The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami on Wednesday disclosed that Nigeria recorded a total of 3,834,244 cyber-attacks before, during and after the gubernatorial election of March 18, 2023, out of which over 1.4million was recorded on election day.

In a release signed by Dr. Femi Adeluyi, Senior Technical Assistant (Research and Development) to the Honourable Minister, Prof. Pantami provided the breakdown of the attacks as follows:

“During this period and as previously reported, a series of hacking attempts were recorded, including Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), email and Internet Protocol Spoofing (IPS) attacks, SSH Login Attempts, Brute force Injection attempts, Path Traversal, Detection Evasion, and Forceful Browsing, originating from both within and outside Nigeria,” the Minister disclosed.

Recall that on March 14, 2023, the Office of the Honourable Minister of Communications and Digital Economy released a Press Statement regarding the activities of the Ministry and its parastatals before, during and after the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“As a follow up to that and in line with the Ministry’s mandate as well as in our efforts aimed at supporting the initiatives of securing the Nigerian cyberspace, the Honourable Minister directed the Ministerial Standing Committee on Advisory Role for the Protection of Nigerian Cyberspace and ICT Infrastructure to further enhance the cyberspace surveillance activities of the three cybersecurity Centres of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB),” the statement further read.

The statement disclosed that based on the Honourable Minister’s directives, the Committee provided close oversight on the activities of the cybersecurity Centres, from Friday 17th March 2023 to Monday 20th March 2023.

The statement further quoted the Minister as saying that the activities of cyber threat actors on Nigerian cyberspace during the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections were much lower than those during the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“This is neither surprising nor unexpected as, Nigeria being Africa’s largest democracy, the Presidential and National Assembly elections are bound to attract more attention of everyone, including cyber threat actors, than during the Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections,” the Minister stated.

Recall also that the Committee, inaugurated by the Honourable Minister on the eve of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, was charged with the following responsibilities, among others:

• Monitoring of Telecommunication Infrastructure for the successful conduct of the 2023 General Elections;
• Developing and implementing plans to enhance the resilience of critical digital infrastructure against cyber threats;
• Designing procedures and using technologies to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber-attacks, as well as developing the ability to quickly recover from any damage that is done;
• Developing a comprehensive risk assessment, analysing the nation’s current cybersecurity capabilities, and identifying gaps that need to be addressed; and
• Providing professional advice to the Government on the effective utilisation of digital technologies in the conduct of the 2023 General Elections.

Prof. Pantami who expressed confidence that the implementation of some recommendations as well as measures taken to fortify Nigeria’s cyber defence mechanisms might have helped in this, reiterated that these attainments would not have been possible without the continued support of President Muhammadu Buhari, in particular, and the administration in general, towards ensuring Nigeria’s successful transition into the digital economy.

The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Inuwa has expressed the belief that effective collaborations among the nations in the continent would build a formidable and greater Information Technology (IT) ecosystem.

Inuwa’s belief is hinged on the consideration of the immense natural and human resources inherent in Africa, which can be leveraged to enhance technological advancement in the continent.

The NITDA Director General expressed this belief at the corporate headquarters of the Agency in Abuja during day one of the 3-day working visit of the Ghanaian National Information Technology Agency (NITA) delegation led by its Director General, Mr. Richard Okyere Fosu to understudy Nigeria’s IT regulatory instruments, policy documents and seek possible areas of collaboration.

Describing the visit of the delegation from Ghana as a step in the right direction towards the development of Africa’s IT ecosystem, Inuwa stated that it was an imperative collaboration needed to achieve a common goal.

Stating that no one can succeed in isolation, he asserted that “if we really want to succeed as a continent, we need to collaborate, we need to work together. We need to learn from our experiences and share expertise so that we can work and grow together”.

He noted further that the Nigerian government has transcended from enforcing regulations on the ecosystem but has rather identified collaboration as critical, in creating an enabling environment for the ecosystem to thrive and flourish.

Stating that IT is borderless, the NITDA boss said that the agency had developed various regulatory instruments, policy documents, and initiatives to create an enviable IT ecosystem in the country, which has been making huge impacts within the continent and globally.

While confidently stating that Africa has a competitive advantage of talent and population in the fourth industrial revolution, Inuwa opined that a symbiotic relationship between the two countries would engender disruptive innovations that will solve many challenges pervading the continent.

“This kind of visit will strengthen the relationship between our two agencies and build a stronger IT ecosystem in Africa. We are doing well in Nigeria but we want everybody to do well when it comes to technology”, he noted.

The NITDA Director General then proceeded to make a presentation on an overview of the Agency, its guiding strategies, and strategic initiatives which have been instrumental in driving economic growth and prosperity with a focus on creating a knowledge-based economy that can compete with the best in the world.

In his presentation on the regulatory environment and various regulatory instruments, the Agency’s Head, Legal Unit, Barrister Emmanuel Edet made reference to the Startup Act and Code of Practice in which the agency uses intelligent frameworks to develop regulations towards a sustainable digital economy.

In his remark, Mr. Fosu appreciated the efforts being made by NITDA in fortifying and fostering the nation’s IT ecosystem toward a sustainable digital economy.

He disclosed that NITA’s supervising ministry has similarly expanded its mandate to include digitalization and is now known as the Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation which in his opinion has brought out the importance of digitalisation.

While giving assurances of keying into NITDA’s regulatory instruments and implementation of policy documents, Fosu expressed his agency’s commitment to work closely with NITDA in bridging the gaps identified in Ghana and Africa as a whole.

“This is not a one-time visit but we will definitely come back. We have come to learn and hope that we can make the needed impact in Ghana,” he stated.

The NITDA DG then took the Ghanaian delegates on a tour of the agency’s Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Team (CERRT) unit.

OPPO Nigeria has announced the launch of the highly anticipated Portrait Expert, the Reno8 T Series. The virtual launch event which was streamed live on YouTube was hosted by sensational host Jimmie Akinsola and featured Nollywood star Bimbo Ademoye and notable industry personalities – popular Tech YouTuber, Eric Okafor and fast-rising photographer August Udoh.

With significant upgrades made in its design, camera, charging and performance, the Reno8 T series comes in 5G and 4G variants and has been designed to bring users one step forward to an unmatched leveled-up experience in innovation and style.

Commenting on the launch, Folashade Omonijo, Marketing Manager for OPPO Nigeria, said, “At OPPO Nigeria, we believe that innovation and style should go hand in hand, and that’s what we have delivered with the RENO8 T series.

“We are excited to launch these devices today and are confident that they will elevate the smartphone experience of our customers, enabling them to level up with the ever-increasing demands of smartphone usage in their daily activities, be it for work or fun.”

“The Reno8 T series is a testament to OPPO Nigeria’s commitment to providing our customers with the best technology at the most competitive price points. Even with such impressive, premium and flagship specifications, our customers wouldn’t have to go deep into their pockets to own any of the Reno8 T smartphones. We encourage everyone to visit our website or social media pages to pre-order these devices,” She further added.

One Step Forward in Design

Running on the latest ColorOS 13 Operating System, the Reno8 T 5G features a 6.7-inch, 120Hz 3D curved screen – a very rare feature in mid-range smartphones. Cased in a seamless hyperbolic, micro-curved dual design, Reno8 T 5G not only delivers a next-level luxurious visual experience, but it also fits perfectly into the user’s hand, creating a natural feel and sleek appearance.

Inspired by luxury leather goods, the Reno8 T 4G on the other hand comes in an Ultra-Slim Retro Design with Fiberglass-Leather back, giving a premium flagship feel. Reno8 T 4G users can also customize based on their preferences and mood, the colours of the popular Orbit Light that provides notifications for new messages, charging status and more, on the back of the phone.

One Step Forward in Camera

Donning OPPO’s first 108MP Camera, users get to enjoy an ultra-high resolution portrait camera on the Reno8 T 5G. This enables users the ability to capture every moment, especially portrait photos, with utmost clarity and detail.

The Reno8 T 4G variant dons a 100MP Portrait Camera that produces equally exquisite image clarity that allows for unprecedented editing and cropping abilities.

Both variants also feature the AI Portrait Super Resolution designed to enhance portrait images and give them amazing effects using various features such as the Bokeh Flare, AI Colour, AI portrait retouching and Selfie HDR.

The Flash Snapshot feature allows for capturing super-clear photos while the subject is in motion. And thanks to the 40x Microlens, users can get creative with these high-quality photos by cropping and editing them without losing their clarity, discovering new details and previously hidden aspects of the photos taken.

One Step Forward in Battery Charging

Reno8 T 5G features the lightspeed 67W SUPERVOOCTM charging technology that delivers 5.5 hours of call time on a 5-minute charge and enables the 4800mAh battery of the 5G variant to charge fully in just 44 minutes, which means users spend significantly lesser time charging and allowing for more time on the things that matter the most.

A Battery Health Engine (BHE) helps to keep the battery at top performance, preserving the lifespan of the phone’s battery for up to 4 years by intelligently controlling charging currents and voltage. The 4G variant is powered by a 5000mAh battery on a 33W SUPERVOOCTM charger.

One Step Forward in Fluency, Speed & Performance

5G Processor: The Reno8 T 5G’s Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 695 5G processor enables lightning-fast processing of tasks and 5G speed capabilities, guaranteeing a super-smooth experience during phone usage.

48-Month Fluency Protection: OPPO also guarantees unparalleled fluency protection for as much as 4 Years of constant use. This means that even after several years of work and play, the Reno8 T smartphones can start, operate, and run as many apps as if brand new.

8GB RAM + 256GB Storage: Memory and storage are very critical to users and the Reno8 T series delivers on that with its 8GB RAM + 256GB Storage configuration. What’s more, the RAM expansion feature allows users to double the RAM size on their smartphones by converting unused storage space to operating memory, therefore guaranteeing smoothness and zero-lag when using several apps simultaneously and switching between them.

The Reno8 T 5G is available for pre-order at N289,900.00 and comes in the iconic OPPO Glow shimmering colours – Sunrise Gold and Classic Midnight Black, while customers also get to choose between the Sunset Orange or Midnight Black colours on the Reno8 T 4G variant, starting from N219,900.00. Both devices will be available at authorized retail stores for purchase starting from 26th March 2023.