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Vitel Wireless Completes Integration with MTN  as  Roaming Partner

Vitel Wireless Completes Integration with MTN  as  Roaming Partner

Vitel Wireless, a leading mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), has successful completed its network integration with MTN Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest and most prominent mobile network operators. 

This milestone marks the beginning of a new chapter in providing innovative and affordable telecommunications services to Nigerian consumers.

The company in a statement issued by the Chief Operational Officer (COO) Mr. Chudi Nwabueze,  explained that the seamless integration with MTN, Nigeria’s extensive network infrastructure enables Vitel Wireless to deliver high-quality voice, data, and value-added services across the country.

Nwabueze noted that the partnership underscores Vitel Wireless’s commitment to expanding connectivity options and enhancing user experiences in Nigeria’s rapidly growing telecommunications market adding that Vitel Wireless is ready to launch its mobile network services across all 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).  

According to him, “Vitel Wireless now leverages MTN Nigeria’s widespread coverage, ensuring reliable connectivity for customers nationwide. The partnership allows Vitel Wireless to introduce competitive plans, flexible packages, and tailored solutions to meet diverse customer needs.” 

The COO  explain that following the NCC’s licensing of 46 MVNOs, Vitel Wireless continued to lead the way in establishing a dynamic MVNO sector in Nigeria—Africa’s largest market and most populous nation noting that the company has already achieved several historic firsts including the first MVNO issued a numbering plan and national and international routing codes.

He also stated that Vital Wireless is also the first to launch a location awareness network in Africa and the first to archive interconnectivity with Airtel, Glo, and 9Mobile, and the first to achieve integration with a major MNO, MTN, as a roaming partner. 

He added: “We are excited to officially launch our services in Nigeria through our partnership with MTN Nigeria. This achievement reflects our dedication to delivering accessible and innovative mobile solutions to Nigerian consumers. We look forward to building a strong presence and contributing to Nigeria’s digital transformation.”

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Vitel Wireless, a leading mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), has successful completed its network integration with MTN Nigeria, one of Africa’s largest and most prominent mobile network operators.  This milestone
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Nigeria’s New Loans: A Chance to Build a Better Nation

Nigeria’s New Loans: A Chance to Build a Better Nation

By Ugo Inyama

Another day, another billion-dollar loan. The Nigerian Senate has approved a staggering $21.8 billion in new borrowing for the Tinubu administration (Premium Times, July 2025). The headlines are routine. The reactions are tired. But the consequences? They are dangerously real.

Behind this latest approval lies a critical choice: continue a debt culture that delivers little, or pivot towards a development model that delivers real value to everyday Nigerians.

We’ve been here before—billions borrowed, grand speeches delivered, contracts signed. Yet electricity remains unreliable. Roads are still epileptic—deadly in some areas. Hospitals are bare and ill-equipped. Industries lie idle. Nigeria’s problem has never truly been a lack of money. From the Federal Government to the States and down to Local Councils, it’s what we do—or fail to do—with it.

As of March 2024, Nigeria’s public debt stood at ₦121.67 trillion ($91.46 billion), including $42.1 billion in external borrowing (Debt Management Office, 2024). Now, we’re piling on even more—with no clear audit of what previous loans achieved.

Tangible Projects, Not Paper Promises

This borrowing cycle must not repeat the failures of the past. Every dollar must be tied to visible outcomes—projects that power homes, roads that move goods, broadband that connects communities, and hospitals that heal.

No more empty workshops. No more “capacity-building” seminars. No more white elephant projects. Nigerians deserve results, not ribbon cuttings.

Radical Transparency, Not Tokenism

We must shine a light on how these funds are spent. Nigeria needs a Loan Oversight Committee—independent, credible, and free from political interference. It should include civil society, financial experts, and community representatives.

We need regular public reports, open-access dashboards, and whistleblower protections. Transparency isn’t idealism—it’s how governance earns trust. BudgIT has shown this time and again (BudgIT, 2023). If we must repay these debts, we must be able to track them.

Borrow to Employ Nigerians

Loan-funded projects must create jobs for Nigerians. Too many contracts go to foreign firms that import both labour and materials, sidelining local industries.

That must change. All major contracts should mandate local content, skills transfer, and small business participation. A successful project should build both infrastructure and people.

Every Loan Needs a Payback Plan

Borrowing without a repayment strategy is reckless.

Every project must have a business case. If it’s a power plant—what’s the cost-recovery model? If it’s a road—where’s the economic multiplier? A loan without a return isn’t development. It’s a debt trap.

No More Prestige Projects

The era of borrowing for ego projects must end. No more towers without tenants. Airports without flights. Mega-projects with minimal public use.

Let’s build what truly matters: rural roads to support agriculture, working hospitals, digital hubs, and vocational centres. Nigeria loses $29 billion annually to infrastructure gaps (World Bank Nigeria Development Update, 2022). That’s where our money should go—not into monuments of mismanagement.

One More Misstep Could Break Us

Global lending is tightening. Our credit rating is under pressure (Fitch Ratings, 2025). Investor confidence is fragile. One more misstep, and we risk asset sales, unfavourable concessions, or outright debt distress.

This is no longer just about economics. It’s about dignity, credibility, and national survival.

Final Word: Build or Be Buried

Let this be the loan cycle that broke the curse. Let it be the one that turned debt into development. Let future generations say: “They finally got it right.”

Because if we don’t build now, we may not get the chance again.

Ugo Inyama
Commentator on African Affairs and Digital Governance

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By Ugo Inyama Another day, another billion-dollar loan. The Nigerian Senate has approved a staggering $21.8 billion in new borrowing for the Tinubu administration (Premium Times, July 2025). The headlines
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Golden Penny Holds Food Festival in Enugu

Golden Penny Holds Food Festival in Enugu

Golden Penny Foods, a  brand of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN), has held  its first-ever Golden Penny Food Festival in Enugu, marking a major step in its ongoing commitment to connect more deeply with communities across the country and expand its consumer engagement footprint in the Eastern region.

The festival, which took place at Ngwo Park in Uwani, Enugu, attracted a large turnout of residents, families, students, food enthusiast, media, and young people.

Attendees enjoyed a mix of food tasting, live cooking demos, brand and product showcases, and interactive games all designed to give consumers a richer understanding of the brand beyond the shelf.

The festival in Enugu served not just as a celebration, but as a statement of intent, reinforcing Golden Penny’s longstanding values of nourishment, convenience, and accessibility while actively listening to and engaging with its consumers.

 Commenting,  Managing Director of Golden Penny Foods Limited  Mr. Devlin Hainsworth, said: “The Golden Penny Foods festival is a celebration of our wide range of superior quality and nourishing food products produced as innovative response to the consumers  need for tasty nutrition. 

We are grateful for the applaudable turn out of our consumers in Enugu and environs, it is a testament of established trust over the years between the Golden Penny Brand and our consumers, a journey marked by the organization’s unwavering commitment to delivering excellence across various generations.”  

Also speaking of the progressive journey of the Golden Penny Festivals events in Nigeria, Marketing Director for Golden Penny Foods, Mr. Illyas Kazeem, said: “We started this journey two years ago with the Semovita Soup Festival across some regions, and this is a step further bringing it to a full food fest. You can see the wide variety we have here, from pasta to noodles, cereals, oil, and many more; the goal is to let consumers experience our brand directly and get acquainted with our endless brands of tasty nutrition.”

The festival also spotlighted Golden Penny’s intentional expansion in the South-east, a region the brand sees as both a strategic market and a vital part of its nationwide growth plan.

“The South East is a very important part of the country, and as a company, it is a strategic focus for us to win here and win strongly,” said Associate Marketing Director, Core Categories (Pasta & Noodles), Ms. Foluke Makinde. 

Designed as a family-friendly experience, the food festival featured experience centers for each product category, allowing guests to interact with different offerings, try new recipes, and enjoy the Golden Penny brand in new and engaging ways.

“We want people to know that food can be fun, and that nutrition can be enjoyable. Beyond just the products, we are giving people a full brand experience. They are not just tasting pasta or noodles but learning new ways to enjoy them and leaving with new memories.” Ms. Makinde added.

The event also reflected Golden Penny’s innovation-focused mindset, as the brand used the opportunity to gather real-time feedback from consumers, a key input for future product development and marketing efforts.

“Feedback is a major part of how we ensure that our products are directly responding to our consumers’ nutritional needs,” said Associate Director, NPD, NTW & RS, Golden Penny Foods Ltd, Said Ms. Oluwatooni Odewole.

 “From social media to in-person surveys and direct interactions like this, we are always listening and using those insights to serve our consumers better and reach more communities across Nigeria.”

The Golden Penny food festival reaffirms the Brand’s identity as producers of superior quality food products that nourishes families, delivers quality consistently, and goes beyond the product to engage meaningfully with the lives and experiences of everyday Nigerians.

For over six decades, FMN, through the Golden Penny brand has been supporting and nourishing Nigerian households with a wide range of superior quality food products tailored for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and every meal in between.

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Golden Penny Foods, a  brand of Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN), has held  its first-ever Golden Penny Food Festival in Enugu, marking a major step in its ongoing commitment to connect
The post Golden Penny Holds Food Festival in Enugu appeared first on THISDAYLIVE.