General News
Reputation Driving Domestic Airfares In Nigeria
Check out the scene. It is the 01 floor of the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. Airlines have their ticketing stands and offices herein. Office or stand may be an index of how prosperous the airline is.
Abuja-Lagos for that evening is almost fully booked on this Thursday. Getting out of Abuja on Fridays is a stretch but this has now extended to Thursdays.
The story of airfares on the domestic routes gets more interesting on such days. Arik Air has a slot for a princely N44, 000.
What about the next morning? It is N36, 000 economy on Arik Air. However, comparatively, it is N19 000 by Medview Airline and N18 000 by Dana Air.
Welcome to the new price regime in domestic airfares driven by reputation. It bears out the thesis that reputation creates wealth, first put in quantifiable terms in the work by Dr. Charles Fombrun hitherto of Harvard Business School, Reputation: Realising Value from the Corporate Image.
Price equivalence was the norm for many years on the domestic air routes. Then smart corporate executives at cash-stressed Aero Contractors cooked up the idea of lower upfront fares to lock in income.
Passengers booked two weeks ahead or more. The closer to proposed departure date the more expensive the fare.
Aero could thus turnaround the income from pre-booking several times before the passenger actually flies.
It generated cash flow for the airline, made air travel affordable to many –thus expanding the market- while temporarily positioning the airline as friendly.
It also kicked in the era of market driven prices that often seem capricious. You could be on the queue and pay N5000 more than one or two persons right ahead of you as the airlines switch prices at will.
Their counter staff are almost always incapable of providing lucid rationale for the changes, which are seemingly driven by competition, supply and demand and the operational exigencies of the business.
The variable pricing regime in domestic airfares is significant in marketing and reputation management.
Marketing experts understand that price is the most significant of the Ps in the marketing relationship.
Price signifies value, and all business is about the exchange of value. Price is at the intersection between the Ps of the seller and of the buyer.
Price represents income to the seller and expense to the buyer all of which speak of value.
Marketing traditionally speaks of the 4Ps to mean product, place, price and promotion.
However, for the consumer, the 4Ps represent purpose, performance, price and presentation. Price is common and constant in both the Ps of the marketer and of the consumer.
Purpose and performance of that purpose determines the price a consumer is willing to pay while all of the foregoing is enhanced by its presentation. Welcome to the reputation economy.
Reputation is clearly the driver of the variable pricing regime in domestic air fares with Arik Air commanding premium pricing.
Arik’s dominance is a function primarily of perception, a key component of reputation. Since the incidents of air crashes and the link to aged aircraft, airlines with newer planes on their fleet are perceived as safer. Aero has assiduously presented the fact of its younger fleet.
The point will bear emphasis that the dominance of a particular airline on the domestic routes – resulting in commanding premium fares- owes to perception more than any other factor. Yes, it has more planes. It covers more routes.
But its service delivery is not better than that of those with only two aircraft.
In the reputation economy, perception matters.
Reputation is a driver of business value. Sixty percent of respondents to a survey by The Reputation Institute believe that reputation has a high financial impact on their companies.
According to the 2013 RepTrack 100 Report, respondents also acknowledge that reputation helps
• Increase customer retention
• Increase in sales/revenue
• Increase in market share
• Reduce cost of hiring/retention
• Increase in share price
• Increase in profitability
• Lower cost of doing business.
The reputation economy, the Reputation Institute states, “is a new market place reality in which people buy products, take jobs, and make investments based primarily on their trust, admiration and appreciation for the companies and institutions that stand behind them.”
As with airfares, companies in all sectors of the economy would hereafter extract value based on their reputations and consumer perception of the value they offer.
At the macro level, the Nigerian aviation sector needs a lot of work to burnish its reputation against the backdrop of statistics that cast doubts about the sector’s viability such as this: 139 private jets, 7 Airlines, 57 planes, 33 failed airlines in Nigeria.
Chido Nwakanma is a communication strategist and marketer with extensive media and industry experience consulting in Nigeria and Africa. He wrote from Lagos.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled a forward-looking strategy that places satellite-enabled mobile connectivity at the heart of the country’s drive to bridge its long-standing coverage gaps.
The draft Spectrum Roadmap for the Communications Sector for 2025 to 2030 lays out how satellite technologies could help deliver reliable voice and data services to millions of Nigerians who live beyond the reach of conventional mobile networks.
The direction is outlined in the Commission’s draft Spectrum Roadmap for the Communications Sector covering the period.
The proposed approach highlights non-terrestrial networks as a complement to existing mobile infrastructure, especially in areas where terrain, insecurity, or high costs limit the deployment of base stations.
The NCC said D2D satellite technology, which allows standard mobile phones to connect directly to satellites, is gaining traction globally as a means of delivering voice and data services without reliance on ground towers.
According to the regulator, the technology could help close persistent coverage gaps in rural, riverine, and border communities that remain outside the reach of conventional networks.
It also noted that satellite-backed connectivity could improve network reliability by providing alternative links during fibre cuts, power failures, or other disruptions affecting terrestrial systems.
The Commission added that wider adoption of D2D services could support emergency communications, public safety operations, Internet of Things applications, and services such as smart agriculture in underserved regions.
It also pointed to potential investment opportunities through partnerships between mobile network operators and satellite companies, including more efficient use of shared spectrum resources.
Beyond D2D services, the roadmap places emphasis on Low-Earth Orbit satellites to expand broadband access to remote parts of the country.
It also proposes better utilisation of Geostationary Orbit satellites and the exploration of high-altitude platforms, such as stratospheric balloons, to support mobile backhaul and rural connectivity.
The policy signals come shortly after Airtel Africa announced an agreement with SpaceX to introduce Starlink-powered direct-to-cell services in Nigeria.
The NCC’s roadmap is expected to shape future spectrum allocation, licensing decisions, and technology adoption across the telecommunications sector.
General News
House of Reps Releases Certified Copies of Tax Reform Acts amid Gazette Discrepancy Claims
House of Representatives has released certified true copies of the four tax reform Acts signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, addressing public concerns over alleged discrepancies between legislative versions and circulated gazetted documents.
Tax Reform Acts
House spokesperson, Akin Rotimi, disclosed this in a statement, noting that Speaker Tajudeen Abbas directed the immediate publication of the Acts—including endorsement and presidential assent pages—for public verification, in collaboration with Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The move followed allegations raised by Rep. Abdulsamad Dasuki on the House floor, highlighting inconsistencies between Bills passed by the National Assembly and executive gazetted versions, which he warned could erode legislative integrity and public trust.
Abbas constituted a seven-member ad hoc committee chaired by Rep. Aliyu Betara, with members including Idris Wase, Sada Soli, Adedeji Faleke, Igariwey Iduma, Fred Agbedi and Babajimi Benson, to investigate the alleged alterations, unauthorised circulation and preventive measures.
The committee’s mandate includes probing circumstances around the discrepancies, while Abbas ordered internal verification and public release of certified copies to dispel doubts and safeguard legislative records. Legal experts, tax professionals and civil society had demanded clarification and implementation suspension amid heated debates triggered by Dasuki’s intervention.
The released laws comprise the Nigeria Tax Act, 2025; Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025; National Revenue Service Establishment Act, 2025; and Joint Revenue Board Establishment Act, 2025, described as foundational to modernising Nigeria’s tax system.
These reforms aim to enhance compliance, curb inefficiencies, eliminate overlaps and bolster fiscal coordination across federal, state and local tiers, following extensive stakeholder consultations, committee reviews and plenary debates under Abbas’s leadership.
Rotimi reassured Nigerians: “The National Assembly is an institution built on records, procedure, and institutional memory. Every Bill, every amendment, and every Act follows a traceable constitutional and parliamentary pathway.”
He emphasised that only National Assembly-certified versions hold authority, urging the public, institutions and stakeholders to disregard all other circulating documents as unofficial.
MultiChoice, a CANAL+ company, has retained the distribution rights to 12 Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels following the signing of a new multi-year, multi-territory agreement between CANAL+ Group and Warner Bros. Discovery, marking a significant expansion of their long-standing partnership.
MultiChoice
The new deal, which spans several regions across Africa and Europe, covers the distribution of HBO Max as well as the renewal of selected Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels. It represents a major milestone in the companies’ international collaboration and strengthens content offerings across MultiChoice Group territories.
MultiChoice disclosed that this agreement builds on earlier partnerships concluded in Europe. “It builds on the landmark agreements concluded in France in 2024,including the renewal of the exclusive pay-TV window for Warner Bros. Pictures films just six months after their theatrical release in France and the integration of HBO Max within select CANAL+ group offers – as well as in Poland in 2025, with the renewal of the distribution agreement for 22 thematic channels (including TVN 24 and Eurosport) and 4 free-to-air channels (including TVN).”
Under the renewed arrangement, MultiChoice Group will continue to distribute 12 Warner Bros. Discovery thematic channels across its territories, with some channels offered on an exclusive basis. CNN International and Cartoon Network will remain exclusive to South Africa while being distributed non-exclusively in other markets. Cartoon Network Porto will be exclusive in Angola and Mozambique and non-exclusive elsewhere. Other channels such as Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV, Food Network, TNT Africa, Travel, ID and Cartoonito will be offered on a non-exclusive basis.
According to the partners, the deal reinforces CANAL+ Group’s channel portfolio on the continent. “This agreement enables CANAL+ Group to strengthen its entertainment, kids, news, and documentary channel offerings in African markets.”
The agreement is also expected to improve access for CANAL+ Group subscribers to Warner Bros. Discovery’s premium content through HBO Max and selected channels, including globally recognised series and films, further extending the studio’s international reach while consolidating MultiChoice’s content offering in key markets.
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