E-Business
IT Projects Must Pass Through NITDA Clearance, Auditor General Mandates Staff

Federal government Circular No. SGF/6/S.19/T/65 of 18th April, 2006 which mandates Ministries Departments and Agencies, (MDAs) to seek clearance from NITDA before deploying any IT project in the country received a boost when Mr Anthony Mkpe Ayine, the auditor general of the Federation, directed the staff of his office to henceforth request for the clearance issued by the National Information Technology Development Agency, (NITDA) on any IT project when auditing the accounts of MDAs.
A press release signed by Mrs Hadiza Umar, head, Corporate Affairs and External Relations Unit at NITDA, she noted that Mr Ayine gave the directive on Monday at the Audit House when the Management of NITDA led by Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the director general, paid a working visit in furtherance of collaborative drive to ensure value for money on procurement of IT goods and services in the country.
The Auditor General stated that “the Office of Auditor General of the Federation would be pleased to collaborate with NITDA in the areas of development of Standards and the Regulation of the IT industry. Any MDA that introduces IT without NITDA’s clearance should be subjected to audit query. “
While intimating the Auditor General on the purpose of the visit earlier, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, the NITDA director general, stated that as the Country’s IT regulator, NITDA is empowered by law to be the clearing house for any IT project in the country with objectives of reviewing, justifying, analyzing it for value for money and to ensure sustainability.
“We are here today to collaborate and seek for support when it comes to auditing IT projects of MDAs and we want your office to always request for clearance obtained from NITDA by MDAs whenever you are auditing them.”
He stated further that the law enables NITDA to prosecute any violator of the Act adding that attempts are ongoing to call violators to order and if they do not retrace their step. “We will be glad to press charges against them and commit them to jail terms Pantami warned.
“We need to support each other and collaborate in auditing IT projects. Most MDAs use IT project to siphon public fund and auditing the IT projects in line with the Federal Government Circular will help a lot in reducing this anathema”, Pantami advised.
The NITDA boss revealed that presidency has been supportive of the Agency by redirecting MDAs to seek clearance from NITDA before embarking on any IT project. He added that recent intervention of the Federal Executive Council on a memo from one MDA on IT project has recently saved the country of N500 million.
While commending the Office Auditor General of the Federation on the audit report on the Agency, the DG assured that the report would be implemented to the latter as 90 percent of it has been implemented so far.
He said, “I am the first Chief Executive Officer of the Agency to have implemented the audit report on the Agency. We reviewed the report by constituting credible people who were not in any way indicted in the report and their recommendations have been implemented up to 90 percent. The remaining 10 per cent are those that came forth with argument which the Economic and Financial Crime Commission is handling.
The Auditor General who was elated with the DG for daring all odds to implement the audit report said that he has a partner in Dr Pantami, describing him as someone who the country is yearning for. ”I am glad to hear that without being compelled, you implemented the audit recommendations. This will reinforce the auditing system and help the country in its anti corruption war, with the ultimate goals of having accountability and transparency which are pillars of good governance.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Celebrates the Federal Government’s Paperless Civil Service Milestone

Galaxy Backbone (GBB) aligns with and celebrates the successful announcement by the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation on the achievement of a Paperless Civil Service, a significant milestone in Nigeria’s public sector reform and digital transformation agenda.

The milestone was formally highlighted at a press briefing led by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who commended Galaxy Backbone for its sustained support and contribution throughout the implementation of the programme.
GBB has played a critical role in enabling this transition by providing secure, scalable, and shared digital infrastructure that supports the digitisation of government processes across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Through the 1Government Cloud, MDAs have been empowered to migrate from paper-based workflows to digital platforms, improving efficiency, collaboration, data security, and service delivery across the Federal Civil Service.
In addition, GovMail, GBB’s secure government email platform, has strengthened official communication, enhanced records management, and reinforced cybersecurity standards—key pillars in sustaining a paperless operating environment.
Galaxy Backbone acknowledges the collective efforts of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Permanent Secretaries, Directors of ICT, consultants, partners, and dedicated public servants whose commitment and collaboration ensured the smooth delivery of this initiative.
The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Galaxy Backbone, Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju, was represented at the press briefing by Akintayo Bamisaye, Acting Group Head, Research, Digital Innovation and Skills Department (RDIS).
GBB describes the achievement as a strong close to 2025 and reaffirms its commitment to supporting the Federal Government in building a modern, efficient, and digitally enabled public service.
E-Business
Jumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity

At the close of 2025, Temidayo Ojo, the CEO of Jumia Nigeria, reflected on a year-end shopping season that points to the growing maturity of the country’s e-commerce market. “Black Friday is no longer a single, short-lived spike in activity,” he said.

“It has become a familiar, anticipated moment in the retail calendar, where consumers shop deliberately and with confidence.”
Preliminary KPIs for the two months ended November 30, 2025, show strong year-on-year growth in both orders and Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), with GMV growth outpacing order growth. This indicates that customers are placing fuller, more considered baskets rather than shopping in fragmented transactions. Nigeria ranked among Jumia Group’s better-performing markets, with engagement remaining steady throughout the Black Friday period rather than spiking briefly and tapering off.
A key factor behind this performance is the growing familiarity of consumers with online shopping. Customers are increasingly leveraging platform features such as saved carts, brand stores, and price comparison tools to plan purchases in advance. This trend suggests that digital commerce is becoming embedded in everyday habits rather than being viewed as a one-off event.
Ojo also highlighted the role of Jumia’s JForce network in connecting digital commerce to local communities. “Our agents are critical to ensuring that customers across Nigeria, including secondary cities and smaller communities, have access to variety, consistent pricing, and reliable delivery,” he said. “During peak periods like Black Friday, JForce agents can respond faster, serve more customers efficiently, and build stronger local relationships. This isn’t just a distribution channel—it’s a pathway to sustainable income and inclusion.”
Reflecting on the overall performance, the CEO concluded: “What we’re seeing this year-end is steady engagement across categories, stronger consumer confidence, and partners like our JForce agents benefiting from increased activity.
“It confirms that Nigeria’s e-commerce ecosystem is maturing, growing in a more structured and resilient way. As the December Holiday Sale continues, we expect these patterns of familiarity, trust, and participation to sustain momentum and drive both commerce and community impact across the country.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone Tops FG’s Website Performance Ranking

Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) has been ranked first overall in the 2025 Federal Government Website Performance Scorecard.

This is a landmark achievement for Nigeria’s digital economy.
The ranking, conducted by the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), is the definitive benchmark for digital excellence and transparency across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
Professor Ibrahim Adepoju Adeyanju, managing director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone, received the award during a ceremony in Abuja.
He described the feat as a validation of the agency’s“Nigeria First”data sovereignty strategy and its relentless pursuit of service excellence.
This recognition comes as the Federal Government intensifies its push to achieve a fully paperless civil service by December 31, 2025.
GBB has been the primary architect of this transition through its 1Gov Enterprise Content Management (ECM) platform, which now hosts the operations of almost all federal MDAs.
The award adds to a growing list of accolades for Galaxy Backbone in 2025, following its recent win of the “International Standard Excellence Award for Best IT Service Provider.”
As the central hub for government shared services, GBB’s performance serves as a blueprint for other agencies currently undergoing digital transformation.
With its expanded fiber-optic backbone now covering over 13 states and its secure cloud solutions, Galaxy Backbone remains the cornerstone of Nigeria’s vision to become a leading digital nation by the end of the decade.
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