation and digital transformation should be addressed.
“Strike the balance between the investments in people, technology and processes to fight insider fraud.”
In her view, cybersecurity expert with Airtel Nigeria, Mrs. Joy Omoruku, tasked ISSAN to look at schools curriculum to make input that will include cybersecurity.
She also proposed that the Association look into recruiting smart students at graduation to groom them on cybersecurity practices.
Mrs. Omoruku was also of the opinion that ISSAN could set up ‘ISSAN For Students’ to equip and empower students with relevant skills, and teach them what is expected of them.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc has announced a $100 million financing partnership with CIG Motors, Lagride and the Lagos State Government to promote urban mobility and financial inclusion through a scheme tagged “Drive to Own.”
Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa(UBA) and, Chairman, LagRide, Chief Diana Chen, flagged by LagRide drivers, at the signing ceremony of $100 Million Expansion Facility, strengthening smart mobility, driver asset ownership of over 3,500 cars, financed by UBA in partnership with Lagos State Government and LagRide, held in Lagos on Tuesday.
The initiative, unveiled on Wednesday in Alausa, Lagos, will empower 3,500 drivers in the state by enabling them to own vehicles with an equity contribution of 10 per cent of the total cost, while the balance is payable over 48 months.
UBA’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Oliver Alawuba, described the scheme as transformational, noting that it would foster inclusive economic growth, support MSME development and create opportunities for the younger generation.
“This partnership with Lagride is transformational. It will drive inclusivity for economic growth and ensure progress for everyone,” he said.
Alawuba shared a personal story, recalling that his father worked as a driver and was able to fund his education through that income. He said the scheme would provide similar opportunities for many families.
UBA’s Head of SME Banking, Babatunde Ajayi, said the partnership reflected a rethinking of traditional banking models.
“Not every business has a shop. Some businesses have wheels. Every commercial driver is running a business, yet they have remained outside formal finance. We designed credit that fits their reality,” he said.
Chairman of Lagride, Diana Chen, said the company had built a data-driven and credit-ready mobility platform for drivers, stressing that transportation remained the backbone of Africa’s economic future.
“Lagride now stands as the most structured, data-driven and credit-ready mobility platform in Nigeria,” Chen said.
The partnership aligns the strengths of the three organisations, with UBA providing financial support, CIG Motors offering viable business opportunities, and Lagride delivering a technology-driven platform to ensure sustainable livelihoods for driver-partners.
E-Business
Check Point Reveals Nigeria as Second Most Targeted African Country for Cyberattacks in November
The November 2025 Global Threat Intelligence report released by Check Point Research on Tuesday, shows Nigerian organisations faced an average of 3,374 cyberattacks per week.
Making the country as one of the primary targets for cybercriminals in Africa last month, with a record of a staggering volume of digital threats despite an overall decline in attacks across the continent.
The report shows that this figure places Nigeria second among the four major African nations analysed, trailing only Angola, which topped the list with 4,251 weekly attacks per organisation.
While Africa as a whole saw a 13 percent year-on-year decrease in cyber incidents, Nigeria’s high numbers reveal a persistent vulnerability within its digital infrastructure. Kenya and South Africa followed Nigeria with 2,384 and 1,863 weekly attacks, respectively.
The report also identified government institutions and financial services as the most targeted sectors across Africa. Globally, the education and research sector remained the most frequent victim, hit by an average of 4,656 attacks per week.
A significant highlight of the report is the emerging threat posed by Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). Check Point Research found that one in every 35 GenAI prompts submitted within corporate networks globally posed a high risk of sensitive data leakage.
In Nigeria and abroad, employees are increasingly using AI tools that operate outside of formal security frameworks. The report noted that 87 percent of organisations using GenAI were affected by ‘high-risk’ prompts, which often included the input of proprietary code, customer data, or internal communications into public AI models.
Ransomware continues to be a primary tool for extortion, with global incidents rising by 22 percent year-on-year. While North America remains the most targeted region for ransomware, the impact is increasingly felt in emerging markets like Nigeria.
The most active ransomware groups identified in November were Qilin, Clop, and Akira, which primarily targeted industrial manufacturing and consumer goods sectors.
JustMarkets, a worldwide broker with more than 12 years of experience in the online trading realm, is launching the Boost Contest, which represents a large-scale trading activity with the purpose of motivating traders, with the most proficient traders being awarded for their exceptional performance through a number of valuable prizes. This activity will last until the 31st of January, 2026.
JustMarkets
A Competition Developed with the Goal of Providing More Opportunities for Traders Worldwide
Boost Contest competition participants will be traders with Standard, Pro, or Raw Spread accounts of the MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5 platforms.
To participate, traders will only be required to have a minimum account balance of $100 with a minimum of 3 traded lots. These were the requirements set for participants. Of course, the purpose of such a competition is for every broker client to participate. At the same time, however, JustMarkets sought to encourage traders to conduct in-depth analysis, different strategies, risk, and discipline. It was with this objective that this form of competition was established.
Multiple-tier rewards system with real gold
What sets the Boost Contest apart is the Weekly Lucky Draws component, in which traders compete for real gold prizes, awarded in three levels, based on their cumulative trading volume achieved through the competition:
Tier I (more than 100 lots): 15 grams of gold (3 winners)
Tier II (50-99 lots): Gold worth 10 grams (5 winners)
Tier III (10-49 lots): 5 grams of gold (7 winners)
This competition design thus provides traders with different levels of activity with the same opportunity of benefiting from valuable rewards.
Weekly Draws to Encourage Continued Participation
Apart from the top-level prizes, the competition also includes a series of weekly prizes. Traders participating in the competition will qualify for entry into the draw if they execute a minimum of three trades per week. Five lucky traders will be awarded $200 every week.
The introduction of the Boost Contest meets JustMarkets long-term obligations in:
Engaging traders through effective rewards programs
Fostering regular and organized trading practices
Enhancing transparency and integrity within all promotion endeavors
Offering a welcoming space where traders with different skill sets can participate
This reflects the purpose of JustMarkets, which is not only to offer traders good trading terms but also opportunities that add value to the entire trading experience.
A Global Platform Built on Trust and Innovation
As a globally recognized trading platform, JustMarkets continues to invest in initiatives that elevate client experience while adhering to high operational standards. The company maintains a robust technological infrastructure, offers multilingual support, and upholds strict security principles, all foundational elements behind long-term client trust.
The Boost Contest shows JustMarkets dedication to create a convenient and transparent trading environment where everyone can reach their full investment potential by clear rules, transparent rewards, and a stable trading ecosystem.
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