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Star Lager Unveils Burna Boy As New Brand Ambassador
National premium beer brand, Star Lager has unveiled Afro-pop sensation Burna Boy as an ambassador for the brand.
The unveiling was made on Sunday, 27th of January during a press event at CIRCA, Lekki. Leading up to the announcement, a series of visual cues were syndicated across social media, generating massive mainstream media attention ahead of the official announcement.
The announcement of Burna Boy as brand ambassador comes after a remarkable year for the music star in 2018, which featured various highlights such as headlining his own sold out concert, as well as being listed as one of only two African acts to perform at the prestigious Coachella Festival.
Over the years Star Lager has been one of the leading brand supporters of Nigerian music, hence the decision to forge this association with Burna Boy further cementing the brand’s position as key players in the Nigerian entertainment scene.
The brand’s effort in the music industry includes hosting one of the first music talent shows in Nigeria, Star Quest.
Following up this landmark achievement, Star also put together some of the biggest music shows Nigeria has ever seen, through its Star Mega Jam and Star Music Trek platforms.
Prior to the unveiling of Burna Boy as Brand Ambassador, Star Lager had previously sponsored the Burna Live concert, in which over 4,000 fans were thrilled by the Afrobeat sensation.
The sponsorship of the Burna live concert was part of a series of A-list musical concerts which Star Lager sponsored during the month of December 2018.
Star Lager is the oldest indigenous beer brand in Nigeria, and its brand messaging seeks to inspire Nigerians to shine on and be aspirational in their ambitions to create a better tomorrow for themselves as individuals, as well as collectively as a people.
This core messaging is expressed by the brand’s essence and is a prevailing theme in Burna’s music.
Born in Port Harcourt on the 2nd of July 1991, Burna Boy whose real name is Damini Ogulu hails from Ahoda local government in Rivers State.
After being heavily influenced by afrobeat as a teenager, Burna launched his musical career in 2010 crafting a unique style inspired by reggae, dancehall, and afrobeat.
His distinct style instantly caught the attention of Nigerian music fans, and soon, the young man from Ahoda had the world listening to his catchy melodies and records.
The last 24 months have seen Burna earn international acclaim for his record-breaking album “Outside”.
He has also collaborated with American Band – Fallout Boys, American electronic dance music group – Major Lazer and British singer – Lilly Allen.
Burna Boy’s success is proof that talents from Africa can achieve global acclaim and international success.
This is an idea that Star Lager shares and the brand will be looking to exploit this theme through its relationship with Burna Boy.
Speaking on the unveiling, Emmanuel Oriakhi, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, expressed his delight at bringing on Burna Boy to the brighter side with Star,
“We have always had strong interests in Nigerian music. The talent and the potential for greatness that our music industry possesses is truly immense.
“Burna Boy is, without a doubt, one of the biggest music exports from the shores of West Africa.
“With this new brand association, I believe we have the opportunity to use this relationship to tell the Star story and position Star as the leading brand for the aspirational Nigerian who believes he can take on the world.
“We are excited about this collaboration and we look forward to a very productive 2019 with Burna Boy.”
STAR is Nigeria’s No. 1 beer brand and is the first indigenously brewed beer introduced into the Nigerian market on June 2, 1949.
STAR is largely responsible for the growth of the Nigerian indigenous beer industry as its success story has influenced the introduction of other successful brands.
Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded a total of N13 million in grants to three standout tech startups at the 2025 Techpreneur Summit held in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusive growth among Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The winners include: BuyScrap, a digital marketplace for recyclable materials – N6 million; Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets – N4 million; Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu – N3 million
Alongside the grant awards, DBN also launched a new digital data asset, a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at enabling data-driven decisions within the MSME ecosystem.
The platform offers deep insights into business trends, sector-specific challenges, and growth opportunities—supporting smarter policymaking and targeted investments.
In his keynote address in Lagos, Tony Okpanachi, managing director/ CEO, DBN, described the event’s theme, “CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,” as a strategic call to reimagine enterprise development in Nigeria.
“This isn’t just a keyboard shortcut,” he said. “It’s a mindset reset—powered by technology—to build a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient business landscape. From financing to innovation, DBN remains committed to enabling MSMEs to thrive.”
Okpanachi emphasized that the Summit aligns with DBN’s AMPLIFI Strategy, which integrates digital transformation, sustainability, and scalability into its core programs.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Digital Shift Workshops and the Eco-Innovation Challenge as key steps toward embedding innovation in Nigeria’s MSME sector.
Encouraging young innovators, he added: “The future belongs to those bold enough to imagine and build it. DBN is proud to support the ideas that will shape tomorrow.”
A major highlight was the unveiling of the DBN Data Asset—a digital platform designed to provide real-time, evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s MSME landscape.
The platform combines DBN’s proprietary data with external sources like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to offer a comprehensive view of MSME performance by region and sector.
Jeremy Dan Okayi, DBN’s Head of Strategy, Policy & Innovation, described the platform as: “A reservoir of insight, potential, and direction—built on two years of collaboration and shared vision. This tool will support informed decision-making across the public and private sectors.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations
In a bold enforcement action, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), supported by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has sealed off the visa application centres of France, Belgium, and Italy in Abuja over alleged consumer protection breaches and obstruction of regulatory investigations.
The affected centres—located at Mukhtar El-Yakub House in the Central Business District and operated by TLS Contact, a Teleperformance Company—were shut down following reports that they refused to accept formal correspondence from the FCCPC regarding a consumer complaint. The Commission cited further infractions, including obstruction of investigation and alleged assault of its officers during lawful duties.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of Surveillance and Investigations at the FCCPC, explained: “This is an enforcement operation against TLS. On March 25, 2025, we served them a letter to address a consumer complaint, which they refused to accept. Instead, TLS officers assaulted our team, and in a subsequent visit on June 17, they also allegedly assaulted uniformed police officers.”
Citing Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Mrs. Adeyinka emphasized that failure to comply with Commission directives constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, fines of up to ₦20 million, or both.
TLS has been ordered to appear before the Commission on June 20, 2025, to provide testimony, submit evidence, and make formal depositions. The company may be held liable for any financial losses suffered by applicants due to the disruption of visa services.
Despite multiple requests for comment, management at TLS Contact declined to respond as of press time.
Adedapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has explained why there is a missing sum of N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statement spanning from 2017 to 2023.
According to Segun, the missing funds are cash calls requested by joint venture (JV) partners and settlement to the JVs.
He spokeat a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada.
Segun was responding to an alarm raised by the committee over missing N210 trillion in NNPCL’s audited financial statement.
Recall that Wadada issued a one-week ultimatum to NNPCL to account for the missing N210 trillion.
Reacting, Segun said, “The N103 trillion and N107 trillion are made up of joint venture cash calls that have been requested by the JV operators and JV cash call payments made by NNPCL, which are yet to be reconciled because governance procedures were not done at that time.
“That is why you see the description reflecting those two items would be washed out because they are two sides of the same transaction, which is the cash calls by JV partners and the settlement by NNPCL.”
However, Habu Sadeik, a financial analyst, in a post on X on Thursday, said Segun’s response was unsatisfactory.
Saidik faulted NNPCL’s response about the fund discrepancies, noting that something is not right with the audited financial statement.
“Forget about the senators’ lack of knowledge.
“The CFO’s response is not satisfactory. Are you saying that cash calls worth hundreds of trillions are just appearing on your FS only in 2024 without 31 disclosure?
“If it’s a cash call, why hasn’t the disclosure said so?
“Which cash call is over 100 trillion?
“Something is definitely not right, and I hope they retrospectively correct that FS.
“Someone somewhere did a chef’s work,” he wrote on X.
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