Telecom
9Mobile: NCC Okays Teleology Bid, Gives it 90 Days to Pay $450m
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that Teleology Holdings Limited is on course to take over 9mobile Nigeria provided the company is able to pay $450 million within the next 90 days.
NCC’s statement may have put paid to speculation that a highly placed official is against Teleology taking over 9mobile.
The commission also for the first time publicly confirmed the $50m deposit made by Teleology Holdings Limited.
Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, executive vice chairman, NCC, disclosed this in chat with journalists after the NCC management paid a courtesy visit to the Central Bank of Nigeria in Abuja.
Prof Danbatta, said Teleology would get 9mobile when it paid the balance of $450m before the expiration of 90 days deadline.
“Well, the information I have for you is that the preferred bidder has emerged and it has been told to pay, starting with a deposit of $50 million which the preferred bidder has paid, we have information to this effect.
“What remains is for the preferred bidder to pay the balance of $450 million in the next 90 days, or less than 90 days anyway. And upon payment of that amount, 9mobile would be transferred to the preferred bidder, which is Teleology Holdings Limited.
“In the event Teleology fails to pay after the expiration of the deadline of 90 days then the reserved bidder will be considered and the reserved bidder is Smile. That is the position at the moment, ’’ he said.
There were reports last week that a board member of NCC was allegedly working very hard to shift the goalposts and force the sale of 9mobile to Smile Telecoms Holdings.
Adrain Wood, Teleology
The reports claimed that the board member had written a letter to the CBN listing new criteria of “technical expertise” and “at least three years operational history” as new conditions for buying 9mobile.
His letter, the reports claimed, was designed to favour Smile, the reserved bidder in the sale process.
9mobile, formerly Etisalat, almost shut down last year when it failed to pay back a loan taken from a consortium of banks a few years ago.
SHELT, a leading cybersecurity-as-a-service provider, has earned inclusion in the 2025 MSSP 250, the annual ranking of the world’s top 250 Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance publication.
SHELT
The list evaluates firms on business performance, service breadth, and industry impact, spotlighting those excelling in growth, operational excellence, and advanced managed security amid rising cyber threats. Selection criteria include annual recurring revenue, profitability, workforce expansion, business growth, and the depth of managed security offerings.
SHELT’s recognition underscores its investments in scalable security operations, threat intelligence, and tailored managed services across multiple regions, enabling clients to navigate complex risk landscapes effectively.
“Being recognised in the MSSP 250 is a meaningful milestone for our team,” stated Youssef Abillama, CEO of SHELT. “It validates our focus on building practical, resilient security services that help organisations manage risk and respond effectively to today’s evolving cyber threats.”
The company hailed the honour as testament to its teams’ dedication and expertise worldwide, reaffirming commitment to enhancing capabilities and delivering trusted cybersecurity solutions.
Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its new president and vice chairman, bolstering its leadership amid aggressive AI and infrastructure expansion.
Dina Powell McCormick
The announcement, made on Monday, positions Powell McCormick – who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after eight months – to guide overall strategy, including multi-billion-dollar investments in data centres and global partnerships.
A Goldman Sachs veteran with 16 years in senior roles and prior stints as deputy national security adviser under Trump and in the Bush administration, she brings deep finance and international ties to the role.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed her as “uniquely qualified” for the company’s next growth phase, while President Trump praised the move on Truth Social as a “fantastic choice”.
The hire signals Meta’s efforts to strengthen White House relations, following recent dinners with Trump and U.S. investment pledges worth hundreds of billions
X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has suspended the @Twitter account, replacing its profile with a standard notice citing violation of platform rules.
Musk
The action, which occurred on Sunday, January 11, left users encountering the handle greeted by a bold “Account Suspended” message on a black screen, with no details provided on the specific rules broken or the duration of the suspension.
The development has sparked widespread confusion and nostalgia among users, given that Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to X in July 2023, approximately six months after acquiring the platform for $44 billion in late 2022.
The @Twitter handle had remained dormant since before Musk’s takeover, serving as a legacy remnant of the platform’s original branding, and its suspension appears to mark the final erasure of the Twitter name amid X’s ongoing efforts to combat spam, impersonation, and rule violations.
X’s official statement on the suspended page simply reads: “X suspends accounts that violate our rules,” without offering an appeal process or further explanation, unlike standard user suspensions.
Public reactions on social media ranged from humorous laments of “RIP Twitter” to speculation that the move resulted from automated moderation or a deliberate cleanup of legacy trademarks.
xAI’s Grok AI described it as a purposeful retirement of outdated elements rather than a genuine infraction, while neither Elon Musk nor X spokespeople issued any comment as of Monday morning.
This incident underscores the evolving identity of the platform under Musk’s ownership, which also saw a domain shift to x.com in 2024, further distancing it from its Twitter roots.
Industry observers note that while the suspension aligns with X’s stricter enforcement policies, the lack of transparency has fueled debates on consistency in applying rules to high-profile legacy accounts.
Ecobank Joins Trillion-naira Club for the First Time in 20 Years
PalmPay, Premier Cool to Reward 10,000 Nigerians with ₦100m in “10k for 10k Campaign”
Nigerian Terra Industries Secures $11.8m for Expansion
Kaspersky Warns Telecom Threats from 2025 will Carry into 2026 as New Technology Adds New Risk
SHELT Named in Prestigious 2025 MSSP 250 List for Cybersecurity Excellence
Banks quietly move to enforce new ₦50 transfer levy from Jan. 1
FIRS says NIN, CAC Numbers to Serve as Tax IDs from 2026
Nigeria Takes the Lead in the Global WSIS+20 Digital Agenda
PalmPay Launches N400 Million World Travel Carnival, Rewarding Users with Free Global Trips
Nigeria Police Arrest Okitipi, Nigerian Allegedly Linked to Microsoft 365 Hack
General News2 days agoMinistry of Finance Leads FG-Backed Deal to Deliver Quality Homes and Boost Agriculture in Niger State
News2 days agoSERAP Sues INEC Over Alleged ₦55.9Bn Election Funds Diversion
E-Financial2 days agoNDIC Declares Second Liquidation Dividend for Heritage Bank Depositors
Telecom2 days agoFG Plans to Invest $460m World Bank Loan in Fibre Infrastructure
News2 days agoAI Founders and Developers to Converge in Lagos for AI in Action 2026 conference
News2 days agoFG Inaugurates N40Bn CCTV Control Centre for Third Mainland Bridge
General News2 days agoTax Reforms Panel Rejects KPMG’s Critique of New Laws
Telecom1 day agoX Suspends Twitter Account for Rules Violation