Telecom
Eugene Juwah, Former NCC Boss Dies in Canada
Dr Eugene Juwah, former executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is dead.
Eugene Juwah, Former, EVC, NCC
Juwah, according to family sources, died in Canada where he relocated to after his tenure expired in 2015 and was succeeded by Prof. Umar Dambatta.
The family have not issued any statement on the demise of the Delta State born technocrat as at the time of going to press
Juwah, played coordinating roles in the setup of ETACS, GSM and CDMA mobile network in Nigeria, possesses hands-on knowledge of specification and construction of digital exchanges, base stations, data communications and subscriber access networks.
At the Nigerian Communications Commission, Juwah has championed the introduction of Emergency Communication Services, Mobile Number Portability, Sim Card Registration and Broadband Access Expansion.
Juwah had over 30 years of experience in information Technology and telecommunication industries with more than 20 years of the above at top management level.
Juwah was a fellow of the following Professional bodies Nigerian Society of Chemical Engineers, Nigerian Computer Society & Nigerian Society of Engineers.
Fresh out of university, he started his career as a computer systems programmer with Shell BP Petroleum Development Company from 1976 – 1978.
As a young graduate working in a multi-national company, he developed and maintained computer applications programs in the Commercial Information Systems Section of the Information and Computer Systems Department (ICS).
He worked with the team that repositioned business activities such as General Ledger, Accounts Payable/Receivable, Materials Resource Planning and Payroll as a practical demonstration of his hands- on experience
It was from Shell BP that he moved to Leventis Technical Ltd, a computer systems/telecoms subsidiary of the famous Leventis Group, a Nigerian conglomerate.
He held various positions during his stint with the company.
He was a System Analyst from 1982 to 1984, Sales Manager from 1984 to 1986 and Marketing Manager from 1986 to 1988. It was in 1988 that he was elevated to the position of Divisional General Manager (Computer systems).
He held this position until 1993 when he was poached by one of the pioneer cellular telecoms company in Nigeria –MTS.
In recognition of his expertise, Juwah was appointed to serve as Director, Cellular Operations, for Mobile Telecommunications ServicesLtd (MTS). He was one of very few people that participated in the erection and testing of the first privately owned mobile telecommunications network in Africa through MTS.
He was personally responsible for the quality of service that MTS delivered through his direct supervision of several departments like the Technical, Dealer Sales and Support, Customer Service, Switch and Billing Operations and Engineering operations.
The top flying professional delivered his duties so efficiently yet effortlessly at MTS between 1993 and 1996 that his technical know-how was noticed by CIL (now Globacom).
He was drafted into the new company in 1997 in preparation for the roll-out of the new era in the history of Nigerian telecommunications.
It would be recalled that CIL was one of the very few companies that won provisional bid to operate the global system of mobile telecommunications (GSM) in Nigeria during the regime of late General Sani Abacha before the license was voided by the democratic regime of Olusegun Obasanjo. While at CIL between 1997 and 1999, he was Director, Special Duties whose duties include the supervision of CIL’s 30,000 capacity GSM Network infrastructure the company had before its metamorphosis into Globacom.
During his period with the company, he coordinated the technical, business and commercial aspects of negotiations leading to the signing of agreement for purchase and start up of a 30,000 GSM 900 Mobile Cellular Network with Alcatel of France.
He also led negotiation teams to NCC for license award and revalidations as well as frequency allocation and regulatory compliances.
The versatile people manager also supervised detailed radio network study and microwave transmission network survey for the successful take-off of the project.
Not one to ignore the minutest detail, Juwah coordinated site acquisitions and the construction of MSC and base stations for the initial 30,000 GSM Network capacity.
On the commercial end for CIL, he supervised the start up data requirements for Interconnection and MSC software customization.
These include access networks and routing details, Customer Care and Billing System as well as Data preparation.
He also designed the detailed Business Plan of the company as the primary financial model which today guides its operations. In a clear-cut demonstration of his people-skill, he was instrumental to the recruitment of the company’s initial high-level staff which included some expatriates.
Following the re-alignments in the evolving mobile telecoms sector in 1999, Juwah was again poached by MTS as Executive Director (Network and Operations), a position he held until sometime in 2005. From 1997 to 1999 that he was away from MTS, the company which started-out as a very promising telecoms company suffered a period of dormancy. It was therefore a major task for him to click the re-start button of MTS by playing a significant role in the restarting of MTS operations. He also coordinated liaison with NCC for license renewal, frequency permits, equipment type approval and interconnection regulatory compliances. All of these were made possible because of his vast experience in the sector as well as his well oiled network across board.
On his return to MTS, Eugene also coordinated operational activities for the rollout of the CDMA Fixed Wireless Service, which include MSC and cell site design, construction and commissioning, other operator interconnection design, negotiation, testing and commissioning, integrating a new prepaid calling system and a new Packet Data Service Network for data and internet services.
He also led technical negotiation teams in the projected new areas of business activities of the company. Some of these new areas include Long DistanceCarrierand International Data Access Businesses sectors.
On a professional note as a consultant, Juwah has served in so many executive capacities as consultant. He was Chief Executive Officer of Transaction Technologies Ltd. (TTL) from 1996 to 1997.
The company specialized in the provision of network solutions to telecommunication networks. He was also lead consultant to Communications Investments Ltd where he provided advice and guidance in negotiations with Motorola of USA for the purchase of a 10,000 capacity GSM Network.
He also coordinated the development of a full feature Telephone Banking System and the development of a Cloning Fraud Control System for Analogue Wireless Networks.
Still on consultancy, he was also Lead Consultant to Intercelluar, a fixed wireless network operator in Nigeria, on purchase, installation and operation of a customer care and billing system.
During this period, he entered into representative agreement with Natural Microsystems of US and Eureka of France for the development of sophisticated prepaid billing platforms.
There is no gain saying the fact that the high flying Juwah is well read and never misses any opportunity to brush-up on new developments in his career.
Below is a sneak-pick into his supplemental career enhancement strides. Prepaid Calling Solutions, Alcatel SEL , Stuttgart, Germany, 1998; Customer Care and Billing Systems, Alcatel SEL, Stuttgart, Germany, 1998; GSM Infrastructure Manufacture and Testing, Alcatel SEL, Gunsenhausen, Germany 1997 and Telecommunication Regulation and Operator Interconnection, IBTC, London, 1995. Others include Pricing, Billing and Fraud in Telecommunications, IBTC, London 1994; TACS Infrastructure and Operations, Cellnet, Slough, England1994; Computer Systems Management, Control Data, Minneapolis, USA 1991 and Advanced Computer Systems, Control Data, Minneapolis, 1990.
It is this broad array of academic and professional qualifications as well as a wide range of experience spanning over three decades that Juwah will be bringing to bear on the NCC task. Indeed, it can safely be said that the telecoms industry in Nigeria is set for an upward swing.
Juwah was married and blessed with two children who are still teenagers. “I spent a long time in school so I didn’t get married on time,” he explains in a manner of excusing his rather late fulfillment of man’s procreation mandate. He relaxes mostly at the Ikoyi Club where he plays tennis every other Saturday when the demands of business is lenient enough to allow him time.
Airtel Money Africa, Airtel Africa’s mobile money arm, announced an extended partnership with Africa’s largest mobile money payment service provider (PSP) pawaPay to enable seamless cross-border payments for licensed International Money Transfer Operators (IMTOs) across seven key Airtel Africa markets.
This collaboration officially launches pawaPay’s service for inbound remittances into Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia, Malawi, Gabon, Congo Brazzaville, and Tanzania. The partnership allows IMTOs to efficiently deliver funds globally directly to recipients’ more than 161 million Airtel Money customers wallets, leveraging pawaPay’s renowned reliability, scalability, and 99.9% platform uptime.
Building on five years of trusted collaboration in domestic mobile money, this expansion strengthens and simplifies Airtel Money Africa’s backend processes, using pawaPay’s robust payment service provider infrastructure, which processes over four million transactions daily.
Airtel Money Africa CEO, Ian Ferrao, said: “We’re pleased to expand our partnership with pawaPay to advance international remittances across Africa. Their proven reliability and commitment to African consumers make them an ideal partner. This integration empowers International Money Transfer Operators to securely connect with Airtel Money’s growing footprint, delivering real-time payments that support financial inclusion and economic growth.”
pawaPay CEO, Nikolai Barnwell, said: “Our mission is to simplify payments for businesses in Africa, and remittances are pivotal. Deepening our relationship with Airtel Money allows International Money Transfer Operators to leverage our world-class infrastructure for seamless cross-border payments.”
Remittances remain critical for millions of Africans, enabling family support, entrepreneurship, and financial inclusion. This partnership ensures secure, instant mobile wallet transactions, key to advancing Africa’s digital economy. pawaPay will extend this capability to additional Airtel Money Africa markets in coming months.
Rubrik, the cybersecurity company, and Sophos, a global leader of innovative security solutions for defeating cyberattacks, have announced a strategic partnership to provide Sophos M365 Backup and Recovery Powered by Rubrik.
This marks the first Managed Detection and Response (MDR)-optimized Microsoft 365 backup and recovery solution fully integrated into Sophos Central, Sophos’ security operations platform.
Designed to support IT and cybersecurity teams, the new offering will provide a unified global platform to enhance cyber resilience against ransomware, account compromise, insider threats, and data loss in SharePoint, Exchange, OneDrive, and Teams.
“We are reshaping what it means to stay operational in a world shaped by constant digital disruption,” said Joe Levy, CEO, Sophos. “This is the future of cyber resilience: an intelligent, adaptive partnership that ensures organizations remain secure, responsive, and uninterrupted. By combining Sophos’ prevention-first approach with Rubrik’s unwavering recovery capabilities, we empower businesses to withstand attacks and maintain continuity, even under pressure.”
Sophos will offer a powerful new add-on solution for its more than 75,000 MDR and XDR customers, enabling fast, secure recovery of critical Microsoft 365 data in the event of accidental deletion or malicious compromise.
This solution integrates Rubrik’s industry-leading SaaS-based protection directly into the trusted Sophos Central platform, giving organizations the flexibility to enhance their existing security operations with robust data recovery capabilities.
The Sophos Central platform integrates over 350 different telemetry sources across endpoint, cloud, network, identity, email and business applications. The platform leverages deep learning, custom LLMs, and frontier models to detect and respond to threats across the entire attack surface, enhancing defense effectiveness.
“The reality of today’s threat landscape demands a holistic approach to cyber resilience,” said Bipul Sinha, CEO, Chairman, and Co-founder of Rubrik. “With AI-enabled attacks and sophisticated breaches on the rise, organizations need more than just prevention; they need the ability to recover rapidly and reliably. Our partnership with Sophos delivers this critical capability directly within a platform security teams already use and trust, raising the bar for Microsoft 365 resilience.”
The Evolving Threat Landscape
According to The State of Ransomware report by Sophos, nearly half of organizations impacted by ransomware chose to pay the ransom to recover their data. Despite this, only 54% of affected companies relied on backups for data restoration, highlighting a continued gap in effective cyber resilience practices.
Recent research highlights the urgent need for robust Microsoft 365 data protection: 60% of Microsoft 365 tenants have experienced account takeovers, a frequent launchpad for lateral movement within an organization, and 81% have encountered email compromise.
When global admin credentials are compromised, attackers can manipulate retention settings and permanently delete critical business data.
Existing tools were not designed for comprehensive, large-scale recovery, which requires speed, granularity, and reliability for rapid restoration.
Sophos MDR and XDR customers will benefit from:
- Secure, immutable backups: Rubrik will isolate Microsoft 365 backups with air-gapped storage, WORM locks, and customer-held encryption keys. Multifactor authentication and data lock prevent tampering, even with compromised credentials.
- Fast, flexible recovery: Customers will be able to restore Microsoft 365 emails, OneDrives, SharePoint sites, Teams channels, and more to original or alternate users, including inactive accounts.
- Automated protection: Rubrik will automatically discover Microsoft 365 users, sites, and mailboxes, applies Entra ID-based policies, and supports delegated admin – all integrated with Sophos Central to reduce manual effort.
- Unified experience: Microsoft 365 protection and security operations will be managed via Sophos Central with no extra tools.
Rubrik and Sophos’ shared commitment to helping organizations operate with confidence in the face of risk, will provide Sophos customers and partners with a powerful solution to recover with speed and precision when threats inevitably break through.
This offering will be available through Sophos’ channel partner network in the coming months.
MTN Nigeria is deepening its role as an industry enabler with the launch of its Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) platform and the signing of its first Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) agreement, Chief Financial Officer Modupe Kadri revealed on Monday.
Speaking in an exclusive Channels TV interview, Kadri confirmed that MTN has opened its network to T2 (formerly 9Mobile) under the NaaS framework approved by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). This allows T2 subscribers to roam seamlessly on MTN’s infrastructure while retaining their own customer relationships and branding.
“Network-as-a-Service is a platform where MNOs can roam within the NCC framework on MTN’s network,” Kadri explained. “It makes the industry more efficient in the utilisation of scarce resources.”
Kadri also announced MTN’s first MVNO partnership, with the virtual operator set to go live soon. MVNOs lease network capacity from established mobile operators, enabling them to offer services without investing in costly infrastructure.
These initiatives align with NCC’s push for infrastructure sharing to boost sector efficiency and coverage. By providing network access to smaller players, MTN is positioning itself as a critical enabler of market expansion.
The Nigerian telecom industry, valued at $10.8 billion, now reaches 169 million active phone lines and over 142 million internet subscribers. While competition remains intense, the trend toward infrastructure sharing is expected to lower barriers to entry for new service providers, increase service quality, and expand access in underserved areas.
“As MTN, we are here to help the industry survive,” Kadri said. “It makes it much easier when you see other operators willing to come on and provide quality services to Nigerians, which we all deserve.”
Industry analysts view the move as a strategic diversification for MTN. With voice revenues plateauing and data driving growth, shared network models offer new revenue streams and a hedge against market saturation.
MTN’s investments in NaaS and MVNO partnerships are part of its broader transformation strategy, which also includes cost optimisation, forex risk reduction, and targeted capital expenditure to strengthen network quality.
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Airtel Money Africa Partners pawaPay for Seamless International Remittances Across Africa
NBS Reports ₦6.72 Trillion VAT Haul as Tax Reforms Pay Off
Rubrik Joins Forces with Sophos to Reinvent M365 Recovery
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