As Nigeria records an increasing trend in cyber-related crimes in various facets of the economy, a security analyst and consultant; Mr. Matthew Ibadin has called for urgent upscale of cyber-security measures put in place by the government to checkmate incidence of cyber-attacks that could compromise national security, National Association of Online Security News Publishers, NAOSNP can report.

In a paper presented on Wednesday at the 2024 Annual Security Conference of the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP) which held at the high brow Oriental Hotels, Lagos, Ibadin who spoke on the theme “Connecting the Dot Between Identity Tracking and National Security,” observed among other things that Nigeria has a culture of inconsistent identity tracking or outdated system.

This, according to him “creates gaps in our security framework and enables criminals, terrorists, and fraudsters to exploit the system. These bad actors use false identities to engage in illicit activities, undermining our national security and threatening the safety of our citizens.” He revealed that cybercriminals have stolen millions of identities globally, using them to fund activities like terrorism and other organized crimes.

Explaining his position and drawing some inference from Alex Hormozi’s principles on scalable success in business, Ibadin who is currently undergoing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme in Policy and Strategic Studies at the University of Abuja, declared that for Nigeria to meet up with the global standard, “we must apply the same clarity, urgency, and scalability to our national security systems. Just as businesses need structured processes to grow, our nation needs robust identity- tracking systems to protect its citizens from evolving threats.”

With his disclosure that cybercriminals have stolen millions of identities globally and used them to fund some heinous activities, he contended that “we cannot afford to ignore these risks. However, when we connect the dots between identity tracking and national security, we create a system where every individual is accounted for, every transaction is verified, and potential threats are neutralized before they escalate. This is the foundation of a secure nation,” he emphasized.

While harping on the urgency to address this issue, he noted that “every day we delay integrating advanced identity-tracking systems, we expose ourselves to threats we cannot afford. Identity theft, cyber-attacks and transnational crimes are growing rapidly, and their impacts are no longer just financial—they are existential.”

Like Alex Hormozi, highlights in his business principles, the security consultant would want to remind our leaders that urgency drives action. “We must adopt the same mindset for our national security. The threats are not coming tomorrow; they are already here today. If we fail to act now, the consequences could be irreversible.”

In urging for urgency in the upscale of our established cyber-security measures, Matthew Ibadin has reminded our policy makers of the need for scalability by creating systems that grow and adapt to new challenges. He argued that National security is no different as we need identity-tracking systems that can handle millions of data points and adapt as threats evolve.

He insisted that by implementing scalable technologies like biometrics, block-chain, and artificial intelligence, we can create a national security system capable of tracking and verifying identities in real time. These technologies can be applied across sectors like airports, financial institutions, and government agencies—ensuring that bad actors cannot exploit vulnerabilities. “Our identity-tracking systems must be built for scale, just like any successful business,” he added.

Mr. Ibadin who holds three Master of Science degrees in different areas of security from the University of Lagos and Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) with several certifications in security, stated that “by connecting identity tracking with national security, we offer a clear and compelling value proposition, a safer, more secure Nigeria” adding that “robust identity-tracking systems can prevent fraud, deter terrorism, and reduce crime, creating an environment where businesses can thrive and citizens feel protected. The economic benefits of national security cannot be overstated,’ he declared.

The one day conference was well attended by dignitaries from various walks of life and they included the Honourable Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; Assistant Inspector General of Police, in charge of Zone 2, AIG Fayoade Adegoke; Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Ishola Olanrewaju; Board Member of Lagos State Security Trust Fund, LSSTF, Dr. Ayo Ogunsan; Corps Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC ably represented by Assistant Corps Marshal, ACM Adeoye Irelewuyi; Chairman of EFCC ably represented by Deputy Director, Mr. Wole Ayo; Chairman of Ovation Media Group, Aare Dele Momodu; Executive Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, Mayor Hon. Dele Oshinowo; and many others in attendance. One of the highlights of the annual conference was an award presentation by NAOSNP to Mr. Matthew Ibadin for his contributions in the security space.

The Honourable Minister of State for Police Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, has hosted the students of Police Day Secondary School, Area 11, at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, in celebration of the 2024 International Day of the Girl-Child, during which time she momemtarily vacated her seat for a JSS 1 student, Ehis Linus.

Her actions were geared towards proving young girls’ limitless potential to lead and shape the future, according to a statement by the Deputy Director, Press and Information, Mr Bolaji Kazeem, and made available to the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP).

The students were led on the visit by their Commandant, DSP Mariam Damilola Yusuf.

The Minister of State highlighted the importance of empowering young women by ensuring their good education counselling, and safety as well as active participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. She reaffirmed her dedication to fostering an inclusive environment where every girl child can realize her fullpotential and contribute meaningfully to national development. Imaan encouraged the students to be serious about their education, increase their imagination, and creativity, and improve on their can-do attitude as well as think big toward the future.

In her words, “The ongoing RenewedHope Police Reforms within the primary and secondary schools in the policeecosystem is a strong commitment of the government to drive excellence in thepolice institutions and make them a choice school in the country.

The Minister added that through dialogue and encouragement, the event served as a powerful reminder of the need to invest in the growth and empowerment of the next generation of female leaders. As a special part of the celebration, one of the students Ehi Linus was allowed to temporarily assume the Honourable Minister role, symbolizing young girls’ limitless potential to lead and shape the future.

By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends,

One of the fastest ways of making a headway in life is having the right attitude. A right attitude is priceless, and grants easy access to and from people. This is in clear contrast with a nasty attitude, which attracts distaste and repulsion.

Attitude permeates relationships with fellow human beings at work, school or public spaces. People can literally see our personalities, mindsets, behaviors through our attitudes.

As a Human Capacity coach, one of the qualities I look for in any person is attitude. When you show an attitude that portrays allegiance to money as opposed to learning, your potential of going far in life will be limited. You luterally show you don’t have the capacity to be loyal when the chips are down.

While exhibiting the right attitude, theee is the possibility of everyone not agreeing with you, however, it is advisable not to burn bridges because you never know when you will need them. You can only do this when you have the right attitude to life.

The right attitude is a currency just like relationships, network, social media and value though a lot of people fail ro realiae the fact. In my relationship with the high and mighty in society and men of influence and affluence, I have seen how they perceive and interpret certain acts. What ordinarily might not amount to anything from an uninformed mind might be the icing on the cake for the great man. For instance, if a resourceful person asks you to do a job, it will be wise to do it for free. Resist the temptation to ask for money.

That’s a great way of marketing yourself to the person involved. If they appreciate your work, you might be surprised to get a good opportunity that catapults you to unimaginable heights.

Also, if the great man asks you to do some work, instead of saying, this is an opportunity to make some cool cash, consider doing the work with the least cost just to make him a potential client. I recently met a young man online who is good with YouTube videos, I asked him if he could cut a video for me, the amount he called was on the high side.

Be advised, I know value has to be appreciated. What this young man didn’t know was that I was testing his attitude with the hope of working with him, but quite unfortunately he failed the test. I had to devise an alternative means to get it done for free.

This is why mentorship is very important. When you have good mentors, they will advise you to think and serve in the right manner. Most young people always operate from a lack mindset. They want to eat their cakes and have it. They fail to understand that there’s seed time and harvest time.

In my relationship with some of my mentors, I have bought nice perfumes, shoes, and luxury gifts to them in appreciation of their kind counsel. What’s important here is not necessarily the amount per se, but the mindset and attitude. Be advised, I didn’t ask for money. I had to show them via my mindset, I’m not a burden so they can feel comfortable relating with me.

As a matter of fact, one of my mentors once said to me, I give him more money than he gives him. When you juxtapose this with contemporary youths, most of them are merely concerned about what they can get as opposed to what they can learn.

It’s instructive to note that it is your attitude and not your aptitude that will determine your altitude. With the right attitude, people will see through your thought process and mindset. My late mother will always say, when someone is talking, look beyond their words and focus on what’s inside their heart/mind. It’s just like communication, your focus is not on what’s being said, but on what is not being said.

One a personal note, I have learnt to study the attitude and mindset of many of my mentors, elders, friends, mentees, and strangers and this helped me a lot to relate with them differently. When you know how people behave, it will be easy to work with them. Sometimes, some people wonder how I relate smoothly with people and get things done, it’s simply a matter of attitude. One of my mentors once said, a general doesn’t fight many wars at the same time, a wise general selects his battles. That’s having the right attitude and perspective to life.

To understand how attitude works. There was a young boy who behaved badly, and his grandfather, an elderly, wise pastor, attempted to counsel him. The Pastor said, it’s as if we have two lions inside of us. One is good and the other is bad, and they both demand our obedience to them. The boy responded, which one wins? The Pastor said, the one fed. What’s the moral here? In the journey of life, it is what we feed that grows. If you feed a lion, a lion will grow into a deadly beast. If you take care of a woman, she’s likely to act soft towards you all things being equal. In the same vein, when an evil desire demands to be fed, we must say no. This is true because what we feed ultimately controls us.

The interesting facts about this Pastor and young man are centered on perspectives. It is how you see life that life will unfold to you. When some people fail in life, while positive minds will see it as an experience in which they hope to learn something from it, negative people see it as failure which has limited them from moving to the next stage in life. Again, while some people experience pain differently, some others react negatively to pain and this in turn hurts them more.

In conclusion, I don’t know what your experience is, nor do I know what you are going through, but one thing I can guarantee you is that, when you have a great attitude, your disposition will surely change. You’ll go far in life when you have a nice attitude.

Today, I charge you to learn how to relate with people with the right mindset and see how your life will unfold for good. I will conclude with the words of Maya Angelou; “People may forget what you say, people may forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel” The only way to make people feel good is by having the right attitude.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator.  He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer and author of Design Your Destiny Design Your  and Unleash Your Destiny .  He can be reached via info@gloemi.com