In a bid to rescue Nigeria from its economic challenges, Wellspring Consulting advocates for significant investments in cybersecurity, envisioning Nigeria as a leading exporter of cybersecurity experts.

Omowunmi Oyetibo, Head of Operations at Wellspring Consulting, emphasized the urgent need for collaboration between the government, private sector, and individuals to bolster the nation's cybersecurity workforce. Oyetibo highlighted the firm's expertise in training cybersecurity professionals, offering promising career prospects in the rapidly evolving tech industry, both domestically and internationally.

Notably, Wellspring Consulting plans to forge partnerships with organizations to sponsor aspiring Nigerian youths, particularly women, in pursuing cybersecurity careers.

By providing training and globally recognized certifications, the firm aims to address the critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals in Nigeria, tapping into the lucrative global demand for such expertise.

Oyetibo underscored the immense potential of cybersecurity investment, affirming its capacity to yield substantial returns for Nigeria's economy.

Gunmen struck the Bmuko Community in the Dutse Baupma area of the Bwari Area Council, Abuja, on Monday night, abducting four residents in the latest incident of violence to rock the area.

According to a resident named Isah, the assailants, numbering more than 30, arrived around 11:50 pm and targeted the home of a man named Patrick, whose wife and brother were among those taken.

The community has been plagued by similar attacks in recent months, including the abduction of 22 individuals in January and the tragic killing of a university student.

Isah recounted the harrowing experience of the latest abduction, with gunmen dividing into groups and terrorizing different parts of the community. Despite efforts by security forces, including soldiers and police, to locate the victims, their whereabouts remain unknown.

The community's leader expressed frustration over the lack of a permanent police presence in the area, emphasizing the urgent need for enhanced security measures. Efforts to reach the FCT Police Public Relations Officer for confirmation were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Hamas Brigade al-Qassam have reported multiple incidents in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

According to IDF reports:

1. Overnight, two anti-tank missiles were fired toward the Dovev area, falling in open areas without causing injuries or damage. The IDF retaliated by striking the sources of fire.

2. IDF fighter jets targeted Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon, specifically in the areas of Kfarkela and Khiam.

3. The IDF conducted airstrikes on operational tunnel shafts, an anti-tank missile launch post, and terror infrastructure responsible for launching toward Sderot. Additionally, the IDF continued operating in central Gaza, striking terror targets including a terrorist cell and weapons storage facility.

4. Launches were identified crossing from Lebanon into northern Israel, causing damage but no injuries. The IDF responded by striking the sources of fire and targeting Hezbollah military structures in southern Lebanon.

Hamas Brigade al-Qassam's reports include:

1. A statement from Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq emphasizing unity against the "Zionist entity" and commemorating a Turkish martyr.

2. The claim that the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted and destroyed an Israeli Merkava tank attacking Palestinian villages near the Metulla site.

3. The targeting of an Israeli "radar" site in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms by the resistance in Lebanon.

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian missile kills three in Ukrainian port of Odesa

A Russian missile attack killed three people and injured three others in the Ukrainian port of Odesa early on Wednesday, regional Governor Oleh Kiper said.

Kiper, writing on the Telegram messaging app, said the attack damaged civilian infrastructure.

He said the strike was carried out by a ballistic missile, but provided no further details.

Kiper and Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov had reported a series of loud explosions.

Reuters could not independently confirm the accounts. Russia says it does not deliberately target civilians.

On Monday, a Russian missile struck an educational institution in the city, killing five people.

Odesa has been a frequent target of Russian forces in the more than two-year-old war, with many attacks aimed at the city's port facilities.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

One woman killed, another one wounded in Ukraine’s shelling of Kursk Region village

A woman was killed and another one was wounded as a result of Ukraine’s shelling attack on the village of Kozino in Russia’s Kursk Region bordering Ukraine, the region’s governor, Roman Starovoit, said.

"Today, the village of Kozino came under shelling by Ukrainian troops gain. Two women received wounds. One of them died instantly, the other one was taken to hospital," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

According to Starovoit, two civilians were wounded in the shelling attack on the village in the morning.

Reuters/Tass

One common type of good boss really sticks out from the rest, says workplace culture expert Tom Gimbel: the people person.

Traditionally, good bosses have skills in areas like time management, constructive criticism and simply being able to help co-workers through day-to-day tasks. A "people person" additionally uses soft skills like communication, empathy and compassion to strengthen their rapport with their employees and foster a workplace culture that people actually want to be a part of, says Gimbel, the CEO of Chicago-based employment agency LaSalle Network.

"The more authentic you are, the more people are going to connect with you and enjoy your company," Gimbel tells CNBC Make It.

This workplace trait isn't just for bosses. Anyone can tap into their people skills to establish relationships, improve teamwork and boost workplace morale — all of which can help you climb the career ladder.

Here's how you, too, can become a "people person" at work, experts say.

Be comical — only if you're actually funny

Some people use humor to connect with others. The key at work, says Gimbel: Don't force it.

"Humor is a great connector of people of different backgrounds," he says. "The art of being funny in a business setting is probably a bigger challenge [now] than ever before. But if done correctly, and done well, it can be a great unifier for a culture."

Sometimes, the bosses you see on television — like Michael Scott from NBC's "The Office," or Ava Coleman from ABC's "Abbott Elementary" — crack jokes that make their colleagues feel uncomfortable. In real life, that usually backfires, Gimbel says.

Instead, you could add a note of levity at work by telling a relatable story, making a lighthearted joke or even something more subtle like a chuckle-worthy email signature or displaying a "joke of the day" on your desk.

"Authenticity is really the key, because humor usually derives from real-life situations," says Gimbel. "So when you share a story about how your car broke down, and when you got out to change the tire, you got splashed by water or something, that's a funny story."

Sharing stories with the people around you shows that you want to build a relationship with them, and reminds them that they can "laugh a little bit and enjoy our work," Gimbel adds.

Show up, even when you aren't required to

Just being present can often speak louder than words: Employees appreciate bosses who make an effort to be there, workplace culture expert Bonnie Low-Kramen told Make It last year.

Often, showing up only takes an investment of your time. You could make an effort to contribute ideas in team meetings, help your colleagues with tasks you know they don't enjoy, set up coffee chats to get to know your peers or raise your hand for upcoming assignments and responsibilities.

Being present lets people know that you care enough about them to make yourself available, even when you don't have to. In other words, it's an element of being a people person.

Professionals who make themselves visible in this way "really show what they're made of," Low-Kramen said.

Put yourself in someone else's shoes

Your colleagues will find you more reliable and relatable when you're kind and empathetic to them.

That's especially true for managers — and future managers — according to a 2020 Gallup survey, which found that workers have "four universal needs" when it comes to their bosses: trust, compassion, stability and hope.

During your next conversation or interaction with a co-worker, ask for their opinion or pose an open-ended question like "How was your vacation?" or "Are you working on any exciting projects?"

Then, pay attention to their answer. "Listen both for the words being said and the feeling behind them," psychologist Daniel Goleman wrote in a 2017 LinkedIn post. "Respond accordingly, with a sign that you understand, or offer a helpful comment."

"Over time, exercising your curiosity and listening closely to others will help you sense more accurately how others think and feel" and cultivate relationships with them, Goleman added.

CNBC

In a circular issued on Monday by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the deregulation of meter prices under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme for end-user customers has been announced. This move, effective May 1, entails determining meter prices through competitive bidding processes, providing customers with a choice of authorized vendors.

Previously, in September 2023, NERC approved price increases for single-phase and three-phase electricity meters. However, under the new directive, all meter prices will be subject to competitive bidding to adapt to changes in macroeconomic parameters, particularly exchange rates.

NERC emphasized the need for efficient pricing to enable end-users to acquire meters from MAPs of their choice based on competitive open market prices established through transparent bidding frameworks.

Furthermore, all MAP permit holders are now permitted to provide services and transact for meter provision and metering services with any Electricity Distribution Company (DisCo) in Nigeria, subject to compliance with specific DisCo requirements.

NERC has mandated that all DisCos ensure the effective integration of smart meters deployed by MAPs with DisCo head-end systems and meter data management systems to ensure seamless operations.

Following a directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), four Nigerian fintech companies, Opay and Moniepoint, Palmpay, and Kuda have suspended the enrollment of new customers.

An official from one of the fintech firms, speaking anonymously, confirmed compliance with the directive. Another fintech official suggested the directive is linked to foreign exchange (FX) transactions, an area unrelated to their business. Attempting to open a new account with one of the fintech platforms resulted in a message indicating inability to complete the process.

This development coincides with CBN’s efforts to combat illicit foreign exchange transactions, including those involving cryptocurrency exchanges like Binance.

CBN Governor Olayemi Cardoso disclosed that $26 billion flowed through Binance Nigeria from unidentified sources in one year, prompting collaborative efforts with various agencies to address illicit financial flows.

On April 23, the EFCC announced the freezing of over 300 accounts linked to illicit FX trading, with a federal high court in Abuja granting an interim order to freeze 1,146 bank accounts, predominantly operated by commercial banks, along with some fintechs, over unauthorized FX transactions.

Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has declared a new minimum wage of N70,000 for civil servants in the state. This is a 133 percent increase on the current national minimum wage of N30,000.

The announcement was made during the inauguration of the Labour House, which has been named after Adams Oshiomhole, the Senator representing Edo North and former governor of the state.

Effective from May 1, 2024, the new minimum wage regime aims to alleviate the financial burden on workers. This decision follows the persistent advocacy by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) for improved wages nationwide.

The economic challenges exacerbated by recent economic policies of the federal government, including the removal of petrol subsidy and forex unification in 2023, have heightened the need for enhanced wages. Despite the national minimum wage being set at N30,000 since April 18, 2019, it has been widely criticized as insufficient in light of current economic realities.

Obaseki's initiative to raise the minimum wage in Edo State signifies a proactive step towards addressing the financial well-being of civil servants.

A recent study has unveiled that Nigeria has lost a staggering 17,400 km² of forest cover between 2000 and 2020 due to deforestation. This area is equivalent to the combined size of Lagos (3,577 km²), Enugu (7,161 km²), and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) (7,315 km²).

The study, presented by Aliyu Salisu Barau, a professor and Dean of the Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Bayero University Kano, during the Final Workshop of a Research Project on "Improving Access to Clean and Modern Energy for Cooking while Reducing Land Degradation and Biodiversity Loss in Nigeria," highlighted the alarming rate at which Nigeria is losing both animal and plant species in its forests.

Conducted in collaboration with Bayero University Kano (BUK), University of York, and University College London, the research project spanned three years and focused on major deforestation hotspots for wood fuel and charcoal production in Kaduna, Nasarawa, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Barau emphasized the significance of the findings, noting that the forest loss in the studied areas is approximately five times the size of Lagos State. This aligns with UN estimates ranking Nigeria among the top three countries with the highest rates of deforestation.

The study also revealed that a vast majority (94.4%) of households in the two states and rural and semi-urban parts of the FCT rely on fuelwood or charcoal for cooking. Encouragingly, 95.8% of respondents expressed willingness to transition to cleaner fuels if they were available and affordable.

Barau underscored the importance of considering the perspectives of local communities in conservation efforts, warning that neglecting their needs could have dire consequences for Nigeria's ecological integrity and overall well-being.

Israeli strikes kill at least 40 Palestinians in Gaza, as ceasefire talks begin

Israeli airstrikes killed dozens of Palestinians on Monday as Hamas leaders visited Cairo for a new round of truce talks, with more than half the dead in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which foreign leaders have urged Israel not to invade.

Hours after the strikes on Rafah, where almost half of Gaza's 2.3 million population have sought refuge from months of Israeli bombardment, Egypt's state-affiliated television said the Hamas delegation left Cairo for Doha and would return at an unspecified later date with a written response to the ceasefire proposal.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to swiftly accept what he called an "extraordinarily generous" Israeli proposal for a truce in the Gaza war and the release of Israeli hostages held by the Palestinian militant group.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi spoke by phone to discuss developments in negotiations regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and dangers of military escalation.

Bombs hit three houses in Rafah on Monday. And in Gaza City, in the north of the strip, Israeli warplanes struck two houses, killing at least six people and wounding several others, health officials said.

With nightfall, an Israeli air strike on a house in the Al-Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza killed three Palestinians, including a journalist, medics and Hamas media said. Six other people were killed in other central Gaza areas in separate Israeli air strikes, they added.

Israel's military on Monday said two soldiers were killed in central Gaza on Sunday.

The armed wing of the Hamas-allied Islamic Jihad said it fired rockets into Israel on Monday, signaling the group was still able to launch rocket attacks after nearly seven months of the Israeli air and ground offensive.

Asked about the Rafah strikes, an Israeli military (IDF) spokesperson said fighter jets had "struck terror targets where terrorists were operating within a civilian area in southern Gaza," declining to give details.

At a Rafah hospital, relatives of those killed in the strikes came to take the bodies away for burial. Women and men cried as they paid farewell to slain relatives wrapped in white and black shrouds.

'THEY'RE ALL GONE'

"His name is Deif-Allah (meaning guest in Arabic) and he was indeed a guest. He came as a guest after (his parents) longed for (him) for so long, after 10 years," said Abu Taha, holding the body of his baby boy.

"Ten people (were killed), the mother, her daughter, her granddaughters, her grandson, her son-in-law, their daughters and relatives, everyone. They're all gone, all 10 of them."

Speaking on Monday at a World Economic Forum meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said Egypt was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and the release of hostages, but awaiting responses from Israel and Hamas.

"We are hopeful the proposal has taken into account the positions of both sides, has tried to extract moderation from both sides, and we are waiting to have a final decision," Shoukry said.

A Palestinian official close to mediation efforts told Reuters: "Things look better this time," but declined to say whether an agreement was imminent.

Israel's military operation to eradicate Hamas has killed 34,488 Palestinians and wounded 77,643, according to Gaza's health authorities. It has displaced most of the Palestinian enclave's 2.3 million people and laid much of the area to waste.

The campaign was triggered by the Oct. 7 attack on Israel in which militants killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

'PERIOD OF SUSTAINED CALM'

An assault on Rafah, which Israel says is the last Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip, has been anticipated for weeks. Foreign governments and the United Nations have expressed concern that such action could result in a humanitarian disaster given the number of displaced people crammed into the area.

Two Hamas officials who spoke to Reuters did not disclose details of the latest proposals, but a source briefed on the talks told Reuters Hamas was expected to respond to Israel’s latest truce proposal delivered on Saturday.

The source said this included an agreement to accept the release of fewer than 40 hostages in exchange for releasing Palestinians from Israeli jails, and to a second phase of a truce that includes a "period of sustained calm" - Israel’s compromise response to a Hamas demand for an end to the war.

After the first phase, Israel would allow free movement between south and north Gaza and a partial withdrawal of its troops, the source said.

In Tel Aviv, the families of two Israeli hostages who appeared in a video issued by Hamas over the weekend held a press conference, calling for an immediate deal that would secure the release of some 130 hostages still held.

"I want to ask everyone to stop the talking and start the actions. We are losing people that are alive now and there is no time to waste," said Elan Siegel, daughter of Keith Siegel, a 64-year-old dual U.S. citizen taken captive with his wife Aviva, who was released during a brief November truce.

A senior Hamas official told Reuters the Monday talks in Cairo would take place between the Hamas delegation and Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

"Hamas has some questions and inquiries over the Israeli response to its proposal, which the movement received from mediators on Friday," the official told Reuters.

Those comments suggested Hamas might not hand an instant response to mediators over Israel's latest proposal.

Reuters