News
BHM Becomes First African Corporate Affiliate of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations

BlackHouse Media (BHM) has officially joined the prestigious community of Corporate Affiliates of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the world’s only Royal Chartered body for public relations professionals.
Following the launch of its first international office, in the UK, on March 8, 2021, the emergent multinational public relations and communications company becomes the first African organisation to emerge as a Corporate Affiliate Member of the CIPR.
BHM joins a community of well-respected institutions including KPMG, House of Commons, Heathrow Airport Ltd, King’s College London, McDonald’s, NatWest Group, NHS Providers and the Oxford University Press.
Ayeni Adekunle, BHM’s Founder and CEO says the company’s latest affiliation is in line with its vision to embrace global best standards, expand learning and development opportunities for its staff, and work with the CIPR to continue the important work of accelerating the growth of the public relations profession.
The CIPR, he believes, also provides the company with the much-needed leverage to access world-class opportunities and operate to a globally recognised set of professional values.
Aimed at recognising and supporting the professional standards of in-house communications teams and PR agencies across the UK and overseas, the CIPR Corporate Affiliate Scheme launched in January 2016.
It presents prospective members and their employees with extensive opportunities, including reduced fees on CIPR Training and qualification offered by select accredited teaching centres; invitations to Corporate Connect events, hosted exclusively for leaders of Corporate Affiliate organisations, and more. There are only 123 members worldwide.
“We are delighted to join the CIPR’s club of Corporate Affiliates,” Ayeni says. “While our affiliation with the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and the Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria remains valued, this move takes us a step closer to our goal of transitioning to an established and recognised international public relations agency.”
Ayeni, who founded BHM 14 years ago, has been at the forefront of cutting edge innovations, spearheading the company’s growth into one of Africa’s leading PR agencies.
The company’s track record within the communications industry over the past 15 years has seen numerous heavyweights across diverse industries – including FMCG, ICT, Telecommunications, Finance, Media and Entertainment – procure its services.
In recognition of its contributions to pushing the envelope of public relations, BHM has received numerous awards, including the Best PR Agency Award, the Best Innovation in PR Practice Award and the Best Agency to Work In Award from the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) Lagos Chapter, and Brand Communicator.
In 2021, BHM won the PRism Silver Award for its MTN Anti Substance Abuse Programme Campaign in the Community Relations category, and a PRism Special Mention Award for the Nigeria PR Report in the Resources category. The company has been nominated for African Consultancy of the year by PRovoke.
“It is great to have BHM as a Corporate Affiliate member. They join over 100 other organisations in their commitment to ethical practice and continuous professional development as part of our Corporate Affiliate scheme which is open to organisations no matter where they are based.
“I’m excited to see how BHM’s journey progresses and look forward to working together to support their growth”, remarked CIPR President, Mandy Pearse Chart PR.
News
DBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Startups

Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded a total of N13 million in grants to three standout tech startups at the 2025 Techpreneur Summit held in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusive growth among Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The winners include: BuyScrap, a digital marketplace for recyclable materials – N6 million; Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets – N4 million; Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu – N3 million
Alongside the grant awards, DBN also launched a new digital data asset, a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at enabling data-driven decisions within the MSME ecosystem.
The platform offers deep insights into business trends, sector-specific challenges, and growth opportunities—supporting smarter policymaking and targeted investments.
In his keynote address in Lagos, Tony Okpanachi, managing director/ CEO, DBN, described the event’s theme, “CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,” as a strategic call to reimagine enterprise development in Nigeria.
“This isn’t just a keyboard shortcut,” he said. “It’s a mindset reset—powered by technology—to build a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient business landscape. From financing to innovation, DBN remains committed to enabling MSMEs to thrive.”
Okpanachi emphasized that the Summit aligns with DBN’s AMPLIFI Strategy, which integrates digital transformation, sustainability, and scalability into its core programs.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Digital Shift Workshops and the Eco-Innovation Challenge as key steps toward embedding innovation in Nigeria’s MSME sector.
Encouraging young innovators, he added: “The future belongs to those bold enough to imagine and build it. DBN is proud to support the ideas that will shape tomorrow.”
A major highlight was the unveiling of the DBN Data Asset—a digital platform designed to provide real-time, evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s MSME landscape.
The platform combines DBN’s proprietary data with external sources like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to offer a comprehensive view of MSME performance by region and sector.
Jeremy Dan Okayi, DBN’s Head of Strategy, Policy & Innovation, described the platform as: “A reservoir of insight, potential, and direction—built on two years of collaboration and shared vision. This tool will support informed decision-making across the public and private sectors.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations

In a bold enforcement action, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), supported by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has sealed off the visa application centres of France, Belgium, and Italy in Abuja over alleged consumer protection breaches and obstruction of regulatory investigations.
The affected centres—located at Mukhtar El-Yakub House in the Central Business District and operated by TLS Contact, a Teleperformance Company—were shut down following reports that they refused to accept formal correspondence from the FCCPC regarding a consumer complaint. The Commission cited further infractions, including obstruction of investigation and alleged assault of its officers during lawful duties.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of Surveillance and Investigations at the FCCPC, explained: “This is an enforcement operation against TLS. On March 25, 2025, we served them a letter to address a consumer complaint, which they refused to accept. Instead, TLS officers assaulted our team, and in a subsequent visit on June 17, they also allegedly assaulted uniformed police officers.”
Citing Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Mrs. Adeyinka emphasized that failure to comply with Commission directives constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, fines of up to ₦20 million, or both.
TLS has been ordered to appear before the Commission on June 20, 2025, to provide testimony, submit evidence, and make formal depositions. The company may be held liable for any financial losses suffered by applicants due to the disruption of visa services.
Despite multiple requests for comment, management at TLS Contact declined to respond as of press time.
News
How and Why N210 Trillion is Missing in NNPCL – CFO

Adedapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has explained why there is a missing sum of N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statement spanning from 2017 to 2023.
According to Segun, the missing funds are cash calls requested by joint venture (JV) partners and settlement to the JVs.
He spokeat a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada.
Segun was responding to an alarm raised by the committee over missing N210 trillion in NNPCL’s audited financial statement.
Recall that Wadada issued a one-week ultimatum to NNPCL to account for the missing N210 trillion.
Reacting, Segun said, “The N103 trillion and N107 trillion are made up of joint venture cash calls that have been requested by the JV operators and JV cash call payments made by NNPCL, which are yet to be reconciled because governance procedures were not done at that time.
“That is why you see the description reflecting those two items would be washed out because they are two sides of the same transaction, which is the cash calls by JV partners and the settlement by NNPCL.”
However, Habu Sadeik, a financial analyst, in a post on X on Thursday, said Segun’s response was unsatisfactory.
Saidik faulted NNPCL’s response about the fund discrepancies, noting that something is not right with the audited financial statement.
“Forget about the senators’ lack of knowledge.
“The CFO’s response is not satisfactory. Are you saying that cash calls worth hundreds of trillions are just appearing on your FS only in 2024 without 31 disclosure?
“If it’s a cash call, why hasn’t the disclosure said so?
“Which cash call is over 100 trillion?
“Something is definitely not right, and I hope they retrospectively correct that FS.
“Someone somewhere did a chef’s work,” he wrote on X.
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