E-Business
FG Launches Strategy to Combat Cyber Crimes
Federal government has expressed concern over the rising wave of the activities of cyber criminals, which is giving his administration some concerns.
President Muhammadu Buhari stated this at the launch of the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021 in Abuja that the growth and development of the internet had caused a rise in the threats posed by cyber criminals, online financial fraudsters and cyber terrorists.
He added that like several other countries, the growth and development of the internet is accompanied by significant problems.
He said: “We are witnessing a rise in threats posed by cybercriminals, online financial fraudsters, and cyber terrorists who use the Internet to cause apprehension. We are also observing a surge in the use of the internet and social media for the propagation of hate speech, fake news and seditious messages, as well as the risks of breaches to personal information and government sensitive data. It is almost impossible to overstate the challenges.”
According to him, Nigeria is blessed with a young and vibrant population, which has the potential to exploit the benefits of the current internet revolution to enhance the nation’s economic progression and improve national security.
He stated that the country is also witnessing a rapid surge in its adoption of the internet and social media for almost all aspects of its daily life, adding that the internet or cyberspace is now central and indispensable to national development.
The president said it was because of the importance of the internet that his administration in the recent past had focused its efforts on several Information and Communications Technology (ICT)-driven initiatives.
He listed some of the ICT initiatives to include the National Broadband Plan (NBP) 2020 – 2025 launched in March 2020 to increase internet broadband penetration across Nigeria, the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy 2020-2030, the National Identity Programme, Treasury Single Account (TSA), and Bank Verification Number (BVN).
Buhari explained that all the initiatives serve as enablers for tackling economic and security challenges facing the country while also providing it with the platform to improve accountability and transparency in the unwavering resolve to tackle corruption.
According to him, the federal government has been proactive, over the past years, in taking steps to ensure progressive use of the internet and cyberspace.
“In 2014, we developed our maiden National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy to provide us with the necessary roadmap for the realisation of our national cybersecurity programme. This national effort paved the way for Nigeria to reach numerous cybersecurity milestones over the past six years,” he said.
Buhari added that the need to reposition the nation for enhanced engagement in cyberspace, informed the need to review the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2014 and develop a comprehensive National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021.
“The National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021 will provide us with the necessary platform to effectively confront the dynamic nature of threats in our cyberspace. The document will also provide the framework that would enable us to harness the efforts of our private sector, academia, and industry towards progressive economic and national development.
“To this end, the document will provide the platform for technical education, digital skills acquisition and indigenous technology production, thereby creating job opportunities for our youths and supporting our resolve to alleviate poverty and boost our economy,” he stated.
Buhari said the National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021 signified the rejuvenation and renewal of his promise and commitment to Nigeria’s national security and economic prosperity and it would ensure that his administration would prioritise Nigeria’s national cybersecurity programme, among other national exigencies.
He commended the efforts of Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd), National Security Adviser (NSA) and his staff as well as other stakeholders for “the remarkable work in developing the document and contributions towards strengthening the development of cybersecurity in Nigeria.”
He urged the NSA to continue to coordinate the efforts of all stakeholders to ensure that Nigeria’s internet and cyberspace are used for the enhancement of national security and economic progression.
Earlier in his remarks, the NSA had said that with the surge in digital transformation, the country’s cyberspace had become a centre-stage for governance, new business innovations, communications and social interactions.
Monguno said this trend had created an opportunity for Nigeria to redefine national objectives and address some of the major developmental challenges currently facing it.
According to him, the cyber revolution also creates the nexus for the country to effectively synchronise the efforts of security and law enforcement agencies towards curbing crime, irregular migration, human trafficking, and arms proliferation among others.
It will also help to improve road safety and border security and enhance ongoing anti-banditry, anti-militancy and counter-insurgency operations.
“Our country is now confronted with increasing threats of cyber attacks on critical national infrastructure, including our telecommunications systems, banking platforms, military networks, transportation systems, national databases, and other critical assets in the country.
“Furthermore, we are witnessing a rise in the spread of fake news and hate speech over the social media, as well as propagation of seditious messages by subversive elements looking to disrupt the unity and wellbeing of the country. Some of these threats were exemplified during the recent events of October of last year.
“We are also currently seeing an escalation in online financial scams and fraud perpetrated by some nefarious individuals and groups within and outside the country which is persistently denting our international image.
“These issues brought to fore the dire need to develop proactive measures to enhance the security of our cyberspace,” he said.
Monguno said the new National Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy 2021 would “address the nation’s cybersecurity challenges, boost readiness for global cybersecurity collaborations, enhance national digital economic competitiveness, improve indigenous technology development, safeguard our critical national infrastructure, and ensure the protection of our cyberspace from cyber attacks, online fraud and other related illicit activities, including fake news and hate speech.”
Microsoft is planning to unveil its new Maia 300 AI chip this fall, potentially as soon as next month, The Information reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the plans.
The company introduced its Maia AI chip in November 2023 but has lagged rivals such as Alphabet and Amazon in scaling up its in-house chip efforts as it seeks to reduce its reliance on Nvidia’s costly processors.
Google began recognizing revenue from direct sales of its custom AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units, in the quarter ended June, while Amazon has also seen growing adoption of its processors, including its Trainium chips.
Microsoft has been in talks with chipmaker TSMC to secure manufacturing capacity for more than 300,000 units of the chip for delivery in 2027, according to the report. It is also looking to significantly ramp up production and persuade major cloud customers such as Anthropic to adopt the chip.
Microsoft ultimately aims to secure capacity for more than 1 million Maia 300 chips, though component supplies and ongoing capacity negotiations with TSMC could constrain its plans, according to the report.
It unveiled its second-generation Maia 200 in January, built by TSMC using 3-nanometer technology.
Microsoft packed the chip with a significant amount of SRAM, a type of memory that can provide speed advantages for AI systems handling large numbers of user requests.
X has announced plans to discontinue its Revenue Sharing programme and introduce a new Original Content Rewards programme to reward creators for producing original content on the platform.
The social media company announced the changes at the weekend in a post on its X Creators handle, saying the new programme would reward creators who contribute original content.
“Today, we’re introducing the Original Content Rewards Program, a new way to reward creators who bring original ideas, expertise, reporting, creativity, and commentary to X,” the company said.
X said it would stop accepting new enrolments into the Revenue Sharing programme from Friday, while existing participants would continue earning until September 7, 2026.
“Starting today, we’re no longer accepting new enrollments into Revenue Sharing,” it said.
According to the company, existing Revenue Sharing participants will receive three final payouts, with two scheduled for August 14 and August 28, while the final payment for earnings accrued through September 7 is expected around September 11.
X said existing Revenue Sharing participants would begin getting access to apply for the new programme from September 8, subject to meeting its eligibility requirements.
The first payout under the Original Content Rewards programme will be made on August 28, 2026, while existing Revenue Sharing creators who enrol in the new programme from September 8 will receive their first payment on September 25.
Under the new programme, eligible creators will earn from qualified impressions generated by their original content, with payments made every two weeks.
X defined qualified impressions as unique impressions from Premium users on the Home Timeline feed, where at least 50 per cent of a post is visible.
On the other hand, “The following are excluded from qualified impressions: impressions from the same account counted more than once per post; paid, promoted, or artificially generated impressions; and fraudulent impressions,” it said.
To qualify, creators must be at least 18 years old, live in a country where the programme is available, maintain an account in good standing and have either a personal or vusiness account.
They must also subscribe to X Premium, Premium+ or Premium Business, have at least 500 verified followers and record at least 500,000 Home Timeline impressions from verified users within the previous 90 days.
X said creators must also regularly post original content to remain eligible.
“We want to recognize creators who break news, share expertise, tell stories, create entertainment, and contribute meaningful perspectives to the conversation,” the company said.
The platform said original content could include threads, videos, memes, graphics, illustrations, reporting, analysis, commentary and reactions that add meaningful value to existing conversations.
It said creators who use content produced by others would need to add meaningful commentary, context, analysis, humour or creative transformation for such posts to qualify.
“Building on existing conversations is a core part of X, but simply reposting someone else’s content is not enough,” it said.
X said minor edits such as cropping, filters, borders, watermarks, speed adjustments or simple text overlays would generally not qualify as meaningful transformation on their own.
It also warned that content copied or substantially reproduced from another creator, content downloaded and re-uploaded from X or another platform without being the original author’s, automated content, disinformation and misleading content would be ineligible.
The company said accounts that violate the programme’s requirements could be temporarily or permanently removed from it, depending on the severity of the violation.
It added that creators would be responsible for ensuring they had the necessary rights, permissions or licences to use content created by others.
“Original content is content you personally create that reflects your own voice, perspective, expertise, or creativity,” X said.
The company said the new programme was intended to reward creators who make the platform more valuable by bringing original ideas and perspectives to its conversations.
“The Original Content Rewards Program is designed to reward the creators who start them, shape them, and move them forward,” it said.
National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has introduced so-called Nigeria’s Certified Cloud Register, regulatory framework developed under the agency’s National Sovereign Cloud Initiative to determine which cloud providers are authorized to handle sensitive data, such as banking records.
In effect, from October, NITDA requires banks, fintech companies and other regulated organisations to source cloud infrastructure providers from a national register of certified firms approved to host sensitive financial and government data.
The Certified Cloud Register, is expected to strengthen data sovereignty, improve regulatory oversight and support the implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) data localisation policy, which takes effect on January 1, 2027.
Under the framework, banks, fintechs, government institutions and other regulated entities will be able to verify whether cloud service providers, data centre operators, managed service providers and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure companies have met NITDA’s certification requirements before entrusting them with critical digital workloads.
The initiative is expected to provide regulated institutions with a standardised process for selecting cloud infrastructure providers that satisfy Nigeria’s technical, security and regulatory requirements.
According to NITDA, the framework establishes “a common national standard, an independent assessment process and a public register of approved providers that banks, fintechs and government institutions can rely on when selecting cloud infrastructure partners.”
The register is expected to become a key compliance tool ahead of the CBN’s directive, which requires all payment transaction data generated within Nigeria to be stored and processed locally, effective from January 1, 2027.
The policy applies to deposit money banks, microfinance banks, mobile money operators, payment service providers, switching companies and other financial institutions.
The certification regime is also expected to reshape Nigeria’s cloud computing ecosystem, making regulatory approval a major requirement for cloud providers seeking to handle sensitive data for regulated industries.
Figures cited by NITDA showed that Nigeria’s 10 largest banks spent about N177.91 billion on information technology in the first quarter of 2026, representing a 31 per cent increase over the corresponding period last year.
A sizeable portion of the investment currently supports cloud infrastructure hosted outside Nigeria, a trend the new certification framework is expected to address by encouraging greater utilisation of compliant local infrastructure.
NITDA said the certification programme will apply the same technical and regulatory standards to indigenous cloud providers and international hyperscale operators, creating a level playing field for all companies seeking to provide cloud services to regulated sectors.
The agency also disclosed that more than 85 per cent of Nigerian businesses currently rely on cloud services, with the majority using infrastructure hosted outside the country.
It said the new framework is aimed at improving confidence in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure while promoting local capacity and enhancing oversight of critical national data.
Speaking on the objective of the initiative, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director-general of NITDA, said the programme is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s position in the global digital economy rather than exclude foreign technology companies.
According to him, the initiative is intended “to redefine the terms under which Nigeria participates in the global digital economy rather than isolate the country from international technology providers.”
The Certified Cloud Register forms part of broader efforts by the Federal Government to deepen digital trust, strengthen cybersecurity and ensure that critical financial and public sector data are managed in line with Nigeria’s evolving data governance and sovereignty objectives.
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