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Babachir Lists Buhari’s Expectations from ICT Professionals
Federal government has disclosed her readiness to partner the ICT sector in building applications to tackle multifaceted challenges facing the economy.
Engineer Babachir Lawal, secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), made the remark during a courtesy call on him in his office, by a delegation of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) led by the President, Professor Adesola Aderounmu.
The SGF’s message was re-echoed by Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, permanent secretary (Political) at the Presidency, during Aderounmu’s investiture as the 13th President of the Society held in Lagos at the weekend.
According to the Permanent Secretary, the SGF, who is also a member of the NCS, had told the delegates that in the era of change, the federal government believes that any economy not IT driven is primitive, hence every aspect of the nation’s economy and endeavour requires IT applications for productivity.
She said, “The President believes as a person, he might not have the capacity, but he has articulate people to rely on in driving the change mantra in four key areas including building an economy all of us will be proud of; fight corruption to a standstill; provide security and create employment opportunities for our teeming youths. The FG is looking at these directions with IT as major solution.
“There are many areas of governance that require IT interventions. Now, the federal government is not looking at individual solutions, rather a collective or industry constituted solutions.
In other words, it is the body like the Nigeria Computer Society (NSC) that the Federal Government hopes to work with due to the integrity it has created for itself over the years”.
On the headship of the Ministry of Communication Technology, Odusote said the SGF unequivocally informed the NCS delegation that, although nomenclature is not the problem, however, there is need for reinventing the Ministry’s set objectives for improved contributions to the economy.
Mrs Ibuku on her part urged the IT professionals to start engaging their brains and ensure youths are given adequate representations in future engagements, conferences and programmes.
“It is important we start engaging our brains and think of how to make best use of the opportunity we have now to engage the government for national development. At the same time, we the youths deserve adequate representation at least 45% representation during conferences and programmes organized by NCS because the future of the industry and the country deepens on them. NCS has golden opportunity,” the Permanent Secretary Said.
During the visit, Professor Adesola Aderounmu, president of NCS reiterated the members’ readiness to partner with the FGN in putting the country more firmly in the global IT map.
“This meeting is therefore an opportunity to immediately lay emphasis on a few critical issues for the benefit of our dear country:
Professionalism In Governance
“SGF Sir, as a professional to the core with immense experience in private and public sectors, we welcome your appointment which is in furtherance of our belief that the much awaited change is here.
“The Communication Technology Ministry, with other IT agencies in Nigeria, if well managed, is able to resolve Nigeria job crises and further create wealth for the nation similar to the IT revolution going on in India.
“Hence there is the urgent need for the Federal Government of Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to:
*Consider the appointment of seasoned IT professionals (registered members of NCS and CPN) to head the Ministry of Communication Technology and other IT agencies in the country;
*Give priority to the use of registered local IT professionals and registered local IT companies to execute IT jobs;
*Appoint seasoned IT professionals on the boards of MDAs to maximize and deepen the benefits of electronic governance and digital transformation in Nigeria;
*Direct BPP to amend the pre-qualification requirements for IT projects to include Evidence of registration with CPN and NCS in addition to the newly introduced pre-qualification requirements such as evidence of registration with PENCOM, and evidence of remittance of fund to ITF;
*Mandate MDAs to appoint IT professionals as directors of IT, direct all MDAs to establish IT career structure if not yet in place, implement the use of CPN registration as a condition to employ IT professional staff in MDAs to level 10 as approved and gazetted by the Federal Government of Nigeria (the Federal Government already implemented this condition for professionals in Engineering, Health, etc.);
*Mandate NCS in collaboration with NITDA to supervise all IT projects to be implemented in Nigeria.
IT Penetration
Aderounmu said NCS believes there is an urgent push for comprehensive broadband access all over the country; implementation and monitoring of local content policy to encourage MDAs to patronize indigenous software and hardware; establishment of IT parks using Public-Private-Partnership models and establishment of Digital Centres in all the 774 LGAs in collaboration with the State Governments.
Security
He said that NCS concurs with President Mohammadu Buhari on the harmonization of the national database for Nigeria.
“In addition we call for: Urgent deployment of IT to tackle Boko Haram and terrorism in Nigeria (NCS is ready to provide practical solutions using IT to solve the problem), and collaboration of critical stakeholders with NCS in pushing the details and implications of the cybercrime Act into the public domain, and begin full implementation,” he said.
He said the role of professional bodies in the attainment of economic development in Nigeria cannot be overemphasised.
“National policies, political, economic or financial, can only make the desired impact and make our dear country great, if implemented by qualified persons. We assure you that at Nigeria Computer Society, our doors are perpetually opened towards achieving the above briefly discussed issues of Professionalism in Governance, IT Penetration and Security,” the NCS President said.
Management of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Media has withdrawn its publication titled “Adefolarin Ogunsanya and the Allegations of Shareholder Interference and Self-Dealing at Pan African Towers,” which was published on its platform.
The decision to retract the story follows an editorial review to ensure that the platform maintains the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and responsible journalism in reporting matters that are the subject of ongoing judicial proceedings.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek acknowledges that the issues raised in the publication remain before the courts and have not been finally determined.
Accordingly, the organisation has decided to remove the article from its platforms pending the conclusion of the legal processes or the availability of additional verified information.
The publication regrets any inconvenience or misunderstanding the report may have caused to readers or any individuals or organisations mentioned in the story.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek remains committed to the principles of balanced, factual and ethical journalism and will continue to uphold professional standards in its coverage of judicial and corporate governance matters.
INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 revealed that Artificial intelligence accounts for 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across Africa and making attacks faster, more sophisticated and increasingly difficult to detect.
The report warns that the continent’s rapid digital transformation, marked by more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers in 2025, is being matched by an equally rapid evolution in cybercrime, while fragmented legislation and limited AI readiness among law enforcement agencies continue to weaken responses.
The 40-page assessment, based on survey data from 36 African member countries, said cybercrime has shifted from isolated criminal activity to an industrialised, borderless ecosystem powered by AI.
According to the report, East Africa has become a hotspot for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure, while business email compromise (BEC) and romance scams are widespread across Central and West Africa.
Southern Africa, it noted, has become an attractive target for international cybercriminals due to its high level of internet connectivity.
The report also highlighted the growing financial impact of cybercrime across the continent, revealing that losses have more than doubled since 2024, rising from 192 million dollars to 484 million dollars.
It attributed the increase largely to AI-enabled scams, credential harvesting and automated social engineering attacks.
INTERPOL said online scams remained the most commonly reported form of cybercrime in 2025, with criminals exploiting mobile money platforms, social media and AI-generated content to deceive victims.
It added that 72 per cent of surveyed countries reported the existence of scam centres, with the highest concentration recorded in Southern and West Africa.
The report further identified digital sextortion and online harassment as persistent threats, driven increasingly by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media.
According to data from TrendAI, one of INTERPOL’s partners, about 600,000 sextortion incidents were detected during the reporting period.
Business email compromise schemes have also become more sophisticated, with AI being used to generate highly convincing email communications.
The report said Africa-based threat actors are increasingly targeting victims in Europe and North America using cyber infrastructure spread across multiple jurisdictions.
INTERPOL warned that the absence of real-time information sharing between banks, telecommunications companies and law enforcement agencies has created significant vulnerabilities in tackling financial cybercrime.
It said cybercriminals are no longer relying solely on stolen credentials but are now creating AI-generated synthetic identities by combining genuine personal information with fabricated details.
These synthetic identities, the report noted, have been used to bypass biometric verification systems, open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans and register SIM cards under false identities.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, described cybercrime as one of the most significant criminal threats facing Africa.
“Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region. AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.
“However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled,” he said.
Despite the growing threat, the report highlighted progress in strengthening cybersecurity across the continent.
It disclosed that 17 African countries enacted or amended cybercrime legislation in 2025, while Senegal launched an online reporting platform to improve responses to online offences affecting children.
The report also noted that regional capacity-building initiatives are helping to improve long-term cyber resilience.
INTERPOL said four major cybercrime operations conducted in 2025, Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel and Operation Red Card 2.0, resulted in more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of hundreds of electronic devices and the recovery of over 100 million dollars.
To address the growing threat, the report recommended the adoption of standardised digital forensic capabilities, stronger cross-border collaboration, greater investment in AI literacy for law enforcement personnel and formal public-private partnerships to improve cybercrime prevention, detection and response.
The African Cyberthreat Assessment 2026 forms part of INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime initiative, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with data contributions from Fortinet, Mastercard, the Shadowserver Foundation, S2W and TrendAI.
Nigerian students will soon design, assemble, test and fly drones as part of their university education, following a partnership between Miva Open University and Abuja-based defence technology company Terra Industries.
The collaboration comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to develop indigenous capabilities in advanced manufacturing and defence technology, with both organisations seeking to strengthen Africa’s pipeline of deep-tech talent.
The partnership will see students gain hands-on experience in drone engineering and related technologies through dedicated labs and industry collaboration.
The partners will establish robotics, drone and virtual reality laboratories across Miva’s study centres, beginning with a pilot facility in Abuja.
Students will also gain access to industry-led workshops, research opportunities, internships and mentorship in artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity and autonomous systems.
According to the partners, Terra’s engineering teams will work alongside Miva faculty to integrate hands-on hardware training into academic programmes, exposing students to real-world engineering challenges and building industry experience before graduation.
Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries, said Africa’s technological future depends on developing engineers capable of building solutions for local challenges.
“The engineers who will build Africa’s future must learn by building. This partnership creates opportunities for students to work with the technologies shaping modern security, infrastructure and autonomous systems,” said Nwachuku.
Miva Open University said the initiative forms part of its commitment to experiential learning, adding that students will have the opportunity to “design, test and fly drones as part of their academic experience”.
The partnership builds on Terra’s expanding role in Nigeria’s defence technology sector. Earlier this year, the company signed a joint venture with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria to localise the production of drones, robotics systems and cybersecurity infrastructure, supporting efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports.
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