Telecom
Etisalat’s Cliqfest Storms Aba, HND1 Student Wins a Car
Etisalat Nigeria, Nigeria’s most innovative telecommunications company, recently stormed Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, Abia state with ‘Cliqfest’, its student empowerment initiative.
The fun-packed two-day campus storm which took place at the Abia State Polytechnic saw many students smiling home with numerous prizes including the ultimate prize of a brand new car.
Cliqfest is an Etisalat youth educational, entertainment and customer reward initiative targeted at the Nigerian Students.
The shows are characterised by seminars, concerts and football tournaments all aimed at giving students opportunities to identify with the Easycliq product and have fun while learning and winning prizes.
Idiare Atimomo, manager, Youth Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, who spoke at the event in Aba, made it clear that Etisalat was on a mission to impact positively on Nigerian youths and would stop at nothing to demonstrate its commitment to creating equal opportunities among Nigerian students which will help them develop their talents in a bid to attain success once out of school.
“Cliqfest is one of the ways we try to connect with our customers in the youth segment. We understand their telephony needs and have responded to it innovatively with our Easycliq package. Bringing Etisalat Cliqfest to Nigerian higher institutions is just one of the ways we show how much we appreciate our customers and reward them,” Atimomo said.
On the empowerment seminar, he said, “many of the things they have learnt at the seminar today should help develop and improve theirskills later in life. This is the 31st higher institution we have been to, impacting knowledge and giving out gifts.”
There were lot of excitement when Etisalat presented prizes to students who won in a raffle draw. Prizes presented include, Etisalat Gaga Smart phones, Nokia Asha Smart phones, recharge cards and other prizes as well as the star prize of the day, a brand new Kia Picanto car which was won by Chikelu Obijiofor, a HND1 student of Business Administration and Management.
Overjoyed by the win, Chikelu explained that it was only an act of God as he still could not believe he won the car.
He said: “I am very much overwhelmed. Words cannot describe how I am feeling; I am shaking inside because I am too excited. God did it for me because I prayed and even fasted when I heard Etisalat was coming to our school. This is the best gift anybody can give me and I thank Etisalat for this gift. I can never forget this day because I never thought that at my age I will be able to ride a car of my own. I thank Etisalat for what they have done in my life and I will always continue to be an ambassador for Etisalat.”
The event was spiced up with musical performances from popular Nigerian artistes like Terry G, Mr. Raw and first runner up of the just concluded Nigerian Idol, Debbie Rise.
Telecom
MTN Says New N6.98 USSD Charge Won’t Affect Airtime Recharge

Lynda Saint-Nwafor, chief Enterprise business officer, MTN Nigeria, has assured the network subscribers that the new end-user billing system for the use of USSD services will jot affect them.
USSD, otherwise Unstructured Supplementary Service Data codes are commonly used for banking transactions, airtime recharges, and other mobile services.
The telco said that there is no significant impact or change other than the fact that they will now pay the same N6.98 per session (120 seconds) with their airtime instead of direct bank debit.
Saint-Nwafor, said this during a chat with MTN MIP fellows, explaining that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) have ordered telecom operators to ensure that the new billing model resolves trust issues and ensures transparency in the billing process.
“Our regulator insisted that at the end of every month, we are going to be providing history and statistics on the performance of the service across the board”, she explained.
Saint-Nwafor added that the new billing model has standardized messaging across all operators and ensures consistent communication with customers.
“We will take all the error codes and map them into messages that are standardised across the board. So, if you initiate a transaction, you will know if it is failing. And, when the transaction fails, you will know if it is from your bank or the telco,” she explained.
Telecom
Crypto Scam Unmasked: U.S. Recovers Record $225m in Global Fraud Bust

The U.S. government has recovered $225 million in what is now the largest seizure of funds linked to a cryptocurrency investment scam.
In a statement released Wednesday, June 18, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the recovery followed an extensive investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Secret Service, using blockchain analysis and other forensic tools. The statement did not confirm whether any arrests had been made.
According to the authorities, the stolen funds originated from fraudulent cryptocurrency investment schemes that tricked victims into believing they were making legitimate investments. More than 400 individuals around the world, including dozens in the United States, were reportedly affected.
The operation involved a sophisticated money laundering network that carried out hundreds of thousands of blockchain transactions to obscure the source and ownership of the stolen assets.
“These scams prey on trust, often resulting in extreme financial hardship for the victims,” said Shawn Bradstreet, Special Agent in Charge at the U.S. Secret Service office in San Francisco.
Bradstreet added that U.S. officials hope the recovered funds can eventually be returned to the rightful victims.
Cryptocurrency investment fraud accounted for over $5.8 billion in reported losses in 2024 alone, according to the statement.
Telecom
Nnaemeka Ani Calls on African Techies to Rewrite the Narrative

In a rousing declaration that is electrifying minds across the continent, Hon. Nnaemeka Ani, Special Adviser on ICT to Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called for a homegrown digital revolution under the banner “Africa Will Rise: By Code, By Courage, By Us.”

Hon. Nnaemeka Ani
The message, part challenge, part philosophical—seeks to galvanize African innovators to move beyond buzzwords and build technology with impact and legacy in mind.
“Let’s stop building for hype. Let’s start building for legacy,” Ani urged while speaking to ICT journalists over the weekend. “Let’s stop waiting for someone else. Let’s start creating the future—on our own terms.”
At the heart of Ani’s vision is a shift from tech consumerism to tech authorship. With innovation hubs sprouting across cities like Enugu, Lagos, Kigali, Jo’Burg, and Nairobi, and a growing community of developers, engineers, and entrepreneurs determined to solve Africa’s unique challenges, the movement is already taking shape.
Ani emphasized that Africa’s future lies not in flashy apps or international admiration but in persistent, intentional solutions that uplift communities—solutions that digitize public services, bridge rural-urban divides, empower women and youth, and build resilience in food and climate systems.
“We have the talent,” he said. “Now it’s time to harness it—to stop building for likes and start building for lasting impact.”
With support from leaders like Ani and rising momentum in Africa’s tech corridors, it seems that a new chapter is being written—one line of code at a time.
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