Telecom
Amplify Digital Hosts Think Digital Meet Up; leads conversation on the power of Social Influencers
Amplify Digital; a full service, data-driven digital marketing agency in Lagos, on Thursday 30 May, held her second edition of the Think Digital Meet Up.
The event themed: ‘Under the Influence: Understanding the Power and Reach of Social Influencers’, was organized to bring brands, influencers and digital marketers together to discuss how to effectively utilise the power of social influencers to help reach brands’ marketing objectives.
The Business Development Manager, Amplify Digital, Ponmile Alabi said, “The point of the Think Digital Meet Up is to bring marketing managers and digital marketers together to talk about the problems they face with different digital marketing strategies and deployments because we realised that there’s a gap between the agency and the clients.
While speaking on the theme of the meet up, Alabi called on brand managers to ensure that the influencers they hire are ones that have inculcated their brands as their way of life.
According to her, “Influencer marketing is more than just one post; it’s a lifestyle, for example, if i’m influencing for Apple, I should have Apple products, Apple should be my lifestyle, it should be the way I live, the way I walk.
“So that everybody that sees me will emulate me because they are looking at us even when we do not know it.
“We advise brands to take conscious step of hiring influencers that can actually inculcate their brands in their personal lifestyles and not just one post.
During the panel discussion on the event’s theme, the Digital Marketing Manager, Mouka Limited, Damilola Taiwo, described an influencer as a person who can motivate members of the public/customers to buy products/ or grow brand’s acceptability.
Taiwo who warned that an influencer can make or mar a product/brand, also subscribed to using brand ambassador to function as advocate, influencer and face of the brand/company to drive acceptability or patronage.
“To start with, you need an influencer or ambassador who understands the brand’s concept or perspective; it goes beyond just tweeting about a brand,” he opined.
To Fisayo Fosudo, Visual Storyteller & Tech Video Producer, influence marketing is a crucial means to get brands to tell their story and convince members of the public.
“Influence marketing is as old as man; using an uncle to influence a certain office or a friend to recommend a product or sample for you – these are forms of influence marketing.
“But, today the process has been digitised using social media. Today, we talk about product reviews, etc.
Now, as an influence marketer you can sell yourself through your creativity; showing an understanding of different platforms and how they operate and using relevant content to market your client’s product or service.
To be an effective influencer, you should be able to mould people’s opinion, says Wale Adetona, a Digital Marketer with SystemSpecs.
“They serve as third party voices whom members of the public believe, sometimes more than they would believe the company. They are particular about moulding opinion.
“Before now, we had ‘celebrity ambassadors’ but the advent of social media created ‘marketing celebrity’. We have to be careful while selecting brand ambassadors as many can be influencers but may not carry the brand through in terms of sustainability of the brand prestige. At the end of the day, it is about the RoI ( Return on Investment)”, Adetona added.
Also, Brand Influencer, Ms. Onaopemipo Olatunde, advised brands not to depend wholly on an influencer’s large followership to bring in results.
“Some brands believe it is an influencer’s large followership that will earn them RoI. But it is not always true. One can have a niche market they have absolute influence on. There is a need to understand the shared voice in a particular market before selecting an influencer to work with”.
Generally, participants advised that influencers should study client’s brief thoroughly before embarking on influence marketing so as to deliver the needed message and generate marketing leads.
MTN Nigeria, in collaboration with ONErpm and Ultima Studios, has announced Ayodeji Benson, popularly known as Ayo Benzi, as the winner of the maiden edition of the Next Afrobeats Star reality show.
L-R: Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer, MTN Nigeria; Ayodeji Benson, Winner, Next Afrobeats Star Reality Show (Season 1) and Emamoke Ogoro, General Manager, Brand and Communication, MTN Nigeria, at the grand finale of the Next Afrobeats Star Reality Show (Season 1), held at the Ultima Studios, Lekki, Lagos on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
The grand finale, held on Sunday night at Ultima Studios in Lekki, Lagos, marked the climax of a nationwide talent search that began in September with over 15,000 aspiring musicians.
After weeks of auditions, mentorship, and rigorous training, five finalists – Ayo Benzi, Dave Cash, Kaeko, Somto O’Laker, and Lucky Yay – battled for the top prize in a high-energy showcase of performance and artistry.
At the end of the electrifying contest, Ayo Benzi emerged victorious, securing a ₦150 million music deal. Dave Cash was named first runner-up with ₦100 million, while Kaeko, Somto O’Laker, and Lucky Yay received ₦75 million, ₦50 million, and ₦25 million respectively.
Throughout the season, contestants were mentored by leading Afrobeats producers Sarz, Puffy Tee, P Prime, and Andre Vibez. Benzi, who was part of Puffy Tee’s team, credited the mentorship programme for sharpening his craft and stage presence.
Speaking at the event, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka, Chief Marketing Officer of MTN Nigeria, said the initiative reflects the company’s commitment to youth empowerment and cultural expression.
“The Next Afrobeats Star platform is about creating real opportunities for young Nigerians and giving their talent the structure, visibility, and support it deserves.
“Afrobeats continues to place Nigeria on the global cultural map, and MTN is proud to be enabling the next generation of artists who will take this sound even further,” she said.
She added that the finale was not just a competition but a celebration of growth and readiness for the global stage.
In his acceptance speech, Ayo Benzi described the victory as a defining moment in his career.
“A big thank you to MTN. From the audition days, the treatment MTN has given us has been amazing. God bless the brand,” he said.
The finale also featured guest performances by Afrobeats stars Iyanya and Bella Shmurda, adding glamour to the night and reinforcing the show’s connection to the wider music ecosystem.
With the successful conclusion of the season, MTN Nigeria and its partners reaffirmed their role in championing youth ambition, supporting creative industries, and shaping the future of Nigerian music through platforms that turn potential into opportunity.
T2, formerly known as 9mobile, is under investigation by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Benue State for an undisclosed incident disrupting USSD, SMS, voice, and data services across nine local government areas.
T2
The affected areas include Ado, Agatu, Gwer East, Gwer West, Konshisha, Obi, Ohimini, Okpokwu, and Otukpo, as detailed in an advisory on the NCC Major Outages Portal, which tracks significant disruptions reported by Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs).
Neither T2 nor its public relations firm, Chain Reactions, has responded to inquiries on the outage’s cause or restoration efforts as of this report.
The NCC’s continued reference to the operator as 9mobile, months after its public rebranding to T2 in August 2025, has sparked questions about whether the name change was formally notified to the regulator.
This probe aligns with NCC mandates requiring operators to disclose major outages, their impacts, and timelines for fixes, with compensation obligatory for disruptions exceeding 24 hours under the Consumer Code of Practice Regulations.
Industry watchers note that such incidents, often linked to fibre cuts, power failures, or infrastructure faults, underscore ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s telecoms sector, particularly amid T2’s subscriber losses post-rebrand. NCC vows transparency via its portal to hold operators accountable and protect consumers.
Telecom
NCC Unveils Draft 5-Year Spectrum Roadmap, 60 GHz License-Exempt Guidelines to Boost Broadband, Innovation
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled two pivotal regulatory draft documents aimed at reshaping Nigeria’s communications sector over the next five years and fast-tracking deployment of ultra-high-speed wireless technologies.
NCC
In a public notice dated December 19, 2025, and issued pursuant to its mandate under the Nigerian Communications Act (NCA) 2003, the Commission published the Draft 5-Year Spectrum Roadmap for the Communications Sector (2025–2030) and Draft Guidelines for the Use of the 60 GHz License-Exempt Band for Multi-Gigabit Wireless Systems.
Both documents are accessible on the NCC website for stakeholder review, with the roadmap outlining strategic spectrum planning, allocation, and management to optimise utilisation, support emerging technologies like 5G and IoT, expand broadband access, and align with global best practices.
The Spectrum Roadmap emphasises four core pillars: bridging the digital divide through low-band spectrum and satellite services, attracting investments via flexible licensing models, enhancing service quality with mid-band optimisation, and fostering innovation in areas such as direct-to-device connectivity and secondary spectrum trading.
It sets ambitious targets including universal 4G coverage nationwide, 50 per cent 5G penetration in state capitals, and average broadband speeds of 100 Mbps by 2030, while addressing rising data demand through band refarming and efficient management.
Complementing this, the 60 GHz Guidelines establish a license-exempt framework for the 57–66 GHz band, enabling multi-gigabit speeds up to 10 Gbps for short-range applications like WiGig, fixed wireless access, enterprise connectivity, urban broadband, and backhaul solutions.
The rules mandate NCC type approval for equipment, site registration for outdoor use, and interference mitigation measures, while prohibiting wide-area networks to safeguard primary users.
In line with Section 58 of the NCA 2003, NCC invites comments from industry operators, equipment manufacturers, consumer groups, and the public, with submissions due by Friday, January 16, 2025, via email to [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected].
The notice, signed by Mrs Nnenna Ukoha, Head of Public Affairs, stresses that stakeholder inputs will refine the frameworks to drive innovation, investment, competition, and sustainable growth in Nigeria’s telecoms ecosystem.
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