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A Shopper’s Guide to Black Friday in Nigeria

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For many bargain-hungry shoppers, Black Friday is the period to look forward to. According to the Research and Development Unit of Yudala (www.yudala.com), Nigeria’s pioneer online and offline e-commerce outfit; Black Friday, traditionally the day following Thanksgiving Day in the United States has grown into a worldwide shopping festival.

Here in Nigeria, the case is not different.

With the increasing popularity of commerce and proliferation of e-commerce sites all competing for the attention of price-sensitive shoppers, Black Friday has become unarguably the most anticipated sales activity in the country

Amid promises of huge discounts and massive deals falling on consumers, the anticipation among shoppers often reaches fever-pitch during this period as Black Friday is generally seen as the best time to shop. For the unsuspecting shopper, it is worth stating, nevertheless, that shopping during Black Friday comes with a certain level of caveat emptor –  loosely translated as the principle that the buyer alone is responsible for checking the quality and suitability of goods before a purchase is made.

Yudala shares useful tips to guide you through the Black Friday shopping fiesta.

Make a list

To get the best out of the mad rush that characterizes Black Friday in Nigeria, preparation is key. Creating a list of the items you need will not help you get a sense of what you want; it will also go a long way in ensuring you gather some critical intelligence on the items you want to purchase which will save you time in the long run. If a deep freezer or 54-inch TV, for instance, are among your most sought-after possessions, the act of including them in a list would naturally see you do some research among the major players to understand which models are in vogue, current prices for the specific choices you desire and the likely discounts or bundles that will come with Black Friday.

Draw up a budget

This may sound easy but a lot of shoppers often miss out on this simple rule. It is important to develop a budget to guide your Black Friday shopping. Working with a pre-determined list of items and budget will ensure you do not fall into the trap of impulse buying which may see you end up with items you do not necessarily need, while missing out on the essential ones you require. This is not to rule out the occasional sweet deal or an irresistible bundled offer you may go out of your way to grab. Having a budget, however, undoubtedly gives you a focus which helps you get the best out of Black Friday.

Sign up to the Platform

Preparation will help you get the early and best deals; which is why it is important to sign up to newsletters and social media platforms to stay in the loop and get the latest news on the special offers for Black Friday. With this, you will get regular updates on all the exciting deals on desired products in the lead up and during the campaign.

Quality matters

Black Friday is often a time for a massive push from various e-commerce platforms all seeking to get a slice of the shopping pie. A number of grey or sub-standard products also find their way into the mix, especially from e-commerce outfits without a clear products sourcing channel or those who work with an infinite number of middlemen. To ensure your fingers do not get burnt, it is best to stick to a platform that offers you guaranteed genuine products and that is willing to stake its reputation on that.

Seeing and touching works better than just seeing

To get the best out of Black Friday, it is very important to get a chance to see, touch and experience the product(s) you wish to buy before parting with your hard-earned money. You can check out the items online and then visit the offline store to see it physically before completing the purchase process. This works better than just relying on the online version which may not be the same thing you get when delivered. Often it is best to shop with an e-commerce platform that offers you a chance to see, touch, experience the product and get useful feedback from staff on after-sales support and other issues rather than an impersonal online-only platform.

Self-fulfil, if possible

For many, Black Friday comes with sad tales of long delays, unfulfilled deliveries and canceled orders. To avoid falling a victim, it is best to shop from an e-commerce platform with a physical offline store where you can self-fulfil or choose to personally pick up your item. While others are lamenting the items they failed to get, you will be one of the few savvy shoppers smiling and wishing that Black Friday never ends.

 


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E-Business

Kaspersky Warns of a New Phishing Technique Leveraging Bubble, a no-code AI Platform

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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.

 

 


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NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

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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.

NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

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.

 

 


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FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion  – Minister

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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.

FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion  - Minister

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.

 

 


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