The Federal Government has inaugurated the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee (NTPIC), marking a deliberate shift toward a more predictable and market-aligned rollout of the newly enacted capital-gains-tax (CGT) provisions.

The move follows extensive technical engagements with key capital-market institutions, including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group), reflecting policymakers’ recognition of the market’s role in sustaining liquidity, price discovery and long-term capital formation.

Chaired by leading tax and fiscal-policy expert Joseph Tegbe, the committee has been tasked with steering the implementation process toward clarity, investor protection and policy coherence. Its mandate includes ensuring transparent guidelines, broad stakeholder consultation and an execution framework that minimizes market disruption while reinforcing confidence among domestic and foreign investors.

Tegbe said the government would avoid policies that risk disrupting market activity or business investment. “Implementation of the new tax laws will be fair, transparent and humane. We will not roll out these policies in a way that cripples businesses or investors. Stakeholder engagement will be central to this process,” he said at the inauguration.

The shift follows sustained engagements by NGX Group and the SEC, during which market operators outlined the potential implications of a rapid CGT rollout on liquidity, investor sentiment and the market’s competitiveness at a time when Nigeria is seeking deeper pools of domestic and foreign capital.

Temi Popoola, GMD/CEO of NGX Group, commended the government’s approach, noting that the group, in collaboration with the SEC, has consistently advocated for a data driven approach that balances fiscal objectives with the need to preserve market depth. “We support the modernisation of Nigeria’s tax system, but reforms of this scale must be carefully calibrated to protect liquidity, sustain participation and maintain competitiveness,” he said.

He added, “Our engagements with government have focused on ensuring that implementation supports the capital market’s role in long-term investment and economic growth.”

Popoola noted that global competitiveness hinges not only on policy intent but also on the precision of execution, particularly for emerging markets seeking cross-border flows.

The government’s consultations intensified after the Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, visited NGX Group, where market operators outlined the potential unintended consequences of an abrupt CGT rollout.

Analysts view the inauguration of the NTPIC as a constructive signal to investors, indicating that authorities intend to anchor fiscal reforms in evidence and consultation, rather than speed alone.

Both SEC and NGX Group have pledged continued collaboration with the committee to ensure that the eventual CGT implementation supports confidence, broadens participation and aligns with long-term capital-market development objectives.

Airtel Africa Foundation, through Airtel Nigeria, has marked International Volunteer Day 2025 by celebrating the impact of the Employee Volunteer Programme (EVP), a flagship initiative by which employees volunteer their time, expertise, and personal resources to advancing the Foundation’s mission across 14 African markets.

The celebration brought together volunteers at the Airtel Nigeria Headquarters in Lagos for moments of team bonding activities, testimonials, and volunteer spotlights. The event also served as a call to action, encouraging more employees to register for EVP activities and join the volunteer community.

The EVP has become a cornerstone of Airtel Africa Foundation’s community impact, empowering employees to drive local CSR initiatives and champion causes that promote education, digital skills, environmental responsibility, and youth empowerment. Through the programme, volunteers have contributed significantly to initiatives such as the International Day of Education Essay Competition, Teacher-for-a-Day sessions, beach clean-ups, market sensitisation exercises to reduce plastic waste, and the Airtel-3MTT NextGen Fellowship for young Nigerians.

Speaking about the celebration, Dinesh Balsingh, Airtel Nigeria Chief Executive Officer, said, “International Volunteer Day reminds us that real impact begins with people who are willing to show up and serve. Today we honour the incredible dedication of Airtel employees, whose selfless commitment of time and talent is the engine behind our progress. Their contribution is the backbone of our work and the reason we continue to transform communities across Africa.”

Over the years, the EVP in Nigeria has delivered tangible outcomes through numerous impactful initiatives such as financial donations to the Lagos State Government COVID-19 control efforts. In 2025 alone, volunteers have contributed more than 200 hours of service, reaching over 100,000 beneficiaries.

Commenting on the commitment of Airtel Nigeria’s employees, Femi Adeniran, Director, Corporate Communications & CSR, said, “Volunteering is at the heart of who we are. Behind every empowered learner, every restored environment, and every connected community is an individual who believed in making a difference, and we are thankful for your participation. Our mission remains clear: to use technology, resources, and our collective humanity to build a digitally inclusive, socially responsible, and sustainable Africa.”

International Volunteer Day provides a global moment to honour volunteers whose contributions often go unseen but deliver lasting impact. As its EVP continues to grow, Airtel Africa Foundation remains committed to expanding access to education, digital literacy, environmental care, and opportunities for underserved communities across the continent.

Kaspersky’s latest research reveals that the majority of compromised passwords not only violate password-safety guidelines but also remain unchanged for extended periods, which drastically reduces their security.

To provide users with access to more sophisticated and modern ways to log in, Kaspersky’s Password Manager has been enhanced with Passkey technology, enabling users to securely access their accounts while enjoying seamless cross-device synchronisation.

Although passwords still remain one of the major authentication methods, they no longer top the security charts. Often crafted by users themselves, passwords are heavily influenced by human factors, which makes them potentially vulnerable. Kaspersky experts analysed major password leaks from 2023 to 2025 and identified several recurring patterns:

• Users frequently append predictable elements like numbers, dates, and personal identifiers to their passwords. For example, 10% of passwords in datasets analysed contain a number resembling a date (from 1990 to 2025), 0.5% of all leaked passwords end with the number 2024, which is every 200^th password!
• The most commonly occurring password combination is ‘12345’, which drastically reduces cryptographic strength and shortens the time required for brute-force attacks to succeed. Among other popular password components are the word ‘love’ and users’ names, as well as countries’ names which are also often included in passwords.
• Moreover, the majority of leaked passwords remain unchanged for years. In 2025, 54% of leaked passwords had already been part of prior data breaches, underscoring widespread reuse of outdated passwords. According to data analysis the average lifetime of the password found in these leaks is 3.5-4 years. 

What makes Passkeys more secure?

All these findings highlight the critical vulnerability of password-based authentication when protocols for creation, management, and storage are not rigorously followed. In response to the growing need for robust security, the industry is increasingly shifting its focus toward next-generation solutions like Passkeys, which offer stronger protection against evolving threats.

Passkey technology is based on cryptographic keys and biometrics and is not subjected to threats like phishing or data leaks. A passkey is created for a particular account on a particular platform and is stored directly on the user’s device or in a password manager.

New Passkey feature in Kaspersky Password Manager

When a user registers on a platform that supports Passkey, the device creates a private key and shares a public key with the service. The private key is stored directly on the device, which is good from a security point of view, but complicates authorisation from other devices.

Now Passkeys can be created and stored directly in Kaspersky Password Manager, which allows users to not only sign in to supported services with a single tap, but also access Passkeys on all their devices owing to secure synchronisation.

“From our own experience, we’ve seen how constantly juggling logins and passwords for work, study and even leisure can erode both time and security. Kaspersky Password Manager has long streamlined this process with tools like our secure password generator and auto-fill functionality – ensuring users never sacrifice safety for speed.

In addition to that, we are happy to offer to our customers a new Passkey feature – an enhanced level of accounts protection which makes authentication even simpler and, most importantly, more secure,” comments Marina Titova, Vice President for Consumer Business at Kaspersky.

Passkey functionality is now available on all platforms in the latest version of Kaspersky Password Manager. To create a passkey in Kaspersky Password Manager, first update the app to the latest version and grant it all necessary permissions. Then, open the website where you want to create the passkey and simply follow the in-app guidance to register and save it.