General News
Local Operators Need Protection-Banjo
Engr. Bayo Banjo, managing director and chief executive officer of Disc Communications Limited is one of Nigeria’s pioneer cable and satellite television stations in Nigeria.
He is passionate about the communications industry which also helped nurture from the cradle. Banjo spoke to hilary okeke on a wide range of issues.
Regulatory Environment, QoS and Competition
We cannot deny that the quality of service in the country is very low. If what we are experiencing in Lagos is considered bad, I can assure you that what is experienced outside Lagos is worse. I do not think the NCC understands their role as regards corrections and Quality of Service. If the regulator imposes adequate sanctions on service providers, you will see; Quality of Service will improve. Which is the way out? I think number portability is it. The kind of penalties attached to ensure that this is enforced must be draconian. The idea of number portability implies that one can move from one network to another with the same phone number. Most people do not like to change their phone numbers; they like people to know them with a particular number. Now, not only will that make the GSM companies gear up, it will also open the door for what we call localized GSM companies. For instance, if I felt Sokoto state was not covered properly, I can apply for license to do GSM operations there alone and provide excellent service to such a degree that people coming into the state can switch over to my network without changing their numbers. That is real competition. It means people can concentrate on a particular area and focus their efforts there. Why would it not work? It is because the big networks will sabotage other smaller ones. Quality of Service is bad, we all know that. I mean, we even have cases where operators tell you that they cannot give you details of your calls because you are a prepaid subscriber. Can you imagine that? Look at how criminal it is. You are taking my money and you cannot tell me how I spent it because I paid in advance? The person paying in advance should be the most valued customer because you are getting his money in advance. All these atrocities are going on and the regulators seem not to be doing anything. There are certain things you see wrong that should be addressed without anybody complaining. The profits that some of these cellular companies declare are so large that they can remedy all these issues. The only issues that are at par with quality of Service issue are probably sabotage and theft and those are reaching epidemic proportions. A lot of wire companies are closing down because of this menace; they cannot stem the tides of cable vandalism. And most of the time, this crime is perpetrated by this poor people who steal this copper cables and sell as scrap. The cities have better security records than the rural areas and to get better security, one needs to install his equipment within someone else’s premises.
Dominance of Satellite TV
It is not healthy in the sense that with such an organization that is actually controlled by another country and of course, they have the support that the local companies here do not have because in that country, the government recognizes the importance of the media; they recognize that the media can be used to topple government, control the views and feelings of the public. The local operators need more protection. The NBC has tried in this regards, I think they also need help at the legislative level. Let us look at the supposedly freest country in the world in terms of business, which is America. You cannot be in broadcasting business if you are not an American citizen. During the indigenization exercise way back in the 70s, people would establish a company in their houseboy’s name without his knowledge and still run the company as it is. If a foreigner wants to cause damage, he can do that and go back to his own country but if a Nigerian causes damage, he stays here, his family is here. Even the land that claims it is the land of the free has limits to that freedom. On the other hand, Multichoice has shown professionalism; you can see how they operate and many have even tried to copy their model, some with great success. The only thing I have an issue with, luckily Multichoice is trying to correct that, is the focus on foreign materials. As we can see, that company has made great strides to enhance its local content. From what I understand, even though they are our competitor, they are now engaging in covering our local league. I think they were airing the Glo league and they have brought equipment to cover more leagues. To me, it is a very good development.
Merger of NCC and NBC
I am confused at the concept of that merger, particularly in an African country where control of the media and broadcast is more important; it is second only to defense. The most important thing in most countries is defense; I mean, if you do not have defense, your country is nowhere. The next weapon in any country is the media, broadcast, I have always argued. The Soviet Union was toppled using the media propaganda. It was toppled without firing a shot. Now here, you want them to merge based on the fact that both platforms would be able to carry telecommunications and broadcasting? I think you must separate the people who monitor content because the focus of the NCC is on the money that they make; the 2.5% charges, etc. But in broadcasting, you have to focus on the content of programmes, how does it influence our youth. When you look at the council that set up the concept of the merger, I think the NBC had only one or two representatives. We got those priorities wrong. It is like somebody telling you that how you bring up a child is not important and you are busy chasing money up and down. So, that is one thing I do expect from Government, to realize that the NBC is in fact, a very important organization; far more important than the NCC in function and duty – you cannot even compare their functions; they do not even come close. The one is dealing with our sociology, our livelihood our culture and the other is just dealing with collecting money. I am confused with the merger – are we trying to copy some other countries? The only countries that merge the two are cultureless countries. Countries that are growing in leaps and bounds, such as China and the U.A.E are very careful about what they introduce into their societies. Even the average U.S citizen – is he aware of what is going on? Luckily, we Nigerians are used to looking at things our own way and it is difficult to fool us. Broadcasting is all about propaganda, it affects the mind, the way you think, your attitude; it should not be taken lightly. The most powerful Union in the world was toppled using the media. Communication does not come anywhere near broadcasting. I hope there will be a good response to the merger. If it is about the issue of frequency, we have a frequency management board, which is independent of both bodies. Why do you need to merge them? I would have thought that in a third world country, you should be able to monitor your broadcast with better sense of purpose. That should be the focus. But in a merger, people will move to where there is money, the telecoms.
Fringe Players in the Converging Arena
In broadcasting, yes they stand a chance. You see, the NBC as it is presently constituted, has always encouraged small operators. Two groups can merge, if the composition at the top and the ideology given to them is right, then you would have a good organization. Wherever you find government bodies, they are usually separated so that they can pressurize and focus on what they are set up to do. The tendency that the merged bodies would be able monitor and give the relevance and importance that is deserving of broadcasting is very low. That is the way I look at it because it is natural to focus on the one that brings in more money. Secondly, in broadcasting, there is the responsibility to do screening; you are applying philosophy, sociology and whatever to what is there; in communications, you just have your rules and regulations; you just follow them strictly, as much as you can. For example, you may have a 24-hour Christian programme broadcast in Imo state. There might be no objection, but that same programme broadcasting in Zamfara state would be seen as an attempt to undermine the people there. However, the telecoms are above board, it does not involve these feelings; it has to do with a specific service. It has nothing to do with the sentiments and beliefs of the people. In the South, you can make jokes but in the North, it may not be possible. So, what kinds of people make these judgments? It is really professionals who have been in that field, properly trained broadcast professionals. In telecoms, any good engineer who has managerial skills can take over the reins. But in broadcasting, you need to have flair or feel for it.
Local Content, Educative and Entertaining
Well as for entertaining, that has to do with your revenue. You have to do a programme that is entertaining or else nobody will buy your product. In the case of local content, the government has done very well. In the past 50 years, the NBC has increased its local content requirements and you can see the results immediately. In the telecoms, the Nitel monopoly was broken. In the past, we use to have about 400, 000 lines in the whole country but today, it is well over 30 million. In broadcasting, everybody was doing foreign programmes and they insisted on local content, look at what is happening with our Nollywood – there is an explosion now, broadcasters are now bringing out Nollywood channels. Government is meant to act like a father and not leave people to their own devices; they should realize what they are there to do and enhance it.
General News
Cybersecurity Experts Seek Improvements to Maximise Protection

A study titled “Improving resilience: cybersecurity through system immunity” conducted by Kaspersky, explored how organisations currently manage cybersecurity and how they are preparing for future challenges.
This research surveyed 850 IT professionals responsible for cybersecurity in large companies across Europe, the Americas, APAC, Russia, and the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa (META) region, including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, and South Africa.
These respondents represented a diverse range of industries and organisational levels, offering a comprehensive view of current security postures and pain points.
The survey reveals that, despite high satisfaction levels—with 94% of experts from the META region stating they are “satisfied” to “extremely satisfied” with their current protection—the desire for stronger and more adaptable defenses remains widespread.
Although only 6% of respondents from META expressed dissatisfaction with their cybersecurity measures, most recognise the need for improvement. Specifically, 64% believe there are “a few” or “some” areas that could be enhanced, while 35% advocate for significant upgrades.
When asked to identify the weakest aspects of their cybersecurity systems that they would like to improve, respondents from the META region pointed to various operational and technical challenges. The most common issues included:
- Manual processes consuming excessive time (31%)
- Reactive protection lacking proactive threat detection (28%)
- Shortage of skilled personnel (28%)
The reliance on manual processes leads to increased operational overhead and delays in identifying and responding to threats, while the absence of proactive threat detection reduces the ability to prevent breaches before they occur.
Among other critical weak sides of their current cybersecurity systems noted by respondents in the META region were high risks of systemic collapse following breaches (24%), overly complex IT/OT environments (22%), and outdated threat intelligence (21%).
Additional concerns included “alert fatigue” (22%) and insufficient functionality of current solutions (19%), complexity of managing disparate solutions (19%), and poor control over security policy implementation (19%).
The management of multiple different security solutions leads to gaps in coverage, misconfigurations, and increased risk of oversight, as security teams struggle to maintain an integrated, effective defense across diverse systems.
The fragmentation hampers swift response times and increases the likelihood of overlooked vulnerabilities, ultimately weakening the organisation’s overall security posture.
These findings highlight the urgent need for streamlined intelligent security tools to address these vulnerabilities effectively.
As organisations worldwide strive to strengthen their cybersecurity posture, this research highlights that, alongside enhancing traditional cybersecurity solutions, vendors are working to develop innovative approaches: shifting from protecting inherently vulnerable software with applied security measures toward creating secure-by-design systems with innate resilience. Such systems are capable of safeguarding their core assets even when compromised, often with minimal or no additional cybersecurity spending.
“More and more organisations are beginning to understand that modern challenges require not just strong protection but also a proactive and cohesive security strategy that strengthens every aspect of their digital landscape against potential breaches.
“That’s why it is essential for companies to adopt a transformative approach, integrating advanced threat intelligence and streamlined processes, and applying reliable, all-encompassing solutions to protect their assets while ensuring operational continuity and building customer trust,” says Alexander Kostyuchenko, Head of Technology Solutions Product Line at Kaspersky.
General News
NCAA Orders Airlines to Enforce $10,000 Currency Declaration Rule

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority has ordered all international airlines flying into Nigeria to enforce the $10,000 currency declaration rule.
The authority said the rule is required for passengers to declare cash or negotiable instruments above the limit, as part of efforts to strengthen anti-money laundering compliance.
According to the NCAA, the directive, referenced as NCAA/CPD/ABV/298, dated 24 April 2025 seeks to address gaps in the enforcement of existing currency declaration obligations for inbound passengers.
This was announced in a statement issued by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, via his official X account on Tuesday.
“International carriers must take two key actions, which include “Make inflight or pre-landing announcements informing passengers of their legal obligation to declare any currency or Bearer Negotiable Instruments exceeding $10,000 USD or its equivalent upon arrival in Nigeria.
“Distribute currency declaration forms onboard for passengers to complete before landing. The NCAA has received reports indicating that some airlines are yet to comply with this directive”, the statement read.
The NCAA said these requirements are consistent with international best practices and are vital to preventing the illegal movement of large sums of money across borders.
The Authority warned that full cooperation from international airlines is essential, saying, “Please note that the cooperation of all international airlines operating in Nigeria is critical to supporting the country’s efforts to align with global financial standards.”
Accordingly, the authority emphasised that full implementation of this directive, particularly as it concerns inbound passenger declarations, is of utmost importance.
“Compliance will be closely monitored, and non-compliant airlines will face appropriate sanctions,” it added.
General News
Appeal Court Nullifies Registration of ‘KPMG Professional Services’

The court of appeal in Lagos has asked the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to revoke the certificate of registration of “KPMG Professional Services”.
In a unanimous decision delivered on Thursday, the appellant court granted the reliefs sought by KPMG Nigeria against CAC and KPMG Professional Services.
The judgment was read by Abdullahi Mahmud Bayero, the judge.
The two other judges are Abimbola Obaseki-Adejumo and A.M. Talba.
In 2002, KPMG Professional Services was registered as a company with CAC despite the existence of KPMG Nigeria, comprising its audit, tax, and consulting arms.
The KPMG Nigeria has long been registered in Nigeria before 2002.
KPMG Audit was registered in 1969, KPMG Tax Consultants in 1990, and KPMG Consulting in 1969.
Displeased with the registration of KPMG Professional Services, KPMG Nigeria approached the federal high court.
The consulting firm had argued that the name “KPMG Professional Services” was deceptively similar to its long-established identity.
In 2005, the lower court dismissed KPMG Nigeria’s case, citing an alleged merger between KPMG Nigeria and Akintola Williams Deloitte as reason the company could no longer assert rights to the name.
The lower upheld the second respondent’s (KPMG Professional Services) counterclaim and ordered that KPMG Nigeria’s name be struck off the CAC register.
The lower court had premised its decision on newspaper articles stating that KPMG Nigeria reportedly merged with Akintola Williams Deloitte.
Delivering the judgment, Bayero ruled that the lower court erred by relying on newspaper articles to ascertain that KPMG Nigeria allegedly merged with another company.
The judge said the documents showing the alleged merger were not presented before the lower court, and the form of the alleged merger could not have been known.
“In any event, the only branch of KPMG, if any, that entered into a merger with Akintola Williams as stated in the newspaper articles 18, is KPMG Audit,” the judge ruled.
“The other spheres were totally unaffected. It would therefore be wrong to state that the merger (which has not been shown to this Court) of KPMG Audit with Akintola Williams means all the other areas of business, including KPMG Consulting and KPMG Tax Consultants, also ceased to exist.
“Even if the Appellants (KPMG Nigeria) had ceased to do business as the Court seemed to have held, the 2nd Respondents (KPMG Professional Services) should not have been carrying on business until the Appellant’s certificate of registration is withdrawn or set aside.
“They cannot use the name until the Appellant’s certification of registration is withdrawn or set aside. They cannot use the name until the name is removed from the 1st Respondent’s (CAC) Register of Names.
“The 1st Respondents can only assign the name to the 2nd Respondents after first taking it away from the Appellants.”
The court ruled that CAC erred by registering KPMG Professional Services despite the existence of a business name, which is already registered.
The judge reversed the earlier ruling of the lower court and reaffirmed the primacy of statutory protection for existing business names under Nigerian corporate law.
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