Telecom
Nigerian Youths Must Execute Govt. Contracts with Conscience – Ekeh, Zinox Boss
Leo Stan Ekeh, Africa’s leading digital entrepreneur and Chairman, Zinox Group, has once again urged young business owners and startups in Africa to demonstrate a high level of integrity and diligence when executing government contracts as the quality of their country defines their future.
Ekeh made this call during a recent mentorship programme with a select group of African foreign-based postgraduate students in the latest edition of an annual lecture series aimed at grooming the next generation of certified entrepreneurs.
Speaking during the virtual session which was monitored online, Ekeh counselled the participants to shun the overwhelming temptation to treat government contracts as an avenue for overnight enrichment or sub-standard implementation, adding that this often has disastrous consequences. Citing the importance of ethical standards and principles as uncompromising foundations of a successful business, the Zinox boss lamented the disturbing tendency of young, impressionable entrepreneurs to get easily excited and throw caution to the winds, especially when it comes to executing government contracts.
Consequently, Ekeh, a Forbes Best of Africa Leading Tech Icon, sounded a note of caution, warning that these acts can irreparably fracture the trust reposed by the government in entrusting major projects to startups or even to other established firms with proven capacities in their respective countries, further resulting in capital flight and erosion of the giant strides recorded in local content development.
‘‘Government is the biggest spender in any economy. Some of you, while doing business, may get a chance to execute some projects for governments, whether at sub-national or Federal level. It is a call to service and an opportunity to prove the growing faith in our indigenous capacities.
‘‘Having the opportunity to execute a government contract must, therefore, be seen as a privilege and not as a chance to outrageously inflate figures, deliver shoddy outputs or unduly enrich yourself overnight. You must seize the opportunity to grow your social capital and open the doors for others to enjoy the confidence that has been reposed in you.
‘‘There is a spiritual commitment that should naturally come with such high-profile deliverables. As a matter of fact, it must be the signature of your business that you can be counted on to deliver excellent results for any contract you win, whether big or small. I have always emphasized the importance of building yourself as a personal collateral as an entrepreneur. It is the only way you can gain the confidence of your suppliers, partners and the people or establishments that patronize your business.
Ekeh lectured that it is a fact that doing things properly in some African countries sometimes attracts pains from competition who write frivolous petitions to security agencies to inconvenience the preferred company, but he advised them to stay on the path of honour and provide time to answer those queries as they come up, instead of compromising on quality. Using Nigeria as an example, he disclosed that for every big tech contract won by his company, they had always expected petitions from faceless blackmailers to authorities such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), among others. However, he advised his audience not to be deterred by these antics.
‘‘The only way to win is doing things right. I am lucky all my investments are in the tech sector and technology does not lie, so we always won,” he stated.
Urging the budding entrepreneurs not to lose hope because of the ongoing difficulties in the macroeconomic environment, Ekeh expressed optimism that the African economy would survive the present challenges and rebound stronger.
‘‘The current challenges in the economy are not new. We have witnessed similar cycles in the past. But our economy has always shown resilience to rebound from them. Also, you must bear in mind that the difficulties are not only local. The global economy is passing through a period of intense stress, further worsened by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and potentially set to be impacted further by the latest confrontation between Israel and Hamas.
‘‘In times like these, the failure rate of startups and other businesses increase. However, difficult times also represent periods of great opportunities. It is your responsibility to sniff out those opportunities which abound around you and take advantage of them.
‘‘You must always remember that to succeed, you cannot take pleasure before pains. In setting up your business, you must have a clear roadmap and vision. Hype is good and gets you noticed but you must work very hard behind the scenes to fill up the blank spaces with substance. Otherwise, the hype will fizzle out and you will have nothing concrete to stand on. You must also remain spiritually strong, retain a healthy risk appetite, and rely a lot on your intuition and common-sense logic to make a success of your venture. Finally, never forget that your passion must pay your bills,’’ he concluded.
MTN Media Innovation Program (MIP), a six-month fully-funded certificate fellowship designed for media professionals, is redefining journalism and content creation in Nigeria.
Now in its fourth year, MIP, launched by MTN Nigeria in partnership with the School of Media and Communication (SMC), Pan-Atlantic University, is empowering journalists, broadcasters, and content creators with the tools to adapt, innovate, and thrive in today’s challenging media landscape.
Despite promising forecast that the market value of the Nigerian entertainment and media industry will grow from US$9.0bn in 2023 to US$13.6bn in 2028, the media sector has since grappled with issues such as limited access to training, financial instability, and the rapid decline of traditional revenue models. With digital platforms disrupting how news is consumed and monetised, journalists and media owners must rethink their approach.
MIP provides a structured learning environment where media professionals gain first-hand exposure to new industry trends, digital transformation, and the intersection of media and ICT. From data journalism to audience engagement strategies, participants leave the program with actionable skills that are shaping the future of storytelling in Nigeria.
A standout feature of MIP is its international study visit to South Africa, where fellows engage with leading media institutions, visit MTN Group’s headquarters, and participate in hands-on training sessions at the University of Johannesburg. This global exposure provides invaluable insights into how media practitioners in other markets are leveraging technology and innovation to stay ahead.
For many participants, this has been a career-defining experience. Juliet Tontoye, Vice-President, MIP Cohort 3, describes the program as ‘a turning point.’ “When we share our experiences with our colleagues at our respective media houses, we realize that the program’s benefits and impact are easier to experience than explain. In the past three months, MIP has been such an eye-opening journey. It’s a fellowship every media professional needs to experience. MTN has been such a wonderful host and we know this costs millions of Naira. However, we believe it will have a profound impact on our colleagues.”
Beyond individual impact, MIP is helping reshape the media industry by fostering collaboration and leadership. By bridging the gap between traditional journalism and digital innovation, the program ensures that fellows graduate not just as better storytellers, but as industry disruptors with a mission to create lasting change. The program’s 60 alumni, now spread across Nigeria’s top media organisations, are applying their knowledge to revolutionise newsrooms, create digital-first content strategies, and introduce sustainable business models.
According to Tobechukwu Okigbo, Chief Corporate Services & Sustainability Officer, MTN Nigeria: “When we launched MIP in 2022, our goal was to enhance media professionals’ reporting capabilities and deepen their understanding of the technology sector, empowering them to become true media innovators. Seeing the impact of the programme over the past three years has been both inspiring and humbling. We are proud to continue this initiative and invite all eligible media professionals and content creators to seize this opportunity by applying for the fourth cohort.”
Similarly, the Dean of the School of Media and Communication, Pan-Atlantic University, stated: “SMC will leverage its extensive experience in training media professionals to equip this next cohort. And we will do this with our usual emphasis on creativity and ethics.”
With over 60 fellows trained since its inception in 2022, MIP is building a network of media advocates who are championing ethical reporting, storytelling innovation, and the smart use of technology in journalism.
MTN Nigeria has invested over NGN 300 Million in building Nigeria’s media industry in the past three years through its partnership with PAU.
As applications open for the 2025 cohort, the program continues to attract top-tier talent eager to take their careers to the next level and contribute to the transformation of Nigerian media.
For journalists, broadcasters, and content creators looking to future-proof their careers, the MTN Media Innovation Program is more than just a fellowship—it is a movement that is reshaping the industry, one fellow at a time.
Interested journalists, bloggers, and content creators can apply for the MIP 2025 at https://bit.ly/MTN_MIP2025.
Dr. Vincent Olatunji, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, has been appointed as the Chair of the Anglophone Countries Committee of the Network of Africa Data Protection Authorities (NADPA).
The appointment, confirmed on April 2, underscores Nigeria’s leadership in Africa’s data privacy efforts. Speaking after his confirmation, Olatunji urged members to prioritize collective efforts in protecting the privacy rights of over 1.4 billion Africans.
Meanwhile, Nigeria will host the 2025 NADPA Annual General Meeting and Conference in May. Themed “Balancing Innovation in Africa: Data Protection and Privacy in Emerging Technologies,” the event will showcase Nigeria’s strides in digital economy development under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has charged the over 174 million telecoms subscribers in the country to constantly monitor their data usage to authenticate their consumption level.
This follows concerns being raised by telecoms consumers about the rapidity of data depletion on their devices.
The Commission particularly enjoined the consumers to always contact their service providers to make requests for cases of discrepancies noted in their data usage.
While the consumers are expected to contact their service providers to request for their usage history/statement where inconsistency exists in their data usage as first step, the Commission said they may also escalate such issues to the Commission through its toll-free Number 622 and social media platforms, especially if their requests are not satisfactorily handled.
The Commission, which also made some clarifications regarding the concerns being raised by the consumers around data usage, said the need to inform the consumers on their concerns is part of its commitment to protect and appropriately inform and educate the telecom consumer on industry issues.
Making further clarifications around data speed and usage, the Commission said data speed is the speed at which data is transferred between two devices, measured in megabits per second (Mbps or mbps), stressing that given the spread of Internet services and the immense investment in the sector, data rates have continued to increase and users may be unaware of how to measure data speed.
The telecoms regulator explained further that websites such as www.fast.com also provide an easy way for consumers to measure Internet speed on any device at any location.
“The higher the data speed, the quicker pages load-downloads and uploads-occur and expectedly, the quicker data bundles are exhausted. So, as telecom consumers are able to do more on devices in less time, some consumers’ devices & network service providers make it possible to limit data speed to help users manage data usage better.
“In any case, most devices now include functions to measure data used by devices and it is imperative that users monitor same to authenticate data usage, such as applications left running on devices. Therefore, where discrepancies occur users may contact their service provider to request for their usage history/statement. If request is not dealt with satisfactorily then, users can contact NCC by calling 622 or engage the Commission via its social media platforms”.
It added that the data usage experience is a function of location, network equipment and users connected in a particular location.
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