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Minister Okays Use of Barcode in Movies, Music to Fight Piracy

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Mr. Pretty Okafor, President of the Interim Committee of PMAN, and some members of his executive committee on Friday paid a courtesy visit to Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture in his office in Abuja.
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Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information and Culture, has endorsed the use of barcode in Nigerian movies and music as a measure to protect intellectual properties from undue exploitation.

The Minister, who was responding to a request to that effect by the Caretaker Committee of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) who paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja on Friday, advised the Association to also liaise with the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) and other regulatory bodies to ensure the success of the new measure.

“You asked that we make a declaration making it illegal for NTA, FRCN and other radio and television stations from using any music or movie, which is not barcoded…I think what we should do is to work through the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), NCC and other regulatory bodies,” he said.

Barcode is a machine-readable representation of data, which provides information about the objects that carry such codes. In the movie and music industry, It can be used to separate original works from fake ones, thus preventing buyers as well as radio and television stations from patronizing pirated works

Alhaji Mohammed decried how trillions of Naira are being lost through copyrights infringement and stressed the need to reinvigorate institutional structures to block areas of leakages in order to rake in more revenue for the government and also allow artistes to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

He also enjoined players in the creative industry to buy into the innovative ways the government is employing to fight piracy through the Digital Switch Over in broadcasting.

“I think you also have to buy into the new digitization programme of the Federal Government because that will be a more effective way to fighting piracy than what we have today…… When you release your work online then there are no CDs to pirate. If I want to buy I (must) pay and it comes straight to me,” he remarked.

The Minister said another advantage of the digital regime is the multiplicity of channels to broadcast content, thereby creating more demand for content.

He said the government is working to turn the creative industry into a viable economy and appealed for private sector investment in production and post-production studios as a deliberate effort to curb capital flight to countries with hi-tech production infrastructure.

“If you can convince the private sector on the viability of the creative industry, you are going to see change. What the private sector needs are figures, data and balance-sheet,” said Alhaji Mohammed.

The Minister also sought the support of PMAN towards the National Re-Orientation Campaign of the Federal Government, tagged “Change Begins with Me,” which is to be launched soon, saying creative artistes are influential members of the society who can take the message of change in attitude to the various strata of society.

He agreed to partner with PMAN to organise a Creative Economy Conference with a view to bringing on board all stakeholders to brainstorm on the development of the industry.

In his remarks, Mr. Pretty Okafor, president of the Caretaker Committee of PMAN, said the music industry is the biggest employer of labour in Nigeria with over 12 million people gainfully engaged.

Mr. Okafor said according to a recent study, the nation’s creativity industry is worth N15 trillion, but that over N10 trillion is lost through national and global piracy.

He said government stands to earn N3 trillion annually in both Value Added Tax and taxable income through the introduction of systematic ways to track revenue accruing to the sector and curbing piracy.

 
 


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Kaspersky Discovers Infostealers Mimicking Claude Code, OpenClaw and Other AI Developer Tools

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In March 2026, Kaspersky Threat Research has identified a new malicious campaign targeted at developers looking for installation instructions for Claude Code, a development agent created by Anthropic. When searching for “Claude Code download”, sponsored advertisements appear at the top of the search results.

One of these ads redirects users to a malicious webpage that closely imitates the official installation documentation for Claude Code. As a result, users are tricked into installing malware which harvests sensitive information including credentials, crypto wallet data, browser sessions, and other confidential files. Similar malicious campaigns mimic other popular AI tools, including OpenClaw.

The fake documentation page is visually identical to the legitimate one and is hosted on the website-building and hosting platform Squarespace. Because the page precisely copies the original instructions, users may not notice the difference when copying and executing installation commands.

However, instead of installing the developer tool, the commands deliver malware to the victim’s system. Depending on the operating system, the malicious commands deploy different infostealers:

.  Windows systems receive Amatera, an information-stealing malware that collects data from user directories, web browsers, and cryptocurrency wallets before sending the stolen information to a remote server. Amatera has previously been observed in campaigns using the ClickFix distribution technique and is operated under a Malware-as-a-Service (MaaS) model.

 .  macOS systems receive AMOS, another infostealer previously documented in several malware campaigns targeting Apple devices. It has been described by Kaspersky before.

Kaspersky researchers also identified similar malicious campaigns targeting other popular AI tools, including OpenClaw and Doubao. Using the same approach, attackers registered multiple domains and distributed files containing the Amatera infostealer while disguising them as legitimate downloads for these tools.

“The campaign poses significant risks because AI development tools such as Claude Code and OpenClaw are widely used not only by hobbyists and automation enthusiasts but also by professional developers working in large organisations.

If infected, victims may unknowingly expose source code from active projects, confidential corporate data, authentication credentials, and private accounts. This makes such campaigns particularly dangerous for businesses whose developers rely on AI-assisted coding tools,” comments Vladimir Gursky, cybersecurity expert at Kaspersky.

In December 2025, Kaspersky detected that attackers spread a macOS infostealer using Google Ads. A specially generated chat interface designed to resemble a ChatGPT tutorial pretended to guide users through installing the Atlas Browser. The malicious instructions appeared to be hosted on a legitimate site associated with OpenAI, helping attackers gain users’ trust.


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Breaking…….Nigerian Firms Pledge Millions, Create UK Jobs

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Hundreds of new jobs are set to be created as Nigerian banks, fintech innovators and creative industry businesses scale up their operations in Britain.

Nigerian Firms Pledge Millions, Create UK Jobs

UK-Nigeria

The move will see millions invested, reinforcing the UK’s position as a leading global business hub, backed by world‑class talent, strong access to capital, and a stable regulatory environment – while showcasing Nigeria’s expanding role as a key source of innovation and investment into the UK, growing both economies.

UK’s Twinings Ovaltine has launched a £24 million manufacturing facility in Lagos, its first in Africa, creating over 100 direct jobs and boosting the company’s exports across West Africa.

It comes as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mr. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, are set to commence an historic State Visit on Wednesday [tomorrow, 18th March], strengthening the UK’s position as a global hub for African business.

Thanks to the UK’s Trade and Industrial Strategies – combined with commitments made through the UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) – the government is attracting investment into key growth sectors including financial services, technology, education and advanced manufacturing.

The Deputy Prime Minister held an ETIP reception yesterday at Kensington Palace, bringing together 180 senior representatives from government and industry to celebrate the breadth, depth, and continued growth of our trade relationship across priority sectors including financial services, education, creative industries, infrastructure and technology. The UK’s Trade Envoy to Nigeria, Florence Eshalomi, also addressed the group. 

Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle said: “The UK and Nigeria share a belief in the power of enterprise, innovation and education to transform lives, and today’s commitments show exactly that. With Nigerian firms creating jobs across the UK and British businesses expanding into one of the world’s fastest growing markets, our partnership is strengthening both economies and delivering real benefits for people in both countries.”

 Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said: “The UK and Nigeria’s Strategic Partnership is bringing momentum and opportunity to innovators in both our countries.

“We are reducing barriers, creating jobs and opening new pathways for growth. Growth is the core mission of this government, and it underpins our relationship with Nigeria.

“I am deeply proud that the cultural and commercial bonds between our nations are thriving and that both our businesses and people are feeling the benefits of that.”

Zenith Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest financial institutions, opens its Manchester branch today [Tuesday 17 March] with the capacity to create up to 30 new direct jobs in a boost for the Northwest economy.

The bank is also exploring a 2027 London Stock Exchange listing to deepen its UK market presence and unlock long-term funding for UK-Africa growth.

Fidelity Bank’s acquisition and rebrand of Union Bank UK into FidBank UK with plans to double its 62‑person workforce in 2026 and add new capital, while the Fidelity Group makes London its global hub.

FCMB has also selected the UK as the first international destination for its digital cross border payments platform, boosting trade and investment flows between Africa and the rest of the world. Seven Nigerian banks now operate in the UK, supporting at least 1,000 jobs in total.

Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji OON, Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank PLC said: “The United Kingdom remains a key global financial centre.

“The opening of Zenith Bank, Manchester, therefore, marks another important milestone in our international expansion strategy, enabling us to deepen relationships with our customers, support trade and investments, and connect businesses between Africa and the UK more effectively.”

 Nigerian fintech investment is also accelerating rapidly:

  •  LemFi will invest £100 million over the next five years as it designates London its global headquarters.
  • Moniepoint plans to grow its London based team to 100 employees in 2026, building the infrastructure that supports millions of African users worldwide.
  • Kuda Bank is strengthening its UK headquarters as the base for global expansion and plans to double its UK footprint in 2026.

The UK’s reputation as a global creative capital also continues to deepen ties through:

  •  EbonyLife, one of Nigeria’s leading creative industry brands, will launch EbonyLife Place London, creating up to 40 new jobs and strengthening the UK’s role as a home for African storytelling and creative talent.
  • The SCALE Creative Entrepreneur Award Programme, developed by the British Council and supported by the Department for Business and Trade, will support young Nigerian and UK creative entrepreneurs to grow internationally and build lasting ties to benefit both the UK and Nigerian creative economies.’
  • The UK Advertising Exports Group will announce a strategic partnership with the Nigerian advertising sector. This will include a UK-Nigeria Advertising Summit taking place later this year and a talent exchange scheme which will deepen bilateral engagement.
  • The British Council and the Federal Ministry of Art, Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy in Nigeria, will deliver the UK/Nigeria Season of Culture in 2028, involving a range of innovative initiatives and events designed by UK and Nigeria creative organisations.
  • A Creative Industries Roundtable at Lancaster House will bring together alumni, Chevening scholars and creative leaders from both countries.

The following British businesses are also set to benefit thanks to:

  • Twining’s Ovaltine launching a £24 million manufacturing facility in Lagos, its first in Africa, creating over 100 direct jobs and boosting the company’s exports across West Africa.
  • British fintech Wise will receive approval for its first Nigerian licence, enabling it to expand in a remittances market valued at up to £39.9 million.
  • The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), which was set up with UK Support in 2011, has signed an agreement with Asset Green Ltd to explore a largescale integrated dairy project that will strengthen Nigeria’s dairy value chain, reduce reliance on imports and improve nutrition.

Leading UK universities are also expanding into Nigeria, helping train the next generation of Nigerian and British scientists, technologists and innovators. Nigeria is a key education partner and a priority country for the UK’s International Education Strategy.

  • The University of Birmingham and the University of Lagos have signed a new agreement to deliver programmes in Applied AI, Digital Communications and Global Surgery.
  • The LSE has launched a new Data Science partnership with Nile University of Nigeria alongside the University of the West of England opening a dedicated office in Lagos.
  • Wellington College International Lagos will open in 2027, offering places for 1,500 students – becoming one of West Africa’s flagship British curriculum schools.
  • EStars, a UK‑owned educational esports and technology company, will partner with the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education to deliver esports‑based digital learning programmes to around three million students.

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Elumelu Tags Elon Musk, Disowns AI-Generated Scam Video

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Tony Elumelu, Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, has warned about the growing dangers of artificial intelligence misuse after an AI-generated video falsely showed him promoting a forex and cryptocurrency trading platform.

Elumelu Tags Elon Musk, Disowns AI-Generated Scam Video

Tony Elumelu,

The founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation revealed this in a post on his X account on Monday, explaining that the video appeared highly convincing but was entirely fabricated.

In the post, he also tagged Elon Musk, X owner, and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy while calling for stronger safeguards against the misuse of artificial intelligence.

“A few days ago, my team flagged an AI-generated video of me endorsing a forex and crypto platform.

“It looked and sounded remarkably real, but it was completely fake. This incident highlights a growing and serious threat to digital trust,” he wrote.

He stressed that he has no affiliation with any cryptocurrency or foreign exchange trading platforms.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I am not associated with any crypto or forex trading platforms.

“My commitment to inclusive prosperity has always been through long-term investments, building sustainable businesses, and empowering entrepreneurs,” he said.

While acknowledging the transformative potential of artificial intelligence, Elumelu urged African youths to embrace the technology responsibly and use it to develop scalable solutions.

“I strongly believe in the potential of AI. It is a defining technology of our time, and African youth must be at the forefront of adopting it to build scalable solutions. We cannot afford to be left behind in the global tech race,” he added.

The business leader, however, warned that rapid technological advancement also presents risks if not properly regulated.

“But the flip side of rapid innovation is the risk of abuse. The ease with which identities can now be cloned to deceive the public is alarming.

“Policymakers and regulators must act now to establish safeguards and hold those using it to scam innocent people accountable,” he said.

Elumelu also urged the public to remain vigilant and protect themselves from digital fraud.

“We must create a safe digital environment where true innovation can thrive without being overshadowed by fraud. Protect your hard-earned money, stay alert, and let us continue to build the Africa we deserve,” he said.

 


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