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Coca-Cola Nigeria System to Invest N560b in 5 years, Flags off 70th Anniversary
The Coca-Cola System in Nigeria, comprising Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited and Coca-Cola Nigeria Ltd, has flagged off activities marking its 70th anniversary celebration in Nigeria, with commitment to invest N560 billion in five years.
This was announced Thursday at a press briefing with key NBC and Coca-Cola Nigeria executives in attendance.
The Coca-Cola System, through the bottling arm NBC, was incorporated in 1951. Today the Coca-Cola system is a leader in the non-alcoholic category with a rich portfolio of brands and array of options across its product offering.
The system has kept growing with its customers with a stated vision to provide a beverage for every occasion around the clock, while positively impacting the nation and economy.
With 8 manufacturing plants, over 7000 dealers, skilled and dedicated employees, and a sophisticated distribution system across Nigeria, there is practically no community in Nigeria where a cold bottle of Coca-Cola is not within the close reach of consumers.
Commenting on the 70th anniversary milestone, Mathieu Seguin, Managing Director of NBC, said, “As we continued to grow, we have been very deliberate about investing heavily to make a positive impact in the lives of people in communities where we work and operate. We believe that our business is only as sustainable as the communities in which we do business, and this is why we have mainstreamed sustainability into every aspect of our business.
“For perspective, in the last 10 years alone, the Coke System has invested more than 9 billion naira in lifting the living standards of communities where we do business in Nigeria, through locally relevant initiatives.
Some of the areas we have had the most impact have been in education and youth development, women empowerment, water, environmental sustainability, sports and the promotion of commerce and entrepreneurship.”
Seguin went on to share some of the impact and notable accomplishments of the Coca-Cola system over the years. In youth development, the System has trained over 30,000 youths on entrepreneurship and employability skills across different cities in Nigeria in the last 5 years.
Under Education, its Tech Relevant Teacher (TRT) project has impacted 24,000 school pupils, with 648 school leaders and teachers trained and several classrooms blocks constructed or renovated in over 30 public schools in the last 5 years, impacted over 30,000 students.
With regards to women development, from 2015 to 2019 alone the Coca-Cola 5by20 program impacted over 470,000 women, with 38,000 women supported to start up their own medium, small or micro businesses as Coca-Cola Distributors or Retailers.
The Lady Mechanic Initiative empowered 100 vulnerable young women with vocational, entrepreneurial and life skills, and equipped them to become certified professional automobile mechanics.
Furthermore, the Safe Birth Initiative, a wellbeing programme to support the efforts of the government towards reducing the alarming numbers of deaths by women and new-born babies from birth-related complication has impacted over 12,000 Mothers and Babies since inception.
Speaking also at the event, Alfred Olajide, Managing Director of Coca-Cola Nigeria remarked that, “Anniversaries are an important part of life. They remind us of important events, both personal and cultural.
“This celebration not only gives us an opportunity to look back at the brand’s storied history in Nigeria but is also an opportunity to highlight our plans for the future. This milestone anniversary is a testament to the possibilities and shared opportunities we have created in this great country.
Beyond an anniversary, this is a story of a company building and establishing long-lasting relationships with diverse groups, individuals, and organisations in a bid to ensure a better-shared future; it is years of system investments that have ensured the oiling of this country’s economic gears; it is years of initiatives that have ensured and fostered community resilience in communities seeking our intervention; it is years of instilling hope, open happiness, positive feelings and the magic of community in audiences.”
The 70th anniversary celebration will run all through the remaining part of 2021 with a line-up of activities designed to celebrate the milestone with the Coca-Cola System’s consumers, customers, employees, partners and the general public for their support towards the growth of the business which include the Anniversary Stakeholder Event, consumer seeding/giveback programmes among others.
“In emphasizing our current Real Magic philosophy, we will be kickstarting The Nigerians of Coca-Cola campaign, which will serve to tell a visual story of a diverse set of people across key regions in the country with different struggles and positive histories with Coca-Cola.
“These are people that have directly benefited from The Coca-Cola System’s sustainability initiatives – from our value system to our key programme areas such as women and youth empowerment, waste, wellbeing, and water stewardship.
“Through this activity, we will also highlight the long-term impact these partnerships and initiatives have had on the communities and individuals.
“To share fun and interesting stories about our beverages, we are also launching the My Coke Moments campaign, to encourage customers and stakeholders across demographics to share nostalgic moments and memories with their online network of friends.
“This further demonstrates Coca-Cola’s cultural relativism in Nigeria and showcases the brand’s longevity and love in the country
“We have also planned Share a Trip with Coke which is an activity that will be spreading Real Magic across four key Nigerian cities.
“Coca-Cola branded buses will be on major routes in Lagos, Kano and Port-Harcourt, and lucky customers that get on the buses will be rewarded with free rides and exclusive brand merchandise.
“To cap off the exciting activities, we will close the celebration with a celebratory dinner in November 2021 to delight our varied stakeholders”.
At the event, the Coca-Cola System presented Socio-Economic Impact Report for 2015-2019 which summarises the impact of the system, the value it has contributed to the Nigerian economy and the investments it is making in communities.
According to Mr. Seguin, “since 2007, we have invested $1.7billiion in the country and we will be investing an additional N560 billion or $1b in our operations in Nigeria.
“In the last five years, the Coca-Cola system has also supported the creation of 58,000 jobs along its value chain”.
In closing, Olajide remarked that, “as we prepare for more decades of excellence and enriching moments, I believe that there are opportunities for us to learn more, listen more, and continue to tailor our beverage solutions, to provide our consumers the brands they love at the different phases of their lives, done sustainably for a better shared future.
We will continue to enable economic empowerment for the people who need it most – downstream and upstream of our supply chain to truly uplift future generations.
Our environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals are embedded in how we operate as a business – it has been the history and legacy of the business in Nigeria, and our consumers should not expect anything less than the promise of quality, personalization, and the optimism that our beverages inspire.”
Olajide noted that Coca-Cola has always been in the forefront of corporate support for the development of football in Nigeria. Over 10,000 players, from 500 schools and 50 celebrity football coaches have participated in the Copa Coca-Cola programme which has reached the 36 States and the FCT, Abuja since it launched in Nigeria in 2009.
In addition, on January 17, 2018, Coca-Cola Nigeria Limited announced its partnership with Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as the Official Soft Drink Company and Sponsor of all the Nigeria National Football teams.
The partnership is worth $4 million and will run for five years. Partnerships such as these have brought the FIFA World Cup trophy to Nigeria three times, as part of the FIFA World Cup™ Trophy Tour and have given many consumers the opportunity to travel and watch football tournaments live.
Sustainable manufacturing was also highlighted as an ongoing priority for the System, with a focus on Energy use reduction, Water use reduction, Emissions reduction and World Without Waste through investments made in installations such as Combiner Heat and Power plant, Effluent treatment plants and hybrid solar power installations in its manufacturing plants.
The system also reinforced its global commitment to make all consumer packaging 100% recyclable by 2025 and to enhance the collection of all packaging material by 2030 through its World Without Waste program.
The United States will begin a partial suspension of visa issuance to Nigerians from January 1, 2026, following a new presidential proclamation aimed at strengthening border and national security.
The US Mission in Nigeria announced on Monday that the restriction will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time in accordance with Presidential Proclamation 10998, titled ‘Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.’
According to the mission, Nigeria is one of 19 countries affected by the measure.
Others listed are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The proclamation provides for a partial suspension of visa issuance covering nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas, as well as F, M and J student and exchange visitor visas.
It also applies to immigrant visas, though with limited exceptions.
The statement read in part, “Effective January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, in line with Presidential Proclamation 10998 on “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” the Department of State is partially suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas with limited exceptions.”
US officials clarified that the policy does not apply to all travellers. Exemptions include immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran, dual nationals applying with passports from countries not affected by the suspension, and Special Immigrant Visas for eligible US government employees.
Other exempted categories include lawful permanent residents of the United States and participants in certain major international sporting events.
The US government emphasised that the proclamation applies only to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date and who do not hold a valid US visa as of January 1, 2026.
“Foreign nationals, even those outside the United States, who hold valid visas as of the effective date are not subject to Presidential Proclamation 10998. No visas issued before January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, have been or will be revoked pursuant to the Proclamation,” the statement added.
Visa applicants from affected countries may continue to submit applications and attend interviews. However, the US Mission noted that such applicants “may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the US” under the new rules.
The announcement comes amid a series of recent US policy decisions that have raised concerns among Nigerians seeking to travel, study or migrate to the country.
In October, the United States added Nigeria back to its list of countries accused of violating religious freedom, citing persistent insecurity and attacks on Christian communities. This was followed by Nigeria’s inclusion on a revised US travel ban list that imposed partial entry restrictions on Nigerians.
The US has also tightened immigration and visa policies affecting Nigerians. Earlier this year, the validity of most non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerians was reduced to single-entry visas with a three-month duration.
The pre-action notice was signed by Emmanuel Okpara, Esq., Litigation and Compliance Director, and Mus’ab Awwal Mu’az, Esq., secretary of the Association’s Steering Committee.
The dispute stemmed from a consent judgment delivered on November 3, 2025, by Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CC/355/2025 between Meta Platforms, Inc. and the NDPC.
Following investigations conducted under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), 2023, the NDPC had issued a Final Order against Meta Platforms, Inc., finding “widespread violations of the data protection and privacy rights of approximately 61 million Nigerians,” and imposing a remedial fine of USD 32,800,000.
The pre-action notice was signed by Emmanuel Okpara, Esq., Litigation and Compliance Director, and Mus’ab Awwal Mu’az, Esq., Secretary of the Association’s Steering Committee.
The dispute stemmed from a consent judgment delivered on November 3, 2025, by Justice J.K. Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CC/355/2025 between Meta Platforms, Inc. and the NDPC.
Following investigations conducted under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), 2023, the NDPC had issued a Final Order against Meta Platforms, Inc., finding “widespread violations of the data protection and privacy rights of approximately 61 million Nigerians,” and imposing a remedial fine of USD 32,800,000.
The NDPC investigation stemmed from a petition filed at the commission on August 14, 2023, against Meta Platforms Inc. by the convener of Personal Data Protection Awareness Initiative, Ozoemena Nwogbo, regarding violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act.
After its investigation, NDPC found Meta Platforms Inc. wanting and, on February 18, 2025, issued nine Final Orders against Meta Platforms Inc.
NDPC’s Order
The NDPC’s order nine reads, “Meta shall pay the naira equivalent of 32,800,000 USD (Thirty-two million, eight-hundred thousand United States Dollars) as a remedial fee. The naira equivalent shall be at the rate determined by the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The details of the account for payment of the remedial fee are as follows: Account Name: Nigeria Data Protection Commission Fund Account. Account Number: 0020331265048 (300131267). Use RTGS for payment.”
The NDPC added, “Note that Meta has a right to seek a judicial review of this decision. The Commission will closely monitor Meta’s remediation process and its impact on data subjects for upwards of six months.”
However, the Final Order was subsequently set aside through Terms of Settlement, which were adopted by the court as a consent judgment on November 3, 2025, following a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/355/2025, filed by Meta Platforms Inc. against the NDPC.
Part of the Terms of Settlement entered between NDPC and Meta Platforms Inc. reads, “The applicant (Meta Platforms Inc.) and the respondent (NDPC) have come to a mutual settlement agreement that resolves the dispute underlying the applicant’s originating Summons.
“Pursuant to this agreement: (I) the applicant has agreed to provide specific remedial consideration to the respondent in support of protecting the rights of data subjects in Nigeria; and (II) the respondent has inter alia agreed to set aside and waive any rights to enforce or take steps to enforce the Final Orders against the applicant.”
The settlement terms specifically read, “In the light of the foregoing: The applicant wholly and completely terminates, abandons, withdraws, and discontinues the Originating Summons as well as any and all claims against the respondent connected to or arising from the matters or the subject matter thereof, except as the parties have otherwise agreed.
“The respondent: (I) sets aside the Final Orders against Meta; and (II) save and except as the parties have otherwise agreed, fully and firmly releases and discharges Meta from any and all claims, demands, actions, causes of action, contracts, obligations, suits, debts, costs, liabilities, which the respondent ever had, may now have, or May hereafter claim to have against Meta in respect of the matters.”
Association Alleges Illegality In Settlement
But the Data Privacy Lawyers Association contended that the consent judgment was entered into unlawfully, arguing that it was done without lawful statutory authority, in violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, and in derogation of the constitutional right to privacy guaranteed under Section 37 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
The Association further said the action was taken “to the grave prejudice of millions of affected Nigerians and the public interest, as well as the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
In the notice, the Association warned that unless the issues raised are urgently addressed within the statutory notice period, it would approach the Federal High Court to seek multiple reliefs.
These include an order setting aside, vacating, and nullifying the consent judgment on grounds of fraud, collusion, material non-disclosure, lack of statutory authority, and violation of the NDPA, 2023.
It is also seeking a declaration that the consent judgment is “null, void, unconstitutional, and of no legal effect,” as well as a declaration that the NDPC lacks statutory authority to waive, compro
Other reliefs sought include an order restoring and reviving the Final Order against Meta Platforms, including the $32.8 million fine, and an order restraining any further reliance on or enforcement of the consent judgment.
The Association also asked the court for other orders the Court may deem fit in the interest of justice, public accountability, and the protection of constitutional rights.
In the interest of transparency and accountability, the Association urged the NDPC to provide a written explanation of the legal basis for entering into the Terms of Settlement, clarify the statutory authority relied upon to waive the remedial fine and set aside the Final Order, and take steps to remedy the issues raised.
The letter, the Association said, constitutes the requisite pre-action notice under applicable law.
It warned that unless the concerns are satisfactorily addressed within 30 days of receipt of the notice, it will proceed to institute legal proceedings without further recourse.
mise, or extinguish liabilities, sanctions, or remedial fines arising from established violations of the Act.
As Christians in Nigeria and around the world mark the birth of Jesus Christ, Globacom has extended warm Christmas greetings, describing the season as one of goodwill and togetherness.
Reflecting on the significance of Christmas in a message released on Tuesday, the technology company said the period offers an opportunity for renewal, calling on Christians to uphold the values embodied by Jesus Christ, including love, humility and compassion for humanity.
Globacom noted that the circumstances of Christ’s birth continue to offer timeless guidance for society. “The noble yet humble birth of Jesus teaches virtues such as obedience to God, humility, love for mankind and a strong commitment to the common good. We encourage Christians to consciously practise these virtues as true followers of Christ,” the company stated.
Against the backdrop of today’s social and economic challenges, the company emphasized the shared responsibility of people of goodwill to care for others and to give generously, pointing to Christ’s acts of compassion, including his feeding of multitudes as recorded in the Bible.
Beyond the celebrations, Globacom urged Nigerians to sustain the true spirit of Christmas by consistently demonstrating love, promoting peace and fostering harmony—values that defined Christ’s life and teachings.
The company also wished its customers and Nigerians at large a joyful Christmas, while reaffirming its commitment to delivering reliable, high-quality services throughout the festive period and beyond, urging customers to take advantage of its wide range of innovative products and services to stay connected and share the joy of the season with loved ones.
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