Unilever Nigeria reported a Q1 profit of $6.7 million, a 65 percent increase. This surge was primarily driven by strong sales in its food products segment, followed by personal care and beauty, and wellbeing categories.
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Video - Unilever Nigeria reports 65 percent surge in Q1 profit, driven by strong sales
Unilever Nigeria reported a Q1 profit of $6.7 million, a 65 percent increase. This surge was primarily driven by strong sales in its food products segment, followed by personal care and beauty, and wellbeing categories.
Nigerian National Petroleum Company sacks top officials
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has sacked the managing directors of the three state-owned refineries.
The company also directed management staff with less than a year to retirement to proceed on exit.
A source familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday night that the Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), Ibrahim Onoja; the Managing Director of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), Efifia Chu, and the Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), Mustafa Sugungun, have been removed.
“Replacements for their roles have yet to be officially announced. Bala Wunti, the former Chief Upstream Investment Officer at the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), who was recently assigned the Chief Health, Safety, and Environment Officer at NNPC Ltd and Lawal Sade, the chief compliance officer and former managing director of NNPC Trading were affected,” a top official of the company told this newspaper.
He said the removals were part of a broader organisational shake-up, not a targeted effort to oust supporters of the previous Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the company.
Earlier in the month, President Bola Tinubu sacked the board of the NNPC Ltd, including its GCEO, Mele Kyari, and board chairperson Pius Akinyelure.
The president also approved Bayo Ojulari as the new GCEO of the NNPC and Ahmadu Kida as non-executive chairman.
NNPC also announced the appointment of a new 8-member senior management team.
The company at the time said the appointments take immediate effect, noting that the announcement follows the recent appointment of Mr Ojulari and the Board of Directors.
When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the NNPC Ltd spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, he did not respond to calls and a text message as of press time.
By Mary Izuaka, Premium Times
The company also directed management staff with less than a year to retirement to proceed on exit.
A source familiar with the matter told PREMIUM TIMES Tuesday night that the Managing Director of the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited (PHRC), Ibrahim Onoja; the Managing Director of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), Efifia Chu, and the Managing Director of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), Mustafa Sugungun, have been removed.
“Replacements for their roles have yet to be officially announced. Bala Wunti, the former Chief Upstream Investment Officer at the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), who was recently assigned the Chief Health, Safety, and Environment Officer at NNPC Ltd and Lawal Sade, the chief compliance officer and former managing director of NNPC Trading were affected,” a top official of the company told this newspaper.
He said the removals were part of a broader organisational shake-up, not a targeted effort to oust supporters of the previous Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the company.
Earlier in the month, President Bola Tinubu sacked the board of the NNPC Ltd, including its GCEO, Mele Kyari, and board chairperson Pius Akinyelure.
The president also approved Bayo Ojulari as the new GCEO of the NNPC and Ahmadu Kida as non-executive chairman.
NNPC also announced the appointment of a new 8-member senior management team.
The company at the time said the appointments take immediate effect, noting that the announcement follows the recent appointment of Mr Ojulari and the Board of Directors.
When PREMIUM TIMES contacted the NNPC Ltd spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, he did not respond to calls and a text message as of press time.
By Mary Izuaka, Premium Times
Starlink Implements 50% Price Increase for Nigerian Residential Plans
The new pricing immediately affects new customers, while existing subscribers will begin paying the revised rates from May 30, 2025.
Starlink’s latest price revision aligns with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) January 2025 approval of a 50% tariff increase for telecom operators, the first such adjustment in over a decade. The NCC’s decision came amid growing pressure on the telecom sector, driven by naira devaluation, rising inflation, and steep operational costs.
This isn’t the first time Starlink has attempted to raise its prices in Nigeria. In October 2024**, the company proposed increasing its monthly subscription to NGN 75,000 (USD 46.78), a move that was swiftly met with regulatory resistance. The NCC, through its Director of Public Affairs, Reuben Muoka, criticised the hike as unilateral and violating sectoral guidelines. The backlash forced Starlink to suspend the planned price adjustment.
With the NCC’s official backing for broader telecom tariff increases, Starlink appears to be acting within a more acceptable regulatory framework.
The company maintains that customers can cancel anytime, stating in its email: “If you do not wish to continue service, you can cancel at any time on your account page. If you return your Starlink within 30 days of purchase, we’ll refund your full hardware and service costs. If you return hardware purchased within the last year, we’ll refund 50% of the hardware cost.’
Meanwhile, Starlink’s service capacity in Nigeria continues to evolve. Two major southern cities, Port Harcourt and Benin City, have now been freed up for new Residential Plan activations, thanks to a newly activated ground station at Okun Aja, Lagos State. The station features 20 antennas installed, with room for 36 more, assuming regular spacing, and is located adjacent to the new Medallion Data Centre facility. Following a recent surge in internet exchange point (IXP) capacity – from 200G to 600G – this development appears to be live, indicating improved Starlink throughput in the region. New customers in these cities can now sign up and begin using the service without joining a waitlist.
Starlink’s service remains at full capacity in other parts of Nigeria and several other African countries. New users outside newly opened areas can still deposit to join the waitlist and will be notified once additional capacity becomes available. However, Starlink has not confirmed a timeline. “Our teams are working as quickly as possible to add more capacity to the constellation so we can continue to expand coverage for more customers worldwide,” the company stated.
Starlink cited Nigeria’s inflation and currency instability as key reasons for the new pricing structure. As the company ties its price directly to macroeconomic conditions, a recovery in the naira’s value could lead to more affordable pricing in the future.
Until then, the elevated cost may continue to limit Starlink’s accessibility to higher-income earners in urban areas, even as the service continues to outperform traditional broadband offerings in speed and coverage.
Tuesday, April 29, 2025
Roadside bomb blast kills 26 in Nigeria’s restive northeast
At least 26 people have been killed as a truck hit an improvised explosive device in Nigeria’s restive northeast.
The blast on Monday killed men, women and children in Borno State, near the border with Cameroon, according to the military and residents. The region has been plagued for decades by armed groups including the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram, with violence flaring up in recent days.
“Twenty-six people died in the blast, comprising of 16 men, four women and six children,” a military officer speaking on condition of anonymity told the AFP news agency, adding that three further passengers were severely injured.
Borno State police offered no immediate comment.
The International NGO Safety Organisation, which provides security to foreign nongovernmental organisations in northeast Nigeria, said in an internal memo seen by the Reuters news agency that vehicles moving between the towns of Rann and Gamboru Ngala hit an IED.
“I took part in the funeral of the 26 people killed in the explosion; most of them were burned beyond recognition,” Akram Saad, a resident of the nearby town Rann, told AFP.
A video showed rows of bodies in white plastic bags laid on the floor of the morgue at Rann’s general hospital.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. But Abba Amma Muhammad, whose mother was killed, blamed the incident on Boko Haram.
The blast on Monday killed men, women and children in Borno State, near the border with Cameroon, according to the military and residents. The region has been plagued for decades by armed groups including the ISIL affiliate in West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram, with violence flaring up in recent days.
“Twenty-six people died in the blast, comprising of 16 men, four women and six children,” a military officer speaking on condition of anonymity told the AFP news agency, adding that three further passengers were severely injured.
Borno State police offered no immediate comment.
The International NGO Safety Organisation, which provides security to foreign nongovernmental organisations in northeast Nigeria, said in an internal memo seen by the Reuters news agency that vehicles moving between the towns of Rann and Gamboru Ngala hit an IED.
“I took part in the funeral of the 26 people killed in the explosion; most of them were burned beyond recognition,” Akram Saad, a resident of the nearby town Rann, told AFP.
A video showed rows of bodies in white plastic bags laid on the floor of the morgue at Rann’s general hospital.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. But Abba Amma Muhammad, whose mother was killed, blamed the incident on Boko Haram.
Violence flares
Boko Haram’s uprising has plagued northeast Nigeria for the past 15 years, killing more than 40,000 people. The government has asserted that the groups are largely defeated, despite the persisting attacks.
ISWAP is also active in northern Borno and has launched sporadic ambushes on convoys and planted landmines along its highways.
The blast comes amid a flare-up of violence in northeast Nigeria in recent days, with the death toll rising to at least 50 people.
Boko Haram killed about 10 “vigilantes” from the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in the state of Adamawa, sources reported earlier on Monday, according to AFP.
On Thursday, the group killed 14 farmers in Borno’s Gwoza district, a local official said.
Borno State governor Babagana Umara Zulum on Friday told Nigeria’s defence minister and military chiefs that Boko Haram and ISWAP were entrenching themselves in Lake Chad islands, Sambisa Forest and Mandara mountains on the border with Cameroon as a result of “military setbacks”.
Boko Haram’s uprising has plagued northeast Nigeria for the past 15 years, killing more than 40,000 people. The government has asserted that the groups are largely defeated, despite the persisting attacks.
ISWAP is also active in northern Borno and has launched sporadic ambushes on convoys and planted landmines along its highways.
The blast comes amid a flare-up of violence in northeast Nigeria in recent days, with the death toll rising to at least 50 people.
Boko Haram killed about 10 “vigilantes” from the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in the state of Adamawa, sources reported earlier on Monday, according to AFP.
On Thursday, the group killed 14 farmers in Borno’s Gwoza district, a local official said.
Borno State governor Babagana Umara Zulum on Friday told Nigeria’s defence minister and military chiefs that Boko Haram and ISWAP were entrenching themselves in Lake Chad islands, Sambisa Forest and Mandara mountains on the border with Cameroon as a result of “military setbacks”.
Monday, April 28, 2025
Nigeria Upholds $220m Fine Against Meta Over Data Policies
A Nigerian court has upheld a $220 million (£165m) fine against Meta Platforms levied last July by the country’s competition and consumer protection agency for abusing its dominant market position to impose user policies that it said illegally collect user information without consent.
Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal said on Friday that Meta’s appeal against the fine had been unsuccessful.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) levied the fine after an investigation that began after Meta’s WhatsApp updated its privacy policy in May 2021 and concluded in December 2023.
Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal said on Friday that Meta’s appeal against the fine had been unsuccessful.
The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) levied the fine after an investigation that began after Meta’s WhatsApp updated its privacy policy in May 2021 and concluded in December 2023.
Privacy
The probe, which was conducted along with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), found the privacy policy was imposed on Nigerian users without following standards of fairness.
The commission said Meta had provided documents and retained counsels that met with the agency.
The agency’s final order mandated steps and actions Meta must take to comply with local laws, Abdullahi said.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous countries and has some 154 million active internet users as of 2022, according to the country’s statistics agency.
The FCCPC said Meta had failed to engage a Data Protection Compliance Organisation and had not filed a Nigeria Data Protection Regulation audit report for two years.
The probe, which was conducted along with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), found the privacy policy was imposed on Nigerian users without following standards of fairness.
The commission said Meta had provided documents and retained counsels that met with the agency.
The agency’s final order mandated steps and actions Meta must take to comply with local laws, Abdullahi said.
Nigeria is Africa’s most populous countries and has some 154 million active internet users as of 2022, according to the country’s statistics agency.
The FCCPC said Meta had failed to engage a Data Protection Compliance Organisation and had not filed a Nigeria Data Protection Regulation audit report for two years.
Data rules
Meta has faced similar charges in other jurisdictions, including the EU, where privacy groups complained about the company’s plans to train its AI systems on users’ data without obtaining consent.
Meta said last year initially withheld the release of its multimodal Llama AI model in the EU due to “unpredictable” regulatory requirements, but began rolling out the feature in the EU last month.
The company’s use of EU data to train its AI models, which began this month, has been challenged by privacy advocates, who say it legally must obtain opt-in consent, rather than only allowing users to opt out.
Meta has faced similar charges in other jurisdictions, including the EU, where privacy groups complained about the company’s plans to train its AI systems on users’ data without obtaining consent.
Meta said last year initially withheld the release of its multimodal Llama AI model in the EU due to “unpredictable” regulatory requirements, but began rolling out the feature in the EU last month.
The company’s use of EU data to train its AI models, which began this month, has been challenged by privacy advocates, who say it legally must obtain opt-in consent, rather than only allowing users to opt out.
By Matthew Broersma, Silicon
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