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Harassment of Courier Operations by Local Governments

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The courier business is a time sensitive one which does not need to be disturbed to be able to meet the urgent nature of the business. Unfortunately, in addition to other problems suffered by courier operators in Nigeria such as bad road network, poor condition of available roads, power problem, local government authorities in the country have also turned out to be a great hindrance to swift courier operations. This development has lingered for sometime now and all the efforts made by courier stakeholders have not realized any positive result. The Courier regulatory Department of the Nigerian postal service whose duty it is to regulate the postal and courier sector had in the bid to smoothen courier operations tried to handle the matter the top hierarchy of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) but nothing much was achieved . Dr. Simon Emeje had  in earlier interview with this correspondent  on the matter said that  they had been working on the matter as  far back as three years now but lamented  that the problem is more complicated than what  the eyes can see. Emeje said that they took the matter up sometime ago as an organization by setting up a technical sub-committee from the Courier Consultative Forum in respect of courier activities even at the airport. The committee put up a paper and sent it to the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to address the issue of multiple charges from FAAN.  Dr Emeje also said he was able to work with the postmaster general of the federation to put up a paper across to the then minister of communication as the problem had become more perennial defying every solution towards solving it. The effort was to have the matter discussed at the ministerial level by the communications minister with his colleagues in the aviation and other ministries and bodies that have to do something with the courier operations like the Nigeria Police Force, local government commissioners and others. In the process Emeje said they discovered that the problem was more social than just economic.  This fact is corroborated by Toyin Adeojo, manager, Cross Country Courier. Adeojo said that even when you have discussed the matter with local government chairmen, they would not be on the road when the boys arte extorting money from their couriers. He said that a situation whereby all the documents obtained in Lagos State for example are not valid in other parts of the country especially in the eastern parts of Onitsha, Asaba and Orlu is quite unfortunate. Adeojo said the effect of those harassments is delayed delivery and breach of the trust    because sometimes the miscreants tamper with their consignments. “No matter the kind of document you present, they will look for a loophole/ for instance, there are situations when they ask for waste basket sticker on a courier van that is not moving passengers. The situation is disturbing and alarming”, Adeojo lamented. The actually represents the agonies other courier companies pass through in carrying out their legitimate businesses.

Dr Emeje described the scenario as unfortunate whereby you have miscreants all over the place who come to you claiming they are from one local government or the other asking dispatch rider to pay for radio or things of that nature.  Emeje asks “why would they ask a dispatch to do so. Is he supposed to mount radio on the motor-cycle?

With the problems the express industries are going through, Adeojo said achieving the Vision 2020 agenda of the federal government in leapfrogging the country to be a key player in the world economy will not be realized.  He said parcels take just about eight hours or less to arrive the country from abroad but the same consignments spend days to get to their destinations on arrival into the country because of operational delays. He said such a development is not good for our economy. To him, it is important that ALGON addresses the matter as it is critical to service delivery.


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Nigeria CommunicationsWeek believes that technology makes life more exciting and helps improve the lives of people around Nigeria and indeed the world. So since 2007, we have devoted our energy to independent reportage of technology and how they affect lives.

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E-Business

Firm Discovered a New Corporate Phishing Technique using a Popular AI Web Development Platform

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Kaspersky has discovered that attackers have begun exploiting another legitimate service for malicious purposes – this time it is Tencent EdgeOne Pages, a platform for creating and hosting web applications.

Attackers are misusing its capabilities to generate phishing emails targeting corporate users. Previously Kaspersky has described similar attacks leveraging Google services and web applications generated by Bubble, an AI-powered app builder, to hunt for corporate credentials.

Employees across multiple industries including the industrial sector, sales, and government are among the targets. The goal of the attack is to steal login credentials for corporate resources. Over the past 30 days, the company’s experts have detected more than 8,000 phishing emails using this tactic, including messages in English, Korean, and Russian.

The Tencent EdgeOne Pages service is positioned as a platform for quickly creating and deploying web applications using AI. Scammers misuse it to generate and publish phishing pages in minutes with virtually no web development skills.

Attackers host phishing pages on EdgeOne’s legitimate cloud infrastructure and use trusted domains. As a result, such sites appear to be established and secure to many protective solutions, complicating the detection of such attacks.

How the attack begins

The user receives an email from the alleged “corporate email support team”. The message states that the account login credentials will expire in 48 hours, and that failure to update them may result in problems receiving or sending emails.

To avoid restrictions, the user is prompted to click a link and enter relevant information. Phishing emails are not limited to this narrative, and could deliver any corporate message, such as a message from the HR department or a notification of a received document that should be downloaded.

Clicking the link in the email opens a page with a form for entering the victim’s name, email address, and password. It is a simple design, with virtually no additional elements.

After the user enters their login and password, the data is transferred to a server controlled by the attackers.

“We are seeing a continuation of the trend in which attackers use AI and no-code platforms as part of their phishing infrastructure. We’ve previously observed a similar scheme using the Bubble platform, and here we have yet another example.

“While the communication used in these phishing attacks is typical and has been used before multiple times, the attack technique itself significantly lowers the barrier to entry for attackers and accelerates the creation of phishing resources.

“Previously this required at least basic web development skills, but now an infrastructure for fraudulent emails can be created in minutes,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.


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General News

MSMEs Paucity of Funds Receives Boost as Senate Backs Bill Seeking to Unlock Cash for them

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Businesses across Nigeria, particularly micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), may soon be able to convert unpaid invoices and credit sales into immediate cash without relying on conventional bank loans following the passage of the Factoring, Assignments and Receivables Financing Bill for second reading in the Senate.

The bill, which seeks to establish a legal framework for factoring and receivables financing, is expected to improve access to credit, boost liquidity for businesses and enhance domestic and international trade.

It also seeks to provide legal certainty for the assignment of receivables through factoring, promote transparency, modernise assignment laws and facilitate greater access to credit for businesses across the country.

Leading debate on the bill which was sent from the House of Representatives for concurrence, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said on Tuesday that the proposed legislation would create an enabling environment for debt factoring to thrive in Nigeria while defining the rights and obligations of creditors, factors and debtors involved in such transactions.

He explained that the bill provides for factoring contracts between sellers and factors and clarifies the legal relationship among parties in receivables financing arrangements.

According to Bamidele, the legislation has already passed all legislative stages in the House of Representatives and has complied with the Senate’s procedural requirements under Order 78(3) of the Senate Standing Orders.

He told lawmakers that the Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Compliance, chaired by Abdul Ningi, had scrutinised and cleared the bill for concurrence.

“The committee confirmed that all procedural requirements for consideration and concurrence by the Senate have been fully met,” he said.

Seconding the bill, Adetokunbo Abiru said the legislation would provide businesses with an alternative source of financing by enabling them to turn credit sales into cash and improve their working capital.

Abiru noted that factoring has become increasingly popular across Africa over the last decade, largely through initiatives supported by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

He disclosed that the African factoring market is currently valued at over $50 billion, but Nigeria’s participation remains below one per cent.

According to him, countries such as Egypt and Morocco have benefited significantly from the financing model, adding that Nigeria risks missing out on the growing market without a clear regulatory framework.

“I think that passing this major legislation will help support our micro, small and medium enterprises in terms of converting most of their credit sales into cash without going through the normal borrowing arrangement,” Abiru said.

In his remarks, Ningi also assured lawmakers that the compliance committee had reviewed the bill and found no legal impediments to its passage.

Following a voice vote, the Senate approved the bill for second reading and subsequently referred it to the Committee of the Whole for clause-by-clause consideration.

 


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Telecom

Airtel Nigeria Launches Web Data Calculator to Give Customers Greater Visibility into Data Usage

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Airtel Nigeria has launched the Airtel Web Data Calculator, a new digital tool designed to help customers estimate and better understand their internet data consumption based on real-life usage patterns.

The launch comes amid a broader industry effort to improve transparency around data consumption and strengthen customer confidence in mobile broadband services.

It also aligns with ongoing collaboration between telecommunications operators and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to address customer concerns about data depletion and improve quality of service across the sector.

Recent industry initiatives have included customer education campaigns, daily usage notifications, billing audits, customer engagement forums, and the development of new tools that provide greater visibility into how data is consumed.

Available through Airtel’s website, the calculator enables customers to estimate data usage across common digital activities such as video streaming, social media engagement, voice and video calls, and everyday web browsing. By translating online behaviour into understandable data estimates, the tool empowers customers to make more informed decisions about their data plans and digital habits.

Speaking on the launch, Oladokun Oye, Customer Experience Director, Airtel Nigeria, said the initiative reflects Airtel’s commitment to customer empowerment and service transparency.

“As Nigerians become increasingly dependent on digital services for work, education, entertainment and communication, it is important that customers have clear visibility into how their data is consumed. The Airtel Web Data Calculator was developed to help our customers understand their usage patterns better, make informed choices, and enjoy greater confidence in their digital experience,” he said.

Oye added that customer concerns around data depletion have remained a recurring topic across the telecommunications industry, making transparency a critical component of customer experience.

“We believe that trust grows when customers have access to clear information. This tool is another step in our ongoing efforts to simplify the customer experience, provide greater clarity around data consumption, and support informed decision-making,” he said.

The launch follows a period of intensified engagement between telecom operators, regulators and consumers on data usage awareness. The NCC has consistently emphasized that many instances of perceived rapid data depletion are linked to factors such as high-definition video streaming, automatic application updates, cloud synchronization, background app activity and evolving smartphone capabilities. The regulator has encouraged operators to improve customer education and develop tools that help subscribers better understand their consumption patterns.

Industry data underscores the importance of such initiatives. Nigeria recorded more than 13 million terabytes of internet consumption in 2025, reflecting the country’s accelerating digital transformation and growing dependence on mobile broadband services.

Commenting on the significance of the launch, Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, said the company remains focused on building a network and customer experience ecosystem anchored on trust, transparency and continuous improvement.

“The future of telecommunications will be defined not only by network investments but also by how effectively operators help customers understand and manage their digital lives. The Airtel Web Data Calculator represents a practical innovation that places more information and control directly in the hands of our customers.”

He noted that Airtel continues to invest heavily in network modernization, customer experience initiatives and digital tools that improve service quality while making telecommunications services easier to understand and use.

“We welcome the industry’s collective focus on transparency and commend the NCC’s continued collaboration with operators to strengthen consumer confidence. As data becomes increasingly central to everyday life, Airtel will continue to develop solutions that make connectivity more accessible, transparent and rewarding for every customer.”

The launch also builds on Airtel Nigeria’s recent customer engagement initiatives, including forums dedicated to helping subscribers better understand data usage, value optimization and service quality. These engagements have brought together customers, regulators and Airtel executives to foster greater awareness and dialogue around digital consumption.

The Airtel Web Data Calculator is now available to customers nationwide and can be accessed via Airtel Nigeria’s website.

 


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