News
Nigeria’s Abandoned IT Projects Staggering-Experts
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) experts have raised alarm over the growing rate of abandoned information technology related projects in the country and called the government to include professionals in the planning and execution of IT projects.
The experts, who gathered at Osun State for the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS) 11th International Conference, also said that security and good governance are some of the developmental issues that are crucial to the survival and progress of Nigeria.
Speaking to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, Rogba Adeoye, chairman, Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Lagos State Chapter, said that Nigeria has gained notoriety as a country with most failed IT projects.
He said that IT projects are treated with levity by governments while experts are relegated to the background in the conceptualization and execution of such projects.
Adeoye said that “Nigeria is a place where most IT projects fail globally, not for the lack of professionals rather the right people are not involved during contracts appropriation. And the business people who get these projects are driven by the spirit of get rich quick.
“We have seen instances where biometric project is contracted out to a bricklayer because he is well connected to the authorities (people in government) to the detriment of our national security.
“When the bricklayer gets the project, he starts looking for a third party who is an expert. Because the bricklayer is a quack and out just for gain and no more, he would not even want to spend more on the project. The next thing is either the project is delayed, done shoddily or completely abandoned,” he said.
Adeoye pointed at the moribund national identity card project as an instance where government wastes tax payers money without remorse.
“Because somebody could not get the data capturing right, the project was laid to rest. We have started another one. In what ways have the government contacted the stakeholders to ensure it will not go the ways of similar projects”, he lamented.
Corroborating Adeoye’s views, Dr. Adedayo Adetoye, a research fellow, Cyber Security Centre, University Oxford, United Kingdom, discouraged the federal government of Nigeria from playing politics with information communication technology related matters.
According to him, Nigeria is notable for outsourcing her national security projects to foreign companies.
Adetoye warned that, “National security cannot be outsourced. We have a culture of awarding national projects to companies”
The theme of NCS’ 11th International Conference was: “eGovernment and National Security” which provided opportunity for soul searching for close to 3000 participants drawn from companies, government establishments, tertiary institutions, among others.
Engineer Rauf Aregbesola, Governor of Osun State, in a keynote address at NCS’ presidential retreat urged the ministry of Communication Technology to expedite the establishment of national emergency/distress calls centres across the 774 local governments’ areas in the country.
Aregbesola, said that the project long neglected would have served as critical public infrastructure in curbing the spate of insurgencies in the country.
“I want to call on the minister of Communication Technology to look into the national emergency call centres that will enable the people interface with the government while giving information the law enforcement agents.
“Imagine where the Police are privileged to have information on crime as they are being committed; it will not just the Police but the nation at large. Already there is a big ICT gap in this part of the world. All we need to do is to develop different platforms we know will aid our people to survive.
“We are disturbed by the level of security challenges in the country, but had the previous and present administrations at the federal level embraced a system of deploying close circuit televisions (CCTV) in some rural areas, maybe Yobe, Damaturu and Maiduguri would have been safer today”.
The governor maintained that ICT application in governance is the ultimate measure to engender transparency, accountability and improved life to the citizens.
INTERPOL’s African Cyberthreat Assessment Report 2026 revealed that Artificial intelligence accounts for 55 per cent of reported cybercrimes across Africa and making attacks faster, more sophisticated and increasingly difficult to detect.
The report warns that the continent’s rapid digital transformation, marked by more than 1.1 billion mobile subscribers in 2025, is being matched by an equally rapid evolution in cybercrime, while fragmented legislation and limited AI readiness among law enforcement agencies continue to weaken responses.
The 40-page assessment, based on survey data from 36 African member countries, said cybercrime has shifted from isolated criminal activity to an industrialised, borderless ecosystem powered by AI.
According to the report, East Africa has become a hotspot for mobile money fraud and ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure, while business email compromise (BEC) and romance scams are widespread across Central and West Africa.
Southern Africa, it noted, has become an attractive target for international cybercriminals due to its high level of internet connectivity.
The report also highlighted the growing financial impact of cybercrime across the continent, revealing that losses have more than doubled since 2024, rising from 192 million dollars to 484 million dollars.
It attributed the increase largely to AI-enabled scams, credential harvesting and automated social engineering attacks.
INTERPOL said online scams remained the most commonly reported form of cybercrime in 2025, with criminals exploiting mobile money platforms, social media and AI-generated content to deceive victims.
It added that 72 per cent of surveyed countries reported the existence of scam centres, with the highest concentration recorded in Southern and West Africa.
The report further identified digital sextortion and online harassment as persistent threats, driven increasingly by AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media.
According to data from TrendAI, one of INTERPOL’s partners, about 600,000 sextortion incidents were detected during the reporting period.
Business email compromise schemes have also become more sophisticated, with AI being used to generate highly convincing email communications.
The report said Africa-based threat actors are increasingly targeting victims in Europe and North America using cyber infrastructure spread across multiple jurisdictions.
INTERPOL warned that the absence of real-time information sharing between banks, telecommunications companies and law enforcement agencies has created significant vulnerabilities in tackling financial cybercrime.
It said cybercriminals are no longer relying solely on stolen credentials but are now creating AI-generated synthetic identities by combining genuine personal information with fabricated details.
These synthetic identities, the report noted, have been used to bypass biometric verification systems, open bank accounts, obtain mobile loans and register SIM cards under false identities.
Neal Jetton, Director of INTERPOL’s Cybercrime Directorate, described cybercrime as one of the most significant criminal threats facing Africa.
“Cybercrime has emerged as one of the most significant criminal threats to the region. AI is automating every stage of a cyberattack from reconnaissance and phishing to extortion and evasion.
“However, we see that when countries work together, cybercriminal infrastructure can be identified, disrupted and dismantled,” he said.
Despite the growing threat, the report highlighted progress in strengthening cybersecurity across the continent.
It disclosed that 17 African countries enacted or amended cybercrime legislation in 2025, while Senegal launched an online reporting platform to improve responses to online offences affecting children.
The report also noted that regional capacity-building initiatives are helping to improve long-term cyber resilience.
INTERPOL said four major cybercrime operations conducted in 2025, Operation Serengeti 2.0, Operation Contender 3.0, Operation Sentinel and Operation Red Card 2.0, resulted in more than 1,500 arrests, the seizure of hundreds of electronic devices and the recovery of over 100 million dollars.
To address the growing threat, the report recommended the adoption of standardised digital forensic capabilities, stronger cross-border collaboration, greater investment in AI literacy for law enforcement personnel and formal public-private partnerships to improve cybercrime prevention, detection and response.
The African Cyberthreat Assessment 2026 forms part of INTERPOL’s African Joint Operation against Cybercrime initiative, funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, with data contributions from Fortinet, Mastercard, the Shadowserver Foundation, S2W and TrendAI.
Nigerian students will soon design, assemble, test and fly drones as part of their university education, following a partnership between Miva Open University and Abuja-based defence technology company Terra Industries.
The collaboration comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to develop indigenous capabilities in advanced manufacturing and defence technology, with both organisations seeking to strengthen Africa’s pipeline of deep-tech talent.
The partnership will see students gain hands-on experience in drone engineering and related technologies through dedicated labs and industry collaboration.
The partners will establish robotics, drone and virtual reality laboratories across Miva’s study centres, beginning with a pilot facility in Abuja.
Students will also gain access to industry-led workshops, research opportunities, internships and mentorship in artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity and autonomous systems.
According to the partners, Terra’s engineering teams will work alongside Miva faculty to integrate hands-on hardware training into academic programmes, exposing students to real-world engineering challenges and building industry experience before graduation.
Nathan Nwachuku, co-founder and CEO of Terra Industries, said Africa’s technological future depends on developing engineers capable of building solutions for local challenges.
“The engineers who will build Africa’s future must learn by building. This partnership creates opportunities for students to work with the technologies shaping modern security, infrastructure and autonomous systems,” said Nwachuku.
Miva Open University said the initiative forms part of its commitment to experiential learning, adding that students will have the opportunity to “design, test and fly drones as part of their academic experience”.
The partnership builds on Terra’s expanding role in Nigeria’s defence technology sector. Earlier this year, the company signed a joint venture with the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria to localise the production of drones, robotics systems and cybersecurity infrastructure, supporting efforts to strengthen domestic manufacturing and reduce reliance on imports.
Atte Ayodeji, a Nigerian computer scientist,has developed an artificial intelligence algorithm capable of detecting, counting, grouping and generating healthy hair follicles during hair transplant procedures, an innovation that earned him the Best Innovative Technology award.
Atte Ayodeji
Ayodeji also graduated with a Distinction in his Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from Birmingham City University on Friday, adding another milestone to an impressive academic year.
Beyond his award-winning hair transplant innovation, the Nigerian researcher developed a system and framework on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) as a professional responsibility in the diagnosis of lung cancer.
His dissertation received a silver award at the PGXPO2026 Winter, further highlighting the impact of his research in applying artificial intelligence to healthcare.
Sunday Dare, special adviser on Media and Public Communication to President Tinubu, celebrated Ayodeji’s achievements in a post on X, recalling how he first met him in 2019 during his National Youth Service.
“In 2019 when I became a Minister of the Republic, I met a young man of medium height, genteel with penetrating eyes: Atte Ayodeji. His words rarely come out and he could easily be passed by unnoticed. But I noticed him especially when my SA Kemi Areola brought him to me asking my approval for him to do his Youth Service in my office. I approved. From then on he was unstoppable. His brilliance shown and he developed skills beyond his frame.”
Highlighting Ayodeji’s recent accomplishments, Dare congratulated him saying, “Congratulations Atte. I am proud of you!”
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