E-Business
NASRDA Calls for Policy, Planning of Air Quality

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has stressed the need for policy and planning on air quality to safeguard citizens from harmful effects of air pollutants.
Prof. Rabiu Babatunde, the Director, Centre for Atmospheric Research (CAR) in Anyigba, Kogi State, one of the centres under NASRDA, said in Abuja on Saturday.
Babatunde said the country lacked reference information for appropriate air quality policy and planning.
He said that it was therefore imperative to create awareness on air quality intake by citizens for effective healthcare.
He said in Nigeria, explosive population growth and its attendant rural-to-urban migration, industrial expansions had led to excessive emission of a wide range of air pollutants into the atmospheric environment.
“The rise in population in the West African sub-region has contributed to increase of anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants and has made the air unsafe,’’ he said.
Anthropogenic emissions are the main sources of greenhouse gases resulting from human activities which include burning of fossil fuel and deforestation leading to higher carbon dioxide concentrations in the air.
Babatunde decried that the massive economic, population growth and urbanisation were expected to lead to a tripling of anthropogenic emissions in the southern part of West Africa between 2000 and 2030.
He said that the emissions impact on human health, ecosystems, food security and the entire climate within the region was increasing at a very dangerous proportion.
The director said that some of the emissions into the atmospheric environment include Particulate Matters (PMs) from vehicle exhausts, Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitroxide (NOx) and Carbon Monoxide (CO).
“NOx and SO2 are known to increase susceptibility to respiratory infections among children and elderly and also increase airway responsiveness in asthmatic individuals.
“CO is known to cause tissue hypoxia thereby reducing the blood capacity to transfer oxygen. (Hypoxia is the deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues).
“In the long run, continuous exposures to these air pollutant concentrations lead to respiratory and cardiovascular morbidity, and eventually, increased mortality rate.”
Babatunde said the centre was, therefore, preparing to hold air quality workshop on sustainable research capacity to sensitise the populace on its importance to human development.
He said that because of the lack of appropriate air quality policy and planning, it was necessary to engage in sensitisation through the workshop.
“The first National Air Quality Workshop aims at analysing the present air quality scenario in Nigeria by bringing together researchers and policymakers from all professional cadres working on different aspects of Air Quality issues.
“Gathering expertise from a wide spectrum of interest, CAR hopes to chart a sustainable National Air Quality Observation Network.
“The centre is doing this by ensuring sustainable research capacity in the field of air quality monitoring and health impact assessment, providing capacity building for personnel in the field of air quality management.
“It will also develop an effective information flow between empirical results and the general populace,” he said. The workshop is expected to hold from March 13 to March 16 with the theme as “Air Quality Research and Sustainable Development: The Nexus, Prospects and Challenges”.
The workshop will address sub-themes which include Atmospheric Aerosol Monitoring and Chemical Characterisation, and Air Pollution: Observational Techniques, Modeling and National Air Quality Index.
Other sub-themes are Nuclear Analytical and Wet Chemistry Techniques in air Quality Studies and Air quality: Legislation and Advocacy, among other topics.
E-Business
Kaspersky Warns of a New Phishing Technique Leveraging Bubble, a no-code AI Platform

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.
E-Business
NITDA Takes Over National Digital Architecture System

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.

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.
E-Business
FG Shifting Focus to “Meaningful Connectivity” to Drive Inclusion – Minister

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.

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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