General News
Media: Murdoch’s Empire is Scorch, Terror Bombs in Nigeria
These are certainly not the best of times for the media industry, especially in Britain and Nigeria where a Parliamentary inquiry has indicted a much respected Octogenarian media mogul and terrorists unleashing bombs on media houses respectively.
The British Parliament after several weeks of probe into the infamous telephone and email hacking by now rested News of the World’s (NoW) and other media outfits of the globally renowned media mogul, Rupert Murdoch, slammed the Aussie with a damming verdict: “not a fit person” to head a media company.
That is a very audacious and damning statement against such a global figure.
The Parliamentary committee with compiled the report notes that Murdoch “turned a blind eye and exhibited willful blindness” as his media empire virtually stole into individual and corporation’s phone voice-mails, emails and bought their way into the otherwise “impeccable” British Bobby (Police).
For a society that expresses human freedom and dignity, such sentiments and strong wordings in a Parliamentary report about a man who has done so much for the British economy and society was rather hash.
Professor George Brock, head of journalism institute at London’s City University expressed similar sentiments when the Voice of America (VOA) spoke to him.
“I think the report has taken one or two people, including me, a bit by surprise because you can be declared unfit to hold a broadcasting license if you are, in the phrase in the law, ‘a not fit and proper person,” said Brock.
The principal target also appears to be Murdoch’s 40 per cent holding in the highly successfully, perhaps Europe’s largest cableTV channel, BSkyB (British Sky Broadcasting).
It was BSkyB’s involvement with the English football that has brought an otherwise drab football league into one of the most successful global brands in sports marketing.
The BSkyB has ensured that the English Premier League players are about the best paid in the world of football – although not necessarily the finest players.
Manchester United and Arsenal (due principally to the shrewd business application of its French manager, Arsene Wenger), are about the only clubs ranked among the financially solvent in Europe.
In Brock’s eyes, the damning report could lead to the octogenarian stepping aside for others to take charge.
Even then, his eldest son, James Murdoch is also in the eye of the storm in the UK as head of the News International operations.
Like the eldest Murdoch, James at his several appearances before the Parliamentary Committee denied knowledge of every sinister move by the News Corp staff at obtaining information.
“One of the outcomes that people have always considered possible is that Murdoch, who is now aged 81, might have to step back from control of the company. I do not think he particularly wants to do that. But there has to come a moment sooner or later where he is going to step back. And it could be that the scandal is going to get so bad that it’s quite possible that he could step back, yes,” said Brock.
BSkyB issued a statement last week saying it was a “fit and proper” establishment. The satellite broadcaster noted that it was liaising with UK broadcast and communication regulator, OFCOM on one of the committee’s statements on “whether BSkyB is and remains fit and proper to continue to hold its broadcast licenses.”
BSkyB said would continue the process of “engaging with OFCOM in this process and continues to believe that it remains a fit and proper license holder, as demonstrated by its positive contribution to U.K. audiences, employment and the broader economy, as well as its strong record of regulatory compliance and high standards of governance.”
The scandal has led to the resignation of Jeremy Hunt, special adviser to Adam Smith, the UK’s Culture Minister. Hunt was accused of leaking documents to aid News Corp’s bid to take total control of BSyB.
While news of the terrorist group, Boko Haram bombing notable media house like ThisDay and others rent the air last week, Nigeria’s National Assembly remain ordinary to the issue. It has not raised any panel of inquiry to the attacks on journalists and media houses, neither has it called on the security chiefs to step up or resign.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian journalist remains endangered specie: he is hunted by the state for being not hiding truth, hated by the society he serves for being corrupt and targeted by criminals for not being fair.
The import of the British Parliamentary Committee’s report and the reverberating effects should dawn on Nigeria which has held several Parliamentary probe reports without any consequential effects on the society.
Severally, the National Assembly has held probes into activities of telecom regulatory framework and operators’ business modules only to be consigned to the file cabinets.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu, deputy president of the Senate last week decried the activities of the MDAs which have no clearly defined boundaries of operation leading to conflicts.
He specifically lambasted the Nigerian Communication Commission, (NCC) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulatory Enforcement Agency (NASREA), two MDAs that recently went to the gutters over the regulation of telecom infrastructure.
The Senator who spoke through a representative at the 2012 Beacon of ICT Awards & Distinguished Lecture Series organized by Nigeria CommunicationsWeek said the two chambers of the National Assembly would look at ways to correct the laws setting up the MDAs to prevent further operational conflicts.
How far this would materialise depends entirely on the Nigerian Parliament to act!
Police in Abuja have uncovered a criminal group making fake diplomatic and government number plates.
Ahmed Sanusi, commissioner of Police FCT, stated this during a press briefing on Friday.
He explained that criminals use these fake plates to dodge security checks and enter restricted areas.
The investigation started soon after Sanusi took office.
He noticed too many unauthorized cars driving around with official government and diplomatic tags.
“I immediately ordered a comprehensive investigation into this disturbing trend,” Sanusi said. He noted that these individuals use the plates as a cover to commit crimes and avoid arrest.
The police have already arrested several people caught using the fake plates.
They have also figured out who is making them.
The manufacturers operate outside Abuja, and police are actively hunting them down.
Sanusi kept their names secret so they would not flee.
He stressed that this is a highly profitable illegal business.
Buyers pay between N500,000 and N1.7 million for a single fake plate.
“This will tell you that they are making such huge expenditure because they have an agenda,” Sanusi explained.
“Now they will face punishment that is bigger than both the cost they incur and the agenda they are planning.”
The commissioner urged residents to report any cars with suspicious diplomatic plates.
He reminded the public that real diplomatic tags follow a very specific format.
A diplomatic number plate in Nigeria is a special vehicle identification tag issued to foreign embassies, high commissions, and accredited international diplomats.
Gavi has approved $500 million to strengthen Nigeria’s immunisation programme, primary healthcare services and long-term vaccine financing.
The move followed high-level discussions between Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of Health and Social Welfare, ]and Dr. Sania Nishtar, chief executive officer, Gavi in Abuja.
The funding, approved under the Gavi 6.0 programme, will support Nigeria’s efforts to accelerate routine immunisation, sustain polio eradication, expand HPV vaccination, strengthen primary healthcare services, and improve long-term vaccine financing.
Speaking during the meeting, Pate said Nigeria was strengthening its partnership with Gavi to accelerate immunisation, expand primary healthcare services, and ensure sustainable financing for vaccines.
He welcomed Gavi’s country-focused reforms, including the introduction of a predictable five-year funding envelope.
Pate said the US$500 million allocation will enable Nigeria to plan more effectively and deliver life-saving vaccines to more children and vulnerable populations.
The minister also revealed that quarterly visits to primary healthcare centreshad increased from about 10 million in 2023 to more than 45 million, reflecting significant progress in revitalising the country’s primary healthcare system.
Pate welcomed the announcement of a US$600 million pledge by the United States government to Gavi, describing it as a strong endorsement of the alliance’s leadership and the global value of vaccines.
He also commended Nishtar for prioritising Nigeria and praised the closer coordination among Gavi, World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, World Bank, Gates Foundation, and other development partners, describing it as a model that has improved efficiency and aligned support with Nigeria’s health sector reforms.
The minister expressed appreciation to Gavi and its partners for their continued technical and financial support, while calling on state governments to invest more in healthcare and immunisation to complement federal efforts.
For many women, financial independence means the freedom to provide for their families and build a better future. Yet, this remains out of reach due to limited access to opportunities, business support, and secure payment solutions.
Like millions of women in Nigeria determined to be financially independent, Pricillia started with a single PalmPay POS terminal, and as an agent, every successful transaction provided a commission which brought her one step closer to achieving her dream.
Through consistency, discipline, and support from the payment platform, she reinvested her earnings and eventually opened her own provision store.
“I started as just a PalmPay agent with one POS. The consistency of the platform gave me the confidence to expand. With the income I earned, I was able to open my own provision shop.” Priscilla said.
For Priscilla, PalmPay was more than a payment platform. Its secure payment infrastructure gave her the confidence to serve her customers, build trust, and grow her income.
Today, Pricillia has joined the statistics of SMEs powering Nigeria’s economy and PalmPay continues to support her daily operations, helping her receive payments, as she works towards her next business milestone. Her journey is a reminder that when women have access to secure financial tools and opportunities, they can build lasting economic independence.
Speaking on Pricillia’s journey, Femi Hanson, Head of Marketing, PalmPay said: “Providing a secure platform that users can trust, whether for everyday payments or high-value transactions, is central to our vision of advancing financial inclusion. Priscilla’s story reflects our commitment to supporting the ambitions of Nigerians by providing a platform they can rely on to grow their finances. After all, seamless banking begins with security, and every successful transaction reinforces the trust our users place in us.”
Priscilla stands among thousands of PalmPay agents nationwide who are helping to expand financial access across Nigeria while earning commissions to create sustainable sources of income for themselves.
Every payment tells a story. It begins with trust, the confidence that your money is secure and that financial services are accessible. And when that opportunity reaches women, it creates ripple effects that transform families, strengthen communities, and drive economic growth.
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