When Nigerians began arriving back home on emergency flights following an ultimatum from anti-migrant groups in South Africa, Steve Babaeko, alongside The Nigerian Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR), saw an opportunity to step up for his fellow citizens.

Steve Babaeko

The CEO of X3M Ideas explains that he saw a deep obligation, one that had nothing to do with advertising and everything to do with hospitality. For Babaeko, it was a reminder that an agency owes a duty of care to the community it exists within.

That conviction shaped the creative agency’s partnership with the Nigerian Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (NIHOTOUR) for the newly launched ‘Welcome Home’ pilot programme at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos. Rather than simply crafting a messaging campaign around the crisis, X3M Ideas helped design a tangible, physical system.

“This wasn’t built as a campaign about a crisis,” Babaeko said. “It was a hospitality agency deciding what it owes its own citizens the moment they land.”

For Babaeko, what X3M has built is infrastructure, something returnees can physically walk through, use, and benefit from the instant they clear the arrival gate.

With the MMIA pilot now officially running, NIHOTOUR directs returnees to immediate support services and issues them a Returnee Card. This card grants individuals a free first night at partner hotels, immediate transport assistance from the airport, and fast-tracked business registration support.

Furthermore, the initiative features a dedicated Restart Desk to assist returnee entrepreneurs and tradespeople with job placement referrals and business registration. This operates alongside a public Homecoming counter that tracks the cumulative number of returnees welcomed, businesses restarted, and jobs facilitated.

Lebara Nigeria has announced the launch of Lebara Play, described as Africa’s first telecoms-owned micro-drama platform aimed at expanding opportunities for African storytellers and distributing local content to global audiences.

The company said the platform is designed to support creators by providing a new distribution channel for African narratives while making content accessible to both subscribers and non-subscribers worldwide.

Lebara Nigeria added that the platform will debut with an original production titled Imported Bahu, produced by Forever 7 and starring Osas Ighodaro.

The project is directed by Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, known for her work on Namaste Wahala, and is positioned as the first in a series of original content offerings.

According to the company, Lebara Play is built to serve both creators and audiences, with a focus on showcasing African stories to a global market and strengthening the continent’s growing digital entertainment ecosystem.

Speaking on the company’s vision at the launch, Teniola Stuffman, chief executive officer, Lebara Nigeria, said the organisation was focused on building a telecommunications ecosystem that combined innovation, connectivity, and customer-centric digital experiences.

Stuffman said, “This platform represents an important step in our vision of building a telecommunications brand that delivers more than connectivity. We are creating an ecosystem where technology, innovation, and entertainment come together to provide meaningful experiences for customers while unlocking new opportunities for creative talent and content development across Africa.”

Beyond entertainment, she said, industry stakeholders believed the initiative demonstrated how global telecommunications expertise could be adapted to local market realities.

“Drawing from decades of experience across multiple international markets, Lebara is expected to introduce additional innovative services aimed at enhancing convenience, engagement, and value for Nigerian consumers,” she said.

Stuffman added that the company’s strategy reflected growing recognition that today’s telecom customers demanded more than network access, pointing out that consumers increasingly seek brands that offer seamless digital experiences, personalised services, and access to content that enriches everyday life.

Stuffman stated that LebaraPlay also aligned with the company’s commitment to supporting Africa’s creative economy by creating new distribution channels for content creators, producers, and digital storytellers.

“Through a combination of original productions and strategic partnerships, the platform seeks to create opportunities for talent while delivering quality entertainment to audiences,” she said.

Hamisha Daryani, founder of Forever7 Entertainment, expressed excitement over the partnership with Lebara Nigeria and the premiere of her latest micro-drama series on the LebaraPlay platform.

She stated that Lebara’s customer-centric vision aligns closely with the values of Forever7 Entertainment, making the collaboration a natural fit for both organisations.

Daryani revealed that the new microdrama featured a star-studded cast drawn from both Bollywood and Nollywood, in a compelling romantic story designed specifically for mobile audiences.

According to her, the production is developed with mobile-first consumers in mind, delivering premium entertainment in short, engaging formats at an affordable cost.

“Microdrama, which typically consists of short episodes of about three minutes, is redefining how audiences consume entertainment. It offers a convenient, immersive, and affordable viewing experience for people who increasingly access content through their mobile devices,” she said.

She added that the platform was created to support seamless creative expression while providing new opportunities for content creators across the continent.

Daryani further explained that the microdrama format has already achieved significant success in Asia and the Americas and is now gaining traction across Africa.

She said the initiative would create opportunities for emerging creatives through knowledge sharing, skills development, content curation, and industry collaboration, with the Nigerian rollout of the featured series expected to commence in July.