General News
OLX Believes Classified Ads Space in Nigeria is Booming – Masha
Lola Masha is the country manager, OLX Nigeria, the leading online classifieds player in the country. Lola Masha joined OLX Nigeria in February 2014 with the goal of building a world-class online classifieds business that stands out from its competition.
Lola, holds a PhD in Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. She is an outstanding individual with expertise in business development, entrepreneurship, operational transformation, strategy and product development, across numerous industries including technology and consulting.
She has significant international experience and has worked with brands like Google and McKinsey Consulting. In this interview with Peter Ugwu, she shares her passion about the e-commerce space in Nigeria, discussing OLX’s ambition for growth in the market.
The Concept: OLX
OLX is the number one online classifieds site in Nigeria and in some markets globally. It is a vibrant platform for buyers to meet sellers to trade. We are an online marketplace operating in 40 countries in the world. We have about 200 Million monthly active users globally.
The Place of OLX in Nigeria’s e-Commerce Market
We are replicating our global achievements in Nigeria. Today, OLX is the leading online classifieds site in Nigeria by a significant margin. We have over 120,000 ads currently live on our platform across different categories such as vehicles, mobile phones, electronics, real estate that users have posted to sell to other potential buyers.
The Motivation behind Users’ Adoption of the OLX Platform
Trade is a universal need and it has happened for generations. What we do differently to facilitate trade is to provide a rich platform and excellent customer support to guide our users through the process.
At the end of the day, success is defined on the platform as being able to sell or buy a particular product. We continuously optimize our platform to ensure that our users are successful.
Challenges of Grooming/Expanding E-Commerce Platforms in Nigeria
The most important priority for us here in Nigeria is trust and safety. We need to ensure that our users feel safe and secure when they use the OLX platform.
When they feel secure, they are likely to return for more transactions. We are also doing several things to achieve trust through customer support; we review all ads posted on OLX to ensure they meet our safety criteria and requirements.
We are constantly ensuring that the ads that go live on the site are high quality ones round the clock.
Secondly, we educate our users on how to trade safely by providing safety tips on all our social media platforms. We also communicate safety tips through marketing campaigns; TV and radio commercials, radio shows and partnerships with media influencers to help educate the public.
As long as users follow our safety tips, we can assure them that they will have a safe and wonderful experience on our platform.
Some of the key safety tips are: never pay in advance; inspect the item carefully before making a purchase, meet in a public place to make the exchange and partner with us by reporting fraudulent users using the report button on the site, call or email. Simply, OLX is an online representative of what happens offline.
The same way when you go to buy a used car you first test-drive it, you get a mechanic to inspect its engine and other sensitive parts or when you buy a TV from a friend you test it to make sure it works. Users who currently follow all the necessary precautions offline, should replicate them when they use OLX.
The Alleged Nanny Employed Through OLX
What the nanny incident indicates and what became very clear to us is that Nigerians do not yet understand the difference between the online classifieds model and the e-tail model.
It also implies that we need to intensify efforts on user education, particularly on the online classifieds model, our business approach and the value the platform offers.
If this were to have happened in the United States or the United Kingdom, it would not be news, because people understand the classifieds model or if a driver was recruited via a traditional newspaper classified section and he steals, it wouldn’t make the news either.
The Foreign Investors’ Domination of Nigeria e-Commerce Space
It is never easy to build a flourishing e-commerce platform, but there are successful stories of Nigerian entrepreneurs building businesses from the ground up to enviable heights. I do not see foreign investments as a negative trend rather it is money coming into the country.
What is important is that Nigerians are able to leverage it to improve the economy that includes, creating jobs, building a stronger logistics sector, e-payment and other services required in the ecommerce eco system.
E-commerce is here to stay and any economy that values it does everything possible to protect the sector.
I think users see value in the convenience, the variety of products and access it has provided. It is a positive platform for the country and important that it continues to contribute to the economic growth of the country.
Regulations
We are fully open and in support of working with the regulators to ensure the ecommerce industry grows. It is in our interest to partner with the relevant stakeholders; the regulators, government agencies, competitors and other service providers. We must work together to make e-commerce a viable and sustainable industry in Nigeria.
Differentiating Electronic and Traditional Commerce Models
For online classifieds, one of the advantages is the access to a wide variety of goods and services conveniently.
The information you get using online classifieds compared to print classifieds is a richer set of features. If you are going to sell your car via the newspaper classifieds section, of course it wouldn’t be on the front-page but online, you can add richer content like colored pictures, detailed descriptions and so on.
OLX Acquisitions in Nigeria
Yes, the acquisition of our competition shows that Nigeria is a priority market for us. OLX is committed to the market; we are here to stay and thrive.
If that means acquiring our competition, we are fully on ground to do so. It also speaks about the culture at OLX, we move very fast in getting things done to be successful.
Broadband and e-Commerce Growth in Nigeria
There has been a lot of progress in the last five years, which includes scaling up internet penetration in the country. I think at the moment the penetration rate stands at 38%, whereas it was less than 10% a few years ago.
However, we still have a lot of work to do in this sector. We recently partnered with MTN on the MTN APPtitude campaign to provide users the opportunity to download the OLX app free of data charges. This is an added advantage to our users, because we know data is still expensive in the market.
OLX’s Market Share Target
Our immediate target is to enhance consumer trade. Although we are leading the classifieds site in Nigeria, the market is still quite immature. Our ambitions are to work with other stakeholders and lead the way to successfully grow the e-commerce space in Nigeria. With continued focus on delighting the Nigerian users, it is clear that OLX will continue to dominate the online classifieds space in Nigeria and across Sub-Saharan Africa.
General News
FG Collaborates with China to Digitalize Customs

Federal Government is increasing collaborations with China to digitalise Nigeria Customs Service operations. This past weekend, NCS strengthened its cooperation efforts through a high-level engagement with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC).
The meeting, held in Beijing, China, brought together senior officers of the customs service and top officials from the GACC to explore bilateral knowledge exchange and capacity development in customs administration.
Abdullahi Maiwada, NCS Assistant Comptroller of Customs said that discussions were held with officials from the GACC International Cooperation Division, the Training and Education Centre and representatives of the Shanghai Customs College.
“The engagement focused on deepening cooperation in customs training methodologies, modernisation models and technology-driven solutions, especially as China plays a pivotal role in Nigeria’s international trade network,” said Maiwada.
He added that during the meeting, the Chinese customs authorities shared their structured training system, which incorporates virtual reality, 5G-enabled systems, and blended e-learning approaches. In 2024, GACC conducted over 8 000 physical training sessions and developed 360 online courses.
Discussions also highlighted Nigeria’s active participation in China-led customs development initiatives, with over 200 African customs officers, including 89 from Nigeria, having received training since 2023 across various areas, such as trade facilitation, anti-smuggling enforcement, food safety supervision and digital port operations.
The bilateral dialogue between the two customs agencies also heralded new areas of collaboration, including Nigeria’s participation in upcoming Customs Modernisation Courses and officer development training at the Shanghai Customs College.
General News
Tesla Taps Samsung for Next-Gen AI Chip Production in $16.5Bn Deal

Tesla CEO, Elon Musk has announced a $16.5 billion chip supply agreement with Samsung Electronics, a move expected to revive the South Korean company’s struggling foundry business.
The deal will see Samsung’s new chip factory in Taylor, Texas, manufacture Tesla’s next-generation AI6 chip.
Musk revealed that Tesla will help optimise production at the plant, located near his home, adding, “I will walk the line personally to accelerate the pace of progress.”
“The $16.5B figure is just the minimum — actual output will likely be several times higher,” Musk said in a post on X.
Samsung’s shares surged 6.8% to their highest level since September 2024 following the announcement, while Tesla stock gained 1.9% in premarket trading.
According to analysts, the Taylor facility previously struggled to attract major clients. The Tesla order marks a significant breakthrough, especially after reports in October 2024 revealed Samsung had delayed equipment deliveries due to a lack of customers.
Samsung currently produces Tesla’s AI4 chips for its Full Self-Driving system. While TSMC is set to make the AI5 chips, Samsung has now secured the more advanced AI6.
Though no specific timeline was shared, AI6 production is expected to begin in 2027 or 2028. Musk previously stated AI5 chips would be ready by late 2026.
Samsung, the world’s largest memory chipmaker, is working to expand its contract manufacturing business, which currently holds just 8% of the global market — far behind TSMC’s 67%.
The chip deal, running through 2033, had been initially announced without naming Tesla as the client. However, multiple sources confirmed the U.S. automaker as the buyer.
The partnership comes as Samsung faces intense pressure to compete in the booming AI chip sector. Earlier this month, the company projected a 56% drop in Q2 operating profit, with foundry losses exceeding $3.6 billion in the first half of the year.
Industry analysts say this deal could help reverse Samsung’s fortunes, offering a much-needed win in its race to stay competitive in a capital-intensive and technologically demanding field.
General News
New Tax Law Empowers NRS to Fine Offenders up to N10m

The newly enacted Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, has empowered the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), renamed Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), to impose fines for individuals and companies for failing to register, file returns, use tax technology, or disclose basic information like a change of business address.
The Act is among the tax laws signed by President Bola Tinubu on June 26.
The tax administration law is expected to take effect from January 1, 2026, under a renamed agency — the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), currently known as the FIRS.
The Act, which is an updated version of previous fragmented tax enforcement provisions, outlines a comprehensive list of offences and corresponding penalties, with fines ranging from N10,000 to N10 million, as well as prison terms of up to 10 years for serious breaches.
Under the general offences and penalties section of the law, a taxable person who fails to register with the relevant tax authority is liable to a N50,000 fine in the first month and N25,000 for each subsequent month of default.
The Act stressed that companies that award contracts to unregistered vendors will face a N5 million penalty.
The law also imposes a N100,000 fine for failure to file tax returns, plus N50,000 monthly for as long as the failure continues.
“A taxable person who fails or refuses to file returns or knowingly files incomplete or inaccurate returns to the relevant tax authority in accordance with the provisions of this Act, shall be liable to pay an administrative penalty of (a) 100,000 in the first month in which the failure occurs; and (b) N50,000 for each subsequent month in which the failure continues,” the Act reads.
“A taxable person who Failure to books (a) fails to keep accounts, books and records of business transactions and income, to allow for the correct ascertainment of tax and filing of returns to the relevant tax authority; or (b) upon request by the relevant tax authority, fails to provide any record or book prescribed in this Act shall be liable to pay an administrative penalty of- (i) in the case of a person other than a company, N10,000, and (ii) in the case of a company, N50,000.”
Also, the law states that failure to notify the tax authority of a change of address within 30 days of such change, giving a wrong address, or failing to comply with the requirement for notification of permanent cessation of trade or business under the relevant tax laws shall be liable to an administrative penalty.
“A taxable person who fails to notify the relevant tax authority – Failure to notify change of address (a) N100,000 for the first month in which the failure occurs; and (b) 45,000 for each subsequent month failure persists,” the law reads.
In a bid to modernise tax compliance, the Act makes it compulsory for businesses to allow the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to deploy fiscalisation technology or face a N1 million fine for the first day of refusal and N10,000 for each day after.
Any business that fails to process sales through the fiscalisation system will also be fined N200,000, pay 100 percent of the tax due, and accrue interest at the prevailing Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) monetary policy rate.
The Act is especially punitive toward those who fail to deduct or remit taxes.
“A person that deducts, collects, or withholds any tax under this Act, and fails to remit the amount deducted, collected, or withheld by the 21st day of the month immediately succeeding the month in which the amount was deducted, collected, or withheld, is liable to pay,” it added.
“Failure to remit tax deducted source or self-account (a) the amount deducted, collected or withheld but not remitted; (b) an administrative penalty of 10% per annum of the tax deducted, collected or withheld but not remitted; and (c) interest at the prevailing Central Bank of Nigeria monetary policy rate. “A person convicted of any of the offences under this section shall be liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding three years, or a fine of not less than the principal amount due plus a penalty of not more than 50% of the sum, or both.
“A person who (a) fails to comply with the requirements of a notice served under this Act or any other tax law; (b) fails to attend or provide answers to a notice, summons or process served under this Act or any other tax law; or (c) having attended, fails to answer any question lawfully put to him, is liable to an administrative penalty of N100,000 in the first day of default and N10,000 for every subsequent day where the default.”
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