General News
Jonah Jang’s MTN Faux pas
No doubt these are not the best of times for Plateau state, and for its governor, the main priority would be restoring the famed peace on the plateau, but that wasn’t what Governor Jonah Jang bargained when he made an unexpected faux pas on MTN Nigeria over a call centre manager’s decision to vacate the state for reasons of insecurity and safety of staff.
When news first broke on social media that the Plateau state government had called on residents and indigenes of the state to boycott services of MTN Nigeria, it was taken as one off the ever rolling mills of Nigeria’s rumour banks.
However, Yiljap Abraham, plateau state commissioner for information and communication, said last week in paid advertisement in select national newspapers that the state government took the decision following what he termed the mobile providers’ “discriminatory remuneration and underpayment of the over 1, 700 workers at the MTN Jos Call Centre, majority of whom are citizens of Plateau state, in comparison to their colleagues in other Call Centres across the country.”
The Plateau government has even set up a coordinating office let by its director-general, research and planning in the governor’s office to monitor and collate the effectiveness of its boycott call (or is it order?).
How do you order citizens to boycott services of a mobile operator that offers you the biggest coverage? What peace message would you be serving calling for a boycott when the issues could have been resolved otherwise if properly investigated?
Wale Goodluck, corporate services executive (CSE), of MTN Nigeria noted that the call centre was operated by an outsourced partner, Messrs CNSSL who employed about 650 staff. So it wasn’t yet up to the figure of 1, 700. The MTN CSE noted that the centre was to ultimately grow to employ about 2, 200 personnel.
He stated that continued ethno-religion violence in the state had put the lives of the call centre staff at risk prompting CNSSL to shut down the centre.
“MTN chose to open the call centre facilities in Jos with the hope of contributing to peace and harmony in the city by gainfully engaging the youth. It is sad that we are no longer in a position to do so, as our partners have had to close shop due to the prevailing situation in the area,” said Goodluck.
For a government desirous of maintaining good corporate relationship, especially with multinational big spenders, Governor Jang ought to have explored other avenues of mitigating the operator’s concern about security of its staff rather than choosing the war path.
Instead of stating: “MTN is not the only service provider and the obvious option for Plateau state citizens is to have recourse to alternative GSM services;” the government needed to have called the call centre operator and discussed terms of engagements.
No doubt Plateau state remains a keg of gun powder in the Nigeria security equation. Not until the deep rooted socio-ethnic-religious issues dividing the citizens are resolved, boycotting services of a mobile operator would rather add to the burden.
Often times, those who govern us appear oblivion of the real issues but rather chose to chase shadows as demonstrated by Governor Jang. By glossing over the Plateau crisis and using MTN as a scapegoat, Jang may possibly be opening up a Pandora’s Box.
Nigeria still grapples with issue of quality of service offered by operators. Broadband penetration remains a herculean task without feasible solutions in sight. Telecom services although largely seen as a big success story, remain largely an urban phenomenon.
Plateau state and the entire north region, (except Abuja) remains underserved due largely to factors other than insecurity. The issue of insecurity occasioned by activities of al Qaeda linked terrorists groups only adds to exacerbate an already bad situation.
Whereas Governor Jang, would want citizens to believe the call centre was direct investment of MTN Nigeria, truth is that CNSSL (communication network support services limited) is a wholly owned Nigerian ‘telecom support services company with expertise in design, implementation and maintenance of fibre optic cable networks, copper networks, access networks, and VSAT/ wireless networks.’
Writing in a post by Emeka Oparah, Airtel Nigeria Communications Diretor on facebook last week several commentators lampooned the governor for his action:
Emeka Ogbeide: You now know why we are where we are! Dis man na governor but na ororo dey him head. How can he produce concrete result? Warning; any location with a military chief executive will be no different. They never depart from barrack autocracy. Edo state just escaped. Watch out for others, joro jara joro.
Ifeyenwa Chybe: If this is quite tru…….pls i suggest he need medicals……
Ken Ogujiofor: What a shame, relocation of call centre which employs 1700 workers is more important to Jang than the security of about 3m people within Jos and environ to be d front burner for his state executive meeting. We sure do have ladders (sorry LEADERS) in this country. Next time they will meet to issue orders for boycott of beef by indigenes as a result of Fulani cattle rearers attack.
This is one experiment going awry and for Plateau government and indigenes, they still have time on their hand to ameliorate the situation by calling on the affected parties for meaningful dialogue.
Definitely, it is in the best interest of both parties to get the call centre up and working – it saves employment burden for the Plateau state government, raises MTN’s profile in the national spread and increases capacity of the young graduates who finds job in these centres.
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.
Nigeria Police Force has suspended nationwide enforcement of its tinted glass permit policy, hours before its scheduled rollout, in compliance with a Delta State High Court order.
Tinted glass permit
The policy, set for January 2, 2026, aimed to curb vehicle-related crimes but faced legal challenge from a private citizen against the Inspector-General of Police, the force, and Delta Police Commissioner.
An ex parte injunction issued in December 2025 restrained enforcement pending suit determination, prompting the hold announced by spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin on January 1.
Police entered appearance, filed preliminary objections, and sought injunction vacation; hearing adjourned to January 20, 2026.
The Nigerian Bar Association condemned initial police plans as “executive recklessness,” accusing disregard for rule of law, while police insisted no permanent bar existed on statutory duties.
IGP Kayode Egbetokun reiterated adherence to law while prioritising public safety via intelligence-led strategies during proceedings.
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