E-Business
Celebrating Yudala @ One
About a year ago, Yudala launched and has since carved a niche for itself by being the first brand to have a composite structure that combines an online shopping platform with retail stores located in major cities across the country, with future plans to expand into other key African cities.
Since it’s launch, Yudala has become a threat to the supposed big players in the e-commerce and retail chain in the country. Apparently, most ‘arrived’ and ‘established’ e-commerce platforms were caught off guard on how to defend their territories successfully and win the war to retain exiting market share while expanding to new markets.
There are quite a number of reasons that I have chosen to celebrate Yudala today. The promoters defiled several odds to pilot this unique startup. Recall, they launched when a new government was barely sworn-in with somewhat hazy economic blueprint.
They were never deterred. Nnamdi Ekeh, founder and his team refused to buckle even when companies that have lasted for decades started winding up or left the shores of Nigeria. That is actually a strong belief in the ‘Nigeria dream! A can do Spirit! Suffice it to say, Yudala defiled many economic laws. Today, it’s not only standing, but remains outstanding.
Setting The Ball Rolling
From the onset, the mandate was clear: “to launch 150 Stores in the first 18 months of operations, the company will ensure that no region is left out in the high quality experience that Yudala stands to offer”.
While the company placed great emphasis on cosmopolitan consumers, Yudala with requisite network capacity, avowed to reach the unreached. Thus, those not served by the ‘then existing giants, were guaranteed quality of service offering too, which bequeaths Yudala with “the national e-commerce platform” status.
I recall Herbert Wigwe, Group Managing Director and CEO of Access Bank Plc., describing Yudala as “truly a retail revolution worth partnering with.”
He even praised the platform expressing how delighted he was that young Nigerians are revolutionizing the e-commerce ecosystem. “I am delighted to witness the launch of Yudala. The ambience is world class which gives a lot of hope that young Nigerian entrepreneurs are redefining standards. There is a lot to be excited about especially when you consider the huge impact Yudala will have on small businesses and households in the informal sector. We must also not lose sight of the potential effects on the Nigerian economy in extension,” Wigwe said.
Key Track Records
Backed by its multi-pronged yet standardized business model, the company infused a measure of coordination to the relatively unstructured online business space because of the need to deliver world class products and services on the online and offline platforms. Yudala offered Nigerians, for the first time ever, a consolidated online and retail chain which has radically transform the shopping landscape in the country.
The brave approach of Nnamdi Ekeh and co ‘killed’ that perennial ‘distrust bug’ that has eaten deep into fabrics of e-commerce ecosystem; where buyers clearly display lack of confidence that “what I ordered is what will be delivered”. How? Today, you are sure that what is posted on Yudala online is the available stock; hence the e-inventory solution is matchless. Still not satisfied, a buyer can walk into the offline stores and make purchases.
With its considerable financial capacity and technology back-bone, it actually hit the market with the concrete ambition of becoming the market leader in trade and commerce on the continent.
Yudala is rigorously pursuing the orchestrated plan to reach every nook and cranny of the country with a targeted total of 512 shops in Nigeria’s local government councils within three years.
A startup that commenced operations with only 12 staff about a year ago now boasts of conveniently paying salaries to a workforce of 350 (as at July, 2016). Definitely, this startup is writing few economic dogmas on how to invest during unfavourable economic conditions.
Yudala’s lived to its purpose of offering the best products through partnership with the biggest and most renowned brands in the first six months it commenced operations. Today, smartphone manufacturers- InnJoo, Infinix, Samsung, Tecno, Huawei, BlackBerry, etc., have aligned with the vision.
In a brief chat with Nnamdi Ekeh, he actually revealed his penchant for making available only genuine, pocket-friendly products sourced directly from the manufacturers.
“With Yudala, there will be no imitations or grey products as every item purchased off its online or offline platform will come with a certified guarantee. More importantly, the management will take responsibility for all products purchased from and delivered by Yudala”. What else do buyers need than such a reassuring statement?
On the retail side, Yudala has also differentiated itself by offering support on warranty as well as out-of-warranty products for customers which no other competitor offers. It is our determination to reduce wastages in Nigeria and by extension Africa.
The launch of 4 Experience and Smart shops in Lagos same day in The Palms, Lekki; Medical Road, Ikeja; Idowu Martins, Victoria Island and Gbagada in the first week of July 2015, has fetched Yudala good fortunes as its presence is today felt in Abuja, Enugu, Port Harcourt, among other targeted major cities.
The platform boasts of a robust technology back-bone, man-power expertise and a two-year test run of its website designed which offers visitors an interactive, engaging and multimedia user interface. In fact, exciting e-commerce platforms are already feeling Yudala effect, which scored many goals in the market.
There have been barrages of exciting news published on Yudala by Nigeria CommunicationsWeek such as
February 20, 2016: Top Brands Shine as Yudala Mobile Monday Takes Off
Apr 25, 2016: Yudala Thrills Shoppers with Same Day delivery
Mar 16, 2016: Yudala, Mobile Monday Records Huge Traffic
Jun 8, 2016: Yudala Deepens Mobile Connectivity with Mobile Monday
May 13, 2016: Yudala Offers Way Out of Power Crisis with iPowerPlus Inverters
Jul 18, 2016: Yudala Bags eCommerce Company of the Year
Jul 22, 2016: Yudala Launches Surulere Store, 2 Others
Jun 2, 2016: Yudala Marks Democracy with Week-Long Deals
Jul 13, 2016: Yudala Celebrates Customers with Zero Gravity
But when I read on Aug 1, 2016: “Jumia or Yudala Acquire Konga”, I thought about the founders again. These established, brilliant and well informed Nigerians and backed by competent investors of highest integrity definitely have a lot up their sleeves so the best of Yudala is still to come!
Happy One Anniversary, team Yudala!
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.”
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.
Okitipi Samuel, a Nigerian man, has been taken into custody by the Nigeria Police Force for his alleged role in a global cyberattack on Microsoft 365 users.
Benjamin Hundeyin, Force public relations officer, disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja while briefing journalists on the outcome of investigations carried out by the National Cybercrime Centre of the Nigeria Police Force.
Hundeyin said the centre, under the leadership of Ifeanyi Uche, its director and Commissioner of Police, commenced investigations in collaboration with Microsoft, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.
According to him, investigations revealed that a phishing toolkit known as “Raccoon 0365” was used to create fake Microsoft login portals to harvest user credentials and unlawfully access email accounts belonging to corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational institutions in several countries.
“This investigation commenced following credible intelligence received from Microsoft USA through the FBI, indicating that a malicious phishing toolkit known as Raccoon0365 was being used to create fake Microsoft login portals, harvest user credentials, and unlawfully access the email accounts of corporate organisations, financial institutions, and educational establishments,” Hundeyin said.
He added that between January and September 2025, several reports of unauthorised access to Microsoft 365 accounts were traced to phishing emails designed to mimic legitimate Microsoft login pages, enabling business email compromise, internal phishing, data breaches, and other cyber-enabled fraud.
Hundeyin said digital forensic analysis and cryptocurrency tracing identified wallets connected to the illegal operation.
He noted that operatives were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, leading to the arrest of three suspects identified as Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel between September 20 and October 4, 2025.
“Following extensive digital forensic and technical intelligence analysis, the centre conducted cryptocurrency tracing that identified suspicious wallets connected to cash-out schemes.
“Acting on actionable intelligence, operational teams were deployed to Lagos and Edo states, resulting in the arrest of Joshua, James, and Okitipi Samuel. Searches at their residences led to the recovery of mobile devices, laptops, and other digital exhibits linked to the fraudulent scheme,” he said.
Hundeyin identified Okitipi Samuel, also known as “0365” and Moses Felix as the principal suspect and developer of the phishing infrastructure.
He added that investigations confirmed Samuel unlawfully used the email details of one of the arrested individuals without consent to register some of the accounts used in the operation.
The police spokesperson said further investigations revealed that the identities of Joshua and James were used without their consent.
“There was no evidence linking them to the creation or operation of the phishing scheme. They were victims of identity theft,” Hundeyin said.
He said a prima facie case had been established against Samuel for identity theft, unlawful access to computer systems, creation and distribution of malicious software, unauthorised interference with network data, and aiding and abetting fraud.
Hundeyin added that the suspect would be charged under relevant provisions of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2024.
He said the suspect would be prosecuted in Nigeria, noting that the country has the capacity to enforce its cybercrime laws, although extradition could be considered if formally requested through due process.
Hundeyin assured Nigerians that the police, under the leadership of Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of Police, would continue to protect the country’s digital ecosystem and urged citizens to practise good cyber hygiene by being cautious when clicking links and sharing personal information online.
Speaking separately, Ifeanyi Uche, director of the National Cybercrime Centre, urged Nigerians to exercise caution online.
Uche advised members of the public to avoid clicking on links from unknown or unexpected sources, noting that such links often contain malware or phishing tools designed to compromise devices and personal data.
He warned that indiscriminate clicking of links or responding to unsolicited emails could lead to unauthorised access to personal and corporate accounts, urging citizens to “wash their cyber hands” by verifying sources before taking action online.
Banks to Impose N50 Stamp Duty on Transfers of N10,000 and Above from January 1
How to Use the Correlation of Gold with Other Trading Assets in the Forex Market
How Nigeria’s New Tax Law Could Redefine Risk in the Banking Sector
NDIC Reinforces Full Oversight Compliance to Safeguard Depositors
GTCO Secures Regulatory Approvals to Raise N10bn in Private Placement
Nigeria Records Highest Weekly Cyberattacks in Africa — Report
Financial Sector Faced AI, Blockchain and Organised Crime Threats in 2025 – Report
Cyber Tsunami Hits Nigeria as Breaches Surge 1,047%, esentry Q3 Report Reveals
Report Reveals Half of 2025’s Compromised Passwords were Already Leaked
Minister Claims Bandits Exploit Poor Network, Bounce Calls Off Multiple Towers
E-Financial2 days agoNigeria’s N58.18trn Budget and Rising Cost of Deficit Governance
Telecom2 days agoNnaemeka Ani – The Architect of ‘Code and Courage’
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Appreciates Partners, Customers at Lagos Prestige Experience
Telecom1 day agoT2 Faces NCC Probe in Benue Over Major Service Outage in 9 LGAs
Telecom1 day agoNCC Grants 45 Days for Telecoms Firms to Fix Unapproved Shareholding Changes
Telecom1 day agoNCC Unveils Draft 5-Year Spectrum Roadmap, 60 GHz License-Exempt Guidelines to Boost Broadband, Innovation
Telecom1 day agoMTN Nigeria Crowns Ayo Benzi Winner of Next Afrobeats Star
E-Business1 day agoJumia CEO says Black Friday Signals Nigeria’s E-Commerce Maturity