A renowned software developer and a cyber-security specialist, Mr. Chidiebere Divinewill Ihediwa has called for what may be described as knowledge swap among Nigeria’s thousands of educated cyber fraudsters otherwise known as Yahoo Yahoo boys.

The information technology guru stated this during an award ceremony in his honour held at the Police Officers Mess, GRA in Ikeja.

Ihediwa gets Star Award honour

Mr. Ihediwa was honoured with a Star Award in Cyber-Security Development and Data Analysis in Nigeria by an online publication, Cornerstonenews.ng

According to Ihediwa, knowledge can be categorised into two namely positive and negative. He explained that even if there are many educated young men among cyber fraudsters, their inherent knowledge is at variance with the ideal positive knowledge needed for societal development.

Ihediwa advocates knowledge swap for offenders

He has therefore called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to devise a method of re-orientating the educated Yahoo Yahoo boys arrested by the Agency towards becoming information technology specialists rather than allow them to rot away.

The Cyber-security specialist thanked the management of Cornerstone.ng for bringing him to the limelight through the award.

Mr. Ihediwa, accompanied to the award ceremony by his wife, also paid tribute to his parents, who gave him an early opportunity to acquire an education up to the university level where he subsequently studied Computer Science.

In his welcome address, a representative of Cornerstone.ng Mr. Christopher Oji said Ihediwa who was among the nominees for the award late last year, was unavoidably absent at the occasion hence management chose to bestow the honour on him in the new year.

He stated that Mr. Ihediwa rightly deserved the award given his outstanding contributions to software development and information technology in Nigeria generally.

Born on February 16, 1964, at Otulu Amumara, in today’s Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria, Mr. Chidiebere Divinewill Ihediwa has grown to become a renowned computer scientist with a specialisation in software development with a strong bias in cyber-security, following his graduation from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 1985.

Supported by his parents who were professional teachers, he had begun his primary education in his native Mbaise community where he displayed early signs of his future potential.

Interestingly, he received the Federal Government Merit Award for academic excellence while in the university. He was an active participant in various research projects in software development, data analysis, and machine learning, which involved working with datasets to extract meaningful insights or develop predictive models, exploring data visualisation techniques, implementing machine learning algorithms, and analysing large datasets using statistical methods.

With a Master of Computer Science degree majoring in Data Analysis and Big Data from the University of Lagos, Ihediwa became more poised for greater achievements.

His career in the information technology space began in 1986 as a National Youth Service Corp intern at Shell Petroleum Company, one of the largest multinational oil and gas companies, known for its commitment to innovation and technology. Working in the IT department of such a reputable company provided valuable experience and opened doors for him to future opportunities in the industry.

Over the years, he had stints in places like Personal Computers Limited, National Electric Power Authority, NEPA, Mandilas Group Nigeria, an iconic Nigerian brand and conglomerate that operates in various sectors, including real estate, oil and gas, telecommunications, and power and a diverse portfolio of businesses that cater to the needs of the Nigerian market. In 1993 he began working at KPMG Peat Marwick Ani Ogunde, a professional services firm, the numero uno of consulting that combines the expertise of KPMG, Peat Marwick International, and Ani Ogunde & Co. to provide a wide range of services to clients across various industries.

It is imperative to state that the experiences gained at various positions cutting across the oil Industry, government parastatal, private company, multinational conglomerate, financial institutions, and consulting helped to horn his expertise in Information Technology, thus affording him a thorough understanding of both business and technology and creating a mechanism to capture and share these experiences.

Being an outstanding IT expert Mr. Ihediwa displays an unfathomable combination of technical expertise and soft skills which include programming, cyber-security, Machine Learning, and data analysis with Soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, adaptability, time management, and leadership. Besides, he is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional, CISSP, and has CompTIA Security+ certifications. Also a Certified Analytics Professional, CAP, a globally recognised certification offered by the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences, INFORMS. He is a long-time member of the Nigeria Computer Society, NCS, a professional association that represents the interests
of computing professionals and organisations in Nigeria with the sole aim of enhancing professionalism.

Mr. Ihediwa has made remarkable contributions to the development of cyber-security, Data Analysis, Big Data, and Machine Learning etc. practices in Nigeria. His expertise has been instrumental in helping organizations across various sectors protect their digital assets from cyber threats and gain a better understanding of business processes. The reputation is achieved by providing consulting services to numerous government agencies, financial institutions, telecommunications companies, and other organisations in Nigeria. These have unarguably helped these organisations identify vulnerabilities, implement robust security measures, and develop incident response plans.

It is without doubt that Mr. Ihediwa has proven himself an exceptionally outstanding cyber-security expert who has made substantial contributions to the field in Nigeria. He is passionate about his corporate and social responsibilities, and one of the primary ways is through free training initiatives aimed at enhancing the skill sets and knowledge bases of both employees and the broader community. Besides, he is providing training in cutting-edge programming languages for the university community especially youths through his “Catch Them Young” initiative.