By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Development Bank of Nigeria Plc (DBN) has launched DAWN: DBN Action for Women in Nigeria, unveiled its Impact Report and presented MSME Data Assets at the seventh edition of Annual Lecture held in Abuja.

DBN, in a statement on Thursday, said while delivering a welcome address, its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Tony Okpanachi, said the central challenge was no longer reforms themselves but ensuring benefits reach businesses at end of the chain.

He asked how to make sure benefits reach traders in Onitsha, fabricator in Aba, farmer in Kebbi and young founder in Yaba, noting that MSMEs accounted  for about half of Nigeria’s GDP and more than eight in every ten jobs, adding that when reform works for MSMEs it works for most Nigerians.

He explained that reform becomes prosperity only when entrepreneurs can act on it whether through long tenor loans to buy equipment, banks willing to take risk or skills and records needed to grow.

He said working through Participating Financial Institutions DBN provides longer term funding, partial credit guarantees through subsidiary Impact Credit Guarantee Limited and capacity building including Entrepreneurship Training Programme.

He disclosed that as at December 2025 DBN had disbursed a cumulative N1.4 trillion to MSMEs through 84 Participating Financial Institutions creating about 1.6 million jobs nationwide.

Under the new five year strategy, the Bank aims to reach more than two million MSMEs with deliberate targets for women led businesses, youth led businesses and underserved states.

On DAWN, Okpanachi said finance alone had not enabled enough women-led businesses to scale.

He said initiative brings together financing, guarantees and credit support, technical assistance, outcome linked grants and market linkages delivered through banks, microfinance institutions, fintechs, aggregators, cooperatives and direct channels.

Its priority sectors are agriculture and exports, healthcare, arts and creatives, technology and green business.

He said DAWN is about moving gender focused lending beyond intention and turning access into opportunity.

On the sidelines of the lecture DBN and African Development Bank held a signing ceremony of AfDB DBN 61 million United States dollars Gender Line of Credit development that reinforces Bank commitment to women led enterprises.

Okpanachi urged Participating Financial Institutions to extend lending into sectors and states where access to finance has been limited, policymakers and regulators to measure reform by what changes for business at end of chain and MSMEs to formalise, keep good records and use support now available.

The Vice President as Special Guest of Honour was represented by Dr Fred Iklaga Senior Technical Adviser in the Office of Special Adviser to the President on Economy.

Keynote speakers were Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr Karl Toriola, and Chairman of Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Dr Segun Ogunsanya.

Fireside chat featured Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank Abubakar Suleiman, manufacturing and trade entrepreneur Mrs Omoyemi Chukwurah and by video Kola Masha of Babban Gona.

The Secretary to the Government of Federation, represented by Augusta Warren Bekaredebo, said 2026 tax reforms would bring relief to many small businesses expressing optimism that a lot of businesses will be smiling by next year because they will be exempted from tax.

By Tambaya Julius, Abuja 

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has threatened possible nationwide industrial action following the failure of talks with the Federal Government over workers’ welfare, petrol prices and other outstanding labour demands.

The warning came after a meeting between the government and organised labour at the Ministry of Labour in Abuja on Thursday, October 22, ended without an agreement.

The congress has given the Federal Government until Tuesday, October 27, to make meaningful progress on the issues, warning that its relevant organs would decide the next line of action if the next meeting fails to produce concrete commitments.

The NLC has also directed its affiliates, state councils and civil society allies to begin mobilising members for possible nationwide action.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the NLC Acting General Secretary, Benson Upah, expressed disappointment over what he described as the government delegation’s lack of preparedness for the negotiations.

According to the congress, organised labour presented its demands in good faith but left the meeting without any concrete commitments from the government.

The demands include a reduction in petrol prices to 2024 levels, renegotiation of the national minimum wage, implementation of agreed tax relief measures and resolution of the terms of settlement involving the Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU).

The congress also called for the resolution of issues raised by the Joint Public Service Negotiating Council (JPSNC) over peculiar allowances, wage awards and hazard allowances.

The NLC said the government delegation lacked the necessary authority to engage meaningfully on the issues presented by labour representatives.

“The meeting between the Federal Government and organised labour, convened at the Ministry of Labour in Abuja on 22nd October 2026, has ended without resolution,” the statement said.

It added that the Minister of Labour requested that the meeting be adjourned until October 27 to allow the government to prepare adequately for further discussions.

The preparations, according to the statement, would include bringing relevant ministers and heads of departments and agencies to the negotiating table.

The congress said it remained open to dialogue but would not accept continued delays in addressing workers’ concerns.

“We will report back to our organs, and if no meaningful progress is made on Tuesday, the relevant organs of the NLC will decide the next line of action,” it said.

The labour body urged workers and members of the public to remain calm while the negotiations continue, even as it directed its affiliates and allies to prepare for possible industrial action.

“However, we urge all affiliates of NLC and TUC; all state councils and our civil society allies to be alert and start mobilising for a possible action across the nation while we hope that the tenets of our demands are met by the government,” the statement added.

The October 27 meeting is expected to provide another opportunity for both sides to address the outstanding issues and prevent a possible escalation of the dispute.

However, the NLC’s decision to begin mobilisation suggests that tensions could rise if the next round of talks fails to produce meaningful progress.

By Elijah Oguche, Abuja 

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has warned that artificial intelligence (AI)-powered misinformation, deepfake videos and sophisticated cyberattacks could be deployed to manipulate Nigerians ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The Director-General of NITDA, Kashifu Abdullahi, raised the alarm on Wednesday during a press briefing at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on preparations for the International Cybersecurity Conference 2026.

He expressed concern over the growing use of AI to generate convincing but misleading political messages, warning that the trend could undermine public trust, distort information and threaten national cybersecurity.

Abdullahi said cybercriminals were increasingly exploiting human weaknesses through social engineering, rather than relying solely on attacks against computer systems.

“We are in an election period where people are using misinformation everywhere to manipulate. So that’s why we look at it. How can we defend our minds? Because today, as a hacker, it’s easier for me to hack humans than to hack systems,” he said.

According to him, advances in AI have made it easier to produce deceptive audio recordings, videos and online content capable of misleading the public and influencing political decisions.

He warned that Nigerians’ growing reliance on social media for news and information could expose them to coordinated disinformation campaigns, particularly during election periods.

“Imagine someone using AI-generated content, manipulating us, controlling what to see, what to believe, and so on,” he said.

The NITDA chief urged Nigerians to verify information before believing or sharing political messages online, stressing the need for caution in identifying AI-generated content designed to deceive the public.

“Many people today will generate content, will generate political messages using AI. And as we are in an election period, people need to be mindful of what they see, what they believe, and what they share online,” Abdullahi added.

Beyond election-related misinformation, he said AI was reshaping cybercrime by making attacks more sophisticated while also creating opportunities to improve digital security.

He explained that organisations were increasingly deploying AI agents to automate business operations, warning that such systems could become targets for cybercriminals if adequate safeguards were not in place.

“So imagine someone hijacking your AI agent. It’s like someone taking over control of your staff,” he said.

Abdullahi noted that although AI could improve the detection and prevention of cyber threats, criminals could also use the technology to develop more convincing scams and automate malicious activities.

He further stressed the need to address human error, which he identified as a major factor in cybersecurity breaches.

“More than 95 per cent of all cyber breaches are as a result of human error,” he said.

He called on individuals and organisations to strengthen digital literacy, review AI-generated materials before circulating them and ensure that human oversight remained part of their use of the technology.

On the forthcoming conference, Abdullahi disclosed that the event had been upgraded from the National Cybersecurity Conference to an international gathering following growing interest from participants across Africa and beyond.

He said the expansion reflected the cross-border nature of cyber threats and the need for stronger collaboration among governments, businesses and international security organisations.

The conference, themed “Cyber Resilience in the Age of AI: Defending Minds, Networks, and Nations,” will address emerging threats, including deepfakes, cognitive manipulation, cybercrime and attacks on critical infrastructure.

According to him, the event will feature 13 keynote addresses and 16 panel discussions, alongside a cybersecurity hackathon expected to attract about 1,946 participants from secondary schools, tertiary institutions, professional bodies and government agencies.

He identified the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian Communications Commission as principal partners in the conference.

Abdullahi said the gathering would promote collaboration, develop local cybersecurity expertise and strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to anticipate, detect and respond to emerging digital threats.

He also described cybersecurity as essential to the growth of Nigeria’s digital economy, warning that weak security systems could erode public confidence in electronic transactions.

According to him, fears of online fraud already discourage some Nigerians from embracing e-commerce, limiting the benefits of digital business and services.

He urged public and private organisations to invest in cybersecurity, improve their preparedness for security incidents and integrate protective measures into digital infrastructure from the outset.

The NITDA director-general further identified agriculture, financial services, education, healthcare and small businesses as sectors where responsible technology adoption could improve productivity and support economic growth.

He maintained that protecting digital systems and strengthening public trust would be crucial to ensuring that Nigeria benefits from AI-driven innovation without exposing citizens, businesses and critical infrastructure to avoidable risks.