News
Lai Mohammed’s Loyalist Appointed NBC Board Chairman
Alhaji Lateef Bolarinwa, Chairman of the Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC) faction loyal to Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, has emerged Chairman of the Board of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC). His appointment was announced on Wednesday in a statement conveying President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval of the reconstitution of the NBC Board, following the expiration of the tenure of the former board.
Bolarinwa, a former member of the House of Representatives representing Lagos Mainland, was the Caretaker Committee Chairman, but was removed following the disagreement between Governor Abdulrazak Abdulrahaman of Kwara State and Mohammed over the control of party in the state.
During the state congress of the party, Mohammed’s faction held its parallel congress where Bolarinwa emerged Chairman.
However, the party’s Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) recognized declined to recognize the congress held by Mohammed’s faction, but that of the one headed by the governor.
Other members appointed to represent various interests as prescribed by the NBC Act include Mr. Wada Asab Ibrahim, Mr. Iheanyichukwu Azubike Dike, Mrs. Adesola Oyinloye Ndu and Mr. Olaniyan Olatunji Badmus.
Also on the board are Mr. Bashir Ibrahim, Mr. Obiora Ilo, Mr, Ahmad Sajo, Engr. Bayo Erikitola, who is representing the State Security Service; a representative of the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture as well as the Director-General of the Commission. The board has a three-year tenure.
The previous NBC Board and the Minister fell out two years ago over the 6th National Broadcasting Code (NB Code), which the Minister presented on 26 March, 2020 at the L’eola Hotel in Lagos.
. At a press conference in Abuja, the former Board declared the code presented by the Minister as illegal and unfit to be used for the regulation of broadcasting in the country. It explained that the code had been publicly presented in 2019 in Kano and alleged that the Minister had, afterwards, unilaterally carried out a review without input of other stakeholders.
At the press conference, Alhaji Ika Aliyu Bilbis, then Chairman of the Board, and his colleagues stated that 55 institutions and stakeholders, including the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria (IBAN), private media outfits, broadcasters, notable media Intellectuals, communication experts and Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, separately wrote to the Board to express their rejection of the code.
‘’The Board of the NBC wishes to make it quite clear that as long as it is in place, the only NB Code that we recognise and which we shall work with in the setting of operating policies and standards for the NBC is the 6th edition of the NB Code, which was launched in 2019 in Kano. Any other purported review has no board endorsement and therefore cannot be utilised in regulating broadcasting in Nigeria.
‘’The danger of allowing the unilateral amendment of the NB Code to stand is that investors in the industry will lose confidence in the stability the broadcast ecosystem has enjoyed till date before the advent of the current Minister of Information.
‘’Our President and his team have worked so hard to galvanise local and foreign investment in Nigeria. Allowing obnoxious policies to take root in our Investment Culture will spell doom for creativity, enterprise, diversity and the general development of broadcasting in Nigeria’’, the NBC board said.
The Board noted that a review of the code is undertaken every four years and involves NBC staff, former DGs, retired NBC Directors and other relevant industry stakeholders.
’These, according to the Board, include Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON), Independent Broadcast Association of Nigeria (IBAN), Private Media outfits, Broadcasters, notable media Intellectuals, Communication experts, Digiteam and the academia.
‘’From the history, traditions and the convention of the NBC, no Honourable Minister of Information has ever interfered in any NB Code review.
‘’After the 2019 presentation of the 6th code (which is the present one), the Honourable Minister has acted alone with just a handful of his loyalists who have written a new NB Code that has created uproar in the industry, threatening to destroy investments and lead to job losses.
‘’The Honourable Minister has constantly dropped the name of President Muhammadu Buhari as having approved his own version of the code review. The NB Code is a regulatory framework put together jointly by stakeholders to guide their operations in the industry’’, the Board explained.
It further stated that the Minister’s version was at variance with every known criterion of due process and inclusiveness of stakeholders.
‘’The Director overseeing the office of the DG of the NBC has equally made insinuations that the Board endorsed the amendments culminating in its ‘public presentation’ on 26th March, 2020 at the L’eola Hotel in Lagos. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
‘’The ‘public presentation’ was actually attended by serving directors in the NBC, one former DG of the NBC, a member representing the Ministry of Information and only four (4) selected stakeholders. When compared with over sixty (60) stakeholders that attended the 2019 presentation in Kano, there is a wide gap in industry representation.’’
The board further noted that the version of the Code presented by the Minister contains disturbing provisions that had attracted critical comments with threats of litigation from organisations and individuals.
The board explained that those amendments were inserted to destroy the hard work of others and appropriate their intellectual property by new entrants into the industry.
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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