General News
Oduah Inspects MMIA Project Sites, Upbeat on National Carriers
Princess Stella Oduah, minister of Aviation said she is delighted with the pace of work at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
She expressed her satisfaction while on an inspection tour of facilities at the airport on recently
Facilities inspected include the Extended Departure and Arrival Halls, new in-bound baggage reclaim carousels, on-going construction work on “Fingers” as well as Transit Facilities.
Similarly, the Minister said that the Ministry is focused as regards the proposed national carrier and shall make public pronouncement on the project soon.
Briefing newsmen immediately after inspecting the fingers, particularly on the date the projects will be open to public use, Oduah, “The key word is that we are going to Commission the projects very soon; we want to be able to facilitate the usage of these facilities by first quarter of next year (2014). But what is very key is that passenger traveling experience will be very different. It will be the way it should be; providing them comfort, security and most importantly, it will increase the capacity. There will be ample space for smart operations at the areas. By this strategy, the safety and security of the passengers is being enhanced.
“Thus, Nigerians should expect the aviation industry that was promised to them; an industry that will be catalyst for national development. Essentially, this will be an industry that has been repositioned to create jobs, hubs and skills for the people”.
For other remodeling projects on-going in other airports across the country, she said, “Airport projects are always work in progress. However, ours is targeted at between first and second quarter of next year, we wouldn’t see the massive work on-going. We should be commissioning and using them. Like the finger we just visited, we are changing all the bridges; by the second quarter of next year we should see different bridges. I am sure; most people do not know we have such space upstairs at the MMIA. Ours is to maximize the capacity that has not been tapped into these years.
“Airports like Owerri, Sokoto, Akure, Yola and several others are ready. We are just making sure that is there are T’s to cross or I’s to dot we do so before commissioning them.
“By January we shall start commissioning them, but we allowed passengers to use them because they deserve the best”.
For the national carrier, she added that the Federal Government ought to have pronounced the new national carrier, but it has been delayed due to few challenges.
“We are trying to rectify them. We shall be pronouncing the new national carrier soon, however, the important thing is that we want to give Nigerians the national carrier that we all aspire to have; such that will be a true representation of all of us; such that will be professionally and efficiently managed.
Also, Oduah clarified issues surrounding the on-going power projects at the airport, she said that the first project has commenced, even as the Ministry hopes to mobilize the contractor for the second project.
Oduah, since assuming duties as minister of Aviation, has always reiterated her quest to readdress quagmires she inherited in an industry poorly developed, steeped in crises with threat of imminent collapse.
The absence of a consistent and well articulated national aviation policy, excessive bureaucracy and bad management was its waterloo.
She, therefore, navigated through the cacophony of several policies and came up with the Aviation Road map.
The Road-map provided the institutional framework for the provision of infrastructure, monitoring and control of the industry.
The involvement of aviation stakeholders in producing the policy predictably resulted in unanimous adoption, which has cumulated in several projects completed and on-going in the industry.
Meanwhile, the extended Departures Halls feature 5 nos state –of-the-art screening machines and 2 nos Body Scanner at each of the wings in addition 30 nos new immigration counters.
A distinguishing feature of the new screening machines is the ability to detect explosive materials and potential threat items real time with the lowest rate of false alarm.
The introduction of 30 nos new immigration counters as against the previous 9 nos promises to take the face of facilitation in MMA to another level.
Also inspected were the newly installed in-bound baggages reclaim carousels at each of the Arrivals Halls.
The high- speed carousels are smooter, easier – to- maintain and more resistant to luggage jams than their decades – old predecessors.
This translates into accelerated baggage retrieval, reduced waiting – time and improved travel experience.
Highlight of the visit was the inspection of the on-going construction of 2 new additional fingers as well as new Transit Facilities.
The visit afforded journalists the opportunity to appreciate, first hand, the cause of some leakages experienced at the Terminal some time ago.
Briefing the Minister, the Director of Maintenance and Engineering & Engineer Femi Ogunode, acting managing director of FAAN, explained that the construction work on the new Fingers affected the sealant on the existing Terrance on which the Fingers are built, resulting in dripping of water in some sections of the Terminal.
He said measures have been put in place to check the so-called leakages, promising that services levels in the airport will continue to be tailored to passengers needs.
The two new additional Fingers located on the 2nd level of the Terminal building and each measuring 3,074 sq m, and seating atop the existing Fingers represent a major capacity increase with all the attendant benefits.
Hitherto, arriving and departing passengers made common use of the Fingers, although with a glass partition separating them. With the new development, each of the two new Fingers will be exclusively for Departures while the existing ones will be dedicated to Arrivals, thus enhancing safety, security, and facilitation.
The Transit Facility, located on the 3rd floor of the Terminal building, features 9 standard lounge, and 20 hotel rooms for transiting passengers’ Transit Facility is a major requirement for a hub operations. With this development, MMA is set for a sub –regional hub status in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s vision.
This Valentine’s Day, PalmPay is celebrating love in all its forms with the launch of #LoveWithPalmPay, a campaign highlighting how simple, everyday shared money moments can bring relationships closer.
Valentine’s Day is more than grand gestures; it’s built on the small, meaningful actions that shape relationships, sending timely support, saving together, or managing shared responsibilities. PalmPay encourages users to share 30–60 second real-life stories, either solo or duet style, showing how PalmPay always works and has helped them support or stay connected with someone they love.
The campaign runs from February 9th to 21st across Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok. Four winners will receive ₦100,000 each week for two weeks, totalling a prize pool of ₦800,000.
Entries can take many forms, including couple videos, solo stories, split-screen duets for long-distance couples, or voiceover narratives with photos or clips, making the campaign inclusive for married couples, parents, and long-term partners.
How to Participate:
- Share an authentic love story about your partner
- Clearly show PalmPay in action (transfers, savings, or other in-app activities)
- Be creative and emotionally engaging
- Post between February 9th – 21st with the hashtag #LoveWithPalmPay
- Share on any of PalmPay’s social media platforms
“Love evolves, and so do relationships,” said Olorunfemi Hanson, Head of Marketing and Communication, PalmPay. “From dating to parenthood, the small money moments we share every day play a big role in keeping us connected. With #LoveWithPalmPay, we want to celebrate those stories and show how PalmPay always works, making everyday love simpler, reliable, and meaningful.”
This Valentine’s Day, PalmPay celebrates love as it truly is real, intentional, and built on shared moments.
PalmPay is a leading digital banking platform driving financial inclusion and economic empowerment in underserved emerging markets. Through its secure, user-friendly, and inclusive suite of financial services, PalmPay empowers individuals and businesses with tools to manage and grow their money.
PalmPay offers a comprehensive range of products, including mobile payments, savings, and micro-insurance via its app and mobile money agent network.
Since launching in Nigeria in 2019 under a Mobile Money Operator license, the platform has grown to over 35 million app users and processes up to 15 million transactions daily. PalmPay has operations in Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and Bangladesh. For more information, visit www.palmpay.com
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have proposed that customers must receive refunds within 30 seconds for failed airtime and data purchases to curb persistent billing complaints in the telecommunications sector.
This was indicated in the Exposure Draft of the Joint CBN–NCC Framework for Resolution of Failed Airtime and Data Purchase Transactions, which was published on the website of the CBN on Monday.
The landmark exposure draft, dated 5 February 2026, seeks to “institutionalise clear accountability” and establish a “coordinated approach to consumer redress” across the financial and telecommunications sectors.
The most significant shift in the proposed framework is the introduction of standardised, automated timelines for resolving failed transactions.
Currently, Nigerians often face long delays when airtime purchases fail at the bank, aggregator, or Mobile Network Operator level.
To solve this, the regulators have proposed a 30-second window for automated reversals. Section 6.0 (ii) of the draft exposure, which dwelt on failed transactions, especially as it relates to unfulfilled airtime/data delivery, proposes a time to refund the purchaser of 30 seconds “if the transaction failed at the bank level… Failed transaction delivery from NCC Authorised Licensees… Failed transaction delivery from MNO to the NCC Authorised Licensee.”
The draft emphasised that stakeholders must “automate reversal processes across all stakeholders” to ensure that refunds require no human intervention from the customer.
The draft exposure also stated that “all parties involved in airtime and data transactions shall take the following actions to ease usage and facilitate consumer satisfaction: a. Stakeholders must immediately connect ONLY to relevant authorised licensees of the NCC and CBN. b. MNOs and banks must only connect to NCC Authorised Licensees/MNO digital channel partners for airtime and data vending… Notifications of failure create final settlement obligations between MNO and NCC-authorised licensees… The NCC and CBN will audit stakeholder compliance jointly or individually at quarterly or other intervals as may be determined.”
From a business and oversight perspective, the regulators are proposing a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be hosted jointly by the CBN and NCC, which will track reversals, Service Level Agreement breaches, and customer complaints in real-time.
“There shall be a Central Monitoring Dashboard hosted by CBN/NCC for tracking reversals, SLA breaches, and customer complaints. This will facilitate the establishment of a real-time national ‘Failed Transactions Dashboard’ with a uniform error code with end-to-end visibility across the value chain’, read the draft exposure.
This is designed to eliminate the “unclear ownership of liability” that often occurs when banks and telcos blame each other for failed recharges. To support this, banks and MNOs will be required to maintain and share daily reports of successful and failed cases.
The proposed framework also addresses the common problem of “lost” money when customers recharge ported phone numbers. The draft mandates that MNOs must validate a phone number against the ported number database before processing any recharge. If the system identifies a number as ported out or invalid, it must “proactively stop recharges” and send a failure code back to the bank to ensure the customer is not debited.
For erroneous recharges sent to the wrong person, the framework sets clear protocols: below N20,000, MNOs will request the recipient’s consent before a reversal, and when it is above N20,000, an affidavit of indemnity or notarised letter is required to process the recovery.
The CBN and NCC in the exposure draft signalled they will take a firm stance on compliance. Both agencies will conduct joint quarterly audits of all stakeholders, including banks, payment service providers, and MNOs, to verify compliance with the new rules. The regulators have warned they will “impose penalties for any breach” of the framework’s provisions.
Banks and other financial institutions have until 10 February 2026 to submit their inputs on the draft before it is finalised. Once implemented, the framework is expected to significantly restore “subscriber trust” in Nigeria’s digital financial ecosystem.
Federal government has unveiled a new digital platform to connect millions of women to finance, skills training, and market opportunities, in what officials call the country’s largest technology-driven women’s inclusion initiative to date.
The Happy Woman App Platform, which was unveiled at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, would serve as a single interface for women to access funding facilities, business development support, governmental initiatives, and critical services.
The digital drive comes as Nigeria grapples with expanding gender gaps in financial access, with women much less likely than males to maintain bank accounts or obtain formal credit, limiting their capacity to grow informal enterprises they primarily run.
Yet women remain central to the economy, accounting for a large share of micro and small enterprises that contribute nearly half of the country’s GDP.
According to the Social Institutions and Gender Index, only about 35 percent of Nigerian women have a bank account at a financial institution, compared with 55 percent of men, underscoring the depth of persistent financial exclusion and the urgency of targeted interventions.
The launch coincided with the expansion of the Nigeria for Women Programme, which the administration now plans to scale nationwide to reach 25 million women.
President Bola Tinubu, represented by vice president Kashim Shettima, said the scale-up is central to Nigeria’s economic growth strategy.
“A nation that relegates its women is a nation bound for implosion,” he said, adding that women must be placed “at the centre of national planning and productivity.”
The expanded programme builds on a pilot phase in six states that reached over one million women, many organised into Women Affinity Groups to access grants, savings schemes and livelihood support.
The government says the new app will streamline beneficiary registration, payments and training, reducing leakages and improving delivery.
CAC Reports 248 Fake Companies to EFCC, Tackles Banks
Kaspersky Gives Advice on How to Make AI for Children Safer @ Safer Internet Day
NITDA Supports CAC AI Driven Transformation
Sophos Expands AI Capabilities with Arco Cyber Acquisition
U.S. Slams Nigerians: Overstays Jeopardize All Visas
Firm Detected a Fivefold Surge in QR Code Phishing Attacks in the Second Half of 2025
US invests $115m in counter-drone tech for World Cup security
Nigerian Terra Industries Secures $11.8m for Expansion
Nigeria Targeted with 4,622 Cyber-attacks Per Week in December 2025
Firm Detected a Scam Exploiting OpenAI’s Teamwork Features
Telecom3 days agoNCC Committed to Regional Digital Integration – Maida
General News3 days agoIndigenous Firm Deploys 400,000 Smart Electricity Meters in 2025
E-Financial3 days agoCBN Expresses Concern Over Foreign Investments in Nigeria Fintechs
E-Financial3 days agoBOI Secures CBN Nod for Sharia Banking, Unlocks Ethical Funding Boom
Telecom3 days agoITU Top Director Visits NITDA, Boosts Nigeria’s Digital Literacy Push
E-Financial3 days agoUBA’s Easy and Instant Account Opening Thrills Returnee
News3 days agoEFInA Unveils Research Fellowship Programme to Deepen Financial Inclusion Impact
General News2 days agoCBN, NCC Propose Instant Refunds for Failed Airtime, Data