Telecom
Lawyer Slams N1Bn Suit against NCC, Others over Network Shutdown
Gloria Ballason, a human rights lawyer, has filed a N1 billion suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja challenging the legality of the shutdown of telecommunication networks and internet services in some parts of the state.
The Kaduna State-based lawyer, said in the suit filed on December 8, 2021, that the shutdown was not backed by law or due process, just as she also contended that it impinges on her rights and other citizens.
Those sued as respondents in the suit include the Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, the Attorney-General of Kaduna State, and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
Also sued are four major network providers in Nigeria – Airtel Networks Limited, Globacom Limited, Emirates Telecommunication Group Company (Etisalat) and MTN Group Limited.
The plaintiff, who resides in Chikun Local Government Area and operates her office in Kaduna South Local Government Area, said telecommunications and internet connection went off from early September 2021 until about November 27, 2021 “and connection has been epileptic up until the time of filing this case”.
Ms Ballasson, who recalled that security reasons were cited as the reason for the shutdown, noted that the level of insecurity in the state has not reduced in any manner.
“Rather, terrorists are still kidnapping, killing, collecting and impoverishing struggling families within Kaduna State”.
She cited media reports of an instance during the shutdown of telecom services in specified areas of Kaduna State when “bandits abducted 66 members of Baptist Church in Kakau area of Kaduna State and killed 2 out of the 66 abducted”.
According to her, sometime in early November 2021, bandits also attacked Yagbak and Abuyab communities in Atyap Chiefdom in Zangaon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State wherein 11 persons were killed and several houses burnt.
“This act of the Governor and Government of Kaduna State has caused agony on me, the residents of the affected areas and citizens are compelled to embrace a retrogressive lifestyle,” she said.
She said the action “has crippled my litigation work and Radio/TV businesses as well as businesses of thousands of youths who make legitimate earnings utilizing telecommunication services as businesses that rely on telecommunications services have their means of livelihood (and those who depend on them) truncated.”
She said on a daily basis on account of the shutting down of telecommunication services, her business, economic and social life (and that of other Nigerian citizens) working and residing in the affected telecom shut down directive was seriously jeopardised.
She added that due to the telecom shutdown, House of Justice Annual Summit & Banquet with the theme, ‘Leadership, Governance & National Security,’ which was slated to hold on November 26, 2021 at Epitome Events Centre Ethiopia Road, Barnawa Kaduna had poor attendance and online participants could not connect nor have access to discussions.
“That there are no justifiable reasons for the interference with my fundamental human rights (and that of the Nigerian citizens working and residing in Kaduna state).
“That the telecommunications services shut down directive is not backed up by law or due process but was ordered vaguely,” she stated.
Among other prayers, the plaintiff urged the court to declare that the NCC as an independent national regulatory authority failed to be firm, fair and upright when it yielded to the directive of the Governor of Kaduna state which was not backed by law.
She sought a declaration that “telecommunications shutdown of telephone services and the internet not backed by law or due process impinges on the rights of the Applicant, citizens of a democratic state, is capable of consequential usurping of adjoining or corresponding fundamental rights and is hence unconstitutional.”
Another of the plaintiff’s prayer sought an order of N100million “for arbitrary use of powers to interfere with the Rights of the applicant”.
She also sought an order for specific damages in the sum of N900 million “for loss of earnings, apprehension of safety, embarrassment, discomfort and inability to host already invited and confirmed international guests at the 2021 House of Justice Summit, the creation of a frustrating work environment and the boomerang effect for the Applicant and her clients during the time of the shutdown of telephone and internet network.”
She also asked the court to order that all monetary awards made by the court against the respondents or any of them “shall attract interest at the rate of 10 per cent interest per annum until total and final liquidation of same.”
The respondents have yet to respond to the suit.
The need for Nigeria to think outside the box in its need to drive towards global relevance with innovations and scientific developments will be on the front burner at the NITRA Innovative & Scientific Conference scheduled to hold on Thursday July 23, 2026 in Ikeja, Lagos.
NITRA
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will lead other delegates to discuss and take far-reaching decisions at the event, which has its theme as “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide With Scientific Innovation”.
Other companies that have indicated interest in partnering with NITRA include mobile communications company, Tecno; Africa’s premier end-to-end AI solutions company, Hyperspace; and telecommunications data infrastructure company, Digital Realty.
Speaking on the proposed event, the Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that the event will seek to create a platform for government and private organisations to deliberate on policies around scientific innovations in Nigeria, challenges, place of indigenous and foreign collaboration, roles of each stakeholder, and grassroots development in that regard, among others.
According to him: “The Federal government, with series of programmes and partnerships, has established the urgent need to create an ecosystem that thrives on scientific innovation, breeding institutions and individuals with a target of placing the country at the fore-front of Next-Gen development.
It is a known fact that digital and scientific innovations are crucial, not only to the survivability of a nation, but also to the sustainability of its growth and development, with significant effect on economic strength, global image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety, communication and digital footprint, among others.
The federal government is actively driving scientific innovation to foster economic diversification and build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Efforts are heavily focused on commercializing research, establishing massive research funds, and funding strategic infrastructure, particularly in technology, biotechnology, and healthcare. Core government initiatives and policies include the newly instituted National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF), which aims to mobilize about $500 million annually to support research and the commercialization of scientific outputs; and the Nigeria Genomic City, a multi-ministerial initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading hub for genomics, precision medicine, and biotechnology. It is designed to protect indigenous data, stimulate artificial intelligence in health, and develop a highly skilled scientific workforce.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum will also be a vehicle to propagating the views of decision makers to the public, thereby furthering the cause of public awareness and information dissemination on the topic.
The focus, he said will be on how Nigeria can sustain digital innovative growth and scientific development in Nigeria
The board of global payments company, PayPal, says a 53 billion dollars takeover offer from financial technology firm, Stripe, and private equity company, Advent International, does not adequately reflect the company’s long-term value.
PayPal
According to reports, the proposed acquisition, valued at 60.50 dollars per share, remains under consideration, with the board yet to formally respond to the offer.
The directors are said to be evaluating not only the financial value of the proposal but also the structure of the financing, the timeline for completing the transaction and the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approvals.
They are also considering the possibility of competing bids emerging.
Although the offer represents a premium of about 28 per cent above PayPal’s recent share price, the board believes the company could deliver greater value to shareholders if its ongoing turnaround strategy succeeds.
Following reports of the bid, PayPal shares gained about two per cent to close at 56.73 dollars.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Stripe and Advent have secured approximately 50 billion dollars in debt financing from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, while both firms would jointly contribute 17 billion dollars in equity.
Under the proposal, the two companies would jointly own PayPal instead of dividing its operations.
PayPal, Stripe, Advent International, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley have all declined to comment on the proposed transaction.
The discussions come as PayPal seeks to strengthen its business after years of increasing competition from rivals including Apple Pay, Google Pay and emerging financial technology firms.
The company, which was valued at about 360 billion dollars in 2021, now has a market capitalisation of approximately 36 billion dollars.
Since assuming office as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026, Enrique Lores has embarked on a restructuring programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and restoring growth.
The restructuring includes the creation of three business divisions comprising Checkout, Venmo and Consumer Financial Services, and Payments and Crypto.
The company is also targeting 1.5 billion dollars in cost savings through the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
PayPal’s latest financial results indicated signs of recovery, with first-quarter revenue rising seven per cent year-on-year to 8.35 billion dollars, while total payment volume increased by eight per cent to 464 billion dollars.
If approved, the transaction would combine two of the world’s largest digital payments companies.
The combined business would process an estimated 3.7 trillion dollars in annual payment volume, significantly strengthening its position in the global online payments market.
However, analysts expect the proposed acquisition to face intense regulatory scrutiny because of the companies’ combined market share in merchant payment services.
To address possible antitrust concerns, the bidders have reportedly considered options, including separating PayPal’s Braintree business or other assets if required by regulators.
Sources said Stripe and Advent remain interested in pursuing the acquisition despite the board’s reservations, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Market observers are also awaiting PayPal’s earnings report scheduled for July 28 for further indications of the company’s financial recovery and future growth prospects.
Concerns over network reliability and its impact on Nigeria’s growing creator economy took centre stage at MTN Nigeria’s Data on Trial event, where content creator and streamer, Jarvis, challenged telecommunications operators to improve connectivity for digital creators.
Speaking during the event, Jarvis asked whether there were locations in Nigeria where uninterrupted internet connectivity could support real-life (IRL) streaming without network disruptions.
“Are there places where there is no breakage when streaming IRL?” she asked.
Her question highlighted the challenges faced by content creators who depend on stable internet services for live streaming, content uploads and real-time engagement with audiences.
Responding, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, Mr Yahaya Ibrahim, said network performance depends on several factors, including location, network coverage, device capability and the number of users connected to a particular base station.
He noted that operators continue to invest in expanding network capacity to meet the growing demand for data services.
Earlier, MTN’s General Manager, Network Performance and Quality Assurance, Mr Michael Ndukwe, explained the evolution of mobile network technology in Nigeria, from first-generation (1G) services to the current fifth-generation (5G) technology.
According to him, each phase of technological advancement has significantly increased network capacity and enabled new digital services.
Ndukwe cited Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) data showing that Nigerians consumed about 13.2 million terabytes of data in 2025.
He added that data usage reached approximately 4.06 million terabytes in the first quarter of 2026, reflecting the country’s increasing reliance on digital platforms and online services.
According to him, the growth is being driven by wider adoption of 4G and 5G networks, increased smartphone penetration, the proliferation of smart devices and expanding use of social media platforms.
Participants at the event noted that as more Nigerians build businesses and careers around digital content, access to reliable and high-speed internet has become critical to sustaining the country’s digital economy and creator ecosystem.
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