E-Business
Nigerians Ignore Warnings, Stake N1.3Bn on Bitcoin Weekly

Nigerians have continued to invest in cryptocurrency, trading up to N1.38 billion across 13 local cryptocurrency exchanges in the country, despite warnings by regulators and legislators.
Leadership reported that analysts have urge government to embark on smart regulatory tactic in controlling the surge in the trend.
Emeka Okoye, software developer and chief architect at Cymantiks Nigeria Limited, who spoke with Leadership, urged the government and particularly the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigeria Deposit and Insurance Corporation (NDIC) who have been at the forefront in the fight against cryptocurrency in the country to do a rethink on the way to regulate the use of cryptocurrency
Noting that cryptocurrency will not take the place of fiat money, he said the criticism against cryptocurrency will further fuel speculation and encourage its use by outlaws.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had last week urged governments to look into regulation of cryptocurrencies in the fight against money laundering and financing terrorism.
Many countries in recent times are coming up with stronger regulations for the trading of cryptocurrencies. Although the value of Bitcoin which is the most popular and most traded cryptocurrency has been down since December, 2017, interest in the currency is yet to wane in Nigeria.
Having seen the highest weekly trading average of N1.94 billion in mid-December last year, weekly average turnover had dropped to N1.299 billion at the end of December before rising to N1.817 billion in January.
As at February 12, 2018 which is the latest data on Coin.dance a global cryptocurrency tracking website weekly average of Bitcoin trading on the exchanges in Nigeria was at N1.389 billion. This is asides the investments of Nigerians in other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, Billioncoin amongst others.
Okoye while advising regulators in the country to adopt “smart regulation” rather than outright ban of cryptocurrency said “it is an attitude of allowing innovation to move forward and let regulation follow because at the end of the day it is about the consumers and not about the players.
“If they ban cryptocurrency, it means they are outlawing a tech tool and when you outlaw a tech tool, outlaws will use the tools and when they use them you have no control. People will have to live with the consequences.
“Right now we do $4.7 million dollars weekly and we are expecting more. Now we have more exchanges, by count we should have up to 13 crypto exchanges in Nigeria. If you really want to see its implication in Nigeria, think of MMM.
“MMM was a pointer that things are not alright. We cannot continue to regulate things. It is not going to work if we keep regulating things to work against the desires of the people. It should be about the people. When you talk of innovative product and services, we cannot use the same tactics we used in the old economy. This is a new economy. The power has gone to the consumer.
“The thing is regulators need to think very well before they start banning. First of all do they understand how it works? I can build a crypto exchange and it is not domiciled in Nigeria, they cannot regulate it. Secondly, do they understand that I also have a foreign card and they cannot control what I do with it?” Okoye queried.
He however noted that there was no way cryptocurrency will replace fiat money saying it will only complement its use and make it easier to move wealth around at convenience. He also noted that the current trend of speculation driving the value of cryptocurrency is a distraction from the real value.
“Speculation of cryptocurrency is a big distraction and it is turning the internet to be an internet of money rather than being an internet of value. This speculation has nothing to do with the value we can derive from it” he stated.
E-Business
Nigeria Launches Cybercrime Team with Commonwealth, UK Support

Nigeria recently launched a new joint case team to step up its response to cybercrimes that affect people and businesses at home and abroad.
The ‘Joint Case Team on Cybercrime’ brings together Nigeria’s key justice and security agencies to work as one, making it easier to detect, investigate, and prosecute digital offences.
It is supported by the UK National Crime Agency, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and the Commonwealth Secretariat, as part of a wider effort to promote international cooperation on cybercrime.
Speaking at the launch in Abuja, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, minister of justice and attorney general of the federation described the initiative as “a bold and transformative stride in Nigeria’s justice system.”
He said that although Nigeria has a national legal framework to address cyber offences, laws alone are not enough.
Nigeria is among the countries most affected by cybercrime around the world, with increasing financial losses.
E-Business
INEC Sets Up AI Division to Strengthen Electoral System

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced the establishment of an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Division within its ICT Department.
This marks a significant stride toward enhancing electoral integrity, efficiency, and innovation in Nigeria’s democratic process.
This decision was reached at the Commission’s regular weekly meeting held in Abuja, following a series of consultations and engagements on the global and continental impact of AI on elections.
In a statement issued by Sam Olumekun, national commissioner and chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC underscored that the growing relevance of AI in electoral matters necessitated a proactive institutional framework to manage both the risks and opportunities it presents.
“Our interactions with electoral bodies across Africa highlighted both the risks of AI—such as fake news and content manipulation—and the vast potential it holds for data-driven decision-making, risk mitigation, automated voter services, and geo-spatial intelligence for logistics,” Olumekun noted.
According to him, the newly created division will centralise the Commission’s AI efforts, ensuring a harmonized approach to deploying intelligent systems that enhance decision-making, improve voter engagement, and boost the credibility of the electoral process.
“The creation of this division puts the Commission at the forefront of institutionalizing AI capabilities in electoral management.
It is also part of our ongoing reforms in areas where administrative action is sufficient to drive change,” he said.
He added that the AI Division will help INEC better coordinate its existing technological investments while providing safeguards against the misuse of AI technologies.
“We are positioning ourselves to maximise the positive impact of AI while mitigating its negative implications. This step strengthens the credibility and transparency of elections in Nigeria,” Olumekun concluded.
The initiative, INEC emphasised, reflects its commitment to embracing innovation in safeguarding democracy and improving electoral services nationwide.
E-Business
CAC, NIBSS Unveil Platform for Data Access to Private Firms

Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in partnership with the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has unveiled a new Application Programming Interface (API) integration system to allow private firms access company data from the Commission’s database.
Hussaini Ishaq Magaji (SAN), registrar general of CAC, who spoke in Abuja at the unveiling said the system would give selected private organizations access to CAC services through technology-based companies, called “super agents.”
“This is a practical step to show that the Commission is committed to meeting the expectations of our customers,” he said.
Magaji explained that the integration allows the agents to retrieve data from the CAC database for use in specific client requests, outside the standard services provided by the Commission.
“Before now, only a few government agencies had this integration, especially those involved in investigations, anti-money laundering, and terrorism financing. Now, private companies that meet the criteria can also access it,” he said.
He said the system complies with the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, and information such as residential addresses, phone numbers, and dates of birth may be restricted.
“This is a call to law firms and companies with the right technology. We’ve started with NIPS because of their credibility. Embassies and banks can now authenticate company records directly through them.”
“There are prescribed fees. We already collect them on our portal, and now customers can also pay through these agents,” he explained.
He named NIPS, MoneyPoint, and OPE as some of the companies involved.
“OPE and MoneyPoint handle only registrations. But NIPS has moved further into validation and verification,” he said.
Ngover Ihyembe-Nwankwo, executive director at NIBSS, who represented Premier Oiwoh, managing director, said the service allows secure and efficient data verification.
“This is the result of years of effort to connect our systems with CAC. It will help users verify data within the limits of data protection laws,” she said.
She said the move is a way to lower costs and promote interoperability across the financial sector.
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