Metrodigital Limited, parent company of Silver Lake Television (SLTV), has affirmed its commitment to fostering competition and providing affordable alternatives for consumers.

This is in a bid to the monopoly of the dominant operator in Nigeria’s pay television market.

Dr Ifeanyi Nwafor, managing director of Metrodigital Limited, made the commitment when he was honored with ‘Salute to Courage Award’(SACA) at the SLTV post launch reception organised by Camroll Quest Limited in collaboration with friends and associates of the SLTV boss during the weekend in Abuja.

The award was for his resilience and patriotic stance in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy good but affordable pay TV service.

During the post-SLTV launch reception and awards ceremony, Nwafor emphasised the importance of ending the monopoly to drive down prices and improve service quality.

He highlighted the positive reception from Nigerians, who now have access to alternative platforms offering comparable channels at more affordable rates.

“I’m expecting that other companies would also come in and when there’s serious competition, you better work on services provided to your customers. Nigerians are very happy that the monopoly has been broken, you can get to other platforms and get some channels you get in DStv and GOtv at a cheaper rate.

“SLTV is a platform for innovation. We want Nigeria to be a leader in this industry, and not only in Nigeria but across the globe. Just like Nigerian music making waves all over the world, we are very sure that this industry has higher potential. We need many companies to spring up and be able to succeed not only in Nigeria but also in other countries,” he said.

Nwafor expressed SLTV’s ambition to drive innovation and position Nigeria as a global leader in the industry. Drawing parallels with the success of Nigerian music on the international stage.

He underscored the untapped potential of the television industry and called for the emergence of more indigenous companies to thrive not only in Nigeria but also in other countries.

Addressing concerns about subscription price hikes, Nwafor reassured subscribers of Metrodigital Limited’s commitment to affordability, stating that they are mindful of Nigeria’s economic challenges and have no plans for price increases in the foreseeable future.

Nickky Onyeri, chief operating officer of Camrol Guest Limited, commended Metrodigital Limited for its contributions to Nigeria’s economic growth and credited the supportive environment provided by the government, particularly acknowledging the efforts of Bola Tinubu in renewing hope for the nation.

“This is coming within one year of his government, if he is not providing that environment, I’m sure this could not have been possible.

Onyeri said, “We must commend Tinubu for all the support to all Nigerians who are committed to renewing the hope of Nigeria.”

Abubakar Jijiwa, chairman of the occasion, urged SLTV to prioritise quality control and remain competitive in the global market. He emphasised the importance of continuous innovation to stay ahead of competitors and maintain consumer satisfaction.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will arraign Godwin Emefiele, former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Wednesday for allegedly approving the printing of N684.5m at the rate of N18.96bn.

The arraignment was originally scheduled for April 30, 2024, but was rescheduled following the agreement of the court and the parties.

In the four-count charge filed against him, the EFCC alleged that Emefiele disobeyed the direction of law with intent to cause injury to the public during his implementation of the naira swap policy of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The anti-graft agency also accused Emefiele of unlawfully approving the withdrawal of N124.8 billion from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation.

The former CBN governor will be arraigned on these counts before Justice Maryann Anenih of the FCT High Court, Abuja.

This arraignment will bring to three the number of charges pending against the former CBN governor.

On Nov. 17, 2023, Emefiele was arraigned before Justice Hamza Muazu on a six-count charge of procurement fraud to which he pleaded not guilty.

He was also accused of abusing his office by approving a contract for the acquisition of 43 vehicles totalling N1.2 billion from 2018 to 2020.

On April 8, 2024, the EFCC also arraigned the former banker alongside one Henry Omoile before Justice Rahman Oshodi of the Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos for an alleged $4.5bn and N2.8bn fraud.

He’s also pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The new charge, dated April 2, 2024, was filed by the EFFC prosecutor Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN) alongside eight other lawyers acting on behalf of the Attorney General of the Federation.

Counts one to four of the charge, reads,  “STATEMENT OF OFFENCE: Public Servant disobeying direction of law with intent to cause injury to the public contrary to and punishable under Section 123 of the Penal Code Law, Cap. 89 Laws of the Federation, 1990.

“PARTICULARS OF THE OFFENCE: That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of N375,520,000.00 pieces of colour swapped N1, 000, at the total cost of N11,052, 068,062 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

COUNT 2: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, between the 19th of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 172,000,000 pieces of colour swapped N500 (Five Hundred Naira) Notes, at the total cost of N4, 471,066,040 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.

COUNT 3: “That you GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE between the 19th day of October 2022 and 5th March 2023 in Abuja, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 19 of the CBN Act, 2007, by approving the printing of 137,070,000 pieces of colour swapped N200 (Two Hundred Naira) Note, at the total cost of N3, 441, 005, 280 without the recommendation of the Board of Central Bank and the strict approval of the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

COUNT 4: “That you, GODWIN IFEANYI EMEFIELE, on or about the 7th day of October 2020, in Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, knowingly disobeyed the direction of Section 80 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended), by approving the withdrawal of the total sum of N124, 860, 227, 865.16 from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation in a manner not prescribed by the National Assembly, which conduct of yours caused injury to the public and you thereby committed an offence.”

KPMG, a global tax and advisory firm, has said that “no country can tax its way to prosperity,” adding that there is empirical evidence to prove that higher taxes do not lead to sustainable growth.

KPMG criticised the actions of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) regarding its move to implement a cybersecurity levy.

It noted that the timing of the implementation of the section of the Act is wrong considering the prevailing economic conditions in the country.

It stated that because Nigeria faces a significant revenue challenge, the government may go to any length to mobilise the required revenue. However, it was noted that higher taxes do not lead to sustainable growth.

It highlighted that even though the cybercrime levy is not new—it has existed since 2015—the timing of its implementation is suspect, considering prevailing economic challenges.

“The timing of any reforms is essential to the success of such reforms. This underscores the current public resistance to the implementation of the levy. This is certainly not the right time to implement this levy,” it said.

It stated that various reports have indicated that the government may raise about N3 trillion annually from the levy, but the government should have made a formal presentation to the public of the cost and benefit analysis. “It is always critical that the enactment of any tax or levy be accompanied by the tax expenditure statement to provide information as to whether the benefits of such tax or levy outweigh its cost,” it said.

KPMG also questioned how the implementation of the act would drive financial inclusion in the country, given the fear that individuals and businesses would resort to other forms of transaction.

Last week, the CBN asked banks and payment service providers to begin deducting 0.5 percent from electronic transactions as a cybersecurity levy to be managed by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

President Bola Tinubu has now urged the CBN to suspend the implementation of this levy and called for a review.