The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will any moment from now announce a new tariff regime for the telecommunications sector, that will see costs of data, voice, and SMS services go up.

This follows years of agitation and advocacy by telecom operators for a review of the current tariff regime, which was last adjusted in 2013.

The operators cited the astronomical rise in cost operations fueled by the forex crisis and the rising inflation in the country as justification for an increment in telecom tariffs.

According to them, players across all sectors of the economy have adjusted their prices in line with the economic realities, except telecoms where the regulator has withheld the approval for such a move.

However, after a meeting with the telecom companies in Abuja last week, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, announced that the government was willing to shift ground and allow price increments in the interest of the industry’s sustainability.

But the Minister was unequivocal in dismissing the 100% increment requested by the telecom operators

Cost of data in Nigeria and other markets compared 

While the NCC has yet to reveal the percentage increment to be implemented, the general perception in the industry is that Nigeria currently has one of the lowest telecom tariffs in Africa, especially for data, hence, the operators want an increment that will be commensurate with what obtains in other markets.

• Based on the latest data released by the International Telecommunications Union, a comparative analysis of the cost of 2GB of data in Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana, reveals that Nigeria indeed has the lowest cost.
• According to the ITU’s ICT Services Affordability Report 2023, the cost of 2GB data in Nigeria is $2.35, whereas the same costs $2.66 in Ghana.
• In Kenya, a 2GB data package costs $2.92, while in South Africa, the same package goes for $7.98, but still not the highest on the continent as Zimbabweans pay the highest cost for data at $10.23 per 2GB.

Similarly, a worldwide data pricing report published by cable.co.uk ranked Nigeria as one of the countries with the cheapest price for 1GB of data in the world. Globally, Nigeria ranked 31 out of 237 countries with Israel ranking as number one with an average of 1GB of data at $0.02.

According to the report, the average cost of 1GB of data in Nigeria is $0.39 and it is the cheapest in the West African region.

Economic imperatives 

As Nigeria is preparing to review telecom tariffs which will bring the cost of data up to the same level as some other African countries and possibly surpass others, it is also imperative to look at the economic power of the subscribers.

For instance, a look at the GDP Per Capita of each of the four countries shows that Nigeria also has the lowest GDP Per Capita compared to South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya.

GDP per capita is a measure of a country’s average income, calculated by dividing its gross domestic product (GDP) by its population and it is often used to compare the standard of living between countries.

• In that regard, South Africa, which currently has one of the most expensive data on the continent is an Upper-Middle Income country according to the World Bank with the country’s GDP Per Capita at $15,194.2 as of 2023.
• Similarly, Ghana, a lower-middle-income country has a GDP Per Capita that is far above Nigeria’s at 7,543.0.
• Kenya, though in the same lower-middle-income economy category as Nigeria, has a higher GDP Per Capita per the World Bank’s 2023 data at 6,307.2
• The World Bank put Nigeria’s GDP Per Capita for 2023 at 6,207.4, which is the lowest among the four countries compared.

Justifications for increment 

For telecommunications operators in Nigeria, there are more then enough reasons to increase tariffs for voice, data, and SMS services, and not just a slight adjustment but 100% increment.

According to the CEO of Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Dinesh Balsingh, telecom tariffs in Nigeria have remained static despite the dramatic increase in operating expenses, which have surged by over 300% in the last 18 to 24 months alone.

Balsinghsaid the increments are critical for maintaining high-quality services and enabling further advancements in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.

• Sharing the same sentiment as Airtel’s CEO, Toriola said the telecom industry is now facing a sustainability threat that must be addressed through a tariff review.
• While emphasising that telecommunications is a fundamental human right and a critical element for driving an economy, Toriola noted that without a sustainable industry, the economy and the well-being of Nigerians will suffer.
• He highlighted how inflation, foreign exchange devaluation, and rising energy prices have drastically increased operational expenses for telecom operators.
• According to him, diesel costs have risen from pre-COVID levels of N230 to over N1,000 per liter.
• The official exchange rate has shifted from N424.50 to about N1,550 at the end of 2024, drastically increasing the cost of importing critical infrastructure like base stations, which now cost nearly four times more than they did two years ago.

[Nairametrics]

Counsel to the late Deputy Inspector General of Police, Moses Ambakina Jitoboh, Silas Onu, has said the late officer did not reach the Inspector General status because of former President Muhammadu Buhari and former Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Arase.

Naija News reported that the Late Jitoboh sued the PSC for his compulsory retirement. While he, unfortunately, died on Thursday, 27 December 2024; the Court, on Monday, ruled in his favour and granted his prayers.

“Today (Monday), DIG Moses A. Jitoboh wins his case against the Police Service Commission. Reinstated with effect from the date of his purported compulsory retirement and awarded 50m in general damages. Having passed on to glory, it is now official that he died in active duty to his fatherland,” Onu wrote on his X handle.

Some reports on the court victory, however, attributed the late officer’s sack to President Bola Tinubu and the current IGP of Police, Kayode Egbetokun. The reports wrongly claimed Jitoboh was sacked to pave the way for Egbetokun.

In a statement, on Tuesday, Onu clarified that the sack of the former aide-de-camp (ADC) to former President Goodluck Jonathan had nothing to do with Tinubu and Egbetokun.

According to him, the Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi and IGP Egbetokun ensured justice was done in the case.

“I can state clearly here now that President Bola Tinubu and the IGP of Police had no hands in his sad compulsory retirement.

“It was 100% the handiwork of former IGP Solomon Arase as the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) which exercises control over all Police Officers, with the exception of the Inspector General of Police.

“The reason for his action was personal and very mundane and he was sacked by President Bola Tinubu upon our complaint through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.

“As a matter of fact, the IGP ensured that the Police played no role whatsoever in the trial as they refused to cooperate with the PSC to fabricate lies against Moses,” he said.

Jitobonh’s counsel further disclosed that the current PSC Chairman, Hashimu Argungu, was against his client’s sack.

Onu explained that the President was unable to act on the issue because it was already in court.

“The new Chairman of the PSC, from my discussions with Moses, also was against the action taken by Arase and like the IGP, hoped to receive Moses back in the Force after the judgment. They both were talking with him before he passed. In fact, he stated that the IGP had a special place for him when he returns to the Police.

“The President could not act as we were already in Court, so the AGF said we should wait for the outcome and the government will respect whatever decision reached.

“So, it is not correct to mischaracterize their entire unfortunate events by saying it was done to favour the IGP. Recall that other DIGs retired along with Moses did not challenge the act because they all had less than 5 months to leave the Force, while Moses had 7 years then.

“If any President was unkind to Moses, it was Muhammadu Buhari who signed the Police Act, 2020 into law and flouted its provisions twice, simply to deny Moses his privileged lawful promotion to the office of IGP,” he added.

[NaijaNews]

Controversial Nigerian singer Habeeb Okikiola, popularly called Portable has condemned comparisons of his facial tattoos to those of his colleague Ahmed Ololade, also known as Asake.

Asake’s new look sparked reactions amongst fans after showing off his shaved face and new facial tattoos, which include dollar signs and “Believe” inscriptions, among others, in an Instagram post on Sunday.

Netizens had likened the Ololade master’s new look to that of Portable’s because of their facial tattoos.

Portable was not pleased with the comparisons, expressing his dissatisfaction with a frown and asserting that he resembles American rapper Lil Wayne more.

In a video message posted on his social media, he stated, “Don’t compare me to Asake. I don’t look like Asake. I look like Lil Wayne. Stop comparing me to an overrated artist,” he said angrily.

[Leadership]

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has described the removal of petrol subsidy as a direct blessing to state governments.

The governor said this during the inspection of some projects to celebrate the first year of his second term.

He said more money now accrues to the coffers of state governments for the development.

“In reconciling the negative effects of the fuel subsidy removal and the benefits in terms of socio-infrastructure, social benefits, and then the ease of doing business occasioned by the provision of the enabling infrastructure, I think it is a blessing.”

“It is a direct blessing, it is not a disguise to the sub-nationals because more monies are now coming to states and state governments must do things to show citizens that they are able to do these things because they now get more monies as a result of the fuel subsidy removal by the Federal Government.”

Uzodimma is not the first governor to make such claim.

Last year, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State asked Nigerians to hold governors to account over the improved allocation from the federation account.

Sule stated this while answering questions during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.

He said that people were suffering, urging them to ask their state governors what they were doing with the improved revenues from the federal government.

Sule had said, “Most of the time people are looking at some of the hard economic decisions the president has taken. That is his own style. Two decisions taken are bringing these economic reforms.

“One, is the subsidy removal and the second is the floating of the forex. These are the two major policies people keep on complaining about. And people are asking where the money is. The money is there. It is being given to various people and places and coming to the people in different ways.

“That is why I give you an example of what we are doing in Nasarawa. Yes, there is going to be difficulties; but instead of just looking at the federal government let the people hold every state governor responsible. What are you doing with the improved revenue you are getting? Until every state governor comes back and says we are doing this and that.

“President Tinubu doesn’t have land anywhere. The lands belong to the state. He can’t go and do agriculture anywhere, for example. They have already started construction of highways from Badagry to Calabar. The one from Calabar is coming to Abuja and the one from Badagry going to Sokoto State. There are many of them.

“The federal government would continue to do its own part. The same improved revenue the states have seen is the same improved revenue local governments see. The local governments in Nasarawa State when they receive their own after the FEC meeting they are getting 100% increase in their revenue. They used to receive N2.2 billion. Today they receive more than N4 billion. Local governments in Nasarawa do not owe anybody salary. They have some savings.”

The Joint Committee on Livestock Development of the Senate and House of Representatives has rejected the 2025 budgetary provision of N11.8 billion for the takeoff of the newly established Federal Ministry of Livestock Development.

The committee chairman, Sen. Musa Mustapha said lawmakers are aware of enormous challenges associated with taking off a ministry, hence, they will look into the budget with a view to re-adjust it.

The Federal Government had proposed a budget of N10 billion for capital expenditure and N1.8 billion for overhead in the 2025 budget of the ministry which commenced activities about three months ago.

The Minister of Livestock Development, Idi Maiha who appeared before the joint committee with officials of the agency listed numerous challenges confronting the ministry, stating that structures are still being put together.

He said: “The take off process is ongoing with necessary structures being put together from formative departments from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

“We are yet to have office accommodation,” he said.

Wale Raji, Chairman House Committee on Livestock Development, queried the amount of input from the Presidential Implementation Committee for the take – off of the ministry.

“There will be need for you to make special presentation on this or come up with supplementary budget that will reflect the hope of Nigerians.

“The budget is abysmally low to respond to the yearnings of Nigerians,” he said.

[DailyPost]

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the appointment of Folashade Arinola Adekaiyaoja, as the Deputy Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS). 

The approval, the first of its kind by any President, it was gathered, seeks to revise the agency’s structure for better efficiency.

This, it was learnt, is in line with the original organogram of the Service.

Checks revealed that the DSS is structured to comprise three Deputy Directors General in its hierarchy.

The appointment and ratification by the President was based on the recommendation of the DG, through the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, The Nation learnt. 

“It is line with its extant regulations and unprecedented in the history of the Secret Service,” a source said 

The appointment of Adekaiyaoja, a native of Kogi state was celebrated by a cross section of officers and operatives who see her as eminently qualified for the position, it was learnt.

It was further gathered that President Tinubu had, in line with his promise to improve on the security of life and property of Nigerians, tasked the heads of security agencies to come up with proposals on how to improve on their service delivery. 

“It was on this note that the President approved the DG’s recommendation, which many serving and retired officers are confident would boost career progression in the Service,” the source said.

President Tinubu had at the the investiture ceremony of the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS) Executive Intelligence Management Course 17 graduates last December, promised to support the DSS and other security agencies with Artificial Intelligence- powered state-of-the-art equipment to combat insecurity across the country. 

Speaking through the NSA, the president stated that he was not oblivious of the security challenges in contemporary times, and charged all security agencies to synergize for the common good of Nigerians. 

The DSS Director-General, Mr. Oluwastosin Ajayi, had on assumption of office late August 2024, promised sweeping reforms in the Organization, which he assured  would transform the DSS into one of the most efficient covert  Security Agencies in the world. 

United States President, Joe Biden, has announced a federal aid of $770 one-time payment to California wildfire victims as the Los Angeles County battles one of the worst sets of fires in state history.

Biden, whose tenure in the White House is drawing to a close, made the announcement on Monday.

According to Hollywoodunclocked, the wildfire, which had claimed 29 lives, is a growing concern among Americans.

However, Biden, in a meeting, vowed to offer a one-time payment of $770 to the victims of the deadly Los Angeles County fires and that the government would be covering 100% of the disaster response costs for the next six months.

He said, “I want to be clear: we are not waiting until the fires are over to help victims. We are helping them all right now. People impacted by these fires are going to receive a one-time payment of $770. So they can quickly purchase things like water, baby formula, and prescriptions. So far, nearly 6,000 survivors have registered to do just that, and $5.1 million has gone out.”

For those who the Los Angeles County fires have impacted, President Joe Biden said victims can visit DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362. As mentioned, the federal government will be covering all fire-related and firefighting costs for the next 180 days.

Nearly $5.1 million in immediate aid has already been distributed, with victims of the wildfires in Los Angeles being given a one-time payment of $770.

Additionally, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has reported that about 33,000 residents have already registered for disaster assistance.

In a briefing with Vice President Kamala Harris and emergency officials, Biden stressed, “It’s going to cost tens of billions of dollars to get Los Angeles to what it was. We are going to need Congress to step up with the funding.”

According to AccuWeather, the total damage and economic loss from the fires is now estimated to be between $250 billion and $275 billion.

AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter claims the preliminary estimate has surpassed the total damage and loss accrued during the 2020 wildfire season.

The damage and economic loss has also surpassed Hurricane Helene in 2024, which cost between $225 billion to $250 billion, and has surpassed the deadly Maui, Hawaii fires in 2023, which cost an estimated $13 billion to $16 billion.

[Punch]

The University of Calabar (UniCal), says beneficiaries of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund for the 2023/2024 session, who could not access the fund, will be given concession in the new session.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof. Tony Eyang revealed this in a statement in Calabar on Tuesday.

Eyang said that the concession would be for the beneficiaries who were yet to graduate, as they would be given access to register for the 2024/2025 academic Session.

He explained that the release of the 2023/2024 loan would be used to settle the 2024/2025 tuition fees for the beneficiaries.

He added that the 2024/2025 loan when released would also be refunded to beneficiaries due to graduate within the session after their Bursary clearance.

According to him, beneficiaries who paid their full fees in both 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 sessions will be refunded the fees paid for 2023/2024 Session, pending the release of 2024/2025 Loan.

“Beneficiaries who graduated in the 2023/2024 session will be refunded the fee paid to the University after Bursary Clearance.

“Beneficiaries and other students alike are therefore urged to register for the 2024/2025 loan, as the verification of applicants is ongoing.”

He also said that beneficiaries who made part payment in the 2023/2024 and have not settled the balance will have to pay it in 2024/2025.

He explained that while the university’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre was the hub for NELFUND registration, the dashboard of beneficiaries on the fee portal was to be configured to reflect NELFUND disbursement.

He also used the opportunity to advise students to take advantage of the unique opportunity and register for the fund now.

NELFUND is an initiative of the Federal Government aimed at providing financial assistance to students in tertiary institutions across Nigeria.

NAN

Burkina Faso’s military leader, Ibrahim Traoré, was the centre of attention at the inauguration ceremony of Ghana’s President John Mahama on January 7 2025. From a pistol conspicuously attached to his waist, to his entourage of heavily armed guards, and the resounding ovation he received when he was introduced, the oddity of it all was not lost on many people.

Wasn’t it a paradox that the man who toppled a constitutional order in his country was being received as a hero at an occasion to celebrate the increasing resilience of liberal democracy in Ghana? And what was the subtext of inviting him at all at the occasion, given that together with his fellow coup leaders in Niger and Mali, they had haemorrhaged the Economic Community of West African States by declaring their departure from the regional grouping that was formed in 1975? Traoré’s presence marked his first official African trip outside the Sahel Alliance—a bloc comprising Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—since the 36 year old junta came to power in 2022. Despite breaching protocol, the thunderous applause he received, especially from younger attendees, deafeningly overshadowed the acknowledgment of other dignitaries.

John Mahama’s inauguration ceremony as Ghana’s 14th President in Ghana’s Black Star Square followed the victory of his opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party in the December 7, 2024, elections, which the Commonwealth Observer Group and several local and international observers commended for their orderly conduct. Another epochal event at the inauguration was the swearing in of Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman as the country’s first female Vice President. Mahama, 66, was previously Ghana’s president between July 2012 and January 2017. He was first sworn in as president when President John Evans Atta Mills died in July 2012. He previously served as the 12th president from 2012 to 2017 and as the fifth vice president from 2009 to 2012

How do we explain the oddity of thunderous applauses for a man who truncated democracy in his country during an occasion which was also a celebration of the increasingly resilience of the same democracy in Ghana? Any attempt to answer this would inevitably lead to the question of what do people expect from liberal democracy? Though Ghana is going through one of its toughest economic crises in a generation, the fact that they could peacefully choose their leaders, when the same cannot be said of its bigger and richer neighbour, Nigeria, seemed to be one of the grounds for optimism and even pride in the eternal brotherly competition between the two countries. 

Will the election of John Mahama resolve most of the serious economic problems facing Ghana? Though the question of whether democracy facilitates or undermines economic development (at least in the short run) has remained controversial in the literature, a belief that people can freely and peacefully choose their leaders, (meaning that their votes will count if they exercise their franchise) is one of the attractions of liberal democracy. But even more important than periodic elections, (in fact a precondition for all other tangible and intangible benefits of liberal democracy) is freedom of expression. This is probably why the very First Amendment to the US Constitution on December 15, 1791 was to protect religious freedom and free speech. The Amendment stated: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” One of the main differences between democracy in transitional or new democracies and democracy in countries that we call ‘mature democracy’ is their attitude to free speech. In Nigeria, though the politics of the opposition could sometimes be problematic, we seem to have government and ruling party functionaries that see any form of criticism of government policy as an affront that must be taken personal.

There are four main arguments for free speech: One, is that it is needed for discovering the truth. A key idea here is that the truth will emerge from the competition of ideas in free and transparent public discourse. The metaphor is based on the market economy and free exchange of goods in that market. Because many goods (read: ideas) are available in such a market, we as rational consumers, choose carefully what we want from the available goods after evaluating the relative merits and demerits of each product. The ‘marketplace of ideas’ was first developed by John Stuart Mill in his book, On Liberty (1859) but was popularized in the dissenting judgment of Oliver Wendell Holmes in Abrams v. United States (1919). According to Holmes, “The best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market, and that truth is the only ground upon which their wishes safely can be carried out.” Essentially this theory tells us that a laissez faire approach to the regulation of free exchange of ideas (both by governments and the mind-guards in group thinks), will lead to ideas, theories, propositions and movements succeeding or failing on their own merits. In other words, left to their own devices, free individuals have the capacity to sift through competing ideas and proposals in an open environment of deliberation and exchange, allowing truth or the best possible results to be achieved at the end.

A second argument for free speech is that there is a big distrust of the government and that unless citizens are allowed to freely express themselves, the government will naturally try to muzzle free speech, and allow only the echo of voices it wants to hear. A third justification for free speech is that it is necessary for citizens to become active participants in the political and governmental processes. Fourth, is that free speech is also seen as a value to be enjoyed on its own. It is believed in free speech jurisprudence that once free speech is muzzled, every other value associated with liberal democracy – accountability, freedom of assembly, periodic elections etc will become caricatured. In this sense, liberal democracy becomes ‘illiberal democracy’ in which only the form but not the substance of it is observed. 

Unfortunately in many parts of Africa, liberal democracy has morphed into illiberal democracy: free speech is routinely muzzled through various contrivances – prior restraints, use or threat of defamatory action and threats of charging one for terrorism financing. In fact, one of the commonest grounds for stifling free speech in illiberal democracy is for the government to accuse people with different opinions or critics of its policies of incitement against the government. The danger here is that every idea could be construed as an incitement. As Justice Holmes put it in a landmark case in the USA, (Gitlow v New York [1925]), “Every idea is an incitement… The only difference between the expression of an opinion and an incitement in the narrower sense is the speaker’s enthusiasm for the result.” This means that everyone could potentially be accused of incitement in illiberal democracies.

When a democracy becomes so corrupted into an illiberal democracy, citizens often become so concomitantly frustrated with the system that they long for ‘liberation’ from such a system. This is where opportunists like Traoré and other military coupists come in, and those who never lived through a military regime would wrongly interpret their stern mien as evidence that they had the magic wand to turn things around. I believe this could also be a partial explanation for the applause Traoré got in Ghana- apart from what some perceive as his courage (alongside the rulers of Niger and Mali) in standing-up to France, their former colonial masters. 

Jideofor Adibe is Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Nasarawa State University and founder of Adonis & Abbey Publishers (www.adonis-abbey.com).