Broadcasting
ICPC Fails to Produce Lai Mohammed as Witness, Closes Its Case in DSO Trial
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC), on Tuesday failed to produce Alhaji Lai Mohammed, minister of Information, in court, to testify as prosecution witness in the on going trial of Ishaq Kawu Modibbo, director-general of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Pinnacle Communications Ltd, and two others.
ICPC
On October 21, the last adjourned date, Justice Folashade Ogunbanjo- Giwa, trial Judge, had threatened to close the case of ICPC against the defendants if it fails to produce Mohammed and a subpoenaed bureau de change operator in court as witness on December 3.
Despite failure of the ICPC to produce the Information Minister to testify in court, a statement he made to the agency, tendered in court, indicated that he gave the approval for the release of N2.5 billion to the National Broadcasting Corporation as seed grant for the Digital Switch Over project of the Federal Government.
When the matter came up on Tuesday, the prosecution counsel, Henry Emoreh informed the court that though the case was for continuation of trial, however, he said, “we intend to close the case of the prosecution and we are not calling any more witnesses”.
Reacting to the sudden decision of the prosecution to close its case, Akeem Mustapha SAN, counsel to the 1st defendant (Kawu Modibbo) said he would not be calling any witness.
Mustapha said pursuant to section 303 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, he would be asking for the maximum 14 days to file the 1st defendant’s no-case-submission.
Similarly, Alex Iziyon SAN, counsel to the 2nd and 3rd defendants, said he would not be calling any witness, and therefore requested for the maximum 14 days period allowed by ACJA to file a no-case-submission.
On his part, counsel representing the 4th defendant, Amah Etuwewe, applied for the maximum 14 days to file a no-case-submission.
Reacting, the prosecution counsel told the court that he needed 21 days to reply to all the proposed applications for no-case-submissions of the defendants.
Similarly, the defendants informed the court that they would need 7 days to reply on points of law.
In a short ruling, Justice Ogunbanjo- Giwa noted that it would take forty-two days for counsel to file and exchange processes in respect of the application for no-case-submissions.
Consequently, the court adjourned the matter to January 30, 2020 for adoption.
Meanwhile, Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa has granted leave to Sir Lucky Omoluwa (3rd) and Dipo Onifade (2nd) defendants leave to travel abroad for an international conference.
The court therefore ordered the registrar of the Federal High Court to release the international passports of the defendants to enable them embark on the abroad trip.
The court directed them to travel between December 16-18, and January 14-16, 2020.
As part of the conditions, the court directed that one of the sureties of the defendants must deposed to an affidavit that they will return to face their trial, or be made to stand trial should the defendants abscond.
However, Justice Ogunbanjo-Giwa said that the defendants’ passports must be returned back to the court on January 24, 2020.
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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