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IT Stakeholders Seek Stricter Laws for IP Protection

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 Stakeholders in the IT industry have unanimously called for the review of legal documents in Nigeria to protect owners’ intellectual property (IP) as well as rebuild confidence of critical thinkers and innovators.

Adeolu Majekodunmi, small & medium solutions & partner director, Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, said that due to the ineffectual legal document , IT pirates are throwing heavy spanners on the wheels of Nigeria’s growth.

Majekodunmi  who spoke during the 2013 Intellectual Property Panel Discussion organised by Microsoft Nigeria, warned that if piracy is not contained;  dangers loom ahead.

He said that  IT pirates are bent on draining the economy adding that feedback from the entertainment, software, government, media and other core investments, showed  that several billions of naira originating from IP related sectors are entering into the wrong pockets.

He added that the draft national ICT policy paraded by the Ministry of Communication needs to be accompanied by laws that could allow regulators teeth to bite and for the betterment of the revolutionary IT industry in Nigeria.

Majekodunmi while defining IP as a creation of the mind, to which exclusive right is given, added that, “IP right can be put in the respect of copyright, patent right, trademarks, logo, et cetera.

“Nigeria is yet to revolutionalise its IT space, because we still use ‘borrowed’ technologies. Meanwhile, the country has the power to change the story. Bu the biggest issue is threats to IP rights or the activities of IT pirates. Nigeria needs a game-changer to turn the table were IP pays.

“With the new ICT policy in place, the country can leverage on it to revolutionalise the industry. Now there are incubation centres coming up in various locations, we need better platforms to make such that whatever is coming from those centres are monetized and protected”.

He said that the legal framework has to support the robust ICT policy for meaningful impact on the economy.

Also speaking, Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, managing director, CMC Concept, said that development in any nation anchors on creativity and innovation imbedded in the intellectual property of individuals and must be protected.

“The intellectual property regime of any nation must impact on its development. So, low level IP regime (protection) leads to stagnant growth. For instance, producers of music and movies are losing at N150 per copy because pirates are at work. It is a major drain on our economy and Nigeria must rise to the occasion to stop the damages.

“I believe that the President should be addressing the media on International Intellectual Property Days, because we need to see the negative impact as harmful as the oil pipeline vandalism and Boko Haram insurgencies,” he said.

Badejo-Okusanya, added that the IP related cases should be made front-burner issues as it is not fight for Microsoft or software companies alone but every user of IT other sundry solutions.

On his part, Zanri Dabiri, CEO, Trybe Records, a music producer, further lamented that inefficient laws that address the menace currently lead to unsustainable business models, threat to governance and lack of private sector confidence on the nation’s entertainment industry.

According to him, Nigeria will remain a consumer of foreign technologies even with its consummate individuals if IP offenses are not addressed.

He said: “Royalties are not paying. This is impacting on, virtually, everything we do as an industry. We need to tackle this, because the entertainment industry is one of the largest employers of labour in the country and we cannot imagine what will become of the country if the industry fails”.

The stakeholders while applauding Microsoft Nigeria for brazing the trail in Intellectual property protection awareness, also pointed out that vigorous advocacy and education of consumers and unleashing of the genuine products in the market would reduce the ‘dreaded disease’ that has penetrated the market overtime, adding the current transformation in the Nigeria Copyright Commission is a good omen for the industry.

 

 

 


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E-Business

Kaspersky Warns of a New Phishing Technique Leveraging Bubble, a no-code AI Platform

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Kaspersky has discovered a new phishing tactic used to evade traditional security controls that exploits Bubble, a platform that allows users to build web and mobile applications through a visual interface without writing code.

Attackers are increasingly adopting innovative tools designed for legitimate software development and repurposing them to boost phishing campaigns.

Traditional phishing attacks often rely on malicious links or obvious redirection techniques, which are typically flagged and blocked by modern security systems.

However, attackers are now leveraging Bubble’s no-code environment to generate intermediary web applications which are hosted on Bubble’s legitimate infrastructure and trusted domains such as *.bubble.io, which improves their credibility and helps them bypass security filters.

These applications function as disguised redirectors, silently forwarding victims to malicious credential-harvesting websites.

In the observed campaign, victims were ultimately redirected to a convincing imitation of a Microsoft login page, protected by a Cloudflare verification layer designed to further obscure malicious intent.

This technique is likely being integrated into broader phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platforms and phishing kits. These kits enable a wide range of malicious capabilities with ready-made tools, including real-time interception of session cookies, driving phishing campaigns through legitimate services such as Google Tasks and Google Forms, and carry out adversary-in-the-middle (AiTM) attacks that can bypass multi-factor authentication.

They also support the generation of phishing emails using AI, implement geo-filtering and anti-detection mechanisms to evade security crawlers and are often hosted on reputable cloud services like AWS to avoid blacklisting.

“The use of legitimate platforms like Bubble introduces a new level of trust abuse, making it harder for both users and automated systems to distinguish between safe and malicious content. This significantly increases the likelihood of credential theft, unauthorised access and potential data breaches,” comments Roman Dedenok, Anti-Spam Expert at Kaspersky.

 

 


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NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

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Nigeria has taken a major step toward strengthening its digital governance framework as the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) officially assumes control of the Nigeria Government Enterprise Architecture (NGEA) infrastructure.

NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

The handover ceremony held in Abuja, marks the culmination of a high-level partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

This transition signals a shift from fragmented IT projects to a unified, disciplined approach to national digital investment.

The NGEA initiative forms a core part of the e-Government Masterplan 2.0 (Ne-GMP 2.0), aimed at establishing a unified and structured approach to managing government IT investments and digital resources.

The framework is designed to ensure that technology deployment across public institutions aligns with national priorities while improving efficiency and accountability.

With the system now operational, government agencies are expected to adopt more integrated digital processes, allowing seamless data sharing and interoperability.

This is anticipated to reduce duplication, strengthen risk management, and translate policy objectives into measurable digital outcomes.

Over the past two and a half years, Nigerian technical experts worked closely with their Korean counterparts to develop the architecture framework, create reference models, and execute pilot programmes in key institutions.

These include the National Identity Management Commission, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and NITDA.

Officials say the NGEA represents a shift from fragmented digital efforts to a more coordinated, citizen-focused system.

The infrastructure is hosted by Galaxy Backbone Limited, providing a secure and reliable platform for nationwide deployment.

Looking ahead, NITDA is expected to work with government stakeholders to expand and sustain the system, while the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy will provide policy guidance to ensure its adoption across the country.

 

 


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FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion  – Minister

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Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, has said the government is shifting focus from expanding access to ensuring “meaningful connectivity” that drives economic growth and inclusion.

FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion  - Minister

Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy

The minister made the statement on Friday while addressing stakeholders at the inauguration of board members of the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) in Abuja.

He said that although Nigeria had made significant progress since the introduction of GSM services, millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved communities, remain either unconnected or unable to fully benefit from digital services.

Dr Tijani highlighted ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, including plans to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic network and nearly 4,000 telecom towers nationwide.

He said initiatives under the USPF had improved access through projects such as rural connectivity and digital facilities in schools but stressed that the next phase must prioritise effective usage.

“It is not enough to connect a community. We must ensure that schools can teach with digital tools and that small businesses can access market opportunities,” he said, citing a pilot project in the Kura community where connectivity has enhanced access to communication, education and healthcare.

Aminu Maida, executive vice chairman, Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) also called for a shift towards meaningful connectivity, noting that while data usage had grown significantly, it remained concentrated in urban areas.

According to him, recent data shows that telecom usage has increased by about 160% over the past two years, largely driven by urban demand.

“When we drill down, we see that a lot of that growth is actually in urban centres. So, the gap between those who are not connected or not meaningfully connected is growing,” he said.

Dr Maida added that the trend underscored the need for the USPF board to intensify efforts to bridge both access and usage gaps across the country.

Both officials emphasised the importance of collaboration, sustainable investment models and improved digital literacy to ensure that connectivity translates into real economic benefits for Nigerians.

 

 


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