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Federal Government approves payments for 1,240 contractors across ministries and agencies

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The Federal Government has officially supported payments to more than 1,240 contractors across various ministries, departments, and agencies to resolve verified outstanding obligations.

The Ministry of Finance shared an update on Monday, revealing that, after a thorough verification and reconciliation process, it has validated the claims submitted by contractors.

According to a statement signed by Mary-Ann Duke, the senior special assistant on communication and press secretary to the minister of finance, contractors with verified claims of N100 million or less were prioritised in the latest disbursement round.

This move comes after months of growing concern over unpaid government contracts.

In January, frustrated contractors staged a protest at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, blocking access to the then Minister of State for Finance, Doris Uzoka-Anite, as they demanded prompt settlement of their outstanding debts. The protest has also drawn the legislature’s attention. Last July, the Senate constituted a committee to engage the finance ministry and other relevant agencies on the backlog of debts owed to contractors by the Nigerian Government.

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The payments announced on Monday could bring swift relief to businesses, especially indigenous firms and small to medium-sized enterprises that have faced months of delayed payments from the government.

This initiative promises to offer immediate liquidity support nationwide, reaffirming the Federal Government’s dedication to fulfilling its financial commitments, the statement emphasised.

READ ALSO: $460m Abuja CCTV Project: ‘We have no record of local contractors,’ finance ministry says

Additionally, the ministry highlighted that these disbursements will enable affected contractors to return to project sites, pay their workers, and settle with suppliers.

In recent months, the government has verified and processed over N700 billion in owed obligations to local contractors, with about N436.6 billion settled in May alone.

Prioritising smaller contractors aims to extend these benefits across various sectors and regions, helping businesses stay operational and safeguarding jobs.

The ministry expressed optimism that these payments will restore confidence among contractors, suppliers, and other service providers working with the government.


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MTN CEO Sparks Debate Over ‘Unlimited Data’ Claim as Nigerians Abroad Disagree

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The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Karl Toriola, has sparked online debate after stating that truly unlimited data plans do not exist anywhere in the world unless customers are paying extremely high prices.

Toriola made the remark while speaking at a recent event, where he addressed concerns about data pricing and network capacity in Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.

According to him, unlimited mobile data offerings are largely unsustainable due to infrastructure limitations.

“The issue of unlimited data on mobile networks: it doesn’t exist anywhere in the world except if you’re paying a fortune. There’s a limit because you can never build enough capacity for everyone to be on an unlimited bundle, and you think you’ll provide a quality of service that is decent,” he said.

However, his comment has triggered widespread reactions, particularly from Nigerians living abroad, who disagreed with the claim and shared screenshots of their own mobile subscriptions.

Some users in countries such as the United Kingdom argued that they pay for unlimited data plans at relatively low monthly rates, often equivalent to a few hours of minimum wage work, challenging the CEO’s assertion.

The debate has since gained traction on social media, with users comparing global telecom pricing models and questioning the affordability and structure of data services in Nigeria.

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History to Innovation: How NCC is Inspiring Nigeria’s Next Generation of Tech Girls

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The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has applauded the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, for spearheading schemes aimed at arming young Nigerian women with technological expertise and fostering increased female representation in the silicon landscape.

The regulatory body shared these accolades during the 2026 National Girls in ICT event, where it welcomed 185 female pupils from various regions of the federation for an instructional walkthrough of the National Communications Museum situated in the capital city.

According to the telecom regulator, this endeavor is a crucial component of ongoing strategies meant to close the gender divide within the information technology realm and motivate young ladies to seize prospects within the burgeoning virtual marketplace.

Throughout the exhibition, the youngsters inspected displays charting the advancement of telephony across the West African nation, discovering how the country progressed from rudimentary voice networks to contemporary high-speed internet and advanced data architectures.

The agency remarked that the excursion was structured to grant attendees a hands-on grasp of the sector’s heritage and evolution, while simultaneously unveiling the fresh pathways emerging within the tech universe.

“The country’s electronic tomorrow relies heavily on the vibrant engagement of every societal sector, particularly young women,” the NCC observed, emphasizing that the project intends to prompt learners to envision themselves as tomorrow’s creators, venture founders, and corporate tech pioneers.

Furthermore, the authorities pointed out that familiarizing schoolgirls with the foundational principles and boundless capabilities of computing could spark deeper curiosity toward Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and technical occupations.

The administrative body maintained that this campaign synchronizes with broader state policies focused on expanding electronic literacy and ensuring that a greater number of young women benefit from the rapidly inflating tech sector.

Spokespersons also highlighted the necessity of breaking down hurdles that impede female advancement in computing, asserting that a more balanced gender distribution in technology would fuel creativity, fiscal expansion, and lasting societal advancement.

This educational field trip stood out as one of several exercises coordinated under the wider female-focused tech umbrella, a framework designed to cultivate nascent female capabilities and prompt heightened female enrollment in data-driven sectors across the territory.

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