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NIMASA Goes Tough on Pirates
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To fight oil thieves and pirates on our territorial waters, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is partnering the Nigerian Navy and Nigeria Airforce.
It has acquired some surveillance equipment to monitor the waterways and secure the ports.
In furtherance of the engagement, NIMASA now operates a 24-hour surveillance regime, capturing vessels in the nation’s maritime domain irrespective of weather conditions.
More than 5,000 ships ply the territorial waters yearly. Some vessels, sources said, violate international laws by engaging in illegal activities, including stealing of crude oil and other criminal activities.
Its Director-General, Dr Dakuku Peterside, said the agency achieves profile analyses, which include the flag, registered owner, operator, beneficial owner and movement of ships over a specified period.
He said: “The system enables us to take very swift decision in real time, on any targeted ship. Currently, all offshore areas of interest have been electronically cordoned off with a guard zone via our surveillance system and we can at once link activities in the oil fields and on crude oil platforms.
“The system has not only greatly increased our capacity to block revenue leaks but has increased our revenue as all vessels coming into Nigeria are now captured and analysed for billing.
“Our administration has been able to integrate surveillance data with billing control information, thereby driving our desire for the agency’s billing system to be fully operational by two-thirds, from 72-hour down to 24 hours while keeping our eyes the target timeline of six hour billing,” Peterside said.
A senior official of the Federal Ministry of Transport (FMoT), who craved anonymity, said the nation loses 200,000 barrels of crude oil to theft.
“They are collaborating to curb oil theft, piracy and other criminalities, The Nation has learnt. More than 5,000 international ships ply the territorial waters yearly. Some of the vessels violate international laws by engaging in illegal activities.
“The Air Force has acquired three maritime 128-6, F27 and ATR-42-500 jets and other planes to monitor the activities of oil thieves and other criminals.
“The high-tech plane ATR-42-500 jet is being operated by the Air Force. The plane is fitted with sensors, radar and Electro-Optic Surveillance and Tracking (EOST) equipment, which houses three cameras to monitor ships in Nigerian waters.
“The 20-seat plane can fly as low as 200 feet (60 metres) above the sea and passes on information about maritime traffic to the navy, who can intervene with fast-attack craft if necessary.
“The collaboration is aimed at fighting all manner of maritime crimes in the country. With this aircraft, we can spot any vessel hundreds of kilometres (miles) away,” said Group Captain Enobong Eneh Effiom.
“The aircraft is inscribed with the words: ‘Vigilance over the ocean’. The cameras installed in the planes function well at night based on their high powered lights.
“For any sustainable and meaningful growth in the maritime sector, a robust maritime domain awareness system is inevitable. NIMASA has, therefore, entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force to enhance water patrol and aerial surveillance of Nigeria’s maritime domain.
“The collaboration with the Air force will assist NIMASA in tackling the challenges of large and unrestricted navigational areas, small and non-cooperative objects taking advantage of the dense maritime activity to conceal their actions and it would also protect the ports and ships against attacks,” Effiom said.
He said the agency was striving to ensure that the government and security agencies had access to accurate, comprehensive and up-to-the-minute situation data of the vessel traffic at sea.
The jets, it was learnt, were built in France and equipped in Italy with radars, cameras and other security gadgets.
It was gathered that the Navy has also acquired an equipment called Regional Maritime Awareness Capability Centre (RMAC) to aid the fight.
The equipment, findings showed, was imported from Japan for about N2 billion. It has high-frequency radio and long-range cameras, capable of spotting ships up to 48 kilometres away on the waters.
“From the domain awareness centre, we can see ships from anywhere in the world coming or leaving our maritime space. It also gives us the ability to ascertain the actual threat the vessel poses,” the official said.
The idea for the tripartite collaboration, a source said, started a few years ago
It was learnt that NIMASA sought the help of the Air Force when it discovered that the war against pirates was complicated.
“With the equipment in the planes, NIMASA can monitor even the unusual movement of vessels at sea and keep their records,” the official said.
The jets, it was learnt, draw on the latest technology to provide a reliable, round-the-clock monitoring.
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.
