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NITDA to Pursue Local Content Inclusion

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National Information Technology Agency (NITDA) has restated its resolve to pursue the Nigeria’s IT Local Content inclusion, adoption and patronage of local Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) by ensuring qualitative production capacity of the operators.

Dr. Ashiru Daura, acting director-general of NITDA, stated this at a meeting between the agency’s management and representatives of local OEMs in Abuja.

Daura pledge the renewed support of NITDA as an agency to ensure adequate development of local capacity in line with Nigeria’s IT content development initiative stating that a robust performance framework was put in place by NITDA through the support of the Ministry of Communication Technology to ensure makers of local OEMs deliver high quality products of International Standards Organisation (ISO) with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) put in place in order to measure their efficiency in the market and consumer satisfaction.

He noted that in a bid to achieve the lofty objective, the agency recently at the second National Council on Communications Technology (NCCT) presented a memorandum on the need for the patronage of local OEMs while the NCCT in its final communiqué adopted the prayers of NITDA by recommending that all states and the Federal Capital Territory should promote the Student Computer Ownership Scheme by encouraging the adoption of local OEMs for the programme.

Daura pointed out that some of the observations of the council members and some general experiences of Nigerian’s in their purchase and usage of some locally made PC brands included lack of dependable warranty and inadequate or non-existent after sales services.

He appealed to states and local government areas to help push for the development of local content as a substantial source of revenue earning for the country.

The DG stressed that any sourcing and procuring of computer hardware from local OEMs for which there was local capacity for manufacturing, assembling, testing, deployment and maintenance should be done with some proviso that included firstly that the said OEMs must maintain ISO 9001:2008 or any other relevant quality certification.

More so, that local OEMS contracting to supply any statewide ICT projects must have first level contact centres to handle customer queries. In addition those local OEMs contracting to supply any statewide ICT projects must have regionally located fulfillment centres as well as regionally located return/repair workshop capable of handling after sales service and adequate warranty service issues.

Responding, Ibrahim Balogun of Brian Computers thanked the management of NITDA for its support for the local OEMs makers so far and assured the DG of their continuous improvement on the quality of their brands.

He noted that mechanisms had been put in place to support after sales services including direct access to download software from their websites at no cost as well as using their resellers or retail outlets to return hardware to their workshops for rectification of any default therein.

Also speaking, Will Anyaegbunam, managing director/chief executive officer of Beta Computers, commended NITDA for been in the forefront of pushing for nation-wide adoption of indigenous OEMs recalling that the last time an interactive meeting of this nature took place was about four years ago. 

Ayaegbunam noted that the fact that technology was in constant evolution means there would always be challenges to which they were all ready to step up the game.

He appealed for greater support, cooperation and proper feedback mechanism to enhance improvement in their services.

 


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E-Business

Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

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Chinese “threat actors” have hacked Microsoft’s SharePoint document software servers and targeted the data of the businesses using it, the firm has said.

Microsoft Servers Hacked by Chinese Groups

 

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”.

 

 

 


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NIMC Warns Nigerians of Fake NIN Website

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National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has issued a public warning that it is not associated with NINcard.com.

NIMC Warns Nigerians of Fake NIN Website

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.


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NITDA, API Partner Against Harmful Online Content

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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.

NITDA, API Partner Against 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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