Despite opposition by various stakeholders, including the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the federal government has declared its readiness to implement the five per cent hike in tariff on data and voice calls.
Owing to this, it has directed telecommunications operators to henceforth effect the new tariff and remit to the government before the 21st of every month.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed who gave the directive yesterday, also faulted her Communications and Digital Economy counterpart for claiming ignorance of the new tariff hike.
In a statement issued by her Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, the finance minister announced that the government would commence the implementation of the new tax regime on all voice calls, short message services (SMSs) and data services, in addition to the existing 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) paid for goods and services across all sectors of the economy.
The statement said the minister made the disclosure on the five per cent excise duty during a stakeholders’ meeting, organised by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the telecoms industry regulator.
It pointed out that at the meeting, Ahmed, who was represented by the Assistant Director, Tax Policy, Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Musa Umar, noted: “The five per cent excise duty has been in the Finance Act 2020, but has never been implemented.
“Henceforth, the five per cent excise duty will be collected by telecom operators and payment made to the federal government on a monthly basis, on or before 21st of every month.”
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Reacting to Pantami’s recent position that he was not carried along on the new tariff regime, Ahmed said her counterpart could not claim ignorance of the policy.
She said it was worth noting that there was a circular indicating the planned hike, which was addressed to the communication minister and other relevant ministries and agencies of government via a circular referenced No. F. 17417/VI/286 dated March 1, 2022, and titled “Approval for Implementation of the 2022 Fiscal Policy Measures and Tariff Amendments.”
The statement added: “Against the comments by Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, Honourable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, concerning the five per cent excise duty hike on telecoms services, it is worth noting that there was a circular stating the planned hike which was addressed to the communication minister and other relevant ministries and agencies of government.
“The circular referenced No. F. 17417/VI/286 dated 1st March 2022, and titled “Approval for Implementation of the 2022 Fiscal Policy Measures and Tariff Amendments” was addressed to different Ministers, including Honourable Minister, Communications and Digital Economy and other heads of government agencies.
“The circular was addressed to The Secretary to The Government of The Federation, Attorney-General of The Federation, Ministers of Industry, Trade an Investment, Agriculture and Rural development, Mines and Steel and Development.
“Others are Ministers of Health, Aviation, Information And Culture, Budget And National Planning. Other heads of agencies copied in the circular are Accountant-General of the Federation, Comptroller-General of Customs, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Director-General of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council.
“Others are the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.”
Reinforcing her position, Ahmed said with the aforementioned reference, it therefore, meant that all stakeholders had by that singular provision been aware of the Act.
According to her, the excise duty on telecommunication services provided in Nigeria introduced through the Finance Act, 2020 with statutory enactment on January 1, 2021 is yet to be implemented till date.
She added that this was considering the need to ensure reasonable transition period before the implementation of the new tax, as well as providing clarity to all stakeholders on implementation modalities.
Pantami had recently expressed dissatisfaction with efforts by the federal government to introduce the five per cent excise duty on telecommunication services.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Telecommunications Indigenous Content EXPO (NTICE) themed ‘Stimulating the development of Indigenous Content through innovation and commercialisation’ in Lagos, he had stressed the need for the government and stakeholders to continue to support the sector, and not unnecessarily burden.
Pantami had said he would explore every legitimate means to stop the planned five per cent excise duty on telecoms consumers, faulting the timing and process of imposing the tax on the industry.
According to him, part of the responsibility of a responsive government was not to increase the challenges that citizens were facing.
“The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy is not satisfied with any effort to introduce excise duty on Telecommunications. When VAT was increased to 7.5 per cent, I was not consulted.
” I only heard the announcement and I think there is something questionable and I am glad that we are on the same page with our National Assembly members.
“They too have not been consulted despite the fact that they are part of the committee,” the minister reportedly said.
FULL LIST: Phones that WhatsApp will no longer work on in 2025
WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business will no longer be available on some older smartphones starting May 5, 2025, as Meta phases out support for devices that don’t meet its updated system requirements.
This update is part of Meta’s commitment to enhancing security and ensuring the app performs smoothly on modern hardware and software. The company says the decision is aimed at helping the platform maintain its efficiency and safeguard user data.
While this change will mostly affect older phones — especially those released over a decade ago — users are advised to upgrade their devices to avoid losing access.
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Apple devices affected:
WhatsApp will require iOS 15.1 or later iPhone models that won’t meet the minimum requirement include:
iPhone 5s
iPhone 6
iPhone 6 Plus
These models can only run iOS 12.5.7, which falls below WhatsApp’s new cutoff.
Android Devices Affected:
Back on January 1, 2025, WhatsApp ended support for Android phones running version 4.4 (KitKat) or older. Users with these devices were urged to update their operating systems where possible — but for phones stuck without official updates, using WhatsApp is no longer an option.
Affected Android phones include:
Samsung:
Galaxy S3
Galaxy Note 2
Galaxy Ace 3
Galaxy S4 Mini
Motorola:
Moto G (1st Generation)
Moto E (2014)
Razr HD
HTC:
One X
One X+
Desire 500
Desire 601
LG:
Optimus G
G2 Mini
L90
Nexus 4
Sony:
Xperia Z
Xperia SP
Xperia T
Xperia V
Users still relying on these older devices will need to upgrade to newer models if they want to keep using WhatsApp.
FCT traffic service confirms sale of number plates by touts
The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), yesterday advised residents not to patronise touts in registering their vehicles.
A statement by the Director, DRTS, Abdulateef Bello said: “ The Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), wishes to inform the general public that the current scarcity of vehicle number plates in the FCT is due to irregular and insufficient supply from the National Vehicle Identification Scheme (NVIS) Plant and efforts are ongoing to remedy the situation.
“We also wish to draw the attention of the motoring public to the activities of fraudsters impersonating DRTS officials in the attempt to take advantage of the situation to exploit vehicle owners.
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“The DRTS firmly disassociates itself from these illegal activities and strongly caution members of the public against dealing with any individual either staff or agent who claim to be in position of number plates outside what is uploaded in the DRTS self-service portal (https://selfservice.fctevreg.com).
“Moreover, in order to ensure transparency, the approved costs of number plates and related services are readily available on our official communication platforms, and particularly our website.
“The Directorate therefore encourages the public to stick and insist on the stipulated prices.
‘‘In collaboration with the Security Agencies, the Directorate has intensified efforts to bring these impostors to justice.’’
“We urge the public to report suspicious individuals or illegal activities to the Management of the DRTS. The DRTS remains steadfast in its commitment to delivering transparent, efficient, and accountable services to the motoring public”.
Filling stations yet to reduce petrol price after Dangote slashes rate
For the second time in one week, Dangote Petroleum Refinery has announced a reduction in the price of premium motor spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol.
With effect from yesterday (April 16th, 2025), the gantry price (ex-depot price) of petrol would now go from N865 to N835.
This would be the second price reduction within a week as Dangote Refinery earlier slashed the price from N880 to N865 per litre.
However, as of yesterday, prices are yet to change at most filling stations including the retail outlets belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
While marketers welcomed the decision by Dangote, they however expressed mixed reactions over what they called, “arbitrary” reduction which portends losses to the market.
Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer of Dangote Industries, Anthony Chiejina, in a statement said, “High-quality Dangote petrol will now be available at the following prices across all our partner retail outlets….”
He said key partners, including MRS, AP (Ardova), Heyden, Optima Energy, Hyde and Techno Oil, will offer petrol at N890 per litre, down from N920 in Lagos.
In the South West, the price will be N900 per litre, reduced from N930 while in the North West and North Central, the price will be N910 per litre, lowered from N940.
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In the South East, South South, and North East, the price will be N920 per litre, down from N950.
The statement said, “These price reductions reaffirm our commitment to providing high-quality petrol at affordable rates, benefiting consumers across the nation. In addition, we are working collaboratively with our partners to ensure equitable reflection of this price reduction.
“Dangote Petroleum Refinery has consistently worked to reduce the prices of petrol and other refined petroleum products, ensuring the continued benefit of Nigerian consumers. For example, in February, the refinery reduced prices twice by N125. In addition, products such as diesel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) have also experienced significant price reductions due to the refinery’s sustained efforts.
“We anticipate that this latest reduction in PMS prices will generate a positive ripple effect throughout various sectors of the economy, providing much-needed relief to consumers and contributing to broader economic growth, particularly during the Easter season.
“Dangote Petroleum Refinery remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring a steady supply of premium-quality petroleum products, with sufficient reserves to meet domestic demand, along with a surplus for export. This strategy is designed to support the stability of the domestic market while also contributing to the growth of Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves.”
The refinery however called on industry stakeholders, including marketers and distributors, to continue sourcing their products from the refinery, ensuring that the benefits of these price reductions are fully realised across the country.
It was learnt that the reduction in price of crude oil was one of the reasons behind the price change.
Global crude oil price has been experiencing volatility in recent times as the US tariff war rages.
Crude oil edged more than 2% higher on Wednesday following expectations of tensions easing in the US-China trade war.
At 1:28 p.m. ET, Brent crude was trading up 2.09% at $66.02, while the US benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), was trading up 2.12% at $62.63.
But as of 8 p.m. yesterday, Brent Crude further dipped to 65.77.
As of the time of filing this report, most filling stations across the country are yet to adjust their pump prices with a litre of PMS still sold as much as N990 in some parts of Nigeria.
In Kano, some independent stations were selling at N990 while the NNPC and MRS were selling at N945. In Maiduguri, Bornu State, a litre was sold at between N950 and N980.
In Abuja, NNPCL sells at N950 per litre while other major stations sell between N955 and N960.
There are indications that NNPCL would also adjust its pump price as it is always the case when Dangote slashes its price but as of the time of filing this report, the price adjustment has not been done.
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