E-Business
Microsoft Reiterates Commitment to Partner FG on ICT Development
Microsoft Nigeria, devices and services giant, has reiterated the company’s commitment to collaborating with the Federal Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders in the IT industry to put structure in place to further aid ICT development in the country.
Olayinka Oni, national technology officer, Microsoft Anglophone West Africa, made the remark at the Lagos Business School recently, where he addressed the Executive MBA class as a guest speaker.
While delivering his keynote address entitled ‘Nigeria in the Information Age: The role and capacity of Government’, Oni said that for Africa to improve its economic and global competitiveness, it is pertinent to place ICT at the nerve centre of its activities. He drew example from advanced countries with an explanation that they enjoy their present status because of their technological advancement.
Oni commended the strides taken by the present administration in advancing ICT, one of which is the inauguration of the Broadband Council to drive the implementation of the recently-approved National Broadband Plan 2013-2018 by Mrs. Omobola Johnson, minister of Communication Technology.
Another noteworthy effort of the ministry is the funding of Incubation Centres created solely to foster innovation and the development of locally relevant apps by people with great ideas but without the wherewithal to execute.
According to him, Microsoft has over the years explored various ways at developing innovative products and services to improve the way Africans communicate at work, at home and on the go.
The most recent being the generation of novel ideas which includes the 4Afrika initiative designed to empower African youth, entrepreneurs, developers, businesses and civic leaders to turn great ideas into a reality that can help their community, their country, the Continent, and beyond.
“Under the initiative, Microsoft will help place tens of millions of smart devices in the hands of young Africans, bring one million SMEs online by providing high-speed broadband using Super Wi-Fi technology, up-skill 100,000 members of Africa’s existing workforce, and help an additional 100,000 recent graduates develop skills for employability, 75 percent of which Microsoft will help place in jobs”, added Oni.
Explaining that cloud computing has the potential to transform the region, Olayinka noted that it enables global growth for businesses in emerging markets who are seeking to engage world markets in spite of lack of traditional infrastructure.
Concluding, Oni spoke about Microsoft’s recently launched initiative, CityNext, an initiative that Microsoft and her global partner ecosystem are uniquely positioned to enable a people-first approach through their end-to-end software, devices and services capabilities that meet a range of needs from the consumer-related demands of citizens to the mission-critical, enterprise demands of city operations.
In his words “No other company offers the broad portfolio of familiar, secure software, devices and services; the experienced network of hundreds of thousands of partners worldwide with relationships in nearly every major city around the globe; and the history of successful education and training programs, which collectively, propel cities toward what’s next”.
Earlier, in her welcome address, Dr. Olayinka David-West, Faculty director and IS Faculty, Lagos Business School, said, “the role of Government in the development of an IT-enabled environment is integral to private sectors adoption of IT”. She also emphasised that “the environment in which we operate and the strategies we want to adopt can either be aided or hindered by Government’s participation.”.
The Executive MBA (EMBA) class is made up of working professionals, with more than 7 years of experience working in different business sectors.
The EMBA are management practitioners seeking to improve their managerial practices and leadership skills.
E-Business
Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

Chinese “threat actors” have hacked Microsoft’s SharePoint document software servers and targeted the data of the businesses using it, the firm has said.
China state-backed Linen Typhoon and Violet Typhoon as well as China-based Storm-2603 were said to have “exploited vulnerabilities” in on-premises SharePoint servers, the kind used by firms, but not in its cloud-based service.
The US tech giant has released security updates in response and has advised all on-premises SharePoint server customers to install them.
“Investigations into other actors also using these exploits are still ongoing,” Microsoft said in a statement.
The firm said it had “high confidence” the hackers would continue to target systems which have not installed its security updates.
It added that it would update its website blog with more information as its investigation continues.
Microsoft said it had observed attacks in which hackers had sent a request to a SharePoint server “enabling the theft of the key material by threat actors”.
Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Mandiant Consulting firm, a division of Google Cloud, told reporter, it was “aware of several victims in several different sectors across a number of global geographies”.
Carmakal said it appeared that governments and businesses that use SharePoint on their sites were the primary target.
A number of adversaries who stole material encoded by cryptography were then able to regain ongoing access to the victims’ SharePoint data, he said.
“This was exploited in a very broad way, very opportunistically before a patch was made available. That’s why this is significant,” Carmakal said.
Carmakal said the “China-nexus actor” was deploying techniques similar to previous campaigns associated with Beijing.
Microsoft said Linen Typhoon had “focused on stealing intellectual property, primarily targeting organizations related to government, defence, strategic planning, and human rights” for 13 years.
It added that Violet Typhoon had been “dedicated to espionage”, primarily targeting former government and military staff, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, higher education, the media, the financial sector and the health sector in the US, Europe, and East Asia.
Meanwhile, Storm-2603 was “assessed with medium confidence to be a China-based threat actor”.
E-Business
NIMC Warns Nigerians of Fake NIN Website

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued a public warning that it is not associated with NINcard.com.
According to the commission, the website has been circulating online to offer services for Nigerians seeking National Identification Number (NIN) services.
NIMC, in a post on its official X account on Wednesday, said, “NINcard.com is not in anyway affiliated to NIMC. Stay vigilant!”
The warning was accompanied by screenshots of fake payment receipts and OTP request pages from the website, both of which were boldly stamped “FAKE” by NIMC to alert the public.
E-Business
NITDA, API Partner Against Harmful Online Content

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), in partnership with the Advocacy for Policy and Innovation (API), has convened a one-day workshop in Abuja to advance dialogue on the draft Online Harm Protection (OHP) Bill to confront harmful online content.
The bill, a rights-based, locally rooted, and multi-stakeholder initiative, is aimed at addressing the challenges of the digital age.
The event, which held yesterday, brought together government officials, civil society, academics, digital platforms, and legal experts to shape a policy framework designed to combat online ills such as cyberbullying, disinformation, hate speech, digital exploitation, and gender-based violence, while safeguarding democratic freedoms and digital inclusion.
In his keynote remarks, Kashifu Inuwa, director general, NITDA urged a paradigm shift in the way society engages with digital technologies.
“For almost two decades, we have viewed digital technology through a consumer lens. But these technologies are not just products and services. They are transforming how we live, work, and interact. They shape our politics, our society, and our democracy,” he said.
Warning against unaccountable digital power in the hands of private corporations, the DG likened the digital journey to the tale of Alice in Wonderland, where initial fascination with innovation has given way to deeper concerns about privacy, autonomy, and manipulation by big tech platforms.
“We thought we were using Google, but now we realise Google is using us. Social media, once a tool of expression, has become a tool of surveillance and influence,” Inuwa noted.
He, therefore, emphasised the urgency of developing a democratic and accountable framework. He explained that following the 2021 Twitter ban, NITDA facilitated dialogue between the government and platform operators, leading to a Code of Practice that stressed Nigeria’s sovereignty and legal standards.
According to him, the same process birthed the multi-stakeholder steering committee and the OHP White Paper in December 2024, laying the foundation for the current legislative push.
Earlier in her opening remarks, Victoria Manya, co-founder, API, observed the moral and civic necessity of the bill.
Her words: “The internet did not break society, it merely revealed its unfiltered version. Every day, Nigerians are exposed to harassment, disinformation, exploitation, and even algorithmic violence. The OHP Bill is not a war on the Internet. It is a peace offering to its users, a social contract for a digital future that is safe, inclusive, and democratic.
“We cannot answer the question of algorithmic power with unchecked state control. We must answer it with shared, rights-based governance. This bill must not be written for the people, but with them.”
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