Telecom
Winners Emerged in TECNO #LightUpYourDream2018 Promo

Tecno Mobile’s 2018 light up your dream campaign came to a remarkable end as four budding fans and entrepreneurs each went home 1million Naira richer to help achieve their dreams.
After thousands of entries and weeks of tedious work, 20 participants were selected to make a live pitch before fans, staff, executives, guests and judges, Actress Bisola Aiyeola of Big Brother fame and Celebrity blogger Noble Igwe at a glamorous event which took place at the TECNO headquarters in Lagos, where the grand prize winners Jeremiah Okoh and Henry Emeka Nnamani went home smiling with 1 million Naira and a brand new TECNO SPARK 2 each.
The contestants who came 3rd – 10th went home with brand new TECNO SPARK 2 smartphones, while those in 11th to 20thposition went home with brand new rechargeable fans.
It was an emotional moment for one of the grand prize winners; Jeremiah Okoh, a ginger Agropreneur from Kaduna, when he spoke on how grateful he is to God and TECNO as tears of joy trickled down his eyes “standing here and holding this cheque is a dream on its own. I cannot believe this.’ Speaking on how he participated he said “my friend drew my attention to this activity, I decided to give it a shot and see me today, I really cannot believe this is me holding a 1 million Naira cheque in my hands”
Also speaking at the event, PR and strategic partnership manager TECNO Nigeria, Mr. Jesse Oguntimehin said
You already know that at TECNO, giving is part of our DNA. Nigeria is filled with a lot of talented people that do not have the opportunity to bring that dream to the fore due to several reasons which of course includes finance.
So, we are doing our bit by providing the finance to make things easier for them and we are very glad to get these young dreamers closer to their dream”
The search for the millionaires began on the 13th of June 2018, after the launch of TECNO’s latest smartphone from the Spark stable – TECNO SPARK 2, a device built to capture impressive bright and clear pictures, gave an opportunity to everyone with a dream to win the sum of 1 million naira by just creatively showcasing their special talent or life goals.
Interested participants were simply asked to upload a video, image or text of their dream, and demonstrate how they will celebrate if they eventually win the 1 million Naira. After they make the submissions on their social media platforms with the hashtag #LightUpYourDream2018 and tag TECNO Mobile with its different social media handles, they get their friends to like and share to support them.
And, interested participants who were probably too shy to do something creative, were also given the opportunity to win by simply walking into any designated TECNO retail store to purchase the new TECNO Spark 2 as a raffle ticket will be given to them- that raffle automatically gave them the opportunity to win the money also.
The Light Up Your Dream competition was started last year after the launch of the first TECNO Spark edition, and is seemingly becoming an annual event. So, fans and customers should probably keep their fingers crossed and brush up on their creative juice for next year’s edition.
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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