Business
NIN-SIM linkage: Telcos Lost 12 Million Internet Subscribers In 2021 – NCC

The Nigerian Communications Commission, on Friday, said telecommunication companies lost a total of 12 million internet subscribers in 2021 due to the national identification number linkage policy.
NCC made this known in its latest report titled, “2021 subscriber/network data annual report.”
It said the number of internet subscribers decreased from 154,301,195 subscriptions as of December 2020 to 141,971,560 subscriptions as of December 2021 representing a decline of 8 per cent.
This, according to the report, was due to the directive to suspend the sales and registration of new SIMs across the country.
READ ALSO: NIN-SIM Linkage: Airtel Laments Loss As 8.5m Customers Yet To Comply
Recall, in December 2020, NCC had given telecommunications companies a two-week ultimatum to block SIM cards not registered with National Identification Number.
The Federal Government later extended the deadline from December 2020 to January 2021 to enable subscribers with NIN to link it up; while those without NIN had till February 9, 2021.
The NCC report said subscriber number decreased from 204,601,313 subscribers in 2020 to 195,463,898 active voice subscriptions as of December 2021 “with a loss of 9,137,415 subscriptions”.
“This represents about 4.46 per cent decline in total subscription within the period under consideration,” it added.
READ ALSO: NIN-SIM Link: Buhari Dragged To Court Over Blocked Lines
“The decrease in operators’ subscriber base was attributed majorly to the effect of the directive from NCC in December 2020 to all GSM operators to suspend the sale and registration of new SIMS, SIM swaps and all porting activities.
“The objective of the audit exercise was to verify and ensure compliance by mobile network operators with the set quality standards and requirements of SIM card registration as issued by the federal ministry of communications and digital economy and the commission.”
“Nigeria’s teledensity decreased from 107.18 per cent as of December 2020 to 102.40 per cent by December 31 2021,” the report said.
In the period under review, the commission said broadband penetration also decreased from 45.02 per cent as of December 2020 to 40.88 per cent as of December 2021.
Similarly, broadband subscriptions decreased from 85,941,222 subscriptions in December 2020 to 78,041,883 subscriptions as of December 2021.
On the level of data usage, the NCC said, “There was an increase in the volume of data consumed in the year-end December 2021 when compared with the year ended December 2020”.
READ ALSO: SIM-NIN: 22 Days After Ban, Telcos Lose N76bn, Subscribers Stranded
“The total volume of data consumed by subscribers increased to 353,118.89 terabytes as of December 2021 from 209,917.40TB as of December 2020. This represents an increase of 68.2 per cent in data consumption within the period.”
It added that the telecoms industry contribution to the gross domestic products was 12.45 per cent in the fourth quarter, of 2020 compared to 12.61 per cent in Q4 of 2021.
Business
Fixed Income: CBN Announces Fresh Regulations To Control Nigerian Market

The Central Bank of Nigeria has announced sweeping regulations to take control of the Nigerian fixed income market.
The regulations expected to begin in November are aimed at boosting transparency across Nigeria’s financial sector.
The apex bank disclosed this in a recent statement.
CBN noted that the intervention is a key part of broader financial market reforms.
READ ALSO:CBN Establishes New Unit To Tackle Financial Crime
Accordingly, it said its core objective is to enhance regulatory oversight and strengthen the market’s ability to effectively support the transmission of monetary policy and, ultimately, foster economic growth.
“This transition will enable the CBN to assume direct responsibility for the management of the trading platform and handle end-to-end settlement activities under the bank’s established settlement system for financial market transactions,” the statement read.
According to DAILY POST, Fixed income securities refer to investments which provide a return in the form of fixed periodic interest payments and the eventual return of the principal at maturity.
Business
Confusion Over Euro-Africa CCI’s $250m Investment In Edo

The $250m investment deal Governor Monday Okpebholo claimed to have secured during his recent trip to Scotland is generating ripples over capacity of the European African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EACCI) to make such a huge investment.
The EACCI, headed by a Drector General, Dr. Kingsley Obasohan, is not known to have made any prior investment in Edo State or any part of the country.
Obasohan, who attended the Edo State Global Investment Summit virtually, announced the $250m investment.
He said the investment would be made for a period of three years.
An online search was launched to unravel the EACCI as well as the man Obasohan.
READ ALSO:Okpebholo Warns Companies Against Fuelling Edo–Delta Boundary Dispute
A number on the site was answered by a lady who claimed not to understand English language.
Several foreign partners were listed on the site as board members and advisory council.
Some closed associates of Obasohan said he would have to get clearance from the Board members before talking to journalists on the issue.
Spokesman for the Edo Peoples Democratic Party, Daniel Noah Osa-Ogbegi, said the party would hold Governor Okpebholo accountable to Edo people and demanded clarity on the $250m investment from Glasgow.
Osa-Ogbegi said the proposed investment has become a source of embarrassment to Edo people because of unfolding information about EACCI.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Okpebholo Nominates Another 5 Persons As Commissioner-designates
He said the party would shine light on fiscal management practices that appeared to ignore transparency and responsibility.
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umar Musa Ikhilo, had earlier said those that attended the Glasgow summit were interested in keying into the SHINE agenda of Governor Okpebholo.
“One of the chambers of commerce that attended, the European African Chamber of Commerce and Industry signed an MoU with the Edo State Government to invest a sum of $250 million over the next three to five years.
“Last year, diaspora remittances were the second-highest source of foreign income in Nigeria after crude oil, over $20 billion, but only 2% of that went into investment. We are creating a vehicle to help convert more of that into direct investments.”
He added that a delegation from Scotland was expected to visit Edo State in the coming months to explore specific investment projects as a follow-up to the summit.
Business
Dangote Hits Out At PENGASSAN, Says Union ‘Serial Saboteurs, Serving Oligarchs’

The management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has berated the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), accusing the union of decades-long sabotage of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and serving the interests of its leaders rather than ordinary Nigerians.
In a statement issued at the weekend, the refinery described PENGASSAN’s latest directive to cut crude oil and gas supplies to the facility as another act of economic sabotage designed to inflict untold hardship on Nigerians.
“Indeed, over time, the Association has consistently proved itself as serving interests other than those of Nigerians and Nigerian workers,” the statement declared.
Dangote recalled that in 2007, when the Federal Government sold its moribund Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries to Blue Star Consortium, led by the Dangote Group, for $750 million, it was PENGASSAN and its ally, the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), that sabotaged the deal. “It is now obvious to everyone that the FGN’s decision at the time was the right one and that PENGASSAN and NUPENG ignominiously wrote their names on the wrong pages of history,” the company said.
READ ALSO:Dangote Fuel Sells Cheaper In Togo Than In Nigeria – Falana Laments
The refinery also faulted the union’s role in the much-publicised rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, describing it as a “ruse” which PENGASSAN “knowingly celebrated despite being a scam on Nigerians.” The statement further accused the union of opposing amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that would have freed up federal liquidity and attracted private-sector funding into Nigeria’s upstream oil ventures.
Beyond policy obstruction, Dangote Refinery accused the association of mismanaging billions of naira in annual check-off dues to allegedly bankroll the “lavish lifestyles” of its leaders, without accountability to members. By contrast, the refinery highlighted its own record of economic contributions within a short period, citing road construction, worker training, the creation of thousands of Nigerian jobs, and a compensation structure that “outdistances the best in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”
“The Dangote Group is the highest employer of labor in Nigeria and the highest contributor to the tax revenues of Nigeria and its sub-nationals. What comparable social responsibility has PENGASSAN, with its billions of Naira in annual check-off dues and subscriptions, lived up to?” the statement queried, challenging the union to publish its audited accounts for the past ten years. “Can it publish publicly its account for the last 10 years and list out its corporate responsibility activities within that timeframe?”
READ ALSO:Dangote Refinery Reduces Fuel Price Nationwide, Provides Update On Petrol Distribution
The refinery insisted that PENGASSAN’s recent directive to withdraw services and cut off essential fuel supplies, including but not limited to petrol, diesel, kerosene, cooking gas and aviation fuel was reckless, lawless and dangerous. It said the order is not about protecting Nigerian workers, but it is about a cabal of oligarchs weaponising hardship against over 230 million Nigerians.
“In the process, it (PENGASSAN) cares little if at all about the unbearable hardship and terror it would thereby inflict on all Nigerians, including but not limited to the provision of essential services in our hospitals and medical facilities, schools (nursery and right up to tertiary and research institutions), emergency services, communications facilities, transportation systems, etc,” it said.
Dangote Refinery called on the Federal Government and security agencies to step in immediately to protect the facility and the nation’s energy security, stressing that the union must not be allowed to “bully Nigerians into chaos and economic sabotage.”
According to Tribune Online, the federal government has announced readiness to broker peace between Dangote Refinery and PENGASSAN, inviting both to a meeting scheduled for Monday.
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