Telecom
MTN Launches “See Naija” to Showcase Nigeria’s Rich Cultural Heritage
MTN Nigeria, a leading telecommunications company in Africa, has set an adventurous mission of changing the perceptions and narratives surrounding Nigerians and Nigeria through a thoughtfully curated, culturally sensational, and socio-economically intentional platform and campaign called “See Naija.”
“See Naija” aims to harness the rich diversity, culture, resilience, uniqueness, and “can-do-it” spirit of Nigerians worldwide through an individual lens while also positioning Nigeria as a viable tourism hub among the community of nations.
According to available data, Nigeria’s tourism sector could be losing between $5 billion to $10 billion annually, while the contribution of tourism to GDP is only around 1.2% to 1.5%, compared to 7-10% in other African nations. Furthermore, a significant drop in international arrivals and the potential to create over 2 million jobs remain unfulfilled. Experts estimate that investments of $1 billion to $3 billion are needed to improve travel conditions.
Speaking about the idea that birthed the “See Naija” campaign and platform, Emamoke Ogoro, General Manager, Brand and Communication, MTN Nigeria, noted that although there are many positive things Nigerians are known for, most of the information available on the internet is largely negative, thereby setting the tone for wrong perceptions about what Nigeria and Nigerians represent.
“The essence of ‘See Naija’ today is to erase all the negativity Nigeria is known for as a country. We are our brand; every Nigerian is unique. When you travel anywhere, you can spot a Nigerian easily, by the way we talk, dress, and express ourselves,” she explained.
“This platform will showcase to the world, not only to Nigerians, what we are made of: our food, our fashion sense. Even as a Nigerian, there are so many waterfalls I have never been to. We want Nigeria to be a place people search for when they want to explore tourism—where to go in Nigeria, and we want travel agencies and hotels to be part of this clarion call. At the end of the day, we aim for organized tours, with guides who can talk about Nigeria and our uniqueness.”
She recounted a personal experience: “I attended a program abroad, and we had about eight nationalities in the group. We were supposed to talk about our countries—the things that make them the best, the investment opportunities, and more. One evening, someone from Poland gave me a sneering look, likely due to the negative information about Nigeria, like corruption and so on.”
“When it was my turn to showcase Nigeria and discuss opportunities such as agriculture and oil, which is our economic stronghold, he asked where I lived. I replied I lived in Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria.
“He pressed further and asked me to show him Lagos on Google. Of course, I typed ‘Lagos,’ and you can guess what popped up: Oshodi, with dustbins and yellow buses—almost everything negative.”
“This was highly embarrassing to me and all the other people from Saudi Arabia and other countries who were staring at me. However, there was someone else who could relate to the better sides of Nigeria as a beautiful place. Immediately I got back home, I told my team we needed to put a program together to show what Nigeria is really about to the world because I had a very awkward experience.”
“I realized that typing my country into Google yields too much negativity. I know there are algorithms, but by flooding the internet with our good things—our resilience, our outspoken nature, and many positive attributes that distinguish us—we can change this narrative.”
Ayham Moussa, the Chief Operating Officer at MTN Nigeria, noted that MTN is leveraging its trailblazing, path-finding, and audacious approach in Africa to celebrate the “World Tourism Day” and honor the Nigerian fighting spirit, winning spirit, and progressive spirit.
“Today, the whole world celebrates tourism, and at MTN Nigeria, we cannot let that pass without recognition. We are known for making noise, for making progress, and tourism allows people to see the beauty and culture in places,” he said.
While reminiscing about his heartwarming experience joining MTN Nigeria, he stated, “When I joined MTN Nigeria a few weeks ago, the first thing I noticed was the warm welcome and acceptance. I see Nigerians as fighters, winners, and people willing to do everything it takes to progress. We at MTN Nigeria stand for Africa, but Africa is Nigeria. We stand for progress and for showcasing the amazing things about Nigeria. I am excited about what the team has put together today; they have done a lot to promote and make people ‘See Naija.’”
“See Naija” also registered a colorful display of Nigeria’s top-notch cultural elegance and artistic brilliance, offering Nigerians the opportunity to showcase beautiful and notable places in Nigeria.
Speaking, Ololade Otusanya, Manager, Digital Marketing, MTN Nigeria, said the “See Naija” campaign and platform provides opportunities for Nigerians to upload 2-minute videos on their social media handles and on [www.mtnng/see-naija](http://www.mtnng/see-naija).
“Now that you have seen Naija—the culture and the beauty in our diversity—we are calling on everyone to come together and join us in this narrative to change the story positively. There is the ‘See Naija’ challenge today, and we all need to be part of it.
All you need to do is upload a 2-minute video on any of your social media platforms and the MTN website. Don’t forget to tag #Naija. We can’t wait to see your lovely submissions.”
In his closing remarks, Friday Okuwe, Senior Manager, Brand, Media and Sponsorships, MTN Nigeria , reiterated that the “See Naija” campaign and platform aim to showcase the good features of Nigeria to the world.
“We are the brand Naija, and as we go from here, let us begin to carry the message forward because this program already showed us that Nigeria is a beautiful place—a place to excel and where dreams and aspirations can be achieved. It is the beginning of a great journey; when it will end is not feasible or in sight, as it is like an onion that one would begin to peel and peel.”
“And if you listen to the poem’s rendition, you will discover the different dimensions of who we are, both as a people in terms of culture and everything we represent. ‘See Naija’ is both a campaign and a platform. It is a campaign because we are telling the true story of Naija, and we are going to showcase it to the world.”
“It is also a platform because we have created a digital space where everybody can not just ‘See Naija’ and what is good in Naija, but also bring their content there. It is a platform where you can showcase the best of Naija. In a way, we are all part of this project. So whatever you know about Naija, capture it and bring it to that platform and encourage others to do the same. As we do this, we begin to change our narratives.”
“One step at a time, one day at a time, and in years to come, we shall see people paying money to come on holiday in Naija because there is so much to Naija. This is not just MTN’s project; it’s your project and our project because we are the Naija that people see. So let’s take it upon ourselves and begin to showcase everything good about Nigeria.”
Telecom
IHS Nigeria Hosts Telecom Industry Stakeholders to Discuss Protection of Critical National Infrastructure in Lagos State
IHS Nigeria, part of the IHS Holding Limited (NYSE: IHS) (“IHS Towers”) group, one of the largest independent owners, operators, and developers of shared communications infrastructure in the world by tower count, recently hosted a high-level meeting of stakeholders in the telecommunications industry including regulators and law enforcement agencies, at its corporate headquarters in Lagos.
The meeting was organized to develop a multi-stakeholder action plan for the protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) assets in Lagos state.
Recognizing the importance of communications infrastructure as the backbone of national security, economic growth and social cohesion, the stakeholders at the meeting convened under the umbrella of the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) agreed on the urgent need for collaborative solutions to ensure the protection of these vital assets.
The meeting was attended by senior representatives from the telecommunications stakeholder groups and regulatory bodies including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Association of Licensed Telecoms Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and the Lagos State Infrastructure Maintenance and Regulatory Agency (LASIMRA).
Also in attendance were representatives from the Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), and InfraCos as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the security agency tasked with the protection of Critical National Infrastructure across the country.
Following extensive deliberations, the stakeholders resolved to establish a working group dedicated to addressing key industry challenges, including the vandalization and theft of telecommunications infrastructure, arbitrary shutdown of base stations, fiber cuts due to road construction and the denial of access by unauthorized individuals by leveraging technology for real-time monitoring and protection, strengthening security measures around telecommunication sites and collaborating more with the security and regulatory agencies to mitigate these challenges.
The stakeholders underscored the need to prioritize deterrence and prevention of these incidents and highlighted the importance of public awareness campaigns to sensitize the host communities and public of the need to protect telecommunications infrastructure in their localities.
Dapo Otunla, Senior Vice President & Chief Corporate Services Officer of IHS Nigeria, commented, “The protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) has been a critical concern for all industry stakeholders.
“We are experiencing daily losses of assets, which significantly impact on the quality of service delivered to subscribers. Addressing these issues is paramount to sustaining Nigeria’s digital ecosystem and meeting regulatory expectations.”
Over 1ooo athletes are already set to participate in the upcoming MTN Champs Continental Relays, taking place between April 9 and April 12 at the UNILAG and Yabatech Sports complexes. Organisers anticipate even more registrations before the April 2 deadline.
MTN Champs is Nigeria’s largest grassroots sports competition, a collaboration between MTN Nigeria and Making of Champs (MoC), providing a platform for young athletes to showcase their talents and potentially represent Nigeria on the global stage.
Osaze Ebueku, Senior Manager, Go-to-Market at MTN Nigeria at the opening ceremony of the MTN Champs Classics events in Benin had emphasised the long-term vision behind MTN Champs: “We’re building future Olympians for Nigeria. MTN Champs is about more than competition. It’s about changing lives.”
The continental relays mark the second leg of the MTN Champs Season 3, following the Classics competition in Benin, which saw 4,371 event entries from 2,056 athletes.
As of March 24, the Lagos leg had already recorded 2,821 event entries across different age categories, highlighting the growing enthusiasm around the competition.
The registered athletes are spread across four categories, with 174 in the Cadet (U-14) category, 388 in Youth (U-17), 270 in Junior (U-20), and 279 in the Senior category.
To ensure smooth participation, organisers have outlined important guidelines. Athletes in the Cadet, Youth, and Junior categories must submit a signed Parental Consent Form, while all registered schools and athletes must collect their competition bibs by April 8 at the competition venue to confirm their participation and secure their place on the start list.
Sports enthusiasts can look forward to an electrifying showcase of emerging talent, as young athletes seize the opportunity to prove their skills on a professional stage.
Telecom
Again, Labour Fumes, Threatens Shutdown of Telcos over Non-Implementation of 15 Percent Tariff Reduction
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is threatening to shut down operations of telecommunications companies over their refusal to comment on the 15 percent reduction in telecom tariffs.
Recall that that organised labour, through the NLC, forced the federal government and NCC to reduce the telecommunications tariff hike from 50% to 35% after threatening to shut down telecom operations and the NCC in response to what it saw as exploitative economic policies amidst excruciating suffering, hardship, and deepening poverty.
The government had previously formed a 10-member committee, consisting of five government and NLC representatives, to deliberate on the thorny topic of tariff hikes within two weeks and report back before making a final decision on the new telecom tariff structure.
Consequently, on Friday, February 21, 2025, the committee, at a meeting conducted in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) that lasted nearly three hours, decided on a 15 per cent tariff cut.
According to reports, in accordance with the conditions of the agreement, an official communiqué announcing the tariff reduction was scheduled to be released on Saturday, February 22.
According to Chronicle,iIt was said that the meeting began at 4:00 p.m. and concluded around 7:00 p.m., during which NLC representatives insisted that the tariff hike be withdrawn.
According to sources, after significant pressure from NLC representatives in the 10-man committee, the government and NCC gave up and agreed on the 15% decrease, which the government or NCC should have announced the next day.
However, at the time of this report, no such announcement has been made.
Leaders of the labour union are not taking the government’s failure to announce or implement the 15% tariff decrease lightly, suspecting that they have been duped.
The Labour leaders have therefore resolved to directly confront the NCC and telecommunications operators next week.
Though it has been reported that the date for the start of the industrial action against the NCC and telecom providers has been set and mobilisation is underway, the information is being closely guarded.
One of the leaders of the NLC stated that “We have received directives to commence mobilisation since last week. In fact, the date for the commencement of industrial action against the NCC and telecommunication operators’ offices across the country has been fixed. We have been warned not to disclose the date because the plan is to take all concerned by surprise. We are not giving any notice because we thought we had resolved this matter over a month ago. It is as if we have been scammed. Therefore, we have decided to confront the matter head-on.”
On February 12, the NLC expressed outrage over telecommunications companies’ tariff hikes, despite an earlier agreement with the Federal Government and the NCC.
According to the Labour union, “If the telecommunications companies fail to revert to the old tariff by the end of February 2025, a total shutdown of their operations nationwide will commence on March 1, 2025.”
To demonstrate its seriousness, the NLC declared that, as a first step in resisting the arbitrary tariff hike, it directed that workers and other willing citizens boycott the services of MTN, AIRTEL, and GLO daily between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. until the end.
On Tuesday, February 11, NLC leaders issued a communiqué at the conclusion of their Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting in Lokoja, Kogi State, urging workers and citizens to suspend data purchases from telecommunications companies, which have also become one of their most effective tools for exploiting Nigerian citizens.
The communiqué, signed by Joe Ajaero and Emma Ugboaja, Congress’ President and General Secretary, respectively, instructed NLC State Councils and industrial union affiliates to quickly sensitise and mobilise their members and the general public in their jurisdictions.
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