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NCC Commences New Licensing Round for 2.3Ghz Frequency

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Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has begun a new process for the sale of the 2.3GHz Frequency spectrum band following the cancellation of the earlier sale enmeshed in controversies, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek has learnt.

This will lay to rest the claims and counter charges that greeted the previous sale which saw the emergence of Mobitel, MultiLinks and Spectranet Ltd and the exclusion of Galaxy Wireless which claimed it met the requirements but was not named as one of the winners.

Piqued by growing outcry and deluge of petitions against the sale, Prof. Dora Akunyili, minister of Information and Communications cancelled the sale and stood by the cancellation of the initial sale insisting that the process lacked transparency and that due process was not followed.

The minister’s insistence is despite warnings of far reaching consequences of the cancellation by the NCC.

Nigeria CommunicationsWeek however gathered that both the ministry and the NCC have now agreed to commence a new process following the official release of the 2.3GHz frequency spectrum to the NCC on Tuesday.

The spectrum was released to the NCC by the National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) charged with carrying out bulk trans-sectoral allocation of spectrum to authorized statutory bodies at their 14th meeting which held in the Conference room of the Ministry of Information and Communications.

Dr. Abubakar Mohammed, permanent Ssecretary to the ministry,  in a statement Wednesday in Abuja said the new step is a way forward as earlier agreed between the minister and the NCC.

According to him “With this development the first step in the new sale process has begun”

While releasing the frequency band on Tuesday, Alhaji Ikra Bilbis, minister of State, Information and Communications who chaired the meeting noted that the ratification and release of frequency(s) by NFMC must be received before further processes are commenced given that the NFMC had in an earlier meeting questioned the right of NCC to commence the sale of the 2.3GHz frequency without a formal official release by the Council.

Some of the petitions against the 2.3GHz licensing round, concluded on May 8 is that the NCC only effectively gave the companies that indicated interest in the licence just a week (or five working days) within which to raise N1.3 billion to pay for each licence.
One of the petitions alleged that in this period of economic meltdown, five working days were not enough to raise the amount required before the deadline.

The NCC adverts were published Thursday, April 30, while May 1 was a public holiday and 2-3 fell on a weekend, leaving the firms just five working days to raise the fees.

It was also alleged that the exercise lacked transparency as the NCC was accused of adopting first-hand information approach with some companies said to have been favoured over others because they had prior information even before the commission placed the adverts in the papers with a week’s deadline given for payment.

One of the petitions called for a thorough investigation and alleged that one of the companies that was said to have scaled through by paying the required N1.3 billion actually paid only 1 per cent of the stipulated funds into the designated account the NCC mandated the companies to pay into.

The deluge of petitions led to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) quizzing Ndukwe to answer allegations of flouting due process.

One of the allegations against the NCC was that Mobitel, one of the successful applicants, who was able to raise and pay the N1.3 billion in less than five days, was said to be indebted to the commission to the tune of N246 million in October last year, which it was unable to pay, leading the NCC to waive a total of N243 million for Mobitel, leaving a balance of N3 million for the firm to pay. 

Mobitel has faced a lot of challenges that threatened its existence since its President and CEO, Alaba Joseph, died in his office in 2005 following a failed bid by the receiver appointed by a bank to take over the company following a court order.

Ndukwe was also accused of spending beyond the budget limit and misleading the Federal Government into the award of contracts for community information centres in some states in the country.

Top officials of the NCC have been questioned by the EFCC on the matter. The Head of Finance and the Executive Commissioner for Engineering and Technical Standards were also said to have been questioned.

 

 


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NIA Questions Legality of Reps’ Financial Probe

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The Nigerian Insurers Association has urged the House Committee on Capital Market and Institutions to respect the constitutional separation of powers as it carries out a probe on over 20 insurance firms.

In a statement on Tuesday night, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer of NIA, Mrs Bola Odukale, said the decision of NIA and the affected firms to approach the court was to seek clarity on the constitutional limits of the House Committee’s probe.

It would be recalled that the House of Representatives on Monday is investigating no fewer than 25 insurance companies operating in the country for various financial infractions spanning financial reporting, claims settlement, premium remittance, and issuance of policies.

The Chairman, House Sub-Committee on Capital Market and Institutions, Kwamoti Laori, during a meeting with the management of the insurance companies at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja, said the meeting was convened following the receipt of a petition on infractions by the insurance companies.

In the statement, Odukale said, “The Association wishes to state unequivocally that all actions taken by the NIA and the affected member companies in response to the Committee’s invitations and pronouncements were based entirely on legal advice by its Solicitors. It was on the firm instruction of legal counsel that recourse was made to the courts.

“The objective of approaching the Court is to seek judicial guidance on the legality, propriety, and constitutional limits of the Committee’s intervention in order to safeguard institutional integrity, uphold regulatory independence, and ensure that legislative oversight remains within the bounds of law.

“The Court action seeks to determine whether the current posture of the Committee reflects an exercise of legislative judgment, which, by constitutional design, is the exclusive province of statutory regulators, such as the National Insurance Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigerian Exchange, Financial Reporting Council, Nigeria Data Protection Commission, and the National Information Technology Development Agency.

“This raises serious questions about legislative overreach and an erosion of the doctrine of separation of powers, a cornerstone of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy.”

Odukale maintained that the NIA was committed to lawful and constructive engagement with all arms of government, provided that such engagement respects the autonomy of statutory regulators and the boundaries established by the Constitution.

“The NIA will continue to provide its full support to all member companies while upholding the principles of legal compliance and sector-wide integrity,” Odukale concluded.

17 of the companies that went to court were represented by their lawyer, Mr Abimbola Kayode, at the meeting with the committee.


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Horn of Africa Leaders Seek Enhanced Digital Integration for Increased Regional Growth

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Finance ministers and development partners from the Horn of Africa have called for enhanced digital integration to boost trade, drive economic growth and promote regional stability during the 25th Ministerial Meeting of the Horn of Africa Initiative (HoAI).

Held in Nairobi, on July 14, the meeting was co-chaired by the African Development Bank’s Vice President for Regional Development, Integration and Business Delivery, Nnenna Nwabufo and Somalia’s Minister of Finance, Bihi Iman Egeh. Discussions underscored the critical role of digital integration in reducing trade barriers, boosting government service delivery and creating employment — particularly for the region’s youth.

“Digital technologies are shaping today’s economy and tomorrow’s industries. By embedding these technologies into our programs, we can not only improve inclusion but also leapfrog outdated development models,” said Nwabufo.

She called for digital integration a “central enabler” in each of the Horn of Africa Initiative’s pillars – trade, infrastructure, resilience, and human capital,

Learning through experience

Drawing from global and regional success stories, speakers highlighted the transformative potential of technology-led development. The ministers pointed to the Philippines as a strong example, where ICT has generated millions of jobs in business process outsourcing. Similarly, Kenya’s fintech innovation—especially the success of M-PESA—was cited as a model for scaling digital financial services across the region.

Participants urged governments to proactively foster digital ecosystems by capitalizing on the demographic dividend, identifying infrastructure upgrades, tighter regulatory reforms, and digital skills trainings as priorities to enable broader participation in the digital economy.

Minister Egeh reiterated the need for more coordinated regional efforts to create the enabling environment required for accelerated digital integration and expansion. He referenced the HoAI Digital Policy Matrix, adopted in 2023 which provides a blueprint on how to address key obstacles to achieving effective digital integration across the region.

Barack Makokha, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for National Treasury, underscored the importance of regionally-aligned public private partnerships and advocated for blended financing to reduce investment risk and expand digital access in underserved areas.

World Bank Vice President for Eastern and Southern Africa, Ndiame Diop, called for a comprehensive multi-pronged approach, combining cross-border coordination, large-scale financing, robust policy support, and digital infrastructure investments. He pointed out that such measures could transform digital integration into, “a powerful engine of economic transformation” for the Horn of Africa—ensuring no one is left behind in the digital era.

The meeting concluded with a shared recognition that sustained political will and the determination to implement a multifaceted approach are essential to unlocking the region’s economic potential and driving long-term growth.

The event also welcomed observers from the East African Community, Agence française de développement, and Shelter Afrique, reflecting strong regional and international backing for the HoAI in the development community.


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CSCS Inaugurates Custodian Portal to Enhance Digital Access, Operational Efficiency

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Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), Nigeria’s capital market infrastructure provider, has launched its Custodian Portal, a user-centric digital solution designed to optimise custodian operations through intuitive, secure and efficient features.

Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CSCS, announced this in a statement on Monday.

The CSCS is a Public Limited Company with a diversified shareholder base, which serves as the Central Securities Depository for the Nigerian Capital Market.

It serves as the Central Depository for Equities, Commercial Papers, Corporate Bonds, Sub-National Bonds, certain Sovereign Bonds like the FGN Sukuk and the FGN Savings Bond, Equity-traded Funds, Real Estate Investment Trusts, Mutual funds and Commodities.

Jalo-Waziri said that the custodian portal offered a streamlined experience for market participants with powerful tools that facilitate comprehensive portfolio and trade management, document tracking, share transfer operations, client symbol search, and real-time access to vital data.

He explained that the portal, designed to operate through a flexible subscription-based model, empowered users to manage their records effortlessly and securely through convenient payment channels such as GTPay and Paystack.

According to him, “Digital transformation remains at the core of our strategy to enhance the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of Nigeria’s capital market services.

“The custodian portal is a significant leap in that direction, offering custodians a centralised platform to manage critical processes in real-time.

“We are excited about the value this innovation brings to our stakeholders, and we will continue to evolve the platform in line with users’ needs and industry trends.”

The CEO also explained that the portal was designed with user experience in mind with feature tools like portfolio viewing and downloads in PDF or Excel format.

He further said that it also featured tracking of stock movements across date ranges, inbox messaging and request tracking, as well as robust user management capabilities including role assignment and status tracking.

Similarly, the Divisional Head, Business Technology and Digital Innovation, CSCS Plc, Tobe Nnadozie, said that the portal aligned with CSCS’s drive to automate the market.

“In addition to the normal features, the platform is a part of an omnichannel platform for custodians, and includes API services.

“It also connects to the market-wide workflow, which CSCS has built to ensure secured communication and approvals across all major stakeholders in the market.

“The platform is well secured with best-of-breed cybersecurity solutions and our SOC,” he said.

The Custodian Portal reinforces CSCS’s commitment to leveraging technology to streamline back-office functions and support a more agile, data-driven capital market ecosystem.

All custodians in the Nigerian capital market have now been successfully on-boarded on the Custodian Portal, marking a significant milestone in CSCS’s ongoing drive to enhance collaboration, standardise operational processes, and promote digital adoption across the market.


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