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The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has confirmed that its website has been compromised, as cyberattacks targeting public institutions in Nigeria continue to rise. In a statement on its X handle on Wednesday night, the NBS announced, “ This is to inform the public that the NBS website has been hacked, and we are working to recover it. Please disregard any messages or reports posted until the website is fully restored. Thank you.” Checks on the NBS website at 9:45 p.m. revealed a nearly blank page displaying the message, “ Page Hacked .” This incident is part of a growing trend of cyber breaches targeting government websites. In March, a significant breach was reported when FIJ revealed that the private website XpressVerify.com had access to the National Identification Numbers (NINs) and personal details of registered Nigerians. To combat these persistent threats, the federal government has issued over 30 cyberattack advisories in the past year. Check Point Software Technologies, a cybersecurity firm, highlighted the increasing frequency of attacks, placing Nigeria 19th globally for cyber threats in July 2024. The firm also reported that government agencies in the country face an average of 1,791 cyberattacks weekly.The Nigerian Stock Exchange closed with a market capitalisation of N59.7tn on Wednesday, reflecting a gain of N184bn in total market value. In terms of market indices, the All-Share Index gained 0.31 per cent, closing at 98,509.68 points. The ASI has recorded a one-week gain of 0.34 per cent, a four-week gain of 1.12 per cent, and a year-to-date gain of 31.74 per cent. The trading session saw a total of 320,101,766 shares traded in 7,943 deals, with a market turnover of N6.48 bn. Compared to the previous trading day, the day’s data showed a 66 per cent decline in volume, a 49 per cent decrease in turnover, and a 13 per cent reduction in the number of deals. Among the top gainers, Conoil, Africa Prudential, and RT Briscoe led with a 10 per cent increase in their share prices, closing at N352.00, N14.30, and N2.42, respectively. Golden Guinea Breweries saw a 9.95 per cent increase, closing at N7.18. Other notable gainers included NEM Insurance (+9.74 per cent), closing at N10.70, and Tantaliser (+9.59 per cent), closing at N1.60. Related News Equity market reverses gain with N63bn loss Equity market gains N319bn in one week Sovereign Insurance, others drag equity market to N19bn loss On the losing side, Julius Berger Nigeria recorded a 10 per cent decrease, closing at N155.25 per share, followed by Secure Electronic Technology with a 9.52 per cent decline, closing at N0.57. Multiverse Mining & Exploration fell by 7.63 per cent, closing at N5.45, and Haldane McCall saw a 6.07 per cent decrease, closing at N4.95. Other losers included Honeywell Flour Mills, which fell by 5.62 per cent, closing at N4.70, and Livestock Feeds, which declined by 5.59 per cent, closing at N3.21. E-Tranzact International recorded the highest volume with 70.3 million shares traded, followed by Universal Insurance Company (23.8m), Zenith Bank (21.2m), and FBN Holdings (18.6m). Other notable sectoral performances included the Oil & Gas Index, which gained 2.59 per cent, closing at 456.63 points; the Insurance Index, which rose by 2.34 per cent, closing at 210.35 points; and the Main Board Index, which increased by 0.42 per cent, closing at 1,546.56 points. On Tuesday, the Nigerian Exchange closed on a positive note, with market capitalisation rising by N61bn to close at N59.53tn. The All-Share Index gained 0.10 per cent, settling at 98,206.97 points, up from the previous close of 98,107.52 points.
The Aurora City Council on Tuesday night approved a roughly $660,000 project to renovate the fourth floor of Aurora City Hall that would bring together the city’s full Finance Department on one floor. The item was passed as part of the consent agenda, so the item was not discussed at Tuesday’s meeting. A $659,674 contract with a 10% contingency was awarded to Lite Construction Inc, the lowest responsible bidder, for the construction work. At a City Council I nfrastructure and Technology Committee meeting last week, Aurora Chief Public Facilities Officer Jim Birchall said the renovation would “demo everything” on the fourth floor and rebuild from a “clean envelope,” including bringing in completely new furniture, redoing the bathrooms and upgrading the lighting to LEDs. The Finance Department’s current offices, most of which are on the first floor of City Hall, are “antiquated, with awkward allocation of space, and inadequate infrastructure” to meet the city’s needs, according to a staff report included with the City Council’s meeting agenda. The fourth floor’s offices are also currently “hodgepodge,” with some being too big and some being too small, so the plan is to take down the walls and build back up six private offices and 14 cubicles, Birchall said at the time. The bathrooms on the fourth floor will also be remodeled, and the bathrooms on the third and fifth floors will be brought up to the current building code, which requires floor drains. The heating and cooling system would be controlled by a rooftop unit dedicated to the fourth and fifth floors, so the temperature could be adjusted down when people are not in the offices to avoid heating a vacant space, Birchall previously said. The city is currently working with Lite Construction on a different project, the renovation of 745 Broadway, according to Birchall. Although they aren’t too deep into the project, he is happy with the work they are doing, he said last week. Also, when they checked Lite’s references, some architecture firms that have worked with them in the past have been “very, very happy with them,” Birchall said at the time. The staff report from the City Council meeting agenda said the empty space on the first floor left when the Finance Department moves out can be repurposed or combined with the city clerk’s office. rsmith@chicagotribune.comCowboys win wild one vs. Commanders to halt five-game slideNoneNone
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