Broadcasting
Lai Mohammed, Ex-Minister to Testify in N2.5Bn DSO Project Trial
Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday granted an application to list Alhaji Lai Mohammed, former minister of Information and Culture, , as prosecution witness in a trial of alleged misapplication of N2.5 billion Federal Government Digital Switch-Over (DSO) programme.
Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo-Giwa granted the application by the prosecution, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), following the withdrawal of the objection earlier raised by the defendants.
ICPC is prosecuting the Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Ishaq Kawu in the court for alleged abuse of office and money laundering.
The Commission had filed a 12-count charge against Kawu, Lucky Omoluwa and Dipo Onifade, the Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of Pinnacle Communications Limited respectively.
After calling two witnesses, the ICPC filed the application seeking to add the former minister and Shuaibu Sabo, a Bureau de Change operator, as additional witnesses in the trial.
Dr Alex Izinyon (SAN), counsel to Omoluwa and Onifade, had filed a motion prohibiting the prosecution from listing Mohammed and Sabo as additional witnesses.
At the resumed hearing of the trial on Thursday, Mr Abayomi Oyelola, who held the brief of Iziyon, said they were withdrawing the motion opposing the list of additional witnesses by the ICPC.
Justice Oginbanjo-Giwa thereafter struck out the motion by the defendants.
The judge has also granted the applications by the defendants seeking the release of their international passports to enable them travel abroad for official functions.
The court’s decision was also sequel to the withdrawal of the counter affidavit of the ICPC challenging the release of the travelling documents.
ICPC lawyer, E. A. Shogunle, said he was withdrawing the counter affidavit because the period the applicants would be travelling fell within the court’s vacation.
The lawyer also informed the court that the prosecution had complied with the directive of the court to verify the addresses of the sureties to the second and third defendants as given in the bail bonds and filed same.
Shogunle however said the prosecution could not verify the address of the surety to the first defendant (Kawu) because there was an error in the house number provided in the bail bond.
He said the lawyer to the first defendant would have to correct the error in the house address at the court registry before he could file a verifying affidavit.
The judge, however, held that since the prosecution had withdrawn the counter affidavit to the motion, the travel documents of all the defendants should be released to them.
She ordered that the defendants should be given their international passports in the custody of the Deputy Chief Registrar (DCR) and be allowed to travel within the time they stipulated in their motions
The judge, however, ordered that the defendants should return the travelling documents to the custody of the DCR upon their return not later than September 25.
She directed the sureties to the defendants to swear respective affidavit to the effect that they would surrender themselves for trial in case the defendants abscond.
Specifically, she said the sureties would take the place of the defendants and would remain in detention until the defendants surrender themselves for trial.
Justice Oginbanjo-Giwa adjourned the case until October 2 for continuation of hearing
Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has announced the postponement of its maiden annual Public Relations, Reputation, Ideas, Concepts and Excellence (PRICE) Awards and Prizes to January 25, 2026.
NIPR
The event, earlier scheduled for December 7, 2025, was deferred to accommodate stakeholders whose observance of Christmas festivities had commenced earlier than expected.
Chairman of the Organising Committee, Mr. Israel Opayemi, urged stakeholders to note the new date and prepare to participate in the ceremony.
He said the awards would motivate professionals, practitioners and scholars, while enhancing Nigeria’s global competitiveness in the public relations ecosystem and strengthening brand equity for all stakeholders.
Opayemi reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to delivering a best-in-class award administration and ceremony, describing the PRICE Awards as a credible and enduring platform to identify, celebrate and elevate outstanding individuals, campaigns and organisations shaping the public relations landscape across sectors.
The development of the PRICE Awards peaked in September 2025 when the NIPR President and Chairman, Council, Dr. Ike Neliaku, inaugurated a 12-man committee to organise the maiden edition. The inauguration followed the Council’s adoption of the report of a technical team tasked with establishing the awards.
Netflix has announced a landmark agreement to acquire Warner Bros. and HBO Max in a transaction valued at $82.7 billion, a move analysts say will reshape the global entertainment industry.
Netflix
The deal, which includes Warner Bros.’ film and television studios, HBO, HBO Max, and Warner Bros. Games, was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies. Under the terms, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) shareholders will receive $23.25 in cash and $4.50 in Netflix shares for each WBD share.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos described the acquisition as “a defining moment” for the streaming giant, noting that the company intends to maintain Warner Bros.’ current operations while expanding its production capacity.
“By combining Warner Bros.’ incredible library of shows and movies with Netflix’s culture-defining titles, we can give audiences more of what they love and help define the next century of storytelling,” Sarandos said.
The transaction is expected to close within 12 to 18 months, following the planned spin-off of WBD’s TV networks division, Discovery Global, in 2026. Netflix projects annual cost savings of $2–3 billion by the third year after completion and expects the deal to be accretive to earnings per share by year two.
Industry groups, including the Directors Guild of America and Cinema United, have raised concerns about the impact on movie theaters, while regulators are expected to scrutinize the deal over antitrust issues. Netflix has pledged to continue supporting theatrical releases, with Warner Bros.’ cinema commitments running through 2029.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav hailed the agreement, saying it “combines two of the greatest storytelling companies in the world to bring to even more people the entertainment they love.”
Observers note that the acquisition comes 15 years after former Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes dismissed Netflix as “the Albanian army,” underscoring the dramatic shift in the entertainment landscape.
A major shake‑up rocks viewers and subscribers of DSTV/GOTV as many channels are set to shut down and be removed on January 1, 2026.
The trigger for the upcoming shut‑down is a breakdown in negotiations between the owners of multiple global channels and the pay‑TV operator.
As of December 2025, the deal between Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and DStv/GOtv has expired and the two parties have not reached a renewal agreement.
Without a new carriage/distribution agreement, the channels belonging to WBD risk being pulled off the DStv/GOtv line‑up.
This is the most significant content cutback the service has seen in years.
The affected channels are:
Discovery Channel
TLC
Cartoonito
Cartoon Network
CNN International
Food Network
The Travel Channel
TNT
Investigation Discovery
Real Time
HGTV
Discovery Family
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