FEC approves 4,000 new telecom towers to deepen digital access, inclusion across Nigeria - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

… Targets 23 million underserved citizens, boosts rural commerce, security and connectivity

The Federal Executive Council (FEC), Nigeria’s highest policy-making body, has approved the rollout of 4,000 additional telecoms towers to expand digital access and accelerate inclusion in underserved communities nationwide, reports ITREALMS.

The approval was issued at Wednesday’s FEC meeting in Abuja, presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

OPHK Commander commends outgoing UN OCHA chief, Jensen, for strengthening North East humanitarian response - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The Theatre Commander, Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, has applauded the outgoing Head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) in Nigeria, Mr. Trond Jensen, for his exceptional leadership, partnership, and commitment to humanitarian coordination in the North East, reports ITREALMS.

The commendation was made on Thursday, 4 December 2025, when Mr. Jensen paid a farewell visit to the Headquarters Theatre Command OPHK, Maiduguri.

NUJ Lagos mourns veteran journalist, Ariyo Akinola - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, has expressed profound grief over the passing of veteran journalist and unionist, Comrade Ariyo Akinola, a respected professional who served with distinction at the New Nigerian Newspapers. He passed away on Wednesday night in Lagos, reports ITREALMS.

In an official condolence message jointly signed by Adeleye Ajayi, Chairman, and Tunde Olalere, Secretary, the Council described Akinola as “a dedicated journalist, an exemplary unionist, and a humble leader whose footprints remain indelible in the history of NUJ Lagos State Council.”

Automation Pays Off: NCDMB crowned PEBEC’s Best in Ease of Doing Business for 4th year - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

... PEBEC DG Commends Board’s Tech-Driven Reforms for Minimizing Human Interference in Operations

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has cemented its status as a champion of digital transformation in public service, winning the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Transparency and Efficiency Champion Award for the fourth consecutive year, reports ITREALMS. 

The Board topped the national Ease of Doing Business rankings in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Nigerians in U.S. demand action on 'Christian Genocide,' call on FBI to release redacted Tinubu files - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

... Save Nigeria Group USA rallies @Capitol, cites 52,000 killed and 11m displaced, urges full CPC enforcement

A large coalition of Nigerians, under the aegis of the Save Nigeria Group USA (SNG-USA), on Tuesday rallied at the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, demanding urgent intervention from the United States government regarding the protracted security crisis in Nigeria and seeking accountability regarding the academic and financial records of President Bola Tinubu, reports ITREALMS.

The protest, which drew members from across the United States, focused heavily on the over 52,000 Nigerians reportedly killed in sectarian violence and the 11 million citizens trapped in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps across the country. The rally was bolstered by activists from other African countries and supportive Americans.

World AIDS Day 2025: BAYWO foundation champions stigma-free Lagos, drives policy for HIV response - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The BAYWO Foundation marked World AIDS Day 2025 by leading a powerful coalition of international and local organizations dedicated to accelerating the end of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Lagos State, reports ITREALMS.

Supported by global partners, including HER Voice, Y+ Global, and ANAYD, the foundation reinforced the collective commitment to achieving the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat.

The commemoration served as a vital platform focusing on three critical areas: deepening community awareness on HIV prevention, enhancing access to testing and treatment services, and reinforcing the urgent call for a stigma-free society.

BAYWO Foundation collaborated closely with key local stakeholders, including the Lagos State AIDS Control Agency (LSACA) and civil society groups such as NYNETHA, NEPWHAN, and APYIN.

The foundation's efforts were highly visible and multi-pronged: A massive HIV awareness walk spanned strategic routes across the city, complementing extensive community sensitization activities. 

These grassroots efforts were paired with high-level advocacy engagements specifically aimed at strengthening health policy and resource mobilization within the Lagos State government’s HIV response strategy.

Nkem Nweke/Gender Editor

Policy tug-of-war: Experts clash on Tinubu’s reforms, security crisis dominates debate @People’s Parliament - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

A national conversation hosted by the People’s Parliament of the Initiative for Good and Informed Citizenship on the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration has yielded sharply divergent assessments on economic recovery, even as panelists and attendees delivered unanimous condemnation of the worsening national security crisis. 

The virtual forum, titled “Is Nigeria Getting Better?”, featured a dynamic mix of an economist, a branding expert, and a policy critic, drawing participants from Nigeria and the diaspora to assess the government two and a half years into its tenure.

Airtel Nigeria wins best in technology for development @2025 SERAS awards - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Leading telecommunications service provider, Airtel Nigeria, has been recognized for its deep commitment to digital empowerment and national development, winning the coveted Best in Technology for Development award at the 2025 Sustainability, Enterprise and Responsibility Awards (SERAS) held in Lagos, reports ITREALMS.

The recognition specifically highlights Airtel’s impactful execution of the Airtel Africa Foundation’s vision locally, which leverages technology to drive social change. Airtel Nigeria received nominations in two highly competitive categories: Best Company in Environmental Stewardship and the eventual winning category, Best in Technology for Development.

E-commerce powerhouse Temu taps Dellyman to revolutionize Nigerian logistics - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Temu, the fast-growing global e-commerce powerhouse, has sealed a strategic delivery partnership with Lagos-based logistics startup Dellyman, reports ITREALMS.

This collaboration marks a significant, technology-driven step in Temu’s aggressive expansion into the Nigerian market, Africa's largest digital economy.

Right of Way (RoW) & Fiber Deployment Transparency: Who Sets Prices and Why? Asks Remmy Nweke - Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS

Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

In this edition of Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS with REMMY NWEKE, he probes Nigeria’s spectrum licensing and renewal transparency (2015–2025), asking who got what, at what price, and why openness still matters.

For years, the Right of Way (RoW) debate has lingered as one of Nigeria’s most persistent bottlenecks to affordable broadband and nationwide fiber deployment. Although the conversation often circles around “high charges” and “state levies,” beneath this fiscal friction lies a deeper transparency deficit; a question of who actually determines RoW pricing, how those decisions are made, and what accountability framework exists for public resources that should empower, not encumber, connectivity.

When the National Economic Council (NEC) agreed in 2013 to peg RoW charges at ₦145 per linear meter across Nigeria, the consensus was hailed as a historic step toward harmonizing infrastructure costs and accelerating broadband penetration. Yet, more than a decade later, the disparity between federal ambition and state practice has only widened. 

IPI Nigeria vows 'fierce resistance' to digital repression; demands urgent review of Cybercrime Act - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has issued a strong warning to state actors, vowing to "fiercely resist" any further attacks on journalists in the country, especially those operating in the digital space, reports ITREALMS.

The resolve was declared by Mr. Musikilu Mojeed, President of IPI Nigeria, in his welcome address at the 2025 IPI Nigeria Conference and Annual General Meeting in Abuja.

Arthur Stevens CEO, Olatunde Amolegbe, to keynote Business Journal lecture @AI and Digital Economy - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The financial and technology communities are gearing up for the 2025 Business Journal Annual Lecture, where Mr. Olatunde Amolegbe, the Managing Director/CEO of Arthur Stevens Asset Management Limited, will deliver the keynote address on the critical nexus of technology and economic advancement, reports ITREALMS.

The high-profile lecture, themed "AI & Digital Economy: Projecting the Future of Economic Growth in Nigeria," is scheduled for Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki Road, Victoria Island, Lagos, starting at 10:00 am prompt.

Digital Backbone Secure: ALTON Cites NSCDC Ogun Command for Zero-Tolerance on Telecom Vandalism= ITREALMS

CBT Mandate 2026: MENXTT Tech NG addresses Nigeria’s School Infrastructure gap with exam-ready digital solutions - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

As the Federal Government accelerates the nationwide transition to mandatory Computer-Based Testing (CBT) for major examinations like WAEC and NECO by 2026, educational institutions across Nigeria face an urgent deadline to digitize their assessment infrastructure. This national mandate, while hailed as a modernization milestone, has spotlighted a critical challenge: the widespread disparity in digital readiness across the country’s schools.

In response to this compliance pressure, MENXTT Tech NG, an Ikeja-based ICT firm, is positioning itself as a strategic technology ally, providing deployment-ready and cost-effective CBT solutions designed specifically to meet regulatory standards and budget constraints.

SNEPCo bags SERAS award for health, wellbeing as 'Vision First' initiative restores sight for thousands - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Ltd (SNEPCo) has secured a prestigious award for the “Promotion of Good health/Wellbeing” at The SERAS Africa Sustainability Awards 2025 ceremony held in Lagos, reports ITREALMS.

This recognition highlights SNEPCo's enduring commitment to high-impact Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), particularly through its flagship Vision First initiative, which has cumulatively reached a remarkable 6,538 individuals since its inception in 2022.

DIGITAL DANGER: IPI Nigeria confronts press freedom crisis as global ranking plunges to 122nd - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria is set to converge in Abuja this December, with a powerful focus on the alarming decline of press freedom, especially for those operating in the digital space, reports ITREALMS.

Nigeria’s standing has dropped sharply, a 10-place fall to 122nd in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a stark indicator of the rising threats faced by online journalists and traditional media alike.

Konga extends Yakata by 7 days @shoppers cry for more - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

In an unprecedented move that has sent waves of excitement across Nigeria's shopping community, Konga, the nation's leading composite e-commerce group, has announced a one-week extension of its blockbuster Yakata sale campaign. Initially scheduled to end on November 30, 2025, Nigeria’s biggest sale of the year will now run until Saturday, December 6, 2025.

The announcement came after a wave of public appeals from shoppers across the country, many of whom took to social media pleading for more time to enjoy the discounts. 

Comments and heartfelt posts poured in from customers saying they needed “just one more week” to buy essential household appliances, smartphones, Christmas gifts, groceries, and work gadgets at the unbeatable prices Yakata offers. Others explained that with school fees, rent renewals, and year-end expenses, Yakata came at the perfect time; they just needed a little more runway.

Dangote Refinery to supply 1.5bn litres of petrol monthly - ITREALMS+video

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced plans to supply one billion five hundred million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) monthly to the Nigerian market in December 2025 and January 2026, a move aimed at ensuring uninterrupted nationwide fuel availability through the festive season and into the New Year.

President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, disclosed the plans at the weekend, noting that the refinery will make available 50 million litres of PMS daily beginning December 1.

FirstBank Introduces Vybe Hub to Elevate Customer Experiences for DecemberIssaVybe by Bolaji Israel - ITREALMS

ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Seth Godin, an American author, entrepreneur and one of the world’s most influential business thinkers said “A great brand always raises the bar, it adds a greater sense of purpose to the experience." Godin's thought aligns with a related view that “Enduring brands are those that pursue progress with intentional restlessness, continually elevating their standards across every action, every choice, and every expression of their purpose.”

This is a truth that echoes across the business world, but only a handful of institutions live it with the kind of consistency that makes the saying feel almost crafted for them. FirstBank of Nigeria stands firmly in that category.

Open Internet: NCC’s balancing Act for telcos and OTTs by Remmy Nweke - Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS

Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

As WhatsApp, Zoom, and Netflix among others disrupt communication, Nigerian operators sought control. REMMY NWEKE, in this edition of Telecoms Clinic@ITREALMS, writes how the NCC defended innovation, safeguarding digital freedom and powering Nigeria’s Over-The-Top (OTT) revolution.

Introduction:
When Over-The-Top (OTT) communication platforms began to dominate Nigeria’s telecom landscape between 2015 and 2016, a quiet battle erupted in policy circles. Apps such as WhatsApp, Zoom, Telegram, and Skype were changing how Nigerians communicated, offering instant messaging, video calls, and file sharing at virtually no extra cost beyond mobile data.

To mobile network operators (MNOs), this disruption was alarming. They had spent billions of naira building infrastructure, paying regulatory fees, and expanding coverage. Yet, consumers were now bypassing traditional voice and Short Messaging Service (SMS) offerings through Internet-based alternatives that rode on the very networks MNOs built.

When loans become surveillance & Nigeria’s regulatory triangle by Remmy Nweke -WeekendDigits@ITREALMS

WeekendDigits@ITREALMS ... making leadership SENSE with digital news!

Nigeria’s regulators, FCCPC, NCC, and NDPC, unite to curb data abuse by digital lending apps. WeekendDigits@ITREALMS with REMMY NWEKE explores how everyday loans turned into surveillance, and how the regulatory triangle fights back.

Preamble:
Madam Lizzy only wanted a quick loan.
The advert promised “instant approval, no paperwork.” Out of curiosity, she downloaded the app, requested ₦1 million, and within hours, the funds appeared. She repaid before the due date—relieved and impressed.

Then the calls began:
Every morning, a strange number flashed on her screen: “Madam, you are yet to pay your loan.” She explained repeatedly that the debt was settled, yet the messages multiplied short messaging service (SMS) reminders, WhatsApp texts, even phone calls from aggressive “customer agents” threatening to contact her friends and family.