Telecom
Queen Maxima Pays Scheduled Visit to NCC
Nigerian Communications Commission NCC has played host to Her Majesty, Queen Maxima of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, as part of her global itinerary for advocacy on financial inclusiveness to enhance individual and national development.
Her Royal Majesty, who visited the Commission in her capacity as the Special Advocate of the United Nations’ Secretary General for Inclusive Finance for Development, was received with NCC’s renowned warmth and enthusiasm by the Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, Professor Umar Danbatta, who led other Management staff that include the Executive Commissioner Stakeholder Management, Mr. Sunday Dare.
Speaking during her visit, She commended NCC’s robust regulation of telecommunication services in Nigeria, its collaboration on national financial inclusion strategy, and promised to support Nigeria to achieve greater safe, sound and sustainable financial inclusion.
Financial inclusion according to UN and amplified by Wikipedia, is access to a full range of financial services to all households at a reasonable cost; build around sound and safe institutions governed by clear regulations and performance standards; financial and institutional sustainability for continuity and certainty of investments; and competition to ensure choice and affordability.
Prof. Danbatta, Executive Vice Chairman of the Commission, said that available statistics demand a strategic response to ensure greater financial inclusion in Nigeria, and recalled that Nigeria’s National Financial Inclusion Strategy is set to reduce the percentage of the financially excluded adult population in Nigeria to 20 percent by Year 2020, and that as at 2016, about 40.1 percent of the Nigerian adult population are financially excluded.
The EVC informed the Queen that NCC is very much committed to the actualization of the National Financial Inclusion Strategy. “Just recently, the final draft of a Memorandum of Understanding between CBN and NCC was signed, and the CBN-NCC Joint Technical Committee on Mobile Money has instituted processes that will ensure that Mobile Network Operators, MNOs, register Special Purpose Vehicles, SPVs, to enable them become Mobile Money Operators (MMOs)” He stated.
Prof. Danbatta, praised the Queen for her global efforts at promoting financial inclusion and noted that Her Majesty has been “a leading global voice advancing universal access to affordable, effective, and safe financial services”, a worthy duty and service which Her Majesty’s commitment is further demonstrated by the visit to Nigeria and the Commission.
Queen Maxima commended NCC for its numerous regulatory strides and in particular the Commission’s collaboration with other stakeholders especially the Central Bank of Nigeria to ensure greater financial inclusion in Nigeria.
She stated that, she was in Nigeria in 2012 when the National Financial Inclusion Strategy was instituted and prayed that Nigeria is able to sustain the ongoing collaboration to ensure the achievement of the Strategy targets.
Her Majesty cited Mexico among many nations that have made giants strides in rural connectivity, which is a critical backbone needed to enhance financial inclusion and terms of the identity factor which is also central to financial inclusion programmes,
The Queen expressed delight that the National Identity Management Commission is on the right track in discharging its component of the responsibilities towards attaining greater financial inclusion.
On Her Majesty’s delegation is Seb Molineus of the World Bank; Sebnem Sener of the Office of the UN Secretary General’s Special Advocate for Financial Inclusion; Dr. Michael Wiegand of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, all of who spoke about the potentials of Nigeria and the need to move steadily and quickly towards ensuring financial inclusion for all.
Also on the delegation is Nigeria’s Dr. Abi Jagun, the Programme Officer of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor.
Her Majesty Queen Maxima of The Netherlands is a mother of three, graduate of economics, and former investment banker – was appointed in 2009 as the Special Advocate of the United Nations Secretary General on Inclusive Finance for Development.
The Queen has served in this capacity since 2009 amplifying the voice of the UN for the democratization of access to “affordable, effective and safe financial services” to all.
Since early 2000, when financial inclusion was identified as correlation to poverty and underdevelopment, the UN has leveraged popular voices such as Her Majesty’s to raise the banner of awareness and instituted programmes to ensure more persons globally are able to access “sound and safe” financial services at reasonable costs to strengthen the fight against poverty and accelerated economic growth and development of nations.
With the introduction of Travel Saga, a premium, fast-paced gaming experience that is currently live and accessible to customers on its network, Globacom has lifted the bar for mobile entertainment in the country.
Travel Saga is a story-driven, intricately connected role-playing game designed to provide the thrill, complexity, and competitive intensity of some of the most well-known action games in the world.
The game, which has been painstakingly optimized for mobile devices, redefines mobile gaming as a full-fledged digital battlefield by translating a console-grade experience onto data-enabled handsets.
Fundamentally, Travel Saga takes users on quick virtual journeys against recognizable international landscapes. In a dynamic, ever-evolving gaming environment, players are thrown into furious missions, fierce fights, and ever-expanding tales where talent, strategy, and endurance determine who rises through the ranks to become a true war hero.
In addition to the excitement of fighting, users are encouraged to go to various locations, take part in thrilling challenges, and participate in intense competition for in-app rewards like points and victory badges. With each encounter and accomplishment, the immersion increases with each level, maintaining momentum and excitement.
Flexible subscription plans with one-time or auto-renewal choices are available to subscribers for the service, which costs ₦100 per day and ₦250 per week. By dialing *70021#, customers can quickly subscribe and gain instant access to the action.
With Travel Saga, Glo reaffirms its dedication to innovation and high-end digital experiences, making top-notch gaming easily accessible to its customers. The game offers uninterrupted action, adventure, and competition, all smoothly supported by the Glo network.
SHELT, a leading cybersecurity-as-a-service provider, has earned inclusion in the 2025 MSSP 250, the annual ranking of the world’s top 250 Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance publication.
SHELT
The list evaluates firms on business performance, service breadth, and industry impact, spotlighting those excelling in growth, operational excellence, and advanced managed security amid rising cyber threats. Selection criteria include annual recurring revenue, profitability, workforce expansion, business growth, and the depth of managed security offerings.
SHELT’s recognition underscores its investments in scalable security operations, threat intelligence, and tailored managed services across multiple regions, enabling clients to navigate complex risk landscapes effectively.
“Being recognised in the MSSP 250 is a meaningful milestone for our team,” stated Youssef Abillama, CEO of SHELT. “It validates our focus on building practical, resilient security services that help organisations manage risk and respond effectively to today’s evolving cyber threats.”
The company hailed the honour as testament to its teams’ dedication and expertise worldwide, reaffirming commitment to enhancing capabilities and delivering trusted cybersecurity solutions.
Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its new president and vice chairman, bolstering its leadership amid aggressive AI and infrastructure expansion.
Dina Powell McCormick
The announcement, made on Monday, positions Powell McCormick – who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after eight months – to guide overall strategy, including multi-billion-dollar investments in data centres and global partnerships.
A Goldman Sachs veteran with 16 years in senior roles and prior stints as deputy national security adviser under Trump and in the Bush administration, she brings deep finance and international ties to the role.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed her as “uniquely qualified” for the company’s next growth phase, while President Trump praised the move on Truth Social as a “fantastic choice”.
The hire signals Meta’s efforts to strengthen White House relations, following recent dinners with Trump and U.S. investment pledges worth hundreds of billions
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