Lebara Nigeria has become a member of the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) as it expands operations in the West African country.

The membership places Lebara Nigeria within a global network of more than 1,000 mobile operators, device manufacturers, technology companies and digital service providers.

Through the GSMA, the company will have access to industry research, technical standards, policy engagement and industry initiatives.

Lebara Nigeria said the move reflects its participation in the wider telecommunications ecosystem as it develops its operations in Nigeria’s mobile market.

Nigeria’s telecommunications sector plays a central role in the country’s digital economy, with more than 170 million active mobile subscriptions supporting services such as digital payments, e-commerce, education and healthcare.

Industry analysts say participation in international bodies such as the GSMA supports knowledge sharing and the adoption of industry standards.

Lebara Nigeria said GSMA membership will support its engagement with industry developments and policy discussions in the telecommunications sector.

The company said it remains focused on operating in Nigeria’s mobile telecommunications market as demand for connectivity continues to grow.

GSM Association is the advocacy and lobbying organization for the mobile communications industry, representing more than 1,000 mobile operators as full members and a further 400 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem as associate members.

Federal government has announced plans to end the separation between Junior Secondary School (JSS) and Senior Secondary School (SSS) as part of efforts to improve school retention and reduce the high number of pupils dropping out before completing secondary education.

Tunji Alausa, minister of Education

Tunji Alausa, minister of Education, announced the proposal on Tuesday during the inauguration of the Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee of the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in Abuja.

Alausa said the existing “disarticulation policy,” which requires junior and senior secondary schools to operate independently with separate principals, management structures and facilities, has failed to achieve its intended objectives and has instead worsened access to education.

According to him, the Federal Government will present a proposal to abolish the policy at the next meeting of the National Council on Education (NCE), the country’s highest education policymaking body.

“We have 20 million dropouts from primary school to JSS. Where are those students?” the minister queried.

“We also found we have 80,000 public primary schools and only about 15,000 junior secondary schools. That’s a one-to-eight ratio.”

He explained that the mismatch between the number of primary and junior secondary schools has created severe bottlenecks in the education system, leading to overcrowded classrooms at the junior secondary level while many senior secondary school facilities remain underutilised.

Alausa cited Kaduna and several northern states as examples where the policy has contributed to poor transition rates between basic and secondary education.

“This disarticulation policy has failed. We will phase it out. We can’t be creating positions because we want to create director-level appointments for people while we harm our education system. It’s about doing what is best for every Nigerian child,” he said.

The minister said the proposed reform forms part of broader efforts by the Tinubu administration to improve access to education, increase retention rates and enhance learning outcomes across the country.

He acknowledged previous shortcomings in tackling the out-of-school children crisis but expressed confidence that the current administration would reverse the trend.

“This government will not fail. We are fixing it,” Alausa declared.

At the ceremony, the minister also inaugurated the UBEC Ministerial Implementation and Monitoring Committee, chaired by Prof. Rashid Aderinoye, to supervise the execution of UBEC-funded Smart Schools, Bilingual Schools and Alternative Schools nationwide.

He said the committee had been tasked with ensuring that the projects are completed, handed over to state governments and opened for teaching and learning.

Although UBEC has invested in hundreds of Smart Schools and related educational projects across the country, Alausa lamented that many remain abandoned, unfinished or yet to admit pupils, describing the situation as an unacceptable waste of public resources.

He stressed that improving education requires more than constructing schools, insisting that completed facilities must become fully operational and accessible to learners.

Management of Vitel Wireless, mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), has distanced the company from a fraudulent scheme operating under the name: “Vitel Shares Services.”

In an official statement, the management clarified that Vitel Wireless is not selling shares or running any investment schemes.

They warned that the operators of “Vitel Shares Services” are using unauthorised websites, mobile applications, social media promotions, and bank accounts falsely linked to Vitel Wireless to mislead the public.

The statement reads: ​“The attention of Vitel Wireless has been drawn to a fraudulent scheme operating under the name ‘Vitel Shares Services.’

“We wish to state clearly that Vitel Wireless has no affiliation with Vitel Shares Services, or any platform claiming to offer Vitel shares, investments, or financial products through unofficial channels.

“We do not solicit investments through agents, social media, websites, apps, or third parties. Any platform claiming to offer Vitel Wireless shares or investments outside our official channels is fraudulent and should be treated as such.

“We urge the general public to remain vigilant and verify all information through official Vitel Wireless communication channels before making any payments or sharing personal data.”