Justice Deinde Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Lagos has urged all parties in the N98.5 billion patent infringement lawsuit involving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to pursue an amicable settlement before trial begins.

The judge issued the directive on Tuesday after noting that CBN, Avanage Nigeria Limited, and the Registrar of Patents and Designs had no legal representation in court.

Justice Dipeolu declined to start the hearing and ordered that hearing notices be served on the absent defendants.

The suit was filed by Enterprise Logistics Speciale Limited and Samuel Kolajo, its managing director.

They are claiming N98.5 billion in damages for alleged infringement of patented cash management technology, breach of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA), and financial losses from the non-deployment of their PillarSalt solution on Nigeria’s national payment infrastructure.

At the hearing, Tayo Oyetibo, SAN, appeared for the plaintiffs, while Olaoluwa Ale-Daniel represented NIBSS.

The CBN was not represented.

Oyetibo told the court the plaintiffs’ witness was ready to testify, but Justice Dipeolu held that the trial could not commence without all parties present.

The judge cited the Federal High Court Act, which encourages alternative dispute resolution, and directed both sides to engage in meaningful settlement talks.

NIBSS counsel argued that the company operates under CBN’s regulatory oversight and cannot act unilaterally. He also said NIBSS opposes creating a monopoly, which he claimed is central to the dispute.

Oyetibo countered that the plaintiffs invested heavily in developing patented innovations now allegedly being infringed. He said the PillarSalt Cash Management Solution would improve Nigeria’s cash handling system and boost the economy if deployed.

He blamed what he termed the selfish interests of some officials for blocking the technology but confirmed the plaintiffs are open to negotiation.

The case was adjourned to October 15 and 16, 2026, for trial if settlement talks fail.

In its claim before the court, Enterprise Logistics Speciale revealed that it developed several cash management technologies from 2011, including Mobile Smart Deposit, Mobile Cash Sorting and Processing Device, PillarSalt Cash Supply Chain, and Terminal Management System.

The firm stated that the innovations are covered by three patent certificates under the Patents and Designs Act.

The plaintiffs alleged that after sharing details with the defendants, the CBN issued Guidelines for Bank Neutral Cash Hubs (BNCH) that replicate their patented processes without consent.

They also accused the CBN of commercialising their inventions and failing to protect their rights as a regulator.

Accordingly, the plaintiffs are asking the judge to declare them exclusive owners of the patented technologies, restrain the defendants from using the inventions without written consent, compel NIBSS to activate PillarSalt on the Nigeria Central Switch within 30 days, nullify CBN’s BNCH Guidelines, and award N500 million for patent infringement, N200 million for breach of NDA, and N97.8 billion for losses since 2016.

In its amended defence, NIBSS denied liability. It said it did not infringe any patent or breach the NDA, and did not refuse to integrate the solution.

NIBSS argued that the plaintiffs seek exclusive rights that would create a monopoly and block other operators from the national payment infrastructure.

It added that integration decisions require regulatory and board approval.

The World Bank has approved a $1.25 billion Development Policy Financing loan for Nigeria despite widespread public criticism over the country’s rising debt profile, as it unveiled a new six-year partnership strategy aimed at accelerating private sector-led growth and job creation.

The lender announced on Wednesday that its Board had approved the Nigeria Actions for Investment and Jobs Acceleration Development Policy Financing operation as part of a broader Country Partnership Framework covering 2026 to 2032.

The approval comes days after a number of Nigerians criticised the proposed facility on social media, questioning the country’s growing reliance on external borrowing and demanding greater accountability over previous World Bank loans.

The statement read, “The World Bank Group has endorsed a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Nigeria spanning 2026–2032, setting out a strategy to create more and better jobs at scale by unlocking private sector–led growth. As part of this broader support, the World Bank has also approved the Nigeria Actions for Investment and Jobs Acceleration (NAIJA) Development Policy Financing (DPF) operation, which supports Nigeria’s transition toward a more inclusive growth model that spurs growth and create jobs.”

According to the World Bank, the $1.25 billion facility will support reforms designed to strengthen the foundations for economic growth, improve competitiveness and stimulate private sector investment.

The statement noted, “The NAIJA DPF operation, which amounts to $1.25 billion, supports a set of Government reforms to strengthen the foundations for growth and competitiveness.”

The lender said the operation would back reforms to deepen Nigeria’s capital markets, modernise regulations for the digital economy and e-governance, advance power sector reforms, reduce trade barriers under the country’s commitments to the Economic Community of West African States and the African Continental Free Trade Area, improve access to quality agricultural seeds and strengthen domestic revenue mobilisation.

The financing forms part of the World Bank Group’s wider support package for Nigeria, combining policy-based lending with investments in energy, digital infrastructure, agriculture, private sector development and social protection.

The bank said the package is intended to help create jobs, strengthen economic resilience and reduce poverty by encouraging greater private sector participation in the economy.

WhatsApp’s introduction of usernames ostensibly to increase privacy for users so they don’t have to swap phone numbers – could backfire if hackers turn usernames into a new avenue for privacy attacks.

This is according to two experts, who both note that usernames will be fair game for hackers, while also being accessible to governmental agencies and advertisers, upending WhatsApp’s key to success: conversations and calls are end-to-end encrypted by default.

WhatsApp has always stated that its encryption “ensures that only you and the person you are communicating with can read or listen to them, preventing anyone in between – including WhatsApp, Meta, or cyber criminals – from accessing your data”.

Over the weekend, the messaging app said it was introducing usernames so that users provide these as contact details instead of phone numbers, which it calls “a major privacy feature”. It is encouraging users to “reserve your username now, before the feature launches later this year”.

“Sometimes you just want to chat without handing over your digits,” WhatsApp says, noting that a phone number is personal and tied to many parts of a user’s life.

The Facebook and Instagram owner says: “This is also true for group conversations. You want to join the parent chat for the soccer team but you’re not ready to give your phone number to people you’ve never met.”

Trading View, a financial markets analysis platform, says: “The approach could help Meta position the update as a controlled privacy tool rather than a discovery feature, while bringing WhatsApp closer to rival messaging apps such as Signal, which already allows username-based conversations.”

It adds there will be no directory or username suggestions, so users will need to know a person’s exact username to contact them for the first time. An optional username key can be enabled to further restrict who is able to message them.

Meta is also introducing safeguards as the feature rolls out to reduce the risk of impersonation and scams, Trading View explains. Existing Facebook and Instagram usernames will be reserved for their current owners during the reservation period, and certain usernames associated with public figures, celebrities and government entities will remain permanently protected.

ICT veteran commentator Adrian Schofield, however, questions whether the feature will deliver the privacy benefits users expect. “Short usernames will not be difficult to find and are likely to become a new ‘game’ for those who enjoy breaking privacy protection,” he says.

The big issue is privacy, says T4i director Mark Walker, formerly with research company IDC. WhatsApp built its reputation on shielding users’ identities regardless of which groups they joined, or who they associated with. That promise, he argues, is now being quietly redefined.

“‘Privacy’ now means protection from impersonation by other users, not privacy from the platform’s own surveillance, data linkage, or other entities. It’s a security feature rebranded for a privacy-sensitive audience, directly trading away individual privacy for a form of collective safety,” he says.

Walker adds: “Users value WhatsApp for its privacy; none of the groups you join or people you associate with are shared externally with advertisers. That is what is being eroded.”

This move, Walker says, is “a sophisticated monetisation play,” using privacy, security and regulation to motivate users to verify their identities – for a fee – while positioning Meta as what he calls “the all-seeing trusted eye” attractive to both advertisers and government agencies.

In its announcement, Meta says users can reserve a username to use later this year when the feature launches. “A lot of names overlap, which is why we’re opening reservations early so everyone has the opportunity to select the username that matters to them.”

Content creators, small businesses and organisations that want to maintain a consistent online presence will be able to claim their existing Instagram or Facebook username on WhatsApp through reserved username options, says Meta.

“For most people, choosing a WhatsApp username should be something unique that only people you want to contact you will know. If you need help picking one, we have a username generator to make one work just for you,” Meta says.

WhatsApp had reached three billion users globally as of Meta’s 2025 first quarter results, or 36% of the world’s population. “WhatsApp now has more than three billion monthly actives, with more than 100 million people in the US and growing quickly there,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said at the time.

During Meta’s latest results, Zuckerberg said: “WhatsApp continues to see strong momentum too, including in the US.”

Schofield questioned whether desirable short usernames could become targets for impersonation. “Look at the older Gmail accounts! Time to take a good look at alternative platforms? This feature will be rolled out in tranches,” Meta says.