Brands/Products
70-Year Old Bean Cake Seller Wins Car in Dangote Cement Promo
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The ongoing national consumer promotion of Dangote Cement Plc tagged Bag of Goodies has continued to spring surprises with the emergence of a 70-year old bean cake seller in Ikirun, Osogbo, the Osun State capital, as winner of a saloon car.
The septuagenarian, identified as Alhaja Nimota Adetoro, could not hide her excitement when she was presented with her car amid pomp and pageantry.
Speaking at the presentation in Osogbo, Group Managing Director of Dangote Cement, Mr Joseph Makoju, stated that, “Dangote Cement is reliable; we are trustworthy. If you use our product, you can go home and sleep. We really appreciate you because without our customers, consumers, retailers, distributors, there would be no Dangote Cement.”
“This is the car key to our star winner. We are for real. This is a proof that we give life-changing prizes. If you continue to buy Dangote Cement, the next car may be yours. This evidence is made public to everybody,” he added.
In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a 35-year old engineer and businessman, Mr Tochukwu Anthony from Enugu State, won the star prize of a brand new GAC car at a ceremony to reward winners in the promo. Apart from him, two other customers, Amadi Richard and Julius Ilabeshi won flat screen LED television set each.
Chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, Mr Aliko Dangote, while speaking at the event through his representative, Mrs Dorathy Ufot, a non-executive member of the company’s board of directors, said the promo was not a fluke, stressing that it was the firm’s little way of rewarding loyalty of its consumers.
According to him, the presentation events were a proof to Doubting Thomas that the promo was not a scam, pointing out that the company values its customers, which explains why it would not make any promise that it cannot fulfil.
“We are giving out 43 cars nation-wide and other prizes. We are here today to say thank you for your contributions to the growth of our company, Dangote Cement Plc.
“We value our customers, and that’s why we have brought this promo to Port Harcourt. We value everybody in our value chain system (distributors, wholesalers and retailers), and this our own way of giving back to our consumers,” the Africa’s richest man said.
“On behalf of Alhalji Aliko Dangote, the board of Dangote Cement, the management staff and the company, we are here to say a big thank you to you all. The national promo is for real. It is not a scam nor a gimmick, and not a fraudulent activity.
“It is for real, and we have made promises which we have been keeping across the country. We have several prizes and gifts to give out starting from the star prize of the car followed by tricycles, television sets, refrigerator and other smaller gifts,” the representative said.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To make finding the right service provider or reaching the right customer seamless, popular local information portal, Connect Nigeria, has introduced a Quote Request platform.
Connect Nigeria described the new system as “a digital solution designed to make connecting with service providers faster, easier, and more reliable.”
It said the Quote Request was built for consumers who need services quickly and want trusted options without the stress of searching endlessly; and service providers and businesses looking for real, high-intent customers without spending heavily on marketing.
“Whether you need a caterer for an event, a plumber for your home, or a designer for your brand, the platform is designed to connect you with the right people,” Connect Nigeria added.
“By connecting demand directly with supply, the platform creates a more structured and dependable marketplace,” it further stated.
At its core, the Quote Request simplifies the entire process of finding and offering services.
To use the service, users have to submit a request describing the service or product needed, which is then sent to verified vendors on the platform. Interested providers respond within 1–2 days, and users compare offers and choose what works best for their needs and budget.
“Instead of searching for vendors, the vendors come to you, with relevant, tailored responses,” Connect Nigeria explained.
The company expects this new platform to eliminate the stress of endless online searches, delayed or vague responses, and uncertainty about service quality.
As for businesses, it solves poor visibility, inconsistent customer flow, and lost opportunities due to slow response times.
Connect Nigeria Quote Request mobile app is now available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An institutional investor, First Ally Capital, has strengthened a leading Nigerian financial technology company, Mathesis Analytics, to scale its proprietary credit decisioning infrastructure.
It made this possible by injecting fresh capital into the firm, which specialises in AI-powered credit decisioning infrastructure, an action that will directly support the growth and scaling of Mathesis’ core mission of providing the intelligence and infrastructure needed to bridge the credit gap for millions of unscored or underscored individuals across Nigeria.
With this investment, Mathesis will enable financial institutions to confidently assess and extend credit to borrowers who lack a formal credit history by leveraging an expanded pool of alternative behavioural and transactional data.
To date, Mathesis’ systems have supported more than 8 million loans for over 2 million unique borrowers in Nigeria, and the company is actively deploying its infrastructure to establish a growing pan-African footprint.
With the investment from First Ally Capital, Mathesis is well positioned to transform how the credit ecosystem operates, driving financial inclusion in partnership with lenders across the continent.
A significant barrier to credit access in Nigeria, which prides itself on being Africa’s largest economy, is data fragmentation. Borrowers frequently build positive financial behaviours across multiple digital platforms by repaying microfinance loans, saving through fintech wallets, or servicing Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) facilities.
However, under traditional credit infrastructure, these achievements remain invisible to new lenders.
Mathesis addresses this challenge through the concept of Personal Equity—the quantified expression of an individual’s financial behaviour aggregated across every institution with which they have transacted.
By translating these disparate signals into a precise, portable measure of creditworthiness, Mathesis creates a comprehensive credit identity that reflects the full breadth of a person’s financial life.
“True financial inclusion cannot be achieved in a vacuum; it requires structural collaboration in which lenders and fintech companies work as partners within the ecosystem.
“This investment from First Ally Capital validates our approach to reshaping credit infrastructure. By quantifying Personal Equity, we empower lenders to safely look beyond the constraints of formal credit histories and recognise a borrower’s true creditworthiness. This capital enables us to accelerate our pan-African expansion while maintaining the robust, institutional-grade infrastructure our partners rely on,” the chief executive of Mathesis Analytics, Winston Osuchukwu, stated.
On his part, the chief executive of First Ally Capital, Mr Ebenezer Olufowose, said, “At First Ally Capital, we pride ourselves on being a one-stop destination for financial solutions, offering a diverse portfolio of services ranging from investment banking and asset management to trusteeship, inclusive banking, and real estate.
“Our investment in Mathesis Analytics reflects our strong belief in the company’s vision and our commitment to supporting forward-thinking enterprises that deliver excellence.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The chief executive of Canal+ Africa, Mr David Mignot, has disclosed that MultiChoice is now fully integrated into the media group.
Mr Mignot disclosed this via a statement issued on Thursday, noting that this development marks a new phase in the evolution of one of Africa’s leading pay television operators.
He noted that the integration positions MultiChoice within a global media organisation with an extensive international footprint.
“MultiChoice is now a full subsidiary of a truly international media group operating in 70 countries. The group was founded in France, is listed in London and Johannesburg, and has a strong African presence with operations in more than 45 countries,” Mr Mignot said.
The statement underscores the scale of the combined business, highlighting Canal+’s global reach alongside its significant investments across Africa.
The completion of the transaction is expected to strengthen MultiChoice’s position in the African media and entertainment market by giving it access to the broader resources, expertise and international capabilities of the Canal+ Group, while reinforcing the group’s commitment to the continent.
MultiChoice operates across sub-Saharan Africa through platforms including DStv and GOtv, serving millions of subscribers with entertainment, sports and news content.
