E-Business
Transformation Agenda: Governor Soludo Launches E-ID Card for Civil Servants
Professor Charles Soludo, the Governor of Anambra State, has launched the ‘Solution Electronic Identification Card’ for civil servants and other government employees of the state.
The function which took place at the Head of Service (HOS), Conference Hall, Awka featured a demo-presentation of the State E-ID card which is christened, ‘Solution E-ID card’.
The HOS, Barr. Theodora Igwegbe, who declared the event open stressed on the reason for the implementation of the initiative saying that it has become necessary for efficient and transparent governance.
According to her, an essential aspect of the transformation is the adoption of the E-Identification scheme, which provides secure and reliable verification of individuals’ identities with improved efficiency devoid of bureaucratic processes.
“Traditional identification methods reliance on physical documents and manual verification are time-consuming and prone to errors.
“By adopting an E-Identification scheme, Anambra State Civil Servants can streamline their interactions with various government agencies, eliminating repetitive paperwork bureaucratic delays”.
Civil servants can now focus on their core responsibilities, ultimately enhancing productivity across board; the implementation of an E-Identification scheme significantly strengthens the security measures surrounding civil service operations.
“This will enable the tracking and monitoring of activities performed by civil servants, and it will considerably enhance service delivery for the Civil service.’’
She added that challenges with data security, infrastructure readiness, and digital literacy would be adequately addressed in due time as the state is in the process of rolling out programmes on cyber security measures.
“This will also make provision for appropriate infrastructure such as optic fiber internet connectivity, public Wi-Fi beginning with the secretariat complex, and capacity-building programmes to enhance digital literacy among civil servants.”
Mr. Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata (CFA), the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, MD/CEO, Anambra ICT Agency, in his remarks, described the ‘Solution E-ID card’ as a robust and limitless system.
He applauded the ingenuity of some final year students of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, who as a result of their internship with the ICT Agency are according to him, integral to the development of the ‘Solution E-ID Cards’.
“The entire feat was achieved from the Agency’s strong determination to give Mr. Governor 100 percent support in actualizing his vision of ‘Everything Technology and Technology Everywhere.’’
‘CFA’ as he is popularly called said, “the ‘Solution E-ID card’ was made possible through collaboration between the State Government and Academia riding on the Agency’s Solution Internship Programme that was launched earlier in the year.
This is a proof of the state government’s willingness to work with anyone genuinely interested in contributing to the transformation of Anambra State through technology.
Mr. Agbata appreciated the efforts of Mr. Governor to promote access to technology in all areas of the public sector, adding that the overall positive impact that this initiative will have on Ndi Anambra in general is limitless.
“The era of fake government employees is gone for good; for the first time in the history of Anambra state, civil servants and all other Government Employees can now easily identify themselves on the go while government and citizens can equally identify them with ease.
“Salient features of the ‘Solution E-ID Card’ include, but are not limited to QR-Code for verification, Implementation of Access Levels, and query feedback mechanism for data and privacy protection.’’
He added that the soon to be established State Public Wi-Fi would enhance access to the internet, “civil servants will no longer have to depend on their personal data to carry out official duties or lose productive work hours seeking internet access in public cyber cafes’’.
Mr. Christian Udechukwu, Commissioner for Industry, described the initiative as cutting edge. “One that will provide lots of possibilities on the go via mobile phones.
“This is a game changer for identity management in the state, one that sets the Anambra workforce ahead of their counterparts in other states in Nigeria while setting them at par with their global counterparts’’.
He thanked Gov. Soludo for keeping up with the digital transformation pace and consistently driving positive technological change for Ndi Anambra through the state ICT Agency.
He added that with the ‘Solution E-ID card’, impersonation would be eliminated and service delivery would become seamless.
The event also played host to the Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Mr. Don Onyenji, some Permanent Secretaries, and some high-ranking management personnel of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, as well as the state Civil Servants.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has commenced a forensic investigation into the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Lotus Bank and Hackerbella Ltd over alleged violations of data protection laws involving students’ personal information.
The investigation follows public complaints alleging that students’ personal data were used to open bank accounts without a lawful basis.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and chief executive officer of the NDPC, directed the investigation team to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the circumstances surrounding the collection, processing, use and disclosure of the affected students’ personal data.
The investigation will also determine the respective roles and responsibilities of UNILAG, Lotus Bank and Hackerbella in the alleged processing of the data.
According to the Commission, the investigation will assess the data protection compliance obligations of the parties under the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 (NDP Act), as well as potential risks posed to the rights and freedoms of the affected data subjects.
The NDPC said the probe would cover several areas, including Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs), the lawfulness and transparency of credit scoring or profiling activities, and the use of automated decision-making systems.
It will also examine the adequacy of privacy notices, data-sharing arrangements, lawful bases for processing, data minimisation and purpose limitation.
Other areas include data retention policies and the adequacy of technical and organisational measures put in place to safeguard the rights and personal data of affected students.
The Commission reiterated that institutions entrusted with the personal data of students, staff and other members of their communities have a heightened responsibility to ensure that such information is processed lawfully, fairly, transparently and securely.
The NDPC therefore warned educational institutions that are yet to comply with its existing data protection compliance directives to take immediate steps to achieve compliance.
The Commission said it would continue to exercise its regulatory mandate to protect the privacy rights of Nigerians and ensure that organisations processing personal data comply with the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023.
Microsoft is planning to unveil its new Maia 300 AI chip this fall, potentially as soon as next month, The Information reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the plans.
The company introduced its Maia AI chip in November 2023 but has lagged rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon in scaling up its in-house chip efforts as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Nvidia’s costly processors.
Google began recognizing revenue from direct sales of its custom AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units, in the quarter ended June, while Amazon has also seen growing adoption of its processors, including its Trainium chips.
Microsoft has been in talks with chipmaker TSMC to secure manufacturing capacity for more than 300,000 units of the chip for delivery in 2027, according to the report. It is also looking to significantly ramp up production and persuade major cloud customers such as Anthropic to adopt the chip.
Microsoft ultimately aims to secure capacity for more than 1 million Maia 300 chips, though component supplies and ongoing capacity negotiations with TSMC could constrain its plans, according to the report.
It unveiled its second-generation Maia 200 in January, built by TSMC using 3-nanometer technology.
Microsoft packed the chip with a significant amount of SRAM, a type of memory that can provide speed advantages for AI systems handling large numbers of user requests.
X has announced plans to discontinue its Revenue Sharing programme and introduce a new Original Content Rewards programme to reward creators for producing original content on the platform.
The social media company announced the changes at the weekend in a post on its X Creators handle, saying the new programme would reward creators who contribute original content.
“Today, we’re introducing the Original Content Rewards Program, a new way to reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, creativity, and commentary to X,” the company said.
X said it would stop accepting new enrolments into the Revenue Sharing programme from Friday, while existing participants would continue earning until September 7, 2026.
“Starting today, we’re no longer accepting new enrollments into Revenue Sharing,” it said.
According to the company, existing Revenue Sharing participants will receive three final payouts, with two scheduled for August 14 and August 28, while the final payment for earnings accrued through September 7 is expected around September 11.
X said existing Revenue Sharing participants would begin getting access to apply for the new programme from September 8, subject to meeting its eligibility requirements.
The first payout under the Original Content Rewards programme will be made on August 28, 2026, while existing Revenue Sharing creators who enrol in the new programme from September 8 will receive their first payment on September 25.
Under the new programme, eligible creators will earn from qualified impressions generated by their original content, with payments made every two weeks.
X defined qualified impressions as unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline feed, where at least 50 per cent of a post is visible.
On the other hand, “The following are excluded from qualified impressions: impressions from the same account counted more than once per post; paid, promoted, or artificially generated impressions; and fraudulent impressions,” it said.
To qualify, creators must be at least 18 years old, live in a country where the programme is available, maintain an account in good standing and have either a personal or vusiness account.
They must also subscribe to X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business, have at least 500 verified followers and record at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within the previous 90 days.
X said creators must also regularly post original content to remain eligible.
“We want to recognize creators who break news, share expertise, tell stories, create entertainment, and contribute meaningful perspectives to the conversation,” the company said.
The platform said original content could include threads, videos, memes, graphics, illustrations, reporting, analysis, commentary and reactions that add meaningful value to existing conversations.
It said creators who use content produced by others would need to add meaningful commentary, context, analysis, humour or creative transformation for such posts to qualify.
“Building on existing conversations is a core part of X, but simply reposting someone else’s content is not enough,” it said.
X said minor edits such as cropping, filters, borders, watermarks, speed adjustments or simple text overlays would generally not qualify as meaningful transformation on their own.
It also warned that content copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, content downloaded and re-uploaded from X or another platform without being the original author’s, automated content, disinformation and misleading content would be ineligible.
The company said accounts that violate the programme’s requirements could be temporarily or permanently removed from it, depending on the severity of the violation.
It added that creators would be responsible for ensuring they had the necessary rights, permissions or licences to use content created by others.
“Original content is content you personally create that reflects your own voice, perspective, expertise, or creativity,” X said.
The company said the new programme was intended to reward creators who make the platform more valuable by bringing original ideas and perspectives to its conversations.
“The Original Content Rewards Program is designed to reward the creators who start them, shape them, and move them forward,” it said.
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