Airtel alleged illegal lottery: Court joins NCC as defendant

A Federal High Court in Lagos has joined the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, as a defendant in a suit seeking to revoke the operating licence of Airtel Nigeria Limited for allegedly operating an illegal lottery.

Trial judge, Justice Saliu Saidu, in a ruling on a motion filed by the initiator of the suit, Benjamin Owiadolor, also joined the National Lottery Regulation Commission, NLRC; Consumer Protection Council, CPC, and Secure Electronic Technology Plc, all as defendants to the suit.

Justice Saidu equally ordered Airtel to provide the call logs of Owiadolor in court.

Owiadolor, who is a lawyer, had filed the suit urging the court to mandate Airtel to refund all sums expended by subscribers who participated in the competition known as “wake up a millionaire promo” by way of credit, which should be done under the supervision of the NCC.

Ikeja Computer Village to be relocated to Katangua Market

As a follow up to the story on the relocation of Ikeja Computer Village, our correspondent, during a visit to Katangua Market, along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, gathered that Katangua is the proposed site where the Ikeja traders may be resettled.

In terms of size, Katangua is bigger than the Computer Village, as the market covers about 26 hectares of land with most of the traders dealing in second-hand clothes. Katangua shows a vivid picture of a disorganised setting. While the major entrance to the market from Lagos-Abeokuta expressway is almost taken over by street traders, a large portion of the market has been overtaken by refuse.

Huawei, Microsoft launch cheap smartphone in Lagos

Microsoft on Tuesday announced a partnership with Chinese manufacturer Huawei to offer an affordably priced smartphone in Africa geared toward tapping into the continent’s exploding mobile market.

4Afrika smartphone Introducing the phone at an event in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, a Microsoft executive said the aim was to have the 4Afrika phone priced at below $200. The Huawei phone model is not exclusive to the continent, but the 4Afrika version is being adapted to African markets, including with apps geared toward specific countries. At the Nigerian event, officials demonstrated apps including a dictionary for the local Yoruba language and local news.