Telecom
Nigeria Tech: After Omobola Comes Shittu (Who?)
After the long delay in announcing his ministers, we all waited with great anticipation for who President Buhari will appoint to replace Omobola Johnson as minister for Comminucation Technology.
Omobola had been appointed the pioneer minister of this ministry by the last administration and stayed in the post for about 3 years.
During that period , she had left no one in doubt that she understood what it required to build a tech ecosystem for Nigeria that will rival any other rindustry in the country.
At every encounter, she tried to rally the tech industry to stand up and be counted as one of the biggest contributors to Nigerian GDP.
She was knowledgeable and articulate. And humble about it.
I believe that the industry responded to her and suddenly, the idea of a viable tech ecosystem not necessarily dominated by the telecoms industry started becoming a reality.
Yaba tech hub started becoming a name across Africa as one of the hotbeds of tech innovation.
Venture capital companies started looking for deals to be made in Nigeria . ecommerce took off . Tech hubs, accelerators started popping up, with new tech entrepreneurs minted daily and some getting funding.
And there were signs that a real momentum was building for the tech industry to explode. Similar to what happened to Nollywood and the music industry. But this time, bigger and more orderly.
And better funded , following the models that have worked in several countries with Silicon Valley as the poster child for the world.
She was not solely responsible for this. But she was an apostle and avid supporter. And she put her money where her mouth was.
Then came the end of the Jonathan administration in May. I think it was too soon to see her go. So when the time came for a new minister to be announced, I guess the industry was high in anticipation that whoever succeeded her must be someone who understood the tremendous work that had been done and would continue the legacy.
When Mr Adebayo Shittu a, politician and a legal practitioner was announced as replacement, the first thing that came to my mind was Shittu who? And being in tech, I am sure most of us went to the net to Google him to find out his background and pedigree.
We did see a politician with pedigree. But with little or no tech credentials. That’s been a source of uneasy silence in the industry.
I have nothing against Mr Shittu and I am sure he is a brilliant lawyer and politician. But the industry fought to have a special ministry designated for her because of the nature of technology and its capacilty to impact the society.
And like health and legal professions where industry professionals run such ministries, we thought that it made sense to have industry experts from the tech ecosystem to guide the fairly new ministry.
I remember long ago when a pharmacist was named the Minister for Health. The heath industry was up in arms against the Minister , one of the best Pharmacists in the country then and a member of the health industry. But no.
Doctors , the more powerful in the ministry would not have a pharmacist heading their ministry. And lawyers? Can I ever aspire to be Minister of Justice in Nigeria?
So you can imagine the uneasy silence in the industry since the announcement was made.
Unfortunately, the industry does not have the noisemaking capacity of the legal or medical profession to lay a siege on the presidency and demand that “justice’ be done.
And our lobbying ability is very limited. Tech people in Nigeria are just cobbling an industry together and lack the age long experience of the more mature industries like lawyers and doctors .
But its necessary that we learn fast to protect the industry that will increasing be relevant in which ever direction the Nigerian economy wants to go.
Anyway, we have Mr Shittu. All we can do I guess is to welcome him.
And pray he has the appetite to quickly learn about the industry and take on from where Omobola left. There is a lot that needs to be done. And I will mention a few.
As Nigeria grapples with the challenges of sub $40 oil, Tech is one of the best options for diversifying the economy.
But for that to happen, there is a lot that needs to be done to create the industry that will create wealth and employment.
The ministry should continue to catalyze this. Chief among them is the financial system that funds tech companies and startups. From angel investors to venture capital companies.
As at today, startups in tech will not get funding from banks and your normal financial institutions.
And intervention funds do not list tech as one of the areas they cover. This has to stop. We fund textile. We fund mining. We fund manufacturing and agriculture. We are even funding Nollywood.
So why not Technology ? The ministry needs to help create the structures for more funding to both early stage tech companies and the matured one to help them scale and create wealth and employment
The tech industry has two main subsectors, the ‘ bigger’ and better funded telecoms industry and the less funded IT industry.
It is the less funded IT though that has the capacity for mass impact. The telecoms industry is developed and maturing. It has very few players and while its influence on the economy is huge, its capacity for really creating entrepreneurs ands wealth is limited. How many people does MTN employ?
And how many entrepreneurs has the telecommunication industry produced? Compare that to Jumia or Konga and their competitors, after only a few years.
Omobola understood this and spent as much time in Yaba as possible, trying to pull up the IT industry to compete with telecoms. I hope the the new Minister will follow the same path.
In the last two months, two issues that relate to Tech have dominated the headlines. The first is the $5.2b fine imposed on MTN.
The seconds is the TSA/Remitta issue. What is the minister’s take on both? The tech industry is local but with an international influence.
The few investments we have seen in startups and the telecoms industry are mostly from international players. How will the fine on MTN affect international VCs and private equity companies who provide the funds that drive the growth in the industry?
Is the Minister as a lawyer going to focus on the legal side of the argument or the business side?Are we going to see more regulation in the industry? Or less?
In concluding, I suggest the industry quickly sit down with the minister .
Not on merry go round courtesy calls but on serious discussions around the future of the industry and how the industry can help Nigeria diversity the economy.
There is a lot that can be done to help Nigeria out of the current economic crisis and I believe tech will play a big role. The hub of the industry is in Lagos.
We must invite him to come take a look at what we are doing and let him tell us how he can play his part.
It is not going to be an easy task for him to run a ministry that supervises technology, a queer industry dominated in most climes by young upstarts who think they will change the world. And some do. I wish him luck and assure him that if he is willing, he will get the support he needs.
And for the future, the industry should start getting interested in how it is governed at the highest level. And should let the country know that it has competent people who can man the ministry and protect the interest of the practitioners.
News
NITDA Communications Director Hadiza Umar Named in 2026 PR Power List, Graces Glazia Magazine Cover
Mrs. Hadiza Umar, Director of the Corporate Communications and Media Relations Department at the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has been officially recognised as one of Nigeria’s top public relations professionals in the prestigious 2026 PR Power List.
The definitive annual list, compiled by GLG Communications in partnership with The Guardian, was unveiled to commemorate World PR Day.
It celebrates 50 outstanding professionals within Nigeria and the diaspora whose strategic communication strategies have significantly shaped organisations, influenced public discourse, and advanced the profession over the past 12 months.
Adding to the momentous milestone, Mrs. Umar was hit with a major surprise at the exclusive PR Power List Soirée and Awards ceremony held at the Alliance Française in Ikoyi, Lagos, where she was unveiled as a front-cover personality for the Glazia Magazine PR Power List Special Issue.
The double recognition highlights her exceptional distinction and impact in public sector communications and narrative management.
Speaking on the dual achievement, Mrs. Umar expressed profound gratitude for the honours, describing the magazine cover appearance as a breathtaking surprise.
“I am deeply humbled and honored to be recognized on the 2026 PR Power List and to feature on the cover of Glazia Magazine alongside other exceptional industry titans,” Umar said.
“This milestone is a testament to the enabling environment and visionary leadership of the Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, CCIE, which has allowed us to strategically drive the narrative of Nigeria’s digital economy and technological innovation.”
Mrs. Umar, a highly respected corporate communications strategist, holds professional fellowships in the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (Chartered), the African Public Relations Association (APRA), and the Institute of Corporate Administration (CICA).
Under her supervisory role, NITDA’s media relations have consistently projected national information technology frameworks, start-up support frameworks, and digital literacy initiatives, to position Nigeria competitively on the global stage.
The 2026 PR Power List selection process involved a rigorous, independent evaluation led by a distinguished international jury.
The organisers noted that the class of 2026 represents professionals raising the standard of strategic communications and introducing new ideas to the industry.
The need for Nigeria to think outside the box in its need to drive towards global relevance with innovations and scientific developments will be on the front burner at the NITRA Innovative & Scientific Conference scheduled to hold on Thursday July 23, 2026 in Ikeja, Lagos.
NITRA
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) will lead other delegates to discuss and take far-reaching decisions at the event, which has its theme as “Bridging Nigeria’s Digital Divide With Scientific Innovation”.
Other companies that have indicated interest in partnering with NITRA include mobile communications company, Tecno; Africa’s premier end-to-end AI solutions company, Hyperspace; and telecommunications data infrastructure company, Digital Realty.
Speaking on the proposed event, the Chairman, Nigeria Information Technology Reporters Association (NITRA), Chike Onwuegbuchi noted that the event will seek to create a platform for government and private organisations to deliberate on policies around scientific innovations in Nigeria, challenges, place of indigenous and foreign collaboration, roles of each stakeholder, and grassroots development in that regard, among others.
According to him: “The Federal government, with series of programmes and partnerships, has established the urgent need to create an ecosystem that thrives on scientific innovation, breeding institutions and individuals with a target of placing the country at the fore-front of Next-Gen development.
It is a known fact that digital and scientific innovations are crucial, not only to the survivability of a nation, but also to the sustainability of its growth and development, with significant effect on economic strength, global image, defense and security, government capabilities to function, and public health and safety, communication and digital footprint, among others.
The federal government is actively driving scientific innovation to foster economic diversification and build a $1 trillion economy by 2030. Efforts are heavily focused on commercializing research, establishing massive research funds, and funding strategic infrastructure, particularly in technology, biotechnology, and healthcare. Core government initiatives and policies include the newly instituted National Research and Innovation Development Fund (NRIDF), which aims to mobilize about $500 million annually to support research and the commercialization of scientific outputs; and the Nigeria Genomic City, a multi-ministerial initiative aimed at transforming Nigeria into a leading hub for genomics, precision medicine, and biotechnology. It is designed to protect indigenous data, stimulate artificial intelligence in health, and develop a highly skilled scientific workforce.
According to the General Secretary of NITRA, Mr. Chidiebere Nwankwo, the forum will also be a vehicle to propagating the views of decision makers to the public, thereby furthering the cause of public awareness and information dissemination on the topic.
The focus, he said will be on how Nigeria can sustain digital innovative growth and scientific development in Nigeria
The board of global payments company, PayPal, says a 53 billion dollars takeover offer from financial technology firm, Stripe, and private equity company, Advent International, does not adequately reflect the company’s long-term value.
PayPal
According to reports, the proposed acquisition, valued at 60.50 dollars per share, remains under consideration, with the board yet to formally respond to the offer.
The directors are said to be evaluating not only the financial value of the proposal but also the structure of the financing, the timeline for completing the transaction and the likelihood of obtaining regulatory approvals.
They are also considering the possibility of competing bids emerging.
Although the offer represents a premium of about 28 per cent above PayPal’s recent share price, the board believes the company could deliver greater value to shareholders if its ongoing turnaround strategy succeeds.
Following reports of the bid, PayPal shares gained about two per cent to close at 56.73 dollars.
Sources familiar with the discussions said Stripe and Advent have secured approximately 50 billion dollars in debt financing from JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley, while both firms would jointly contribute 17 billion dollars in equity.
Under the proposal, the two companies would jointly own PayPal instead of dividing its operations.
PayPal, Stripe, Advent International, JPMorgan and Morgan Stanley have all declined to comment on the proposed transaction.
The discussions come as PayPal seeks to strengthen its business after years of increasing competition from rivals including Apple Pay, Google Pay and emerging financial technology firms.
The company, which was valued at about 360 billion dollars in 2021, now has a market capitalisation of approximately 36 billion dollars.
Since assuming office as Chief Executive Officer in March 2026, Enrique Lores has embarked on a restructuring programme aimed at improving operational efficiency and restoring growth.
The restructuring includes the creation of three business divisions comprising Checkout, Venmo and Consumer Financial Services, and Payments and Crypto.
The company is also targeting 1.5 billion dollars in cost savings through the deployment of artificial intelligence technologies.
PayPal’s latest financial results indicated signs of recovery, with first-quarter revenue rising seven per cent year-on-year to 8.35 billion dollars, while total payment volume increased by eight per cent to 464 billion dollars.
If approved, the transaction would combine two of the world’s largest digital payments companies.
The combined business would process an estimated 3.7 trillion dollars in annual payment volume, significantly strengthening its position in the global online payments market.
However, analysts expect the proposed acquisition to face intense regulatory scrutiny because of the companies’ combined market share in merchant payment services.
To address possible antitrust concerns, the bidders have reportedly considered options, including separating PayPal’s Braintree business or other assets if required by regulators.
Sources said Stripe and Advent remain interested in pursuing the acquisition despite the board’s reservations, although negotiations are expected to continue.
Market observers are also awaiting PayPal’s earnings report scheduled for July 28 for further indications of the company’s financial recovery and future growth prospects.
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