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Xpress Payment Urges FG on Increased Collaboration

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Xpress Payment Solutions Limited has called on economic managers to strengthen its collaboration with fin tech companies to achieve a virile and healthy fin tech industry.

Indeed, the firm stated that the FinTech industry is one of the industries that thrived during first out break of the Covid 19 pandemic, noting that the industry by over 46 per cent according to the last statistics by Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Mrs. Markie Idowu, the Managing Director, Express Pay Solutions, stated this at the launch of Xpress Payments Creche for its staff who are nursing mothers.

“What we expect from the government is more collaboration. Our regulators are trying, but we believe more collaboration still needs to be done for us to have a healthy fin tech industry,” she said.

She added that the fin tech industry has done quite well over the years especially at the peak of the impact of Covid 19 as people had to move away from banks to mobile banking to meet their cash needs.

“The fin tech industry has done quite well and you know lots of companies suffered during COVID last year, but for fin tech companies it boomed because people had to move away from the banks and physical presence because they needed to make transactions.

“The uptake really went high especially for mobile. Some mobile applications people were using lots of them and the statistics for 2020 was over 46 per cent. For the industry it actually boomed during this covid period,” she said.

About the launch of the Creche, she added: “This is a fintech company and we have lots of young mothers where they have a challenge to find a place to keep their children during work and they are always worried. The work life balance is one of the challenges nursing mothers face at their workplace.

“A lot of what we do now is looking for work life balance and that is why we said how can we make it possible for them. So if we have a crèche and they come to work, they drop their baby at the crèche and they work comfortably.”

The Managing Director said: “We are trying to make this company the best place to work and this is our target so anything we need to make staff more comfortable we will do it. We are looking for ways to bring more women into the fin tech space and this is one of the ways we can and it is not just only for women.

We encourage other companies to do this and not just for the fin tech space. If you have an employee work with peace of mind, it increases their productivity. What it will cost to build a crèche is not as much you would lose in staff time that is worried and checking his or her child every now and then. I will encourage every company to do it and not just in the fin tech space.”

She reaffirmed the company’s commitment to providing excellent customer service going forward, assuring that more products would be launched to.meet customers’ expectations.

Earlier, the Director, Express Pay Solutions Limited, Mrs. Susan Ochia, said the launch was to make sure nursing mothers in the company do not have difficulty taking care of their children.


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Kenya Airways Pays NCAA Sanction over Passenger Rights Violation

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Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced that Kenya Airways has paid the sanction fee imposed on the airline over the infraction on the rights of its Nigerian passenger, Gloria Omisore case and other passengers dating back to February 2025.

According to NCAA’s director of Public affairs and Consumer Protection, Michael Achimugu, the airline made the payment on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, after months of engagements between the NCAA, Kenya Airways, and the Kenyan High Commission in Nigeria.

According to Achimugu, the sanctions were a case-specific penalty and should not be seen as punitive, but rather a measure to ensure airlines strengthen compliance with passenger-handling protocols and safety standards.

NCAA noted, however, that while the airline has complied with payment, the time frame for resolving the underlying issues has already elapsed, stressing that fines alone do not bring such cases to a close.

The case traces back to a viral video in early February 2025, shared by the SA to the Aviation Minister, Tunde Moshood, showing a confrontation at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi. In the footage, Kenya Airways staff denied Ms Gloria Omisore boarding on her connecting flight to Lagos over a visa-related dispute, while the airline later described her as unruly.

The NCAA, however, faulted the handling of the incident, leading to the sanctions now settled.


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LASTMA Deploys Drones to Manage Traffic in Lagos

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Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has deployed state-of-the-art Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to enhance traffic management, strengthen security surveillance and reinforce public safety across Lagos metropolis.

LASTMA Deploys Drones to Manage Traffic in Lagos

Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, general manager of the authority, made this known in a statement on Thursday in Lagos.

Bakare-Oki, said the transition from traditional analog method to advanced digital intelligence harmonised with the visionary mandate of the state government.

He added that “this accentuates the administration’s steadfast dedication to leveraging innovation in pursuit of sustainable urban mobility, heightened safety and operational excellence.

“Through aerial reconnaissance and high-definition monitoring capabilities, the UAVs will empower LASTMA to be proactive in traffic management and control across the state.

“The deployment of device signifies a watershed moment in Lagos’ traffic management ecosystem, seamlessly elevating the authority from conventional reactive enforcement to predictive, intelligence-driven operations.”

Bakare-Oki said the drones would provide real-time aerial oversight, enabling swifter interventions, improved safety outcomes, augmented emergency response coordination, bolstered security frameworks, and the cultivation of a more disciplined motoring culture.

He reassured the public that the deployment would be conducted under stringent adherence to privacy safeguards, ethical standards and regulatory compliance, thereby reinforcing public trust in the system’s transparency and integrity.

“The authority reaffirms its unwavering resolve to continuously innovate in traffic management, reduce travel times, curtail road traffic mishaps, and preserve lives and property throughout Lagos State,” he said.

“This milestone stands as yet another resounding testament to the THEMES+ Agenda of Gov. Sanwo-Olu, wherein technology and innovation serve as indispensable drivers of a safer, smarter, and more habitable Lagos.”

The LASTMA boss maintained that this modern technological intervention would complement LASTMA’s prompt responsiveness to emergencies, accidents and other traffic-related contingencies, in addition to existing LASTMA Toll-Free Hotline — 080000527862.


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Why Elon Musk Halted Sales of Starlink in Lagos, Abuja

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Starlink, the satellite internet provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has stopped taking new orders for residential kits in parts of Lagos and in Abuja after network capacity was reached, the company’s online ordering page shows.

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Neighborhoods listed as sold out include Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lagos Island and Surulere.

Prospective customers in those areas can join a wait list by paying a deposit and will be notified when service space opens.

At Chevyville Estate in Lekki, one resident trying to subscribe was met with a message that read: “Starlink service is currently at capacity in your area. However, you can place a deposit now to reserve your spot on the waitlist and receive a notification as soon as service becomes available again.”

That experience mirrors what consumers in other busy districts are seeing.

A Starlink engineer who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal limits said the company temporarily closes new sales in zones where adding customers would degrade service for existing users.

“It happens when the area cannot take a new customer due to its designed capacity at the time,” the engineer said.

“This also helps preserve a steady connection for people already online.” Remedies can include adding more ground infrastructure, securing regulatory clearances, or expanding satellite coverage.

Since entering Nigeria, Starlink’s monthly fee has climbed: the service began at about N38,000 (roughly $25), rose to about N45,000 ($30) and — by 2025 — was charging roughly N56,000 ($37).

Starlink has cited naira depreciation, higher operating expenses and costs tied to meeting rules set by the Nigerian Communications Commission for the increases.

Those higher prices, and the service interruptions, appear to have affected subscription numbers. After a near eight-month pause that began in November 2024 and was tied to limited bandwidth and regulatory issues, orders resumed in late June 2025.

Still, data from the NCC show active Starlink users in Nigeria fell from 65,564 in the fourth quarter of 2024 to 59,509 in the first quarter of 2025, a decline of more than 6,000 users, or about 9 percent.

Analysts point to the price rises, service holds and economic pressure as key reasons for the drop; some customers have switched to cheaper alternatives or stopped service.

As Elon Musk maintains his position as the world’s richest individual, with a net worth of $429 billion (according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index), his commitment to global digital inclusion through Starlink remains a central focus.

Starlink’s activity in Nigeria is part of a wider push across Africa.

The company has recently moved to enter markets including Lesotho and Somalia and secured permission to operate in the Democratic Republic of Congo after earlier restrictions,

SpaceX is also working with operators such as Airtel Africa to reach rural areas where wired internet is scarce.

For many users in Nigeria, the appeal of Starlink remains clear: a reliable option where terrestrial networks falter.

But until the company expands capacity or adjusts pricing, consumers in dense urban pockets may have to wait for access or turn to other providers.

 

Credit excluding Headline: Pm News

 

 

 


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