A Nigerian-British Chartered Engineer and Director of Information Security, Dr. Kingsley Chibuzor Aguoru, has petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) EFCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to halt card PIN usage for online payments to protect Nigerians from being fleeced of their hard-earned money.

He said he was making a passionate appeal to secure financial practices in the country.

The UK-based Chartered Engineer, with over 20 years of experience in financial technologies and security, said he was compelled to bring attention to the critical flaws in Nigeria’s current online card payment practices, which expose customers to unnecessary risks and significant danger.

According to Aguoru, the continued use of PIN in online transactions puts Nigerians at a grave risk of being defrauded.

Aguoru noted that card PINs were designed for face-to-face transactions at ATMs and POS terminals where secure encryption methods protect users rather than online usage.

In the petition cited by this paper, titled: “Urgent Call to Ban Card PIN Usage for Online Payments in Nigeria”, Dr. Aguoru explained: “In 2005, I developed a solution to tackle prevalent fraud in card-not-present transactions in the United Kingdom using both online and offline OTP models, drawing on Cartesian geometry.

“Although major networks like Visa and Mastercard declined the innovation at the time, my OTP model has since become a standard worldwide for authorization.

He advised the CBN to urgently step forward for the safety of Nigerian cardholders by banning the use of card pins for online transactions and mandating the use of OTPs or other dynamic authentication methods, such as authorization through mobile banking apps.

He noted that there was a need for consumers to be educated on safe online payment practices to minimise exposure to phishing and other cyber threats.

He said it was also necessary for the CBN to enforce industry-wide compliance with modern security standards to protect Nigerian customers, especially on the web, through policies, such as security, and payments compliance policies.

Aguoru emphasised that by adopting these measures, the CBN will greatly reduce the risk Nigerian consumers face and bring the nation’s payment systems in with international best practices.

 The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says Abuja will look different by the time President Bola Tinubu finishes his first tenure in 2027.

He said this is due to monumental infrastructural development.

Wike stated this at the inauguration of the upgrading of War College/Army Checkpoint Road and other ancillary roads in Ushafa, Bwari Area Council, Abuja, on Monday.

He said that as far as infrastructure was concerned, by the time this administration ends in 2027, Abuja would be completely different.

He said that beyond infrastructural development in the city, the area councils were also being transformed with more than 15 projects currently ongoing.

The Minister, who listed the projects and were confirmed by the area councils’ chairmen, added that three other projects would be inaugurated for construction in satellite towns.

“When we came on board I did say that under Tinubu’s administration, when he makes a promise, all you need to do is to be patient; that promise would be fulfilled,

“I have said before that politics is a covenant between those that are elected and those that elected them.

“I have said that people should hold those that they have elected accountable; those who have been appointed should be held accountable,” Wike said.

He called on those who doubt the achievements of Tinubu-led administration to challenge what the administration has done in the six area councils in just a year and some months.

According to him, the achievements are not propaganda but verifiable facts.

“The point we are making is, this is just one year and a few months Mr president has stayed in office but see what he has done in terms of infrastructure in area councils.

“When he spent four years, can you say what will happen in area councils?,” he asked.

Wike added beyond road infrastructure, the Tinubu-led government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese company to provide potable water in Kwali, Gwagwalada and Kuje area councils.

He urged the residents of FCT to support the Tinubu administration to do more for the people.

He explained that the procurement of the project to upgrade the War College/Army Checkpoint Road and other ancillary roads in Ushafa began before the current administration.

He said that the 18-kilometre road, which would be executed by local contractor, was part of the administration’s efforts to improve road networks in satellite towns.

“It is also part of Tinubu directive to empower indigenous contractors who have shown capacity and are willing to work.

“I am happy with what I have seen today in terms of equipment,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Zulkiflu Abdulkadir, Coordinator, Satellite Towns Development Department, said that the project was awarded on Sept. 28, to Abdul Val Limited and expected to be completed in 18 months.

Dr John Gabaya, Chairman, Bwari Area Council, commended the FCT Minister for investing in rural infrastructure to better the lives of rural dwellers.

Describing Wike as a “Messiah”, the area council chairman described his investment in satellite towns as unprecedented.

Also, David Jimkuta, Senate Committee on FCT Area Councils and Ancillary Matters, said that the project was another milestone of the renewed hope agenda of President Tinbu.

Jimkuta pledged continued support of the committee to the minister to enable him do more for FCT residents.

Apple on Monday rolled out its first set of artificial intelligence features, dubbed “Apple Intelligence,” across its premium iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices, marking the tech giant’s major push into generative AI.

The release, first previewed by the company in June, marks Apple’s foray into an AI race that has seen the US tech giants rush into ChatGPT-style technology.

Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple are convinced that generative AI’s powers are the next chapter of computing and have ramped up spending so as not to be left behind.

“Apple Intelligence is generative AI in a way that only Apple can deliver, and we’re incredibly excited about its ability to enrich our users’ lives,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a blog post.

Apple’s new features include enhanced writing tools, improved photo searching capabilities, and a more conversational Siri virtual assistant.

The company also plans to integrate ChatGPT’s capabilities into its services by December.

Additional features planned for December include the ability to generate custom emoji and create images from text descriptions.

The features are largely being limited to the latest iPhones and iPads as well as Mac computers.

The powers of Apple Intelligence are for now only available in US English.

Versions in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Korean and other languages will be released in the coming year.

At the launch event in June, Apple had postponed the launch of Apple Intelligence in the European Union indefinitely, due to “regulatory uncertainties” linked to new laws.

It now said that most offerings will be available in the EU on Mac computers in US English and will begin to be deployed on iPhones and iPads from April.

Apple Intelligence features also include system-wide writing tools that can rewrite and proofread text, and the ability to remove unwanted objects from images.

Overall, the features are similar to tools recently released by Meta, Microsoft and Google.

Amid concerns about the safety of AI models, the company said that its technology prioritizes user privacy by keeping processing on-device or by using a new “Private Cloud” system.

This, the company says, will keep personal data within the Apple ecosystem, which privileges data privacy.

Apple also unveiled a new desktop computer, the iMac, on Monday, that features Apple Intelligence.

The Nigerian Communications Commission has retracted its previously released press statement about the activities of Starlink, a satellite internet provider.

In a short message sent to media organizations on Tuesday, the NCC admitted that the release was a mistake and asked editors and journalists to withdraw any related reports.

“Kindly note that this press statement on Starlink was issued in error. It is hereby WITHDRAWN. If already published, kindly BRING DOWN,” the message, signed by the NCC’s Manager of Media Relations, Kunle Azeez, stated.

The Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, of the commission revealed that they intend to enforce actions against Starlink for increasing its subscription fees in Nigeria without obtaining approval from the regulator.

In a notification to its customers last week, Starlink announced that the price increase would impact both current and new subscribers.

The monthly subscription cost saw a 97% rise, going from N38,000 to N75,000.

Furthermore, new customers will have to pay more for the Starlink kit (the installation hardware), now priced at N590,000, which is a 34% increase from the previous price of N440,000.

The NCC clarified that it had not given approval for the price hike.

“The decision by Starlink to unilaterally review its subscription packages upwards did not receive the approval of the Nigerian Communications Commission,” Muoka stated.

He stated that the commission was “surprised” when the company revealed the price changes, even though it had submitted a request to the NCC for a price modification that the regulator had not yet authorized.

Meta on Friday provided a look at a generative artificial intelligence model it is working on that lets people create short videos, complete with audio, from text prompts and photos.

The tech titan touted “Meta Movie Gen” as a “breakthrough” when it comes to using an AI engine to crank out video and audio.

Meta said it will get feedback from filmmakers and creators as it eases toward making the video-generating AI engine publicly available.

No release plans for Movie Gen were disclosed.

“While there are many exciting use cases for these foundation models, it’s important to note that generative AI isn’t a replacement for the work of artists and animators,” Meta said in a post.

The model lets people use text prompts to create custom videos, including clips based on people’s photos, of up to 16 seconds long, according to Meta.

“Our model achieves state-of-the-art results when it comes to creating personalized videos that preserve human identity and motion,” Meta said.

“Imagine animating a ‘day in the life’ video to share on Reels and editing it using text prompts or creating a customized animated birthday greeting for a friend and sending it to them on WhatsApp.”

Movie Gen is the third wave of AI-powered video generation at Meta, according to the company.

The rise of AI-powered tools for creating realistic videos has prompted worries about “deepfakes” that pirate people’s likenesses.

Satellite internet provider Starlink has revealed an increase in its monthly subscription fees.

In a communication sent to customers on Tuesday, the company stated that the rate increase will impact both existing and prospective users.

The standard residential plan will now be priced at ₦75,000, while the mobile regional (roam unlimited) package will cost ₦167,000, and the mobile global (global roam) package will be priced at ₦717,000.

According to the announcement, the new rates will take effect immediately for new customers and will begin on October 31, 2024, for current users.

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The organization linked the increase to “excessive levels of inflation,” which has required modifying service charges to reflect current economic conditions.

“Your monthly service price will increase in one month, starting from 31 October 2024. For new customers, the price increase takes effect immediately,” the message read.

The company added that customers who no longer wish to continue with the service can cancel at any time without any penalties.