E-Business
A Professor, a Podium, and a Promise to the Poor: How Yilwatda Turned a Convocation Lecture into a National Wake-Up Call
By Abimbola Tooki
Convocation lectures are usually remembered for polished grammar, polite applause, and the ritual dash for refreshments. The one delivered at Federal University of Wukari was remembered for something else entirely: it stirred the head, touched the heart, and then, most unexpectedly, opened a notebook and wrote a cheque to the future.
Yilwatda
When Professor Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress and former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, mounted the podium to deliver the Convocation lecture, he did not arrive merely as a party leader or former cabinet member. He arrived as a witness, one who had walked through displacement camps, listened to widows with no ID but plenty of pain, and seen farmers whose greatest tragedy was not hunger alone, but invisibility.
He also came with something rarer in academic halls: proof that ideas mean little unless they are funded, tested, and set free.
When Technology Stops Being Smart and Starts Being Kind
Professor Yilwatda wasted no time dismantling the comfort of abstraction. Nigeria’s poverty figures, he reminded the audience, are not PowerPoint decorations. According to national data, over 133 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty. But what gave the figures flesh was how he translated them into faces: the widow in Gusau locked out of microcredit because she has no formal ID, the Taraba graduate with talent but no bandwidth, the Borno farmer whose farm disappeared before government even noticed his name.
He spoke not like a distant policymaker, but like someone who had dust on his shoes: from displacement camps in Borno to widows in Sokoto and Zamfara, from farmers in Benue plains to the hills of Plateau. At one point he joked that technology, like power, is useless if there is no socket to plug it into, eliciting laughter before delivering the punchline: millions of Nigerians are unplugged from opportunity, not by laziness, but by invisibility.
Behind Nigeria’s shocking poverty figures, he insisted, are real lives stalled by the absence of identity, connectivity, and access. Poverty, he said memorably, is not gender-neutral, “it wears a woman’s face in rural Nigeria.” The room laughed, then nodded, then went quiet.
From Global Lessons to Nigerian Reality
With the ease of a seasoned lecturer, Professor Yilwatda travelled continents in minutes. Brazil showed how welfare becomes efficient when built on integrated digital registries. India demonstrated how identity transforms the poor from ghosts into citizens who cannot be ignored.
His recurring refrain became a moral equation: where identity exists, visibility follows; where payments are digital, corruption loses its hiding place; where data is analysed early, disasters are prevented rather than mourned.
Technology, he argued, is cheaper than sorrow and infinitely more humane when it arrives before tragedy.
His takeaway was memorable, almost poetic:
“Where identity becomes digital, governance becomes humane. When cash moves through code, corruption loses its shadow.”
This was not theory for theory’s sake. He made the economics plain: digital social protection systems save money, reduce leakage, and expand trust. Inclusion, he argued, is not charity, it is fiscal intelligence with a human face.
Nigeria’s Digital Compassion in Action
Turning home, he peeled back the curtain on Nigeria’s own digital experiments: the National Social Register linking millions of households to identity and financial systems; community-driven rural targeting sitting side-by-side with satellite-powered urban mapping; and conditional cash transfers that have moved relief beyond pity into productivity.
The most gripping story came from Ngala, Borno State, where displaced persons no longer queue like beggars but buy food like customers through e-wallets. Local farmers sell, vendors profit, families eat with dignity. “Aid,” he implied, “finally learned to behave like an economy.”
Floods, Silence, and the Cost of Not Sharing Data
His tone darkened as he recounted Nigeria’s flood disasters. The problem, he argued, is not absence of warnings but absence of coordination. Agencies gather forecasts, but systems do not talk. Data sits idle while water rises.
He contrasted this with Pakistan’s anticipatory action model, where early warnings triggered early cash transfers and relocation, proving that preparation is not just cheaper than response, it is more humane. In a line that hung heavily in the hall, he observed that “silence between agencies often becomes suffering for citizens.”
Universities as Rescue Laboratories
Then came the pivot that made the lecture personal for the audience. Universities, Professor Yilwatda declared, must stop being observers of national pain and become designers of national solutions. If ministries are engines, universities must be the foundries.
Federal University of Wukari, he noted, is ideally positioned, surrounded by flood-prone and conflict-affected communities, to become a national hub for humanitarian innovation.
Addressing the graduating students directly, his voice softened: their degrees, he said, are not certificates of escape but licences for service. “You are the generation,” he told them, “called to build systems that feel, algorithms that care, and policies that see the poor not as numbers but as neighbours.”
He urged students and scholars to build systems that care as much as they compute, insisting that Nigeria’s greatest untapped resource is not oil, but youthful intelligence.
From Words to Wallet: A Donation That Spoke Louder Than Applause
And just as the audience thought the lecture was drawing to a dignified close, Professor Yilwatda did what few speakers ever do: he moved from rhetoric to resolve.
In a moment that drew a standing ovation, he announced a ₦20 million donation to the university, turning philosophy into funding and vision into velocity.
₦10 million was committed to humanitarian analytics research, to help scholars transform raw data into life-saving insights.
₦5 million was earmarked to provide solar solutions for the university thereby powering ideas that align sustainability with development.
Another ₦5 million went directly to the Faculty of Social Sciences, tasked with developing practical solutions to Nigeria’s humanitarian and development challenges.
It was not charity, he made it clear; it was an investment. An investment in intellect, innovation, and institutions that must outlive political tenures.
Data as Redemption, Youth as Builders
In his charge to the graduating students, Professor Yilwatda sounded less like a politician and more like a mentor. Degrees, he said, are not passports to comfort but call-up letters to service. This generation must build algorithms that care, dashboards that warn, and policies that remember the poorest first.
He closed with words that felt both hopeful and demanding: data, when guided by compassion, becomes redemption; technology, when married to empathy, becomes conscience.
Long after the gowns were folded and the hall emptied, one takeaway lingered in Wukari: this was more than a lecture. It was a reminder that nations do not fail for lack of ideas, but for lack of courage to fund them, test them, and trust their young people to carry them forward.
And on that day, compassion did not just speak, it signed, sealed, and invested in the future.
Tooki is a founder/editor, communication strategist and public relations expert. He can be reached via [email protected]
Federal government is determined to protect Nigerians’ rights and privacy in the digital space, according to Dr Ayodele Bakare, assistant director, Cybersecurity Department, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA),
To achieve that, Bakare, said that the government has developed several policy and regulatory frameworks to strengthen cybersecurity.
Bakare, stated all these during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Monday.
He said that cybersecurity governance in Nigeria was implemented through a collaborative approach involving multiple government institutions with different responsibilities.
According to him, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) provides overall coordination of national cybersecurity efforts through the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre, which serves as its operational arm.
“At the national level, cybersecurity implementation is done collectively, and different government organisations are responsible for implementing different aspects of the national cybersecurity framework.
“At the top, however, the Office of the National Security Adviser coordinates these efforts through the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre,” he said.
Bakare said that one of the key policy instruments guiding the country’s cybersecurity efforts was the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy Framework.
He also highlighted the legal framework provided by the Cybercrimes Prohibition and Prevention Act 2015, which was recently amended in 2024 to strengthen Nigeria’s response to cyber threats and digital crimes.
According to him, NITDA has also introduced sector-specific regulations to enhance cybersecurity in the country.
“One such regulation is the National Public Key Infrastructure Regulation, which is one of the core infrastructures required to ensure trust and security in digital communications and transactions,” he said.
Bakare said that NITDA played a pioneering role in Nigeria’s data protection landscape through the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019, which laid the foundation for the current data protection framework.
He said the regulation had since evolved into a full legal framework implemented by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission.
Bakare disclosed that the agency was also finalising an Information Security Regulation that would soon be made available to the public.
He further explained that the regulation would provide organisations and individuals with clear guidelines on their responsibilities in safeguarding information and digital assets.
“Nigeria has continued to strengthen its legal and policy environment for cybersecurity, a development reflected in the country’s performance in the Global Cybersecurity Index.
“One of the pillars of the index focuses on legal measures and assesses the availability of national cybersecurity laws and regulations.
“Nigeria recorded a strong performance under the legal measures pillar, reflecting the country’s efforts to establish the necessary frameworks to support cybersecurity governance,” he told NAN.
He said that sustained collaboration among government agencies and stakeholders remained essential to effectively implement the existing policies and strengthen Nigeria’s digital security architecture.
According to Kaspersky telemetry, in 2025, spyware and password stealers attacks showed the biggest year-over-year growth in Nigeria among different analysed malware types.
Spyware, which is a type of malicious software installed on users’ devices to collect their data, grew in the number of attacks by 28% compared with the previous year. Password stealers, designed to gather users’ account information, increased in the number of attacks by 22%.
Exploits decreased slightly in the number of attacks in Nigeria, however they remain an acute threat that should not be underestimated. These are programs designed by cyber attackers to take advantage of vulnerabilities in an application or operating system to gain unauthorised access to it and to cause unintended behaviour to occur on software.
Ransomware, though very targeted in distribution, remains a high-risk threat for organisations, who should also guard themselves from supply chain and trusted relationship attacks.
Overall, Kaspersky security tools blocked more than 4 million online attack attempts on users in Nigeria in 2025. Online threats typically include different types of malware attacks, such as for example, password stealers, exploits, spyware, etc. Another 9 million on-device threats were blocked in the country, including malware delivered via infected USB drives.
“Operations coordinated by INTERPOL, such as Serengeti to which Kaspersky has contributed, demonstrate how international cooperation and threat intelligence sharing can strengthen the fight against cybercrime across Africa. At the same time, both organisations and individual users in the region play an important role in improving cybersecurity by staying informed about evolving threats and practicing good cyber hygiene.
“Dedicated security solutions, including Kaspersky Next for organisations and Kaspersky Premium for individuals, can further help reduce exposure to cyber risks,” said Moses Munguti, Technical Expert & Team Lead in Africa at Kaspersky.
Malware often reaches a device through phishing messages and websites employing social engineering techniques. If an operating system, browser, or application is outdated, attackers may exploit security flaws to install malware. To significantly reduce the risk of infections with malware, Kaspersky experts advise individuals and organisations to follow these best practices:
- Be cautious with links and attachments received, verify the sender before opening files or clicking links.
- Download software only from official sources.
- Install updates for systems and applications as soon as they become available.
- Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication wherever possible.
- Install reputable security software that can detect malware before it compromises the system.
- Regularly back up important data.
- Staying informed about current cyber threats and maintaining good digital hygiene helps keep devices and data safe.
E-Business
Nigus International, Elmirate Capital Ink $200m MoU for Nigeria’s Defense Tech, Satellite Hub
Nigus International Investment Limited and Elmirate Investment LLC (Elmirate Capital) have inked a strategic memorandum of understanding to launch a next-generation defense technology, satellite systems, and advanced manufacturing platform in Nigeria, backed by up to $200 million in planned investment.
Nigus International
The partnership, channeled through a new Special Purpose Vehicle called Nigus Tactical Systems Ltd, aligns with Nigeria’s push for sovereign defense capabilities under the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) Act 2023.
It targets local production of drones, armored vehicles, munitions, cyber defense tools, and satellite networks to cut import reliance and boost regional security.
“Africa is entering a pivotal phase where technological capability defines economic strength and national security,” said HRH Prince Malik Ado-Ibrahim, Executive Chairman of Nigus International.
“This platform supports innovation, advanced manufacturing, and technology transfer to build a sustainable industrial base for national and regional needs.”
Pankajj Ghode, Managing Director of Elmirate Capital, added: “We’re proud to partner with Nigus to position Nigeria as a technology and aerospace hub.
“Our $200 million commitment connects global expertise in defense, cybersecurity, and aerospace with local talent for resilient growth.”
Key focus areas include Class C manufacturing platforms for tactical/ISR drones, unmanned aerial systems, ammunition, munitions, armored vehicles, and protected mobility; counter-terror surveillance with data analysis and border security tech; military cyber defense and cyber ranges; plus earth observation satellites, secure networks, and geospatial intelligence for defense and civilian use. The initiative aims to create high-value jobs, foster technology transfer, and establish Nigeria as a regional tech hub.
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