Communication

NCC Orders Telcos to Effect Twitter Ban
Communication, News, Nigeria, Press Statement, Youths

NCC Orders Telcos to Effect Twitter Ban

Telecoms operators said they have received instructions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to effect suspension of services of micro blogging platform Twitter. The carriers, acting under the aegis of Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), said they have conducted assessment of the request according to international best practices. Its Chairman, Gbenga Adebayo, in a statement, said: “We, the Association of Licensed Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) wish to confirm that our members have received formal instructions from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the industry regulator to suspend access to Twitter. “ALTON has conducted a robust assessment of the request in accordance with internationally accepted principles. “Ba...
FG Suspends Twitter Operations in Nigeria
Communication, News, Nigeria, Press Statement

FG Suspends Twitter Operations in Nigeria

The Federal Government has suspended indefinitely the operations of the micro blogging and social networking service, Twitter in Nigeria. Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed announced the suspension in a statement in Abuja on Friday. The Minister cited the persistent use of the platform for activities capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence. He said the Federal Government had also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in the country. The statement was released by Mr Segun Adeyemi, Special Assistant to the President (Media) Office of the Minister. (NAN)  
Nigerians to Submit Phone IDs from July – NCC
Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Nigerians to Submit Phone IDs from July – NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has announced that Nigerians will be required to submit the International Mobile Equipment Identity, IMEI, of their mobile phones to the regulatory body with effect from July. This was contained in the commission’s Revised National Identity Policy for SIM Card Registration. The decision of the regulatory body to commence the implementation of the Device Management System (a Centralised Equipment Identity Register) is approved by President Muhammadu Buhari. The NCC said, “With the aim to curtail the counterfeit mobile phone market, discourage mobile phone theft, enhance National Security, protect consumer interest, increase revenue generation for the government, reduce the rate of kidnapping, mitigate the use of stolen phones for crime, ...
Twitter Favours Nigeria, Turkey to Test Voice Messaging Feature
Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

Twitter Favours Nigeria, Turkey to Test Voice Messaging Feature

A popular social messaging platform, Twitter, has added a voice messaging feature to its offerings, choosing Nigeria and Turkey as choice pioneer countries to experiment it before rolling it out globally. The choice of Nigeria is speculated to be connected to the huge subscription it enjoys from Nigeria. Statistics suggest over 7 million Nigerians use Twitter. The voice messaging feature will afford users a limit of 140 seconds for each recording. Twitter while adducing the rationale behind the feature said that there’s a lot that can be left unsaid or un-interpreted using text, and, so with the voice features it hopes to create a more human experience for listeners and storytellers alike. The company in a statement said, “We want to encourage everyone to start private conversa...
NIN: NCC Clarifies Fate of Foreigners
Communication, Information Technology, News, Nigeria

NIN: NCC Clarifies Fate of Foreigners

The Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, has said that foreigners not spending more than two years in the country do not need to obtain a National Identification Number, NIN, to register SIM cards. This was disclosed in a commission’s Revised National Identity Police for SIM Card Registration. The document partly read, “Foreigners validly transiting through Nigeria or are employed in or reside in Nigeria for less than 24 months are exempted from the mandatory use of NIN requirement. “Persons in this category need to provide justification that they will be residing in Nigeria for less than two years.” However, NIN is compulsory for foreigners who have legal residency, or those who have lived in Nigeria for two years and above. “NIN is mandatory for foreigners with legal r...
SERAP Chides NBC, Issues 48 Hours Ultimatum Over ChannelsTV Suspension
Communication, Information Technology, Judiciary, Nigeria

SERAP Chides NBC, Issues 48 Hours Ultimatum Over ChannelsTV Suspension

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has issued a 48 hours ultimatum to the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to reverse what it described as the unconstitutional and illegal suspension and a fine of N5 million on Channels Television or face a lawsuit. Reports say the Acting Director-General of the Commission, Professor Armstrong Idachaba, in a letter to the Managing Director of Channels Television, referred to Channels 7pm live broadcast programme of Sunday, 25th April 2021, in which it indicted the TV station of interviewing a leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) allegedly without "caution or reprimand." Reacting to the suspension, SERAP, in a statement issued by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said: "The suspension of Channels Tele...
NBC Suspends Channels TV For Granting Interview to IPOB Leader
Communication, News, Nigeria, Uncategorized

NBC Suspends Channels TV For Granting Interview to IPOB Leader

The National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, has handed Channels Television a suspension for alleged breach of broach code. The suspension was conveyed in a letter to the Managing Director of Channels Television, issued by the Acting Director-General of the NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba. According to the letter, the decision was informed by the Channels 7 pm live broadcast programme of Sunday, April 25, 2021, indicting the TV station of allowing a leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra (IPOB) to make secessionist and inciting declarations on air without being cautioned or reprimanded by the station. The commission said the act was in contravention of the broadcast code. It also indicted the station for permitting the guest speaker to allegedly make derogatory and misleading st...
Pantami withdraws Radical Comments on Terrorists
Boko Haram, Communication, News, Nigeria, Security, Terrorism

Pantami withdraws Radical Comments on Terrorists

Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Isa Pantami has renounced his radical comments on terrorist groups including Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The Minister said he was young when he made the radical comments, adding he is mature and knows better. He spoke while answering questions during his daily Ramadan lecture at Annor Mosque in Abuja on Saturday. Daily Trust quoted him to have said: “For 15 years, I have moved round the country while educating people about the dangers of terrorism. I have traveled to Katsina, Gombe, Borno, Kano states and Difa in Niger Republic to preach against terrorism. “I have engaged those with Boko Haram ideologies in different places. I have been writing pamphlets in Hausa, English and Arabic. I have managed to bring back several young persons who...
Ezekwesili Threatens to Sue Omojuwa
Communication, News, Nigeria, Press Statement

Ezekwesili Threatens to Sue Omojuwa

A former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has threatened to sue a blogger and social media influencer, Japheth Omojuwa, for alleged impersonation. Ezekwesili, in a letter by her lawyer, Marshal Abubakar, on behalf of Falana and Falana chambers, expressed shock she was listed as a director in Omojuwa’s media firm, Alpha Reach. A foreign medium, BuzzFeed, had exposed the role Omojuwa and other influencers allegedly played in the social media campaign for the release of alleged fraudster, Alex Saab, a Colombian who has been declared wanted in the United States and is facing extradition charges in Cape Verde. Twitter suspended the accounts of some of the influencers, alleging they promoted an unjust cause. Documents circulating online show that Omojuwa’s company, which was re...
MTN snubs Banks, links 77 Million Subscribers to Fintech Platforms
Communication, Information Technology, Interview, News, Nigeria, Press Statement

MTN snubs Banks, links 77 Million Subscribers to Fintech Platforms

MTN customers in Nigeria now have alternative electronic payment platforms to recharge their phones as the mobile network operator on Saturday announced that customers can recharge airtime through payment solutions platforms such as Flutterwave, Jumia Pay, OPay, Kuda, Carbon and BillsnPay. MTN in a statement on Saturday by its Senior Manager, External Relations, Funso Aina, also said customers could recharge airtime by dialing *904# and *606# This is coming barely 24 hours after commercial banks on Friday disconnected MTN customers from banking channels including the Unstructured Supplementary Service Data and banking apps, leaving millions of MTN subscribers frustrated as they were unable to recharge airtime via USSD amid the Easter celebrations. MTN, with about 77 million subscr...