News
Leo Stan Ekeh and the Price for Success

By Adesh Kalpesh
Recently, there has been a sudden burst of corporate blackmail aimed at one of Africa’s most illustrious entrepreneurs, Leo Stan Ekeh.

Leo Stan Ekeh
Most appalling is the pettiness and clear lack of intelligence displayed by the clique of blackmailers and their hirelings.
It got me thinking about how much premium Africans place on their brightest and best, especially those who by sheer dint of hard work, tenacity, courage to dare the odds, have chiselled their way from the lowest nadir of their enterprise to the top of it.
Leo Stan, as he’s simply called, is in this class of rare African achievers. And he did it in the mentally-engaging and knowledge-demanding Information Communications Technology, ICT, turf.
I knew Leo Stan decades back in his undergraduate days at the Panjab University, Chandigarh, one of the oldest universities in India established since 1882.
At that time, there was a sizeable sprinkling of African students in India and Panjab University was no exception.
I had a good number of Africans at that time as friends and acquaintances. But young Leo Stan was special. He was gregarious, affable and outgoing.
It was easy to notice him in a crowd: rangy and endowed with gift of presence. Besides his imposing height, you could tell from the manner he got going with the cosmopolitan university community that he’s cut out for the big stage.
Most people knew him as Leo Stan; only a few knew his full name, Leonard Stanley Ekeh.
He was a man on a mission whose genial and studious disposition tells you he was not there just to add to the number.
The quest for knowledge and a burning desire for self-discovery drove him into the hallway of adventure. He soon distinguished himself both socially and academically to earn the respect of fellow Africans and recognition from the university authorities.
In no time, he was leader of the African students’ contingent in Panjab and instantly became their voice in the university community.
At that time, India had already become the breeding ground for outliers. Graduates from Indian universities got straight employment at Microsoft, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange and other top corporations across the United States and Europe.
Some others got straight into entrepreneurship and made a success of it.
Such was the high profile of Indian universities noted for their lavish infusion of numerate skills into their curriculum.
It was therefore no surprise to me when many years after, the name Leo Stan became a household name in Africa ICT ecosystem.
The man I once knew as a restless, zesty African student has turned his energy to creating values, creating wealth and jobs for many.
Rather, what has come to me and perhaps others who knew him and have followed his life’s odyssey from India to United Kingdom and back to Africa, as a surprise is the desperation by his own people to pull down the man who gave Africa a voice in the global ICT space, an area where India has become a global force. India has created tech billionaires in this century.
The Shiv Nadar family, Azim Premj family, Jay Chaudhry, Byju Raveendran among others make up this list of worthy Indians. Some of these entrepreneurs just like Leo Stan and many others across the world built their businesses from the scratch. Indians can tell their story.
They praise them for their industry and stellar example. They don’t blackmail them for being successful or try to pull them down.
These tech entrepreneurs play critical roles as enablers of India economy. For this, the government and the people protect them. This is what is lacking in Africa.
Those who show capacity to create wealth through entrepreneurship are often left to the vagaries of jealous competitors and atrocious blackmail from those who are failing and even those who have failed in their businesses.
Trying to link Leo Stan and any of the companies associated with his name to unhealthy corporate governance smacks of desperation and primitive show of disrespect for a man whose collateral is integrity.
Any African who plays big in the Africa ICT marketplace knows that without integrity, you cannot have as much as a handshake with global brands like Microsoft, Apple, HP, Samsung, among others.
It’s the nature of ICT. Here, the game is not measured by the depth of your pocket.
It’s a function of trust, your capacity to make your word your bond. This must reflect on how much of technical competence you have, enough to keep your technology and service ready, functional and available.
Leo Stan had long established all this and it’s to his credit that Microsoft, Samsung, HP, Apple and others have not only established strong technical presence in Nigeria which has led to knowledge transfer to young Nigerian techies, but has also created thousands of direct and indirect jobs across different demographics and human resource cadres.
So, why blackmail such a man? Why try to pull him down just because he has succeeded where many failed?
Success is not served on a platter. For a man who has built a world-class African brand, Zinox, as a counterfoil to the dominance of exotic brands, national and continental garlands ought to be his reward, not a blizzard of unintelligent blackmail.
At the twilight of last year, President Muhammadu Buhari conferred the prestigious National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) award on Leo Stan, Oba Otudeko, Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu and other distinguished Nigerians.
This is how to reward your best. India has similar reward system, a roll call of national honours.
It’s to encourage those who have helped to build the society through industry, service and philanthropy.
Shiv Nadar, for instance, holds the Padma Bhushan award for “distinguished service of a high order”. Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in India.
My long stay in Africa has exposed me to the treachery in corporate Africa. Corporate blackmail is everywhere in the world but it’s how institutions of government handle it that makes all the difference.
African governments must do more to protect their shining stars in entrepreneurship.
In spite of the rash of blackmail against Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon and other mega-corporations., the US government still finds a way to protect them just so they will keep them going and protect millions of jobs allied to them.
Nigerian government must strive at all times to protect the likes of Aliko Dangote, Mike Adenuga, Tony Elumelu, Leo Stan Ekeh, Oba Otudeko and others. These are genuine African brands who have shattered all ceilings and erased all stereotypes about the capacity of Africans to do great things.
Hilary Hinton, more popularly known as Zig Ziglar, the American inspirational author and salesman, once made a poignant statement which should be a soothing balm for successful people.
He said: “You do not pay the price of success, you enjoy the price of success.”
Leo Stan and all those who have been and are being blackmailed should ‘enjoy’ the discomfort of blackmail while it lasts. As we say in India, let the problem build you, not break you.
- Mr. Kalpesh writes from Accra, Ghana
News
WHO Says Ebola Outbreak Worse than Reported

World Health Organisation (WHO) at the weekend declared the Ebola outbreak linked to the rare Bundibugyo virus strain a global public health emergency.

WHO said there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for this strain of Ebola.
At home, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) said there is “no confirmed case of Ebola Virus Disease in Nigeria” but had tightened surveillance against the deadly virus.
The outbreak, linked to the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has already caused dozens of deaths in Congo and spread into Uganda, raising fears of wider transmission across the region.
In response, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said that the country remains on alert because of growing movement across African borders.
Jide Idris, director-general said the agency was “closely monitoring the situation” and working with the Port Health Services and other health agencies to strengthen preparedness nationwide.
He added that surveillance has been increased at entry points and within Nigeria’s health system.
According to the WHO, the outbreak has recorded more than 240 suspected cases and about 80 suspected deaths in Congo’s Ituri province, while imported cases have also been confirmed in Uganda’s capital, Kampala.
The WHO said the outbreak is “extraordinary” because of uncertainty around the true number of infections and the lack of approved medical countermeasures for the Bundibugyo strain.
Health authorities advised Nigerians to maintain proper hygiene, avoid contact with infected persons and report symptoms such as fever, weakness, vomiting and bleeding to the nearest health facility immediately.
Nigeria was declared Ebola-free in 2014 after successfully containing an outbreak brought into the country by an infected traveler from Liberia.
News
Digital PayExpo 2026 to Convene Africa’s Most Influential Payments Leaders in Lagos

Africa’s digital payments ecosystem will take center stage as Digital PayExpo 2026 returns to Lagos on June 17–18, 2026, at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island, under the theme: “Seamless Digital: Fostering Pan-African Market Expansion in the AI Era.”

At a time when artificial intelligence, cross-border commerce, and financial inclusion are redefining Africa’s economic future, the event is set to convene over 3,000 senior executives, policymakers, fintech innovators, and global technology providers.
The speaker lineup reflects a powerful blend of regulatory leadership, private sector innovation, and pan-African expertise.
Among the headline speakers:
- Dr. Rakiya Yusuf, Director, Payment Systems Supervision, Central Bank of Nigeria — a key architect in Nigeria’s payment system reforms.
- Dr. Folasade Femi-Lawal, Country Manager & Area Business Head (West Africa), Mastercard — a leading voice in digital payments expansion across Africa.
- Clara B. Arthur, Managing Director, GhIPSS (Ghana) — driving Ghana’s interoperable payment ecosystem.
- Wacera Maina, Chief Operations Officer, Kenwitch Kenya — an expert in East Africa’s payment infrastructure evolution.
- Akeem Lawal, CEO, Interswitch Group — a pioneer in Africa’s fintech growth story.
- Ngover Ihyembe-Nwankwo, Executive Director, NIBSS — shaping Nigeria’s core payment infrastructure.
The conference will explore:
- AI-powered financial services
- Cross-border payment systems and interoperability
- Cybersecurity and trust frameworks
- SME financing and financial inclusion
- Infrastructure for a unified African digital economy
With participation from banks, fintechs, telcos, regulators, and global payment networks, Digital PayExpo 2026 is positioned as a critical marketplace for ideas, partnerships, and investment flows. Register: https://digitalpayexpo.com/register
Sponsorship Enquiries: [email protected]
News
Only 1 in 3 Families Fully Secure their Devices, Kaspersky Study Reveals

On International Day of Families observed on May 15th, a global Kaspersky study* reveals that while 47% of respondents talk about online safety, only 33% secure all their family devices – highlighting the need for proactivity from Family Digital Managers.

As online threats develop and every generation joins the online space, cybersecurity habits have become an essential part of life for every family. Typically, in every family, one or two people become so-called Family Digital Managers, responsible for managing subscriptions, setting up new devices, or thinking about cyber protection. Kaspersky has conducted a survey to find out what measures modern families take to stay safe online.
According to Kaspersky’s data, a significant portion of respondents adopt an educational approach to cybersecurity within their families:
47% regularly coach elderly relatives and children on safe online practices
45% advise family members to adopt password manager solutions
42% encourage the use of multi-factor authentication (MFA)
An equal 42% actively review and adjust privacy settings on both family devices and critical online accounts
Although a growing awareness of the importance of proactive, family-focused digital protection can be observed, when it comes to the implementation of security solutions, the trend is slightly different. 10% of respondents take no measures at all to protect their loved ones online, rising to 21% among those aged 55+.
As for the parental control apps, 67% of families with children under 18 years use this tool to monitor and secure their kids’ online activity. Parental control, such as the Kaspersky Safe Kids solution, can help restrict children’s access to inappropriate content and also gently manage their online habits by limiting access to certain websites and apps, controlling their screen time, and even enhancing their physical security by tracking their geolocation.
The most worrying number is that only 33% of respondents – just 1 in 3 – install security solutions on all family members’ devices. Kaspersky experts highlight that the current threat landscape shows that mobile devices and tablets as well as PCs all require comprehensive cyber protection, as they are often targeted by cybercriminals.
According to the survey, only 30% of respondents set up new devices for their families. Setting up a new device is not often regarded as a step that contributes to cyber safety; however, some actions performed before the device is put into use can significantly enhance its security.
For instance, experts recommend installing a security solution first, to scan the device for hidden threats and make web browsing safe from the first queries. What’s more, reviewing privacy settings on a new device allows you not to share data that you would like to keep private with some applications and services.
The research also shows that the older generation (55+) is generally less included in family security habits. Around 1 in 5 (21%) of this age group globally do not take any measures to protect their family online and only a quarter (24%) install security solutions for family members. The most popular security measure among them turns out to be a password manager, as 40% of this age group recommend their family members to use it.
“We are now using a lot of gadgets and digital services, and with every new device and every additional hour spent online, the potential entry points for cybercriminals continue to grow, exposing us to a wider range of cyber threats. At the same time, not every generation adapts to these rapid changes with the same ease.
“That’s why having someone in the family take on the role of a ‘Family Digital Manager’ can be so valuable, especially when it comes to protecting kids and elder people from digital cyberthreats, give advice and help with the use of trusted security solutions,” comments Brandon Muller, Technical Expert at Kaspersky.
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