E-Business
Encouraging IT Professionalism For The Benefit Of the Common Man

It is a known fact that no serious economy can develop without IT. All the more technologically advanced countries have been known to leverage on IT.
The case of Nigeria cannot be different. It would be repeating the obvious to say that this country has enormous potentials and resources in IT for it to be reckoned with in the comity of nations, but we have not been able to harness this resources and potentials into a structured and patterned developmental process.
What we have presently are pockets of IT solutions and applications developed by few professionals, more for personal gains than national good.
And I think that it is time we begin to approach addressing national infrastructural challenges and development using IT differently.
There is need for synergy among IT professionals practicing in the Country. The open source development model should be explored.
Encouraging Professionalism For The Benefit Of The Common Man
The IT profession, globally, knowledge-based as it is, no doubt, has become an all-comers affair.
In Nigeria, the profession is probably the most abused. It is so bad that anybody that can press a few keys on a computer will claim to be a professional. Some have even turned it into a kind of trade that you learn.
There are at least two informal computer training institutions on every street in the Country.
These institutions use curricula that are neither defined in content nor standardized by any authority.
Yet they award all sorts of certificates, diplomas and even degrees in some cases. Even the so-called formal institutions are equally guilty.
Some of them still use curricula that are not only obsolete and outdated but also out of tune with reality. Some of them do not have even the most basic of laboratory equipment.
There are computer science departments in some of our tertiary institutions with graduates of other disciplines as heads.
All these to me are a mockery of any serious attempt at taking advantage of our IT industry for national development.
The IT industry is what some developed nations have leveraged upon and are today dictating the pace of the world.
If we are really serious about development as a nation, the attitude to the industry has to change drastically.
I have noticed in this Country that the issue is usually not that of identification of the problem, neither is it proffering the solution but the aggregate will of the people to make a change.
There is also the problem of the political will by decision makers to implement solutions. The myriad of problems in the country will persist as long as these two attitudes remain.
There is a definite need to professionalize the IT industry for optimal benefits.
The industry is too sensitive and strategic to any meaningful development to be left unregulated. We need to start by defining the terms, just like it is done in other serious professions.
There must be set standards to be attained before being recognized as a professional. These professionals must then be given set goals and targets. We also need to define our national IT needs, goals and objectives.
The professionals must then be encouraged to come up realizable and workable approach to tackling our national infrastructural and developmental challenges.
The poor power supply situation in the country today, the very erratic and almost unreliable telecommunications service and the seeming intractable daily security challenges are a sad reflection of our uncoordinated approach to the potentials available in our IT industry.
The IT industry in the country needs to be coordinated, organized and focused. The players in the industry need to come together and synergize, else the foreign companies will continue to dominate and take advantage.
The efforts of NITDA in terms of encouraging local content in the IT industry should energize and challenge the professionals.
There should be concerted effort to sanitize the industry, so that quacks and briefcase-carrying impostors leave the profession.
There should be adequate recognition and reward for the professionals. There should be preference for locally developed solutions to foreign ones that can do the same things. All these will further encourage the professionals to be more productive and this will ultimately benefit the nation and our dear common man.
Finally, I think it is time we begin to invest seriously in research and development, so that we can reduce our dependence on foreign ready-made products and solutions. We have the resources, what we probably need to pray for is the will.
A paper delivered by Mr. Sikiru Shehu, registrar, Computer Professionals (Registration Council of Nigeria) at Nigerian DigitalSENSE Forum 2014 held in Lagos on 5th & 6th June, 2014.
E-Business
Kaspersky Warns of a New Phishing Technique Leveraging Bubble, a no-code AI Platform

Kaspersky has discovered a new phishing tactic used to evade traditional security controls that exploits Bubble, a platform that allows users to build web and mobile applications through a visual interface without writing code.

Attackers are increasingly adopting innovative tools designed for legitimate software development and repurposing them to boost phishing campaigns.
Traditional phishing attacks often rely on malicious links or obvious redirection techniques, which are typically flagged and blocked by modern security systems.
However, attackers are now leveraging Bubble’s no-code environment to generate intermediary web applications which are hosted on Bubble’s legitimate infrastructure and trusted domains such as *.bubble.io, which improves their credibility and helps them bypass security filters.
These applications function as disguised redirectors, silently forwarding victims to malicious credential-harvesting websites.
In the observed campaign, victims were ultimately redirected to a convincing imitation of a Microsoft login page, protected by a Cloudflare verification layer designed to further obscure malicious intent.
This technique is likely being integrated into broader phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platforms and phishing kits. These kits enable a wide range of malicious capabilities with ready-made tools, including real-time interception of session cookies, driving phishing campaigns through legitimate services such as Google Tasks and Google Forms, and carry out adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) attacks that can bypass multi-factor authentication.
They also support the generation of phishing emails using AI, implement geo-filtering and anti-detection mechanisms to evade security crawlers and are often hosted on reputable cloud services like AWS to avoid blacklisting.
“The use of legitimate platforms like Bubble introduces a new level of trust abuse, making it harder for both users and automated systems to distinguish between safe and malicious content. This significantly increases the likelihood of credential theft, unauthorised access and potential data breaches,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.
E-Business
NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance framework as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) officially assumes control of the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA) infrastructure.

The handover ceremony held in Abuja, marks the culmination of a high-level partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).
This transition signals a shift from fragmented IT projects to a unified, disciplined approach to national digital investment.
The NGEA initiative forms a core part of the e-Government Masterplan 2.0 (Ne-GMP 2.0), aimed at establishing a unified and structured approach to managing government IT investments and digital resources.
The framework is designed to ensure that technology deployment across public institutions aligns with national priorities while improving efficiency and accountability.
With the system now operational, government agencies are expected to adopt more integrated digital processes, allowing seamless data sharing and interoperability.
This is anticipated to reduce duplication, strengthen risk management, and translate policy objectives into measurable digital outcomes.
Over the past two and a half years, Nigerian technical experts worked closely with their Korean counterparts to develop the architecture framework, create reference models, and execute pilot programmes in key institutions.
These include the National Identity Management Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and NITDA.
Officials say the NGEA represents a shift from fragmented digital efforts to a more coordinated, citizen-focused system.
The infrastructure is hosted by Galaxy Backbone Limited, providing a secure and reliable platform for nationwide deployment.
Looking ahead, NITDA is expected to work with government stakeholders to expand and sustain the system, while the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will provide policy guidance to ensure its adoption across the country.
E-Business
FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion – Minister

Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has said the government is shifting focus from expanding access to ensuring “meaningful connectivity” that drives economic growth and inclusion.

Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy
The minister made the statement on Friday while addressing stakeholders at the inauguration of board members of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Abuja.
He said that although Nigeria had made significant progress since the introduction of GSM services, millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved communities, remain either unconnected or unable to fully benefit from digital services.
Dr Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic network and nearly 4,000 telecom towers nationwide.
He said initiatives under the USPF had improved access through projects such as rural connectivity and digital facilities in schools but stressed that the next phase must prioritise effective usage.
“It is not enough to connect a community. We must ensure that schools can teach with digital tools and that small businesses can access market opportunities,” he said, citing a pilot project in the Kura community where connectivity has enhanced access to communication, education and healthcare.
Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also called for a shift towards meaningful connectivity, noting that while data usage had grown significantly, it remained concentrated in urban areas.
According to him, recent data shows that telecom usage has increased by about 160% over the past two years, largely driven by urban demand.
“When we drill down, we see that a lot of that growth is actually in urban centres. So, the gap between those who are not connected or not meaningfully connected is growing,” he said.
Dr Maida added that the trend underscored the need for the USPF board to intensify efforts to bridge both access and usage gaps across the country.
Both officials emphasised the importance of collaboration, sustainable investment models and improved digital literacy to ensure that connectivity translates into real economic benefits for Nigerians.
E-Financial2 days agoCBN bars large‑ticket loan defaulters from banking services in tough new crackdown
General News2 days agoARN Rejects Medical Bill over Attempt to ‘Scrap’ Profession
Telecom2 days agoNIGCOMSAT Supports Startups Growth with the Launch of Accelerator 3.0
Telecom2 days agoFG Unveils Digital Economy Research Fund Scheme
News2 days agoMeningitis Kills a Quarter Million People a Year -Study
News2 days agoStakeholder says AI is Crucial to Nigerian Data Centres Amid Persistent Grid Collapse
- General News2 days ago
Nigeria Advances Digital Governance as NITDA takes over NGEA Portal
General News2 days agoZarttech Reflects on Its Role in Changing Global Perceptions of Africa



















