News
NAICOM Boss Urges Operators to Strategise for Effective Management of N14tn Annuity Premium

Mr. Sunday Thomas, the commissioner for Insurance, has charged insurance industry operators to strategies on how best to effectively manage the existing N14 trillion pension assets, which will through life annuity plan be transferred to insurers as annuity premium by pension fund operators.
Thomas, who stated this in Lagos during a visit to Mutual Benefit Assurance Plc retail office, said time has come for insurance to take its rightful place in the scheme of things in the economy.
He charged insurance operators to brace up to the challenge of effective management of stream of premium that will flow into the industry especially through annuity plan as stated by the law.
The Pension Reform Act 2014, which established the on-going Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) says that at retirement, a contributor into the scheme is at liberty to continue receiving the remaining part of his contributed fund after the initial lump sum pay on monthly basis from his Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) under programme withdrawal for 18 years or purchase life annuity from a licensed life insurance company to whom the retiree’s pension fund manager transfers the fund to and who takes over payment of Benefit to him for life.
Initially, contributors into CPS were confused on the choice to make between annuity plan and programme withdrawal but with time, majority now prefer buying life annuity which has the advantage of paying benefits to them for life instead of 18 years.
This means that the pension assets belonging to this greater number of contributors will automatically be transferred to life insurers as annuity fund.
Speaking to the retail insurance marketers and management of Mutual Benefit Assurance Plc, he said insurance business in Nigeria is no longer business as usual and that days were gone when insurance was described as poor cousin of the bank.
He said even before now, the above statement was misconception of what insurance does pointing out that most of the assets used today in Abuja was insurance fund.
“Before now, insurance was owned by banks but now it is not like that. Insurance firms own some banks and more banks will be taken over by insurance firms. Even some of the monumental assets in Abuja is owned by insurance industry look at Nicon Hilton, Sheraton Hotel, all were built with insurance funds. Abuja itself was built by insurance money and without insurance, Abuja wouldn’t have come to be,” Thomas stated.
The insurance commissioner said the N14 trillion pension fund will be emptied into insurance treasury as annuity fund to be managed by insurers adding that insurance managers have been assigned the responsibility of managing the fund by the regulation that established the prevailing Contributory Pension Scheme.
He said this is in addition to the existing N500 billion annual premium income in their coffers.
Section 4, subsection one of insurance Act 2014 on contributors’ retirement benefits says “A holder of a retirement savings account upon retirement or attaining the age of 50 years, whichever is later, shall utilise the balance standing to the credit of his retirement savings account for the following benefits-
“programmed monthly or quarterly withdrawals calculated on the basis of an expected life span; annuity for life purchased from a life insurance company licensed by the National Insurance Commission with monthly or quarterly payments; and a lump sum from the balance standing to the credit of his retirement savings account, Provided that the amount left after that lump sum withdrawal shall be sufficient to procure an annuity or fund programmed withdrawals that will produce an amount not less than 50 percent of his annual remuneration as at the date of his retirement.”
Initially, insurance and pension fund managers had clash over sale and management of the annuity fund but later came up with a document they tagged Revised Regulation on Retiree Life Annuity Pursuant to the Pension Reform Act 2014 Jointly Issued by the National Insurance Commission and National Pension Commission (NAICOM).
News
Kenya Tops Global Rankings for ChatGPT Use

Kenya has emerged as the global leader in the adoption of ChatGPT, with a higher percentage of its internet users utilizing the AI chatbot than any other country.
According to the July 2025 Global Digital Report from DataReportal and Meltwater, an astounding 42.1% of Kenyan internet users aged 16 and above used ChatGPT in the past month.
This remarkable statistic places Kenya at the forefront of a global shift towards integrating artificial intelligence into daily life, outranking traditionally tech-forward nations such as the United Arab Emirates (42%), Israel (41.4%), Malaysia (39.8%), and Brazil (39.7%). In contrast, major economies like Russia (10.8%), China (7.3%), and Japan (5.8%) showed significantly lower adoption rates.
The report, which provides a comprehensive snapshot of digital trends worldwide, also highlights Kenya’s significant contribution to the platform’s overall traffic. The country is ranked third globally in website traffic to ChatGPT, accounting for 4.81% of all global visits, trailing only the United States and India.
Analysts attribute Kenya’s rapid and widespread adoption of ChatGPT to two primary factors:
- A Young, Tech-Savvy Population: With a median age of just 20, Kenya has one of the youngest populations in the world. This demographic is highly digitally native and has been quick to explore and adopt AI tools for a wide range of purposes, including education, business operations, and content creation.
- High Mobile Internet Penetration: Over 48% of Kenya’s population uses the internet regularly, with the vast majority accessing it via mobile devices. The accessibility of AI tools like ChatGPT on smartphones has been a critical enabler of its adoption, even in semi-urban and rural areas.
The report’s findings come shortly after OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, revealed that the platform now handles over 2.5 billion prompts globally every day. While OpenAI did not provide a breakdown of these prompts by use case, the platform’s popularity for tasks ranging from writing and coding to research and brainstorming is undeniable.
Kenya’s top ranking is a powerful indicator of the country’s dynamic and fast-evolving digital landscape, showcasing an eagerness to embrace cutting-edge technologies and positioning the nation as a key player in the future of AI adoption in Africa.
News
Yahoo Mail Halts Free Storage Service, Caps at 20GB

Yahoo Mail has announced a major shift in its storage policy, slashing the free email storage cap to 20GB and rolling out a new subscription model starting at $1.99 per month for 100GB.
The change, which takes effect immediately, marks a significant downgrade for many long-time users who have grown accustomed to Yahoo’s previously generous storage offering.
In a notice sent to users on Tuesday, the company urged account holders to review their current storage usage and consider paid upgrade options to avoid disruptions.
“Once you reach the 20GB limit, you will no longer be able to send or receive emails unless you either delete existing messages or upgrade your account,” the notice warned.
While access to inboxes will remain intact for now, users will be forced to clean up their accounts or move to a paid tier to maintain full functionality.
Yahoo has unveiled two new storage plans which are 100GB for $1.99/month and 1TB for $9.99/month.
For those seeking a more premium experience, Yahoo is also offering Yahoo Mail Plus, which includes 200GB of storage, an ad-free interface, and additional features. However, users opting for the 100GB and 1TB tiers will still be served ads, a move likely to frustrate those paying for expanded capacity.
To ease the transition, Yahoo is rolling out new tools to help users manage their inboxes more efficiently. These include real-time storage tracking, a usage dashboard, sorting options for large emails, and an attachment manager to help clear out space-consuming files.
Despite the enhancements, the abrupt downgrade has sparked concerns among users, particularly those with email archives spanning more than a decade. Critics argue the change could pressure many into paying for what was previously free, without a proportionate upgrade in value, especially considering ads remain in place for all but the premium Plus tier.
Yahoo’s new model brings it closer to competitors like Gmail, which offers 15GB of free storage shared across Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos. Google’s paid plans also begin at $1.99/month for 100GB, but offer additional benefits such as photo backups and expanded cloud services. Gmail also provides a cleaner experience, with minimal ads even on its free plan.
Yahoo Mail’s new 20GB limit applies exclusively to email storage, a slight advantage for users who don’t rely heavily on broader cloud services. But the real test will be how users respond to the newly imposed constraints and whether the value proposition is strong enough to convert them into paying subscribers.
News
CAC to Delist 100,000 Dormant Firms After 90-Day Compliance Window

Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in Nigeria has announced a significant move to strike off approximately 100,000 dormant companies from its register due to their failure to file annual returns for over a decade.
This initiative, aimed at cleaning up the nation’s business registry, was confirmed in a statement released by the CAC on Tuesday, 29 July 2025. The commission has granted these companies a 90-day grace period to submit all outstanding annual returns or face permanent removal from the database.
The CAC’s action is grounded in Section 692 (3) (4) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) No. 3 of 2020, which empowers the commission to delist defunct or inactive companies.
The statement, published on the CAC’s official website, urges affected companies to file their overdue returns and notify the commission via email at activation@cac.gov.ng to avoid being struck off.
The commission has also made it clear that it is illegal to conduct business under the name of a delisted company, as such entities are considered dissolved.
Registrar General Garba Abubakar previously noted that nearly 90% of registered companies in Nigeria are dormant, highlighting the scale of non-compliance. This crackdown is part of a broader effort to enhance transparency and ensure a robust business environment in Nigeria.
The CAC has advised stakeholders to verify the status of companies before engaging in transactions, warning that dealing with a dissolved company could lead to legal repercussions. Only a Federal High Court order can reinstate a delisted company, underscoring the gravity of the process.
The list of affected companies, numbering around 100,000, has been published on the CAC’s website, allowing businesses to check their status. Companies that have already filed complete annual returns but find themselves listed have been instructed to provide evidence of compliance by emailing compliance@cac.gov.ng within the 90-day window.
This initiative follows earlier warnings from the CAC, including a December 2024 announcement to delist 91,843 companies and a subsequent removal of 80,429 companies in November 2024, which included notable names like Innoson “Vinod” International Limited and Jolly Food Industries Ltd.
The 90-day grace period, starting from 29 July 2025, offers a final opportunity for these companies to regularise their status.
The CAC’s decisive action signals a commitment to fostering accountability and compliance within Nigeria’s corporate landscape, raising important questions about the operational challenges facing thousands of registered businesses.
As the deadline approaches, the commission’s efforts are expected to reshape the country’s business ecosystem, ensuring only active and compliant entities remain on the register.
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