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Starcomms to Reward Smart Centres

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Starcomms is to reward Smart Centre operators in the country in its Bonuzee Loyalty Promo. The Promo is designed to reward diligence and good business sense.
The promo, which is in its third edition, has been making millionaires of Smart 
Centre operators in the country since 2007. In the last edition that took place between March and June 2008, Starcomms gave out brand new cars and millions of Naira to subscribers who participated in the Bonuzee Millionaire-a-Week promo. 
Also, the company gave out Motorcycles, smart centre phones and Talkie phones to other winners. Talkie phones and Smart Centre mobile phones free airtime were also given out to the lucky winners in the Starcomms Bonuzee Millionaire -a- Week promo.
Mr. Tushar Maheshwari, chief commercial officer of Starcomms, speaking on the reason for continuing with the promo, said that the 3- tier promo is meant to reward and encourage existing and prospective Smart Centre operators.
To be eligible for the promo, a subscriber must have a Smart Centre phone, fill and submit a Bonuzee promo Form at any Starcomms dealer / distributor  continue using Starcomms Smart center line for business with minimum N 600 daily or monthly N12,000 for 3- months, the promo ends on 30th June 2010. 
Mr. Maheshwari disclosed that there are fantastic prizes for grabs, which include brand new cars, LCD television sets, Microwaves, DVD players, Smart Centre phones and Millions of naira in cash to be won.
To qualify for the quarterly draws, a Smart Centre operator must use a minimum of N600 daily for thirty days continuously or N12, 000 monthly. The quarterly prizes for the draws are LCD television sets, microwaves, DVD players, and millions of naira in cash.
To qualify for the monthly draws, a Smart Centre operator must use a minimum of 
N500 daily or N10,000 monthly and prizes for the monthly draws includes cash prizes, recharge cards for hundreds of winners as well as handsets with free airtime.
While encouraging other call centre operators to embrace and get started as Smart Centre operators, Maheshwari said that it offers more economic empowerment, more profit  and business opportunity adding that with the spread of Starcomms network coverage, business is sure to boom for the operators. It is  not all , we have also rolled out a scheme for  new Starcomms smart center operators to join the network with N1,250 (handset prize) and on usage of N5,000 or more per month for next 3- months can earn back N 1,250 Free airtime.   
He said that Starcomms have friendly tariff on its Telemax with the per second billing platform which  allows the subscribers to make calls for as low as 14 kobo per second to Starcomms numbers and 25 kobo per second to other networks. 
Besides this special promo where the plethora of opportunities for these subscribers to participate & win, the business line also offers opportunity to earn instant bonus of airtime basis the usage of Starcomms Smart Center lines with the maximum earning opportunity of bonus airtime capped as N7,000 on the usage of N35,000 in a month. This bonus can be used for calling any network in the country. 
 
 
 
 


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See Verified 20 Countries Nigerian Passport Holders Can Travel Visa-Free

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A recently released  Henley Passport Index 2026, showed that Nigerian citizens can travel to at least 20 destinations outside the African continent where entry is allowed either visa-free, with a visa on arrival (VOA) at no extra cost, or via an e-visa.

See Verified 20 Countries Nigerian Passport Holders Can Travel Visa-Free

This expanded access opens doors for Nigerian travellers to experience countries in the Caribbean, Asia, and beyond with greater ease.

Below is a comprehensive guide to countries outside Africa which Nigerian passport holders can visit without a traditional visa.

Visa-Free Countries outside Africa for Nigerian Passport Holders:

Barbados

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Cambodia – Visa on arrival

Comoros Islands – Visa on arrival

Cook Islands

Dominica

Fiji

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Haiti

Iran – Visa on arrival

Kiribati

Lebanon

Maldives – Visa on arrival

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Micronesia

Montserrat

Niue – Visa on arrival

Palau Islands – Visa on arrival

Samoa – Visa on arrival

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St. Kitts and Nevis

Timor-Leste – Visa on arrival

Tuvalu

Vanuatuul

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Nigeria, Israel Strengthen Research, Technology Collaboration

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Nigeria and Israel yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation in research, technology and innovation as both countries pledged to expand partnerships that will drive entrepreneurship, commercialise research and accelerate economic development.

The commitment was made at the closing ceremony and innovation showcase of the I-FAIR Cohort of the Israel-Nigeria Innovation Fellowship for Aspiring Inventors and Researchers (I-FAIR) in Abuja, where the Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, announced that funding had been secured for the fifth edition of the programme, scheduled to begin in October 2026.

Freeman described I-FAIR as a practical demonstration of the growing partnership between both countries, saying it had enabled Nigerian innovators to develop local solutions to national challenges through Israeli mentorship and expertise.

He said, “This programme has never been about bringing Israeli solutions to Nigeria. It’s been about helping brilliant Nigerian innovators develop Nigerian solutions to Nigerian challenges supported by Israeli experience, mentorship and innovation.”

The envoy noted that the initiative had brought together government, academia, investors, engineers and entrepreneurs to transform innovative ideas into businesses capable of creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.

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Announcing the continuation of the programme, he said, “I am so proud to stand here today and announce that we have secured with our partners funding for I-FAIR 5 and I-FAIR 5 will be launching in October 2026.”

Freeman said the relationship between Nigeria and Israel had grown significantly over the past four and a half years through cooperation in innovation, agriculture, healthcare, education, water management and technology.

He expressed confidence that stronger collaboration between both countries would unlock greater opportunities for startups, research institutions and businesses.

According to him, “Israel brings experience and innovation, technology, agriculture, healthcare, cyber security, security and water management. Nigeria brings extraordinary talent, creativity, entrepreneurship and one of the most dynamic young populations anywhere in the world.”

He added, “I have no doubt that the best chapters of the relationship between Israel and Nigeria are still ahead of us.”

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The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, Architect Sonny Echono, also reaffirmed TETFund’s commitment to strengthening research and innovation through strategic partnerships with Israel and other stakeholders.

He said the I-FAIR programme aligned with Nigeria’s priorities in food security, agriculture, medicine, technology, clean energy and the circular economy, adding that TETFund would continue supporting initiatives that promote research commercialisation.

Echono stressed that collaboration between government, academia and industry remained critical to translating research findings into products and services.

He said, “It is this critical linkage, especially between science, engineering, technology and innovation, and the productive sector that is critical for translating R&D results and inventions into finished products for socio-economic benefits of our people.”

He disclosed that TETFund was working with partners to establish innovation facilities in about 60 tertiary institutions and had created a student innovation fund that would provide up to ₦50 million to students with commercially viable ideas.

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The TETFund boss also announced plans for a National Research Fair later this year, where innovators would showcase products before policymakers, financial institutions and investors to attract funding and commercial partnerships.

Paying tribute to the outgoing Israeli ambassador, Echono described Freeman as a strong bridge between Nigeria and Israel.

He said, “Nigeria is grateful for your service. You have been a strong bridge between our two countries.”

Earlier, Head of Programmes at Innov8 Hub, Tolulope Aina, said sustainable economic development depended on building an innovation ecosystem that transforms ideas into successful businesses.

She noted that Innov8 Hub had supported more than 3,000 innovators, researchers and entrepreneurs, helping them convert research into products, startups and investment-ready ventures.

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Aina said, “Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of brilliant minds, what we need are stronger pathways that help those ideas become products, businesses, and opportunities that improve life.”

She thanked the Embassy of Israel and TETFund for their continued support in strengthening Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem.

According to her, “Building an innovation-driven economy requires collaboration, long-term commitment and shared purpose.”

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African Judges Pledge Support for AfCFTA’s Success

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Chief Judges drawn from countries across the African continent have resolved to collaborate and support measures aimed at ensuring the success of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) through an efficient, reliable and predictable dispute resolution system.

They agreed to explore ways to harmonize disputes resolution mechanisms in the continent with a view to making it easier and faster to resolve commercial disputes.

The resolutions formed part of the decisions taken at the third Africa Chief Justices’ Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Summit held in Nairobi, Kenya between June 18 and 19.

According to a statement by the Special Assistant on Media to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Mr. Tobi Soniyi, the African judicial leaders were of the view that commercial confidence depends largely on legal certainty.

They emphasised how structured Alternative Disputes Resolution could enhance commercial justice, protect the business environment and support the AfCFTA.

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In her contribution, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun urged called on African judiciaries to proactively prepare for emerging challenges to disputes resolution in the continent.

Justice Kekere-Ekun, who served as Co-Chair of the session on “Financial sector disputes, tax certainty and ADR: Building commercial confidence in Africa, noted that AfCFTA represents one of the most ambitious economic integration projects in modern history.

The CJN, who stressed the importance of a proactive Judiciary to the success of AfCFTA, warned that its success would depend, not only on trade protocols, tariff reductions and economic policies, but also on the strength and reliability of the institutions that support commerce.

Justice Kekere-Ekun urged her colleagues to examine how judiciaries in the continent, central banks, tax administrations and ADR institutions could work together to reduce uncertainty, prevent disputes, strengthen investor confidence and support the realization of AfCFTA’s objectives.

She envisaged the growth of intra-African trade to inevitably generate cross-border tax disputes; foreign exchange disputes; banking and payment system disputes; digital commerce disputes; enforcement of arbitral awards; recognition of foreign judgments; and disputes arising from regional supply chains.

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The CJN, who said “African Judiciaries must proactively prepare for these emerging realities,” challenged African judicial leaders on the importance of disputes prevention mechanism.

She stated that modern commercial justice must move beyond the traditional focus on disputes resolution after conflicts arise.

“The most successful commercial systems are not those that generate the highest volumes of litigation but those that reduce the need for litigation,” she added.

Justice Kekere-Ekun, who stressed the importance of ADR, cautioned against seeing ADR as merely an alternative procedure.

She said ADR should rather be considered as a strategic tool for reducing transaction costs, preserving commercial relationships, enhancing investor confidence, reducing court congestion, improving ease of doing business and strengthening commercial certainty.

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Sharing the Nigerian experiences, Justice Kekere-Ekun cited the recent decision by the Nigerian Supreme Court in the case of EMTS v. AFDIN Ventures Ltd. & Ors. (2026), which reaffirmed important principles of commercial certainty, including respect for arbitration agreements; recognition that consent may be inferred from conduct; judicial restraint from re-litigating arbitral disputes on the merits; and the importance of finality in arbitral awards.

According to her, the decision reinforced Nigeria’s position as an arbitration-supportive jurisdiction.

She identified timely resolution of tax disputes as an important factor in ensuring certainty and recommended Nigerian tax disputes resolution mechanism which she said “offers useful example of institutional reforms that support commercial certainty.”

Justice Kekere-Ekun recommended the Nigeria’s Tax Appeal Tribunal model, which she described as one of Nigeria’s most significant innovations.

According to Mr. Soniyi, Justice Kekere-Ekun’s message to his brother justices is clear: building an African commercial environment in which investors, businesses, regulators and citizens can transact across borders with confidence, secure in the knowledge that their rights will be protected and their obligations fairly enforced.

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The summit advanced the goals of the African Chief Justices Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum (ACJADRF) to harmonize jurisprudence and establish common enforcement standards across the continent.

The CJN was, on the last day of the summit, nominated by the Chief Justice of Kenya as the Vice Chairperson of the Africa Chief Justice ADR Forum with effect from August 1, 2026. The nomination was ratified by the forum.

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