Business
New Board Takes Over 9mobile … As LH Telecoms Takes Majority Stake
Following the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) approval as required by law, emerging Telecommunication Services Limited, operating under the trade name “9Mobile”, have announced the completion of an equity investment by LH Telecommunication Limited.
The investment, which was approved by African Export Import Bank (AFREXIM), the senior lender to 9Mobile in May 2023 has resulted in a change in control of 9Mobile in favour of the new investor by the issuance of new shares amounting to 95.5% of 9Mobile to the new investor in consideration for the injection of fresh capital into the company.
In pursuant to the injection of capital, the new investor has nominated some persons to the Board of Directors of 9Mobile: Thomas Etuh has been nominated as the Chairman of the Board.
He is an accomplished and versatile entrepreneur with over 36 years of experience in strategic sectors of the African economy, including agriculture, fertilizer production, mining, banking, telecommunications, power and aviation.
He is a passionate leader with a track record of successful corporate management, ensuring that clear objectives and expectations are delivered and sustained.
Mr. Etuh is the founder of the Tak Group of Companies. He previously served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Unity Bank Plc, Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc and Lighthouse Capital Limited.
He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Notore Chemicals Industries Plc. As Chairman of Jennifer Etuh Foundation (JEF), he has championed several healthcare and life-empowering projects in the underserved regions of Nigeria.
On his part, Nahim Abe Ibraheem has over 30 years of experience across finance, upstream and downstream oil trade, procurement, and manufacturing.
He began his career at Orbit Communications in 1990 and founded Soveran Nigeria Limited, a specialty procurement and petroleum product distribution company, in 1995.
As Chairman of Euronat Nigeria Limited, he has overseen major oil product exports from the NLNG and NNPC.
His notable roles include representing VShips Monaco S.A in Nigeria and advising Africa Merchant Bank (a Fortis Bank Subsidiary) and Société Générale Bank, France.
Mr. Ibraheem serves as Chairman of the Boards of Veritas Kapital Assurance PLC and Lighthouse Capital Limited, as well as a Non-Executive Director of the VFD Group and Veritas Glanvills Pensions Ltd.
He has sat on the boards of Morris Nigeria Limited and Superphosphate Fertilisers & Chemicals Limited. He is a member of the Institute of Directors (Nigeria) and PESA, and an avid sports fan.
Femi Edun is a financial services industry professional with over 35 years’ experience across assurance, consulting, credit ratings and research, investment banking and proprietary investment, from a variety of roles in Akintola Williams & Co (now Deloitte), Price Waterhouse, (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), Agusto & Co. Limited, Nigeria’s first credit rating agency and Frontier Capital Limited.
He has been involving in notable pioneering initiatives in the financial services industry and several landmark transactions.
Whilst serving as a volunteer adviser to the Federal Government, he was a non-executive director of the Bank of Industry.
He is the Chairman of the board of Craneburg Construction Limited, independent non-executive Director of Chevron Closed Pension Fund Administrators Limited and non-executive director of Notore Chemical Industries Plc and Agusto & Co. Limited amongst others.
Following the completion of the transaction, LH Telecommunication Limited has nominated the following new members to the board of directors of 9Mobile:
Senator Daisy Ehanire Danjuma was elected as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2003 where she served on numerous committees, most notably as Chairman of the ECOWAS Parliament’s Women and Children’s Rights Committee and Chairman Senate Committee on Women Affairs and Youth Development.
Following her legislative tenure, she held the position of Executive Vice Chairman of SAPETRO until December 2023 when she was appointed as the Executive Chairman.
Senator Danjuma is the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the H I D Awolowo Foundation, a Member Board of Trustees of Women at Risk International Foundation (WARIF), the Chairman Board of Trustees of Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP) and the Chairman of May & Baker Nigeria Plc.
She worked as a State Counsel in the Lagos State Ministry of Justice (Department of Public Prosecutions) and was a pioneer Legal Counsel to the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria before working for the investment bank, Nigerian Acceptances Limited (NAL Merchant Bank).
She was Company Secretary/Legal Adviser to the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) before moving into private practice.
Senator Danjuma is a member of the International Bar Association (IBA), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and the International Federation of Female Lawyers (FIDA).
She has also been awarded honorary doctorate degrees by the University of Ibadan, University of Benin and Redeemer’s University.
Michael Ikpoki is an accomplished Multinational Business Executive/Leader with over 25 year’s experience across regulatory, commercial, operational management/leadership and consulting/advisory roles in the African Telecom Industry.
He was a former Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana and MTN Nigeria. He is Founder/Managing Partner of Africa Context Advisory Partners where he leads expert teams to consult on Telecom/ICT in Africa.
He is Chairman of the Boards of Capricorn Digital Limited and Amplitude Telecoms Africa Limited. He is a member of the Boards of Telecel Group and Unilever Nigeria Plc.
Ibrahim Ajimasu Puri is a finance professional who possesses over 30 years of cognate banking experience encompassing operations, marketing, retail, corporate banking, and human resource management.
He was an Executive Director with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), with responsibility for the bank’s operations in Northern Nigeria.
He currently serves on the boards of several blue-chip companies in Nigeria including the Nigeria Breweries Plc and is Chairman of the Board of Redtech Limited, a member of the Heirs Holdings Group
Emmanuel Etuh is a professional and business executive whose experience covers law, finance and operations across diverse industries.
He currently serves as Executive Director, Corporate Services at Lighthouse Capital, overseeing the operational aspects of the business, including investments, client service, risk and technology.
He also serves on the board of Veritas Kapital Assurance Plc and Tak Agro & Chemicals Limited. He commenced his career at Banwo & Ighodalo and later served a stint at the International Bar Association, London.
He also served as a lead transactor at TMD Advisory Services focused on the origination, structuring and execution of financial advisory mandates in West and East Africa.
Etuh is the founding partner at Haute and Peers LP, providing strategic, corporate and commercial advice to technology, media and telecoms players in the Nigerian market.
The new Board has also ratified the appointment of the new management team led by Obafemi Banigbe as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Company to lead the Company through this transition stage and take it on the path of recovery.
Obafemi is an accomplished technology executive with proven track record of steering technological innovations and strategic initiatives throughout various pivotal markets across Africa.
He has over 24 years in the telecommunications industry and has worked in different capacities within the industry, including as Network Operations director in Airtel Nigeria, Chief Technology Officer in Millicom International Cellular Tanzania, Chief Operating Officer and interim Chief Executive Officer of Millicom Ghana.
He brings his deep technical knowledge and understanding of the telecommunications industry in Africa and proven leadership to the team.
Similarly, the Board has approved the appointment of John Vasikiran as the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Abolaji Idowu as Chief Financial Officer.
John Vasikiran is a technology business executive with over 25 years of experience as a dynamic & results-oriented CXO, providing Strategic and Operations leadership in uniquely challenging situations.
John had successful stints as a Group Chief Commercial Officer of Glo Nigeria, Glo Ghana, and Glo Benin. He was also CEO of Cellcom (Orange) in Liberia, CEO Cellcom- Guinea (Conakry) and was Director of Business Development & Sales (Africa Region) for Ribbon Communications formerly Nortel Networks.
Prior to this, John held various Sr. level Positions in MA Group, including as Managing Director of Conoil Plc and Director Commercial of Glo Nigeria.
On his part, Idowu has joined the company with over 20 years of experience having led finance transformation and delivering ambitious growth for global giants, such as Vodafone, Telefonica O2, MTN Nigeria, Starcomms PLC, Shell, Barclays, PepsiCo International, British Gas, Johnson & Johnson, Norgine Pharmaceutical and Vivo Energy.
He has held senior positions in various organizations across Europe and Africa raising finance, transforming organizations, championing growth, delivering significant cost saving and efficiency, optimizing asset utilization, reorganizing and streamlining companies, and preparing entities for new markets.
The reconstitution of the Board of Directors and the Executive leadership of the company has brought the 9mobile transformation programme to a momentous phase in readiness to compete strongly in the market.
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The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA has officially launched its 2025 Customer Service Week celebrations under the inspiring global theme, “Mission: Possible.”
The Agency is leveraging this annual celebration to reaffirm its commitment to transforming customer challenges into opportunities and consistently delivering exceptional service to grow the Nigerian Maritime sector.
In his remarks, the Director General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, noted that effective service delivery remains central to the Agency’s mandate, stressing that excellence must begin internally before extending to external stakeholders.
“Providing service is paramount, both internally and externally. We must remain prepared, committed, and available to solve problems together as a team. Excellence in service delivery defines who we are and what we represent,” . Mobereola stated.
He highlighted teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement as essential drivers of institutional growth and public confidence.
The Head, SERVICOM Unit, Hajiya Rakiyyah Lammai, appreciated the Director General for his continued support in strengthening customer service structures within NIMASA.
She noted that this year’s theme aptly reflects the dedication and resilience of the Agency’s staff in upholding service quality.
The 2025 Customer Service Week was commemorated across NIMASA offices nationwide with recognition programmes, engagement activities, and customer feedback sessions aimed at promoting a culture of responsiveness and efficiency.
As NIMASA continues to promote safety, security, and sustainability within Nigeria’s maritime domain, the 2025 Customer Service Week reinforces that service excellence remains the cornerstone of effective public service.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The Seme Area Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has intercepted five trucks conveying 10,000 bags of expired flour valued at N1.2billion.
The Command Controller, Comptroller Wale Adenuga, who disclosed this during his Maiden Press Briefing, at the Seme Krake border, last Thursday, said the consignment, which originated from Egypt and came through the Benin Republic border, was seized in a joint operation with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
According to him, the interception was achieved through credible intelligence shared by the Comptroller General of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi and the NAFDAC Director General, Moji Adeyeye.
Displaying the seized goods, Adenuga said the flour, produced in March 2024, had expired in November, 2024, posing serious public health risk.
He said, “If these things find their way into the country, they change the bag, and it goes into the markets… the health risks associated with consuming such expired products could have led to severe infections, food poisoning, and long-term health complications.
“Beyond health implications, such unwholesome goods undermine local industries and erode consumer trust.”
Speaking on the command’s revenue performance and strides in trade facilitation, Adenuga said a total of N1.5billion was generated in the month of September 2025 alone.
The figure, he said represent an exceptional increase of over 182% compared to the N531.4million generated in August 2025, the month before his assumption of duty.
“This outstanding performance
reflects the effectiveness of the Comptroller General’s reform agenda, which emphasizes compliance, transparency, and data-driven monitoring of goods, as well as dedication of officers and men who continue to embody his vision of a modern, efficient and accountable Customs Service,” he said.
Adenuga said the command guided by the Comptroller General of Customs commitment to transparency and modernization has intensified effort to simplify procedures and ensure that legitimate traders enjoy the full benefits of Customs modernization and regional integration along the Lagos–Abidjan corridor.
“Upon assumption of duty, and in line with the CGC’s strategic vision anchored on the policy thrust of Consolidation, Collaboration and Innovation, I declared trade facilitation as the hallmark of our administration. We believe that when trade is facilitated, processes are streamlined, costs are reduced and more revenue is generated, ” he said.
Beyond the expired flour, Adenuga also showcased other contraband goods seized by the command within the month of September.
The items include 1,104 parcels of cannabis sativa, 98 parcels of 120mg Tramadol, with two suspects handed over to the NDLEA, 2,043 bags of foreign parboiled rice, 150 bales of second-hand clothing and 169 bottles of DSP cough syrup with codeine and five used vehicles with a total Duty Paid Value at N1,999billion.
“Under the guidance of the CGC’s zero-tolerance stance on smuggling, Seme Command remains unwavering in its commitment to suppress smuggling and protect national security, public health and economic stability.
“Our position is clear along the Lagos-Abidjan that any economic resource diverted into smuggling will be a colossal waste; it will be better to channel such resources into legitimate business that could empower thousands of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) and create jobs, ” Adenuga said.
The Customs boss also commended the Nigerian Navy, particularly the Forward Operating Base ( FOB) in Badagry for its support in the fight against smuggling, and handing over seized foreign parboiled rice intercepted on the waterways.
“We shall continue to enhance our operational efficiency through technology, stakeholder collaboration and proactive intelligence. Our collective mission is to ensure that the Seme-Krake border remains a gateway of prosperity not criminality.
“Together with our partners and stakeholders, we are building a smarter, safer and more prosperous border corridor in full alignment with the CGC’s modernization blueprint, ” he said.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
The Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Waterways Authority (LASWA), will officially launch the Omi Eko Project on Friday, 17th October 2025, at Five Cowries Terminal, Falomo.
The unveiling, to be performed by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, would feature key speakers and virtual project presentation.
According to a Statement, the event highlights the state’s dedication to advancing sustainable water transportation and smart city solutions.
The project aims to transform Lagos’s water transit with over 78 electric ferries, digital systems, and enhanced safety features, reducing commute times and promoting eco-friendly travel.
“The Omi Eko Project is poised to revolutionize Lagos’s water transportation landscape by integrating innovative technology, strengthening terminal infrastructure, and championing environmental sustainability..
“With the deployment of over 78 high-capacity electric ferries, digital ticketing systems, intelligent terminals, and safety innovations, the project will significantly reduce commute times and establish a reliable, modern transportation option for millions.”the statement added.
The Five Cowries Terminal, a key transport hub, underscores the integration of land and water mobility in Lagos’s Urban Mobility Plan.e Hotel, GRA, Ikeja, for the maiden summit of JustAlive Communications Limited, publishers of JustNet News to discuss infrastructural development trends in the sector.
By: By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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