Technology
NCC Intensifies Calls for Protection of Customer Data Privacy
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) has called for the exercise of authority as well as control over the mining and usage of data to increase the value of data and minimise data-related costs and risks.
The Executive Vice-Chairman (EVC) of NCC, Mr Umar Danbatta, made the call in his keynote address at the Nigeria Digital Sense Forum organised by ITRealm in Lagos on Thursday at a forum themed 5G: Data Governance, Safety and Security in Nigeria.
Mr Danbatta, represented by Dr Chukwudi Diugu, the Head of New Media and Information Security at NCC, said that data is critical to the digital economy and all must prioritise building robust legal frameworks for data governance.
He said that the amount and speed of data generated using 5G technology were unprecedented; as such, the need to always prioritise consumer privacy, transparency and ethical data use.
“By cultivating trust and handling data responsibly, we can unlock the full potential of 5G technology and promote innovation in Nigeria.
“We know Nigeria is a highly technology-driven country, and the advent of 5G technology has opened up immense opportunities and challenges, especially regarding data governance, safety, and security.
“While 5G technology has enhanced capabilities that will provide superior communications services for the socio-economic development of Nigeria and facilitate the attainment of a National Digital Economy,’’ he said.
He said, “We must consider the challenges that come with it, particularly in protecting user data privacy and safety.
Mr Danbatta said that to ensure the security and protection of networks and consumers, the NCC Act mandates its licensees to prevent their network facilities or services from being used.
The EVC said that the act prevented licensees’ networks from being used in, or in relation to, the commission of any offence under any law in operation in Nigeria.
He said that licensees were required to assist the Commission and other law enforcement agencies in preventing crime in Nigeria.
Mr Danbatta said that NCC is committed to fostering a culture of safety and security while rolling out the 5G technology.
He says it is achieved through ethical data governance practices, robust security measures, and regulatory frameworks.
He said that the successful implementation of 5G technology also depended on a collective commitment to data governance, safety, and security.
The EVC said that in order to build a safer, secure, and more inclusive digital ecosystem, all must work collaboratively, including government, regulators, operators, service providers, and individual users, to create a secure and sustainable environment for this technology to thrive.
He, however, appreciated the attention, presence at the event and partnership in a collective effort to harness the full potential of 5G technology for Nigeria’s development.
On his part, the President of Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Mr Adesina Shodiya, as the Chairman of the occasion, said that all should ensure the safe use of the internet and technology.
Mr Shodiya said that one must think of how to use it to enhance career, irrespective of the profession.
He, however, emphasised that no system was devoid of attacks, but it was important to be conscious while using technology and the internet.
In his presentation on 5G Open Access and the Role of Citizens, the Chief Executive Officer of Wisdom Computers, Mr Francis Uzor, highlighted the roles of citizens.
Adding his input, the Lead Consulting Strategist of Digital Sense Africa, Mr Remmy Nweke, said that the forum, in its 14th edition, had remained an annual rallying point for internet stakeholders.
According to Mr Nweke, the stakeholders in the country come together to discuss and proffer solutions to improving challenges around internet governance, security and socio-economic impact of internet usage.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
One of the players in the Nigerian gaming industry, Secure Electronic Technology (SET) Plc, has appointed Ms Leticia Otomewo as its acting secretary.
This followed the expiration of the company’s service contract with the former occupier of the seat, Ms Irene Attoe, on January 31, 2026.
A statement to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Thursday said Ms Otomewo would remain the organisation’s scribe in an acting capacity, pending the ratification and appointment of a substantive company secretary at the next board meeting.
She was described in the notice signed by the Managing Director of the firm, Mr Oyeyemi Olusoji, as “a results-driven executive with 22 years of experience in driving business growth, leading high-performing teams, and delivering innovative solutions.”
The acting secretary is also said to be “a collaborative leader with a passion for mentoring and developing talent.”
“The company assures the investing public that all Company Secretariat responsibilities and regulatory obligations will continue to be discharged in full compliance with the Companies and Allied Matters Act, applicable regulations, and the Nigerian Exchange Limited Listing Rules,” the disclosure assured.
Meanwhile, the board thanked Ms Attoe “for professionalism and contributions to the Company during the period of her engagement and wishes her well in her future endeavours.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Russian government on Thursday confirmed it has blocked the WhatsApp messaging service, as it moves to further control information flow in the country.
It urged Russians to use a new state-backed platform called Max instead of the Meta-owned service.
WhatsApp issued a statement earlier saying Russia had attempted to “fully block” its messaging service in the country to force people toward Max, which it described as a “surveillance app.”
“Today the Russian government attempted to fully block WhatsApp in an effort to drive people to a state-owned surveillance app,” WhatsApp posted on social media platform X.
“Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communication is a backwards step and can only lead to less safety for people in Russia,” it said, adding: “We continue to do everything we can to keep users connected.”
Russia’s latest move against social media platforms and messaging services like WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram comes amid a wider attempt to drive users toward domestic and more easily controlled and monitored services, such as Max.
Russia’s telecoms watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has accused messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp of failing to comply with Russian legislation requiring companies to store Russian users’ data inside the country, and of failing to introduce measures to stop their platforms from being used for allegedly criminal or terrorist purposes.
It has used this as a basis for slowing down or blocking their operations, with restrictions coming into force since last year.
For Telegram, it may be next, but so far the Russian government has been admittedly slowing down its operations “due to the fact that the company isn’t complying with the requirements of Russian legislation.”
The chat service, founded by Russian developers but headquartered in Dubai, has been a principal target for Roskomnadzor’s scrutiny and increasing restrictions, with users reporting sluggish performance on the app since January.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian startup, Decide, has emerged as the fourth most accurate Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent for spreadsheet tasks globally, according to results from SpreadsheetBench, a widely referenced benchmark for evaluating AI performance on real-world spreadsheet problems.
According to the founder, Mr Abiodun Adetona, the ranking places Decide alongside well-funded global AI startups, including Microsoft, OpenAI, and Anthropic.
Mr Adetona, an ex-Flutterwave developer, also revealed that Decide now has over 3,000 users, including some who are paying customers, a signal to the ability of the startup to scale in the near future.
SpreadsheetBench is a comprehensive evaluation framework designed to push Large Language Models (LLMs) to their limits in understanding and manipulating spreadsheet data. While many benchmarks focus on simple table QA, SpreadsheetBench treats a spreadsheet as a complex ecosystem involving spatial layouts, formulas, and multi-step reasoning. So far, only three agents rank higher than Decide, namely Nobie Agent, Shortcut.ai, and Qingqiu Agent.
Mr Adetona said SpreadsheetBench measures how well AI agents can handle practical spreadsheet tasks such as writing formulas, cleaning messy data, working across multiple sheets, and reasoning through complex Excel workflows. Decide recorded an 82.5% accuracy score, solving 330 out of 400 verified tasks.
“The result reflects sustained investment in applied research, product iteration, and learning from real-world spreadsheet workloads across a wide range of use cases,” Mr Adetona told Business Post.
For Mr Adetona, who built Decide out of frustration with how much time professionals spend manually cleaning data, debugging formulas, and moving between sheets, “This milestone highlights how focused engineering and domain-specific AI development can deliver frontier-level performance outside of large research organisations. By concentrating on practical business data problems and building systems grounded in real user environments, we believe smaller teams can contribute meaningfully to advancing applied AI.”
“For Decide, this is a foundation for continued progress in intelligent spreadsheet and analytics automation,” he added.
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