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General News

Priority Communications Solves Fiber Cut Issues Via Air-Fiber-Samuel

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Olumide Samuel, CEO, Priority Communications Limited
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Olumide Samuel, CEO, Priority Communications Limited is a data communications expert. He has been in the business of providing Data/ Telecommunications services to companies especially, banks for online data communications for branch offices and ATM machines using microwave/wireless and digital leased line (DSL) within Lagos and 25 other states of the federation, for close to two decades now.
In this interview with peter ugwu, he shares the Company’s giant strides towards achieving throughput connectivity for the clientele: challenges and opportunities.

Priority Communications: In the Beginning
We started about eight years ago. About four of us commenced the operations, however, today; we are growing to over two hundred staff and partners. Currently, we operate in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Zambia.
In Nigeria, we have operations in 26 States, offering services to the IT, telecoms, conglomerates, manufacturing, financial sector; like banks & insurance, courier companies. Essentially, our services cut across a large group in different sectors of the economy.

Company’s Experiences on Data Services since Inception
We have seen the need for telecom and data services has been on the rise over the years. Of course, it is a known fact that players in the financial sector cannot do without IT; for some of them, IT forms the core of their operations.
The concept is imperative in the era of heavy dependence on ATM machines, easy transfers; they are purely IT based. Other sectors are also catching-on, as people are beginning to realize that it is more efficient or cost-effective to adopt IT.
Even the government is now talking about e-payment: e-collection, e-taxation, among others. IT has become business enabler and the growth has been phenomenal.
For instance, a lot of courier companies are now coming out to integrate IT into their operations. We in Priority Communications are out to support them, so that they can provide optimal services to their clientele.
 We are also moving to other sectors; currently, we are talking to people in the maritime, oils and gas sector; we are working with construction companies too.

Corporate Organizations Preference to Foreign Companies’ Services
You are right about that and this is a challenge to a lot of local organizations. What has helped us in Priority Communications is that we run a very structured environment.
The truth is: local companies should learn to play up to a certain international standard.
For us in Priority Communications, we do not play with ‘structures’. We put our things in proper perspectives.
Some indigenous companies have not learnt the language of corporate business; and they even lose resources along the line. For instance, when we are handling a project, we will not leave our projects in the hands of a neophyte; someone with ‘flight risks’, if I may use that phrase.
Also, the quality of our work speaks volumes for us; we always pride ourselves on that. We are delighted to have very premium customers too like the big banks in Nigeria- Zenith Bank, GTBank, Access Bank, Skye Bank, Diamond Bank, Keystone Bank, Wema Bank, Niger Insurance, Sterling Bank, Sovereign Trust Insurance, Mopol, UAC among others. We service the like of UAC, DHL and so many others; these are big players in the industries they represent. Local companies must learn to take execute contracts with utmost seriousness, because it tells about your capabilities and this has kept Priority Communications going for the past eight years.

Issues on Skills for Maximum Impact   
Sincerely, it has been a challenge getting the right kind of team that shares your operational philosophy. Over the years, personnel skills development programmes take a chunk of our budget.
A lot of training and skills development institutes in Nigeria know Priority Communications very well; it is as though we run a retainer ship programme with some of them.
When you train your staff, they can help you tidy up the rough edges. For 2015, we are already coming out with our budget for trainings for all our staff. Our policy is that, on average, a staff will attend minimum of two training every year, depending on the skill requisition.
Since we started that, the qualities of our jobs are getting better; training builds confidence in the staff. Especially in data communications, we don’t joke with trainings.

Innovations in M2M, Air-Fiber, Consultancy Service, Etc
M2M Connectivity: Primarily, machine-to-machine technology helps users to have direct access to their equipment, machines or facilities, irrespective of the location.
Essentially, what we intend to offer our clients in the M2M option of connectivity is to enable them have very fast, robust and reliable access to their facilities and equipment.
This kind of measure buoys up the operations of large conglomerates, even small businesses benefit as well. We are talking about banks with many branches, down to individuals that would want to monitor what goes on in their homes, office, warehouse, etc.
It is a very reliable, consistent and cost saving measure that I encourage companies to buy into. We can almost guarantee 100% connectivity on that spectrum because we have built a lot of redundancies in terms of technology, power back-ups.
Other beauty of it is the zero-deployment time, because when you can use it instantaneously, and we can meet your locations connectivity needs, your productivity continues to grow. We also have the Air-Fiber Technology: we are trying to solve a problem that is notable in the industry.
Some of our clients actually wanted hitch-free bandwidth; therefore, the issue of fiber-cut must be taken care of. We know that almost everywhere in Nigeria a construction goes on at regular interval. So, we needed facilities that will not be subject to cuts.
Therefore, air-fiber is the combination of wireless and fiber technologies. In other words, it is wireless based, but it gives you all the benefits inherent in fiber networks, based on the bandwidth and throughput. So, when we offer you a link on the air-fiber, we are talking of gigabyte range of capacity, which is highly demanded by organizations that rely on connectivity to achieve their targets. Cost-wise, it is not that high compared to the profit accruable to the subscribers.
Consultancy Services: we have been approached by a number of our clients, especially those who want us to develop their IT architecture.
There are companies in distress on how to handle issues such as network design, network expansion plans, among others. It means that anybody can walk into Priority Communications and get his choice designs, even when they are mid-platform range…

…How About SMES?
Actually, every category is covered. Just like every nation that wants to increase its economic developmental changes must not toy with the SMEs, companies like ours take SMEs very seriously.
So, we visit the client’s base, take audit of its operations and requirements and get to design or advice on how they can improve.

Challenges of Nurturing Businesses in Nigeria
Power is a major constraint. It is not just about us, rather a national call. The cost of providing alternate power supply has continued to rise. However, as a business person you just have to move on, because there are always ways to go around the challenges.
For us, it is something we strive to overcome, if not, we wouldn’t be in operation till today; though I must frankly say that the impacts on our margins are there too. Another challenge is the insecurity in the North. The other notable challenge is funding.
Nevertheless, we have been favoured; as a structured organization, banks can afford to trust us with some (loan) facilities on regular basis. Maybe apathy against local businesses by some organizations, however, we at Priority Communications have never seen it as a case.
We have tried to live above that level, meeting international standards with our service supports. Early last year, we went about upgrading our technologies, because of our passion to remain relevant with trends in the today’s business, which a lot of Nigerian companies would shy away from. At least, it is not at any additional cost to the clients; rather, it is for your optimal performance. A business ought to be at its best to retain the clients’ confidence.

Government-Businesses Relationship
It’s tough letting some people understand that this business does not grow over-night. Anything that is tied to the government, as a business person, would always have certain limits.
However, for us at Priority Communications, everything that is a challenge is an opportunity to innovate. I think that whenever we see challenges, the next thing should be: “what is the way out of?”
 It is true that double taxation is there, but when you look at it, you just have to do business. People use to say, “if you can do business and succeed in Nigeria, there is no place you cannot succeed”.
These are the peculiarities of our environments and to a large extent, people are getting their jobs down. At a time, people said, because of the crisis in the Niger-Delta businesses will shut down indefinitely, but some people found a way around it; petroleum keeps coming from there.
If we talk about ‘area-boys’ (touts), is the government really interested in solving the problem? They only need to engage them in the system. After sometime, it will phase out.
Today, the telecoms Company have embraced co-hosting, minimizing costs and reducing risks. The challenges out there, no doubt jerk up the costs of rendering services.
That is why people are clamouring for interventions. As providers, maybe we are not doing enough businesses to accommodate those costs. So, the business models and processes should generate more money for a company to withstand the shocks that follow the costs.
For instance, if I have 200 customers in Oshodi axis and somebody says I should pay N500, 000 to allow me to work in Oshodi, I need to pay based on the expected to returns, but when just two customers are located there, it will be difficult to extend my network to that place.
Inherently, it will affect the government, because even the State Governments carry out tax audit and they leave your office disappointed, because they see that the operators are not making money as they perceived.

Expansion Plans
First, this year we plan to build a very large data centre in the Lekki axis. By end of first quarter we will have more details on that. It is coming based on the requests by our clients who want facility that is off-site.
We are also planning to expand our operations to other African countries and continents. Apart from consolidating on the places we are present, we want to move to areas where our clients are located.
Even in Nigeria, we have seen we have not gone close to what our capacities can afford. So, we hope to open more offices in some States. If I tell you that Priority Communications is working massively in Sokoto, it might not be easy to believe, but we serve almost 50% of banks in the State.
Even in Kano, Maiduguri; in fact, we hope to grow in those areas. It is our prayer that the security situations in those areas be solved. We have about five offices in Lagos and hope to increase it to 10 before the year runs out.
That will enable us provide more value added services to our clients. We have also started the process to engage additional 60 engineers before the middle of the year.     


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General News

EFCC Says Corrupt Politicians are Using Crypto Wallets to Launder Money

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Ola Olukoyede, chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has raised the alarm that some corrupt Nigerian politicians are now hiding their illicit wealth in cryptocurrencies to evade scrutiny and detection by anti-graft agencies.

EFCC Says Corrupt Politicians are Using Crypto Wallets to Launder Money

Ola Olukoyede, chairman, EFCC

The EFCC boss said the agency had uncovered a growing trend where fraudulent public officials now used cryptocurrency wallets to stash stolen public funds and conduct illicit transactions.

Olukoyede made the revelation at  an event commemorating Africa Anti-Corruption Day.

The event was held simultaneously in Abuja, Lagos and Ibadan, Oyo State.

Other speakers at the event lamented that Nigerians usually fell victim to crypto fraud, including the recent CBEX scam, where Nigerians lost over N1.3tn.

Olukoyede said, “Virtual asset fraud is on the rise. Our findings show that fraudulent politicians are already perfecting schemes and hiding their loot in cryptocurrencies to beat the investigative blackness of anti-corruption agencies.

“Stolen funds and unexplained wealth are being warehoused in wallets and payment for services are being done through this window,” he said.

Olukoyede warned that while the rise of virtual assets had transformed financial transactions globally, it had also created new avenues for money laundering and financial crimes.

He said, “Technology is moving at a supersonic speed around the world.

“The advent of virtual assets is a response to one of the qualities of money as a store of value like it is known in our elementary economies.”

“However, as with every progressive innovation, fraud starts to usually evolve, evolve ways of perverting their genuine purposes,” he said.

He added that the EFCC was not helpless in the face of the sophisticated schemes, noting that proactive training and intelligence sharing had enabled the commission to identify and investigate such cases.


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Airtel Nigeria Drives BFSI and Utility Sector Innovation with Industry-wide Workshop

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L-r: Oladeji Ilesanmi, Head, Enterprise Sales, Airtel Africa; Abhishek Biswal, Chief Business Officer, Digital Services, Airtel India; Dinesh Balsingh, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Airtel Nigeria; Ogo Ofomata, Airtel Business Director, Airtel Nigeria; and Luc Serviant, Enterprise Business Director, Airtel Africa, during the first day of the two-day workshop, themed “Powering Financial Services with Connectivity”, hosted by Airtel Business for the benefit of the Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI) sector in Lagos this week.
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Airtel Nigeria, telecommunications and digital solutions provider, has reemphasised its commitment to national development with a two-day workshop for companies in Nigeria’s Banking, Financial Services & Insurance (BFSI) and utility sectors.

Held from July 8 to 9, 2025 at the Lagos Continental, the exclusive event brought together C-suite executives and industry thought leaders to co-create transformative and tech-driven solutions for these critical industries.

Themed “Banking on Innovation: Powering Financial Services with Connectivity” on 1 and “Accelerating Nigeria’s Digital Leap: Smarter Networks, Smarter Business” on Day 2, the sessions were designed to identify critical pain points, unlock business potential, and drive smarter, more connected operations across two of the nation’s most essential sectors.

Delivering the keynote address, Dinesh Balsingh, Managing Director/CEO of Airtel Nigeria, reaffirmed Airtel’s dedication to enabling and driving Nigeria’s digital transformation across the finance and energy sectors.

Speaking on the timeliness of the workshop, Airtel Nigeria’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dinesh Balsingh said, “From power and water to finance, transportation, and logistics, this is a defining moment for every sector. The real question isn’t whether to adopt digital solutions, but how quickly and intelligently we can do so. At Airtel Nigeria, we’re moving beyond basic connectivity and becoming a true digital partner to the industries we serve.”

He highlighted Airtel’s categories of enterprise solutions that has been created to improve quality of life. These groupings include Internet of Things (IoT) for such services as smart metering, leak detection, energy optimisation, and real-time asset tracking; Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS), which enables secure, multi-channel customer engagement via SMS, WhatsApp, Voice, and USSD; as well asl Network as a Service (NaaS), which delivers flexible, secure connectivity with cloud-ready agility.

Mr. Balsingh added that, “Nigeria’s power and energy industries are under growing pressure to modernise. Legacy infrastructure, fragmented systems, and lack of real-time visibility are major obstacles. Airtel is stepping in with the right tools, not just to connect, but to transform. With IoT, CPaaS, and NaaS, we’re laying the groundwork for smarter operations, improved service delivery, and better outcomes for businesses and consumers alike.”

Abhishek Biswal, Chief Business Officer, Digital Services at Airtel India, brought substantial insight to the discourse with a demonstration of Airtel’s IoT Hub and its transformative impact on energy distribution.

Biswal said, “The future of finance and energy is digital, and that future must be secure, scalable, and seamless. When financial players and utility providers partner with telcos like Airtel, we’re not just connecting systems; we’re building a smarter digital ecosystem for everyone.”

Reinforcing the CEO’s position, Ogo Ofomata, Director, Airtel Business, called for collaboration among the participating sector and their stakeholders.

“We don’t take lightly the trust you have put in us. Airtel operates in what we call the enabler industry. Sometimes we don’t even know there’s a problem until we come together like this. This workshop is about understanding your needs and working side by side to design solutions that truly fit,” she said.

In his remarks, Luc Serviant, Group Enterprise Business Director at Airtel Africa, highlighted the company’s role in driving digital transformation through sustained investments in 5G and LEO satellite connectivity, aimed at boosting remote operations and expanding access in underserved regions across the finance and energy sectors.

He said, “At Airtel, we understand that the future of is going digital, and reliable connectivity is the backbone of that future. From 5G to LEO satellite integration, we are investing in intelligent infrastructure that empowers service providers to operate more efficiently, respond in real-time, and deliver uninterrupted services to millions of Nigerians. This isn’t just about innovation; it’s about building the digital foundation that will power the nation’s next chapter.”

This workshop, which continues the series of sectoral engagements within Nigeria’s growing economy, concluded with feedback from stakeholders who called for the inclusion of regulatory bodies such as the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in future editions.

 


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AfCFTA Credit Fund Makes First Investment With $10m Loan

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The Credit Fund of the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund has successfully closed its first investment, committing $10 million to Telecel Global Services Ltd, through a senior secured amortising loan.

The transaction marks a significant milestone in the operationalisation of the Fund. The Credit Fund is one of three Funds under the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, established by the AfCFTA Secretariat and African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to provide targeted transitional support to AfCFTA State Parties and private sector entities as they adjust to the requirements and opportunities presented by the AfCFTA Agreement.

Telecel Global Services, a subsidiary of the Mauritius based Telecel Group, provides wholesale voice and SMS services and enterprise connectivity solutions to more than 250 telecoms operators across Africa and globally.

With digital connectivity being at the heart of the trade and economic integration and success of the AfCFTA, this facility will support Telecel’s expansion in Ghana and Liberia, strengthen its infrastructure, and contribute to bridging Africa’s digital divide through enhanced connectivity and digital inclusion.

By investing in digital infrastructure in underserved markets, the Fund is helping reduce trade barriers, foster cross-boarder productivity and accelerate inclusive industrialization. Mr. Jean-Louis Ekra, Chairman of the Board of the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund Corporation, stated: “

The closing of our first deal marks a historic milestone for the Credit Fund and the broader vision of the AfCFTA.

This US$10 million investment in Telecel Global Services is a clear demonstration of how targeted capital can drive meaningful impact—accelerating digital connectivity, enabling intraAfrican trade, and supporting private sector-led development in priority sectors.

It is our commitment to ensure that such investments continue to bridge critical gaps, stimulate economic resilience, and unlock Africa’s vast potential.”

H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, noted: “This transaction demonstrates how the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund is beginning to serve its intended purpose – supporting State Parties and the private sector as we work to make this Agreement commercially meaningful.

By investing in digital infrastructure, we are addressing some of the most critical enablers of trade facilitation, industrialisation, and regional value chain development.”

Prof. Benedict Oramah, President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Afreximbank, added: “Today, we make another bold statement of our unwavering intent to ensure that Africans reap the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

We are proud to have commenced the operationalisation of the Credit Fund. With this Fund, we will provide vital support to African corporates, helping them retool and expand their operations necessary to capitalise on the AfCFTA opportunities.

The investment strengthens a critical enabler, the digital economy and regional connectivity, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to transforming the structure of the African economy.”

Marlene Ngoyi, CEO, FEDA, the Fund Manager of the AfCFTA Adjustment Fund, said: “This investment exemplifies the strategic intent of the Credit Fund – to catalyse growth and resilience in sectors that are vital for Africa’s structural transformation.

We are proud to partner with Telecel, whose operations directly advance intra-African connectivity and digital trade.”

The Credit Fund will continue to prioritise commercially viable investments that enable trade, support diversification, and promote inclusive growth in line with the broader AfCFTA implementation agenda.


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