Participants at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) stakeholder forum on the study of the level of competition in the voice and data segment of the Nigerian telecommunications Industry in Lagos State recently.
Author: Elvis Eromosele
By Ishola N. Ayodele Long before sunrise in Lagos (The Commercial nerve centre of Nigeria), sachet water manufacturing plants come alive. Generators hum, machines roar into motion, and production begins in earnest. This is not casual trading; it is organised manufacturing driven by schedules, regulations, labour coordination, and power supply. Survival here is engineered, not improvised. It was into this structured yet pressured environment that a notice arrived from a sachet water manufacturers’ association. Drafted by a lawyer and issued with formal authority, the message was intended to provide operational direction during a sensitive period. Instead, it created widespread confusion.…
Abdul Samad Rabiu, BUA Group Chairman, has reaffirmed his pledge to reward Nigeria’s Super Eagles with $500,000, despite the team’s 4-2 penalty shootout defeat to Morocco in the Africa Cup of Nations semi-final. Rabiu made the pledge on Wednesday night shortly after the dramatic encounter, which ended Nigeria’s quest for a place in the final and sent Morocco through to their first AFCON final in 50 years. In a message posted on X, the billionaire industrialist praised the Super Eagles for their courage and commitment throughout the tournament. “You fought with your hearts, gave your all, and showed true…
Nigeria’s prison population grew by 11,764 inmates between 2017 and the second quarter of 2025, exacerbating overcrowding and straining correctional facilities nationwide, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The report shows total inmate numbers rising from 69,946 in 2017 to 81,710 in Q2 2025, a 16.8 per cent increase, while official prison capacity expanded from 53,752 to 65,035, leaving many facilities still stretched beyond limits. A major contributor is the high number of awaiting-trial inmates, which rose from 47,610 in 2017 to 53,790 in 2025, highlighting slow judicial processes, court congestion, and limited access to legal representation.…
The Federal Government has reached a renegotiated agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), securing a landmark 40 per cent pay increase and introducing a new professorial allowance for university academics. The move aims to boost staff morale, improve productivity, and strengthen Nigeria’s public university system. The agreement was unveiled on Wednesday in Abuja by Dr. Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education. It comes after decades of unresolved wage disputes, welfare gaps, and recurring industrial actions that have disrupted academic activities across federal universities. Dr. Alausa said President Bola Tinubu personally intervened to resolve long-standing disputes that have…
At a time when Nigeria is grappling with deepening insecurity, collapsing public trust, and severe fiscal strain, the Federal Government’s decision to spend $750,000 every month on a U.S. lobbying firm to counter “Christian genocide” claims raises troubling questions about priorities, optics, and effectiveness. Rather than confront insecurity at home with decisive action, Abuja appears to have chosen an expensive public relations battle abroad, one that risks reinforcing the very narratives it seeks to discredit. According to Africa Confidential, the government hired DCI Group, a Republican-linked lobbying firm, to shape opinion within conservative and evangelical circles close to U.S.…
The Lagos State Government has announced plans to introduce electric-powered boats into the Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY) fleet in 2026, a move aimed at reducing ferry fares and easing transportation costs for commuters. Hon. Abdoulbaq Ladi-Balogun, Managing Director of LAGFERRY, disclosed this in a statement shared on the Lagos State Government’s official X account on Wednesday. According to him, the initiative is part of the state’s broader strategy to provide affordable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly water transportation while addressing rising transport costs and traffic congestion in the city. Balogun explained that electric-powered vessels have significantly lower operating and maintenance…
Paystack, Stripe-owned Nigerian fintech company, has officially entered Nigeria’s banking space following its acquisition of Ladder Microfinance Bank, marking a major expansion from payments into full-service financial offerings. The company announced on Wednesday the launch of Paystack Microfinance Bank nearly ten years after it began operations in Nigeria. Paystack said the new microfinance bank will operate as a separate entity from Paystack Payments Limited, with its own banking licence, governance structure, and product roadmap, while maintaining close collaboration with the core payments business. The move comes barely a week after another major Nigerian fintech, Flutterwave, acquired open banking startup Mono,…
The Federal Government has hired a United States-based lobbying firm in a $9 million contract to communicate its efforts at protecting Christian communities in Nigeria to the U.S. government. Documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice show that Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, engaged DCI Group on behalf of Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. DCI Group is a Washington-based public affairs and lobbying firm. The agreement, signed on December 17, 2025, was executed by Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, Managing Partner of Aster Legal, and Justin Peterson, Managing Member of DCI Group. According to the contract, DCI Group…
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has announced January 26, 2026, as the official start date for registration for the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) and Direct Entry (DE) admissions into Nigerian universities, polytechnics and colleges of education for the 2026/2027 academic session. The board also released a detailed timetable covering E-PIN sales, registration windows, mock exams and the main UTME. UTME Registration Timeline UTME E-PIN sales begin: January 19, 2026 UTME registration period: January 26 – February 28, 2026 Mock UTME: March 28, 2026 (optional) Main UTME examination: April 16 – April 25, 2026 Candidates must obtain…