General News
Air Freight Makes Slow Start in 2015, Nigeria & S/Africa Underperforming

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air freight markets showing a 3.2% expansion in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs) in January 2015 compared to the same month last year.
The growth is slower than the average of 4.5% recorded for 2014.
On regional assessment, IATA said that African airlines grew cargo volumes 5.2%. While major economies such as Nigeria and South Africa are under-performing, regional trade activity is holding up.
There was much regional variation in the January performance.
Asia-Pacific, African and Middle Eastern airlines expanded strongly, but airlines in Europe and North and Latin America all reported demand contractions.
Although it is too early to be certain of a trend towards weaker air freight, there are at least two emerging factors which could negatively impact demand for air cargo in the coming months:
-Business confidence has been declining since mid-2014 and export orders tailed-off towards the end of the year
-A reversal of the positive trade-to-domestic production ratio which boosted cargo volumes last year
“January was a disappointing start to the year for air cargo. And it is difficult to be too optimistic about the rest of the year given the economic headwinds in Europe and growing concerns over the Chinese economy. Add to that the continuing trends of on-shoring production and trade protectionism and 2015 is shaping up to be another tough year for air cargo,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
Regional Analysis In Detail
Asia-Pacific carriers grew their FTKs 6.9% compared to January 2014, supported by an improvement in regional import activity. Japan’s expansion is helping regional volumes, but there could be concerns over the Chinese economy, which saw export orders contracting at the fastest pace in three years. Capacity rose 5.4%.
European airlines saw volumes fall 1.2% compared to a year ago.
The Eurozone is facing deflationary economic headwinds and the weakness of the Russian economy is also impacting demand.
Weak home demand is not being offset by North Atlantic and Asian growth opportunities. Capacity grew 3.6%, further weakening the load factor.
North American carriers experienced a 1.0% fall in FTKs. This decrease, however, is most likely due to the strong result that occurred in January 2014.
Underlying trends for North American volumes are positive. Trade is growing and the month-to-month comparison of FTKs shows expansion in January compared to December.
Capacity fell 2.8%, continuing the recent trend of improving load factor.
Middle Eastern carriers expanded FTKs 9.2%. The hub strategies of the leading airlines in the region are proving successful as network and capacity expansions help satisfy demand on international routes and serve inward trade to Middle Eastern economies. Capacity jumped 18.1%.
Latin American airlines suffered a 6.4% fall in FTKs compared to January 2014. The region continues to be affected by the weakness in the key economies of Brazil and Argentina.
Although other Latin American markets have increased regional trade in recent months, this has not yet translated into increased air freight demand. Capacity fell 2.0%.
African airlines grew cargo volumes 5.2%. While major economies such as Nigeria and South Africa are under-performing, regional trade activity is holding up. Capacity rose just 2.4%, strengthening the load factor.
World Cargo Symposium
The World Cargo Symposium will gather leaders from across the cargo value chain in Shanghai, China, from 10-12 March.
“The global air cargo industry continues to face challenges. While vulnerability to the economic cycles is beyond the control of any business sector, it is clear that the air cargo industry needs to do a better job of improving its value proposition.
“Shippers rightly demand modern processes. Taking e-air waybill penetration above 22% in 2014 was a strong signal that the e-cargo revolution is finally taking shape. This year’s World Cargo Symposium is an opportunity for the entire industry to sharpen further its focus on innovation, efficiency and high-quality service,” said Tyler.
General News
Xenophobic Attacks: Anonymous Nigeria Threatens to Leak South African Stolen Data

Anonymous Nigeria, hacktivism, known for launching coordinated cyberattacks and protests in support of socio-political movements, has threatened to leak stolen South African government data unless its demands were met.

The group, called for the department to stop xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, or it will expose the data.
“They call themselves correctional services, but they can’t correct the citizens. What a shame,” the group said in its Telegram channel, MyBroadband reported.
“They killed a lot of Nigerians while the so-called correctional services watched and the ministry of justice.”
It is immediately know if Anonymous Nigeria is affiliated to Nullsec Nigeria.
But in a post on a hacker forum, Nullsec Nigeria included a link showcasing an example of data stolen from the department.
It included two bid invitation notices, bid results, a copy of the bids received, and a notice of a bid awarded in various formats.
“We’ll expose all your evil deeds for the world to see, unless this attack stops. But if not, we’ll leak everything they got,” Nullsec Nigeria said.
“Unless the government of South Africa ends these xenophobic attacks on Nigeria, we’ll expose everything about you, your evil deeds will be exposed, and the world shall know.”
MyBroadband asked the Department of Correctional Services about the claimed breach and Nullsec Nigeria’s demands, but it did not immediately respond to our questions.
Nullsec Nigeria also claimed responsibility for breaching several other entities in South Africa, while responding to an X post about its OpSouthAfrica campaign in its Telegram channel.
“I wanna express something here. I saw a report on the #OpSouthAfrica hack by Nullsec Nigeria, but it was stolen by another person,” it said. “Tag the real breachers next time.”
In a separate thread on the hacker forum, Nullsec Nigeria also claimed responsibility for breaching the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality’s systems.
It claimed to have hacked the local government’s website and threatened to expose “everything you got for others to see how heartless you are. You killed mothers, brothers, students.”
Nullsec Nigeria said the breach and the threats were in response to the xenophobic attacks on and killing of Nigerians and the South African government’s supposed silence on the issue.
“These attacks are still going on in the dark, and we’ll expose them all. If the South African government doesn’t act first, the whole of South Africa will suffer,” it said.
“This is just a wave. These documents are about 11GB, but we decided to pull just this one.”
Its post included two images: one for a public hearing and another, a handwritten tender document for the appointment of an insurance service provider.
It also included a link to several other documents, including an old annual report, council resolutions, financial statements, and various other notices.
The Nigerian Government recently announced plans to bring citizens back to the country from South Africa after violent protests over foreign nationals in the country erupted earlier in May.
President Cyril Ramaphosa condemned the protests and criminal acts directed at foreign nationals in his From the Desk of The President weekly newsletter on 11 May 2026.
He emphasised the recent demonstrations and attacks did not represent the views of the South African people, nor the government’s policy.
“These are the acts of opportunists who are exploiting the legitimate grievances, particularly those of the poor, under the false guise of ‘community activism’,” The President said.
“Some of these people are assuming functions that only state officials are permitted to perform, including stopping people to check identification and conducting searches of private property.”
He added that such lawlessness would not be tolerated, regardless of who the perpetrators or victims were.
General News
MTN Targets 8m Homes in Fibre Expansion Drive

MTN Nigeria says it plans to pass fibre to eight million homes over the next three years as part of efforts to deepen broadband penetration and expand digital service offerings across the country.

Tobe Okigbo
Tobe Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services and Sustainability Officer, disclosed this at the MTN Media Innovation Programme (MIP) Alumni “Ask Me Anything” session held on Saturday.
Okigbo said the telecom company was making significant investments in home fibre infrastructure despite challenges such as regulatory approvals, physical deployment requirements and the long period needed to recover costs.
According to him, fibre broadband differs from mobile internet services because customers pay for connection speed rather than bandwidth consumption.
He said the investment formed part of MTN’s broader strategy to gradually shift customers from mobile-heavy internet usage to fixed broadband services for home connectivity.
Okigbo noted that the global telecommunications industry was evolving beyond traditional voice and data services, driven by advances in artificial intelligence, 5G, smart devices and internet-connected homes.
He warned that telecom operators that fail to adapt risk becoming mere providers of connectivity infrastructure while technology companies capture greater value from digital services.
“The future of telecoms is no longer just about expanding coverage. It is also about building services and platforms around network infrastructure to remain relevant and competitive,” he said.
On recent tariff increases, Okigbo said the adjustments were necessary to address rising operating costs, inflation and sector sustainability concerns.
He cited increased diesel prices and other operational expenses as major factors affecting the cost of delivering telecom services in Nigeria.
According to him, tariff pricing should increasingly reflect market realities and inflation trends, while allowing consumers to switch providers offering better value.
Speaking on service quality, Okigbo said MTN had compensated customers in cases of poor network performance and remained in discussions with regulators on accountability for service failures.
He explained that discussions were ongoing to distinguish between network issues caused directly by operators and those resulting from external factors such as vandalism, construction activities and infrastructure damage.
Okigbo said MTN supported compensating customers for genuine service lapses but sought clarity on regulatory parameters guiding such liabilities.
He added that fibre deployment remained more complex than mobile network expansion because it involved physical cable installation, local government approvals and detailed service planning.
On mobile money operations, Okigbo said MTN Group had acquired a 60 per cent stake in MoMo across its markets to strengthen competitiveness and improve customer experience.
He said the future of telecoms would also be shaped by embedded connectivity, smart homes, connected vehicles and broader Internet of Things adoption.
General News
World Bank Blocks Social Media Comments from Nigerians over Loan Backlash

World Bank has restricted comments on its Instagram page after thousands of Nigerians flooded the platform begging them to stop lending money to Nigeria.

The protest erupted after reports that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is seeking a fresh $1.25 billion dollar loan for approval on June 26.
Some Nigerians asked the World Bank to provide more details about the purpose of the loan and how the funds would be managed.
Others said the country should reduce dependence on foreign loans and focus on improving local revenue.
The federal government has continued to defend its borrowing plans.
Officials say the funds will support economic reforms, development projects and efforts to strengthen the economy.
Nigeria remains one of the major borrowers from the World Bank in Africa, with different administrations securing loans over the years for infrastructure, social programmes and economic support.
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