E-Business
Plaqad Strengthens Brand Positioning as Community-led Platform through Partnerships

With roughly US$2 billion spent on influencer marketing campaigns in 2018 and a spend projection of about US$7 billion and US$10 billion for 2019 and 2020 respectively, the influencer marketing industry is on an impressive upward trajectory.
At the center of this remarkable industry stride, are indigenous companies like Plaqad, an influencer and content marketing startup founded in 2017, which boasts of over 2000 top content creators and influencers across various niche and interests.
As part of its efforts to solidify its position in the industry, Plaqad recently partnered with leading Blogger and Influencer, Tosin Ajibade (Olorisupergal) on the Influencer Marketing Masterclass and with Africa’s leading tech platform, Techpoint on Build 2019.
Its partnership with Tosin Ajibade popularly known as Olorisupergal was particularly interesting as both parties collaborated to host an Influencer marketing masterclass for budding influencers.
The class which held on Saturday, January 19, saw over 20 participants present. Speakers at the event included Plaqad CEO, Gbenga Sogbaike, Founder of the Global Brand Network, Queen Esohe Igbinoba, and Olorisupergal herself.
In line with the brand’s plans to collaborate better and directly with clients and other stakeholders in the ecosystem, Plaqad exhibited its product offerings at Techpoint Build 2019, the largest Tech conference in Nigeria that connects the startup and SME community with industries.
The event featured discussions on running a successful business, a startup competition (Pitch Storm), exhibition for several businesses and training for SMEs.
With over 300 startups present, Plaqad showcased its offerings at the venue, where they connected with other SME brands, offered critical advice on how to run cost-effective marketing on a shoestring budget, while interacting with members of the ecosystem.
The CEO of Plaqad, Gbenga Sogbaike commenting on strengthening Plaqad’s brand positioning, said, “This is the second year of Plaqad’s existence in an industry increasingly connected to the latest technology, for us it is important that we spark collaborations and partnerships across all stages of our development, to enhance our position within our niche market.
“In line with our corporate strategy for the year, we are heavily investing in partnerships and initiatives that helps us better collaborate with brands and also grow the ecosystem.”
Plaqad is known to employ a data-based and brand-specific approach to influencer and content marketing rather than the more popular one-size-fits-all approach typically used.
In the past two years, Plaqad has worked with top multinational brands in Africa including the Nigerian Breweries, MTV, MTN, Heineken, Opera, SureRemit, and Interswitch among others, managing several campaigns in different verticals including Media, FMCG, Beauty & Fashion, Technology, and Healthcare.
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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