Telecom
NATCOM Makes Part Payment of N12.7Bn for NITEL/MTEL

Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) said that the preferred bidder at the recently held liquidation of NITEL/MTEL had paid $75.7 million (N12.7 billion) as part payment of its $252.5 million bid price.
This is contained in a statement by Mr. Chigbo Aniechebe, BPE’s head, Public Communications, in Abuja yesterday.
According to the statement, the payment made by NATCOM Consortium, the preferred bidder of NITEL/MTEL, is 30 per cent of the bid price and was in line with the guided liquidation process of the transaction.
“This is in line with the offer letter by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) to the preferred bidder which mandates NATCOM to make an initial deposit of 30 per cent of the bid price not later than 14 days on receipt of the offer letter.
“With the payment of the 30 per cent, NATCOM is expected to pay the balance of 70 per cent of the bid price within 90 days.
“It is therefore imperative to inform creditors that disbursements to them will be considered only after full payment has been received,” it stated
It would be recalled that the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), at its meeting of Feb. 27, 2012, approved the privatisation of NITEL/MTEL through “guided liquidation”.
The strategy was adopted by the NCP in the light of the previous failed attempts to privatise NITEL/MTEL and the huge liabilities of creditors to the tune of over N300 billion.
Consequently, BPE held a public bidding which NATCOM Consortium, won on Dec. 3, 2014 with a bid price of 252.5 million dollars.
Telecom
SHELT Named in Prestigious 2025 MSSP 250 List for Cybersecurity Excellence

SHELT, a leading cybersecurity-as-a-service provider, has earned inclusion in the 2025 MSSP 250, the annual ranking of the world’s top 250 Managed Security Service Providers (MSSPs) by MSSP Alert, a CyberRisk Alliance publication.

SHELT
The list evaluates firms on business performance, service breadth, and industry impact, spotlighting those excelling in growth, operational excellence, and advanced managed security amid rising cyber threats. Selection criteria include annual recurring revenue, profitability, workforce expansion, business growth, and the depth of managed security offerings.
SHELT’s recognition underscores its investments in scalable security operations, threat intelligence, and tailored managed services across multiple regions, enabling clients to navigate complex risk landscapes effectively.
“Being recognised in the MSSP 250 is a meaningful milestone for our team,” stated Youssef Abillama, CEO of SHELT. “It validates our focus on building practical, resilient security services that help organisations manage risk and respond effectively to today’s evolving cyber threats.”
The company hailed the honour as testament to its teams’ dedication and expertise worldwide, reaffirming commitment to enhancing capabilities and delivering trusted cybersecurity solutions.
Telecom
Meta Names Ex-Trump Adviser Dina Powell McCormick as President

Meta Platforms, owner of Facebook, has appointed Dina Powell McCormick, a former adviser to President Donald Trump, as its new president and vice chairman, bolstering its leadership amid aggressive AI and infrastructure expansion.

Dina Powell McCormick
The announcement, made on Monday, positions Powell McCormick – who recently stepped down from Meta’s board after eight months – to guide overall strategy, including multi-billion-dollar investments in data centres and global partnerships.
A Goldman Sachs veteran with 16 years in senior roles and prior stints as deputy national security adviser under Trump and in the Bush administration, she brings deep finance and international ties to the role.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg hailed her as “uniquely qualified” for the company’s next growth phase, while President Trump praised the move on Truth Social as a “fantastic choice”.
The hire signals Meta’s efforts to strengthen White House relations, following recent dinners with Trump and U.S. investment pledges worth hundreds of billions
Telecom
X Suspends Twitter Account for Rules Violation

X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has suspended the @Twitter account, replacing its profile with a standard notice citing violation of platform rules.

Musk
The action, which occurred on Sunday, January 11, left users encountering the handle greeted by a bold “Account Suspended” message on a black screen, with no details provided on the specific rules broken or the duration of the suspension.
The development has sparked widespread confusion and nostalgia among users, given that Elon Musk rebranded Twitter to X in July 2023, approximately six months after acquiring the platform for $44 billion in late 2022.
The @Twitter handle had remained dormant since before Musk’s takeover, serving as a legacy remnant of the platform’s original branding, and its suspension appears to mark the final erasure of the Twitter name amid X’s ongoing efforts to combat spam, impersonation, and rule violations.
X’s official statement on the suspended page simply reads: “X suspends accounts that violate our rules,” without offering an appeal process or further explanation, unlike standard user suspensions.
Public reactions on social media ranged from humorous laments of “RIP Twitter” to speculation that the move resulted from automated moderation or a deliberate cleanup of legacy trademarks.
xAI’s Grok AI described it as a purposeful retirement of outdated elements rather than a genuine infraction, while neither Elon Musk nor X spokespeople issued any comment as of Monday morning.
This incident underscores the evolving identity of the platform under Musk’s ownership, which also saw a domain shift to x.com in 2024, further distancing it from its Twitter roots.
Industry observers note that while the suspension aligns with X’s stricter enforcement policies, the lack of transparency has fueled debates on consistency in applying rules to high-profile legacy accounts.
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