By Adedapo Adesanya

The Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), which acts as the umbrella body for all mobile network operators, tower companies, and telecommunications infrastructure providers in Nigeria, has raised concerns over the ongoing disruptions to the supply of diesel to telecoms cell sites across the country.

In a statement released on Thursday by ALTON and signed by its Chairman, Mr Gbenga Adebayo, the telcos called for uninterrupted access to be granted to the diesel supply locations, and urged all parties involved to embrace constructive dialogue to resolve any matter, without further disruption to essential services.

According to the operators, such disruptions could cause base stations to shut down, thereby leading to poor telecoms service delivery and possible collapse of the entire telecoms sector.

“Telcos are deeply concerned about ongoing disruptions to the supply logistics of diesel to cell sites across the country,” the statement said.

ALTON said members of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Natural Oil and Gas Suppliers Association of Nigeria (NOGASA), on Tuesday, blocked access to diesel loading depots in Kaduna, Lagos, and Koko (Delta State), preventing the distribution of diesel to thousands of telecommunications sites operated by one of its key members, IHS Towers.

“This action, reportedly stemming from allegations by IHS of diesel misappropriation against two member companies of NOGASA and which is being investigated by the requisite authorities, has resulted in a critical threat to the operation of some of the 16,000 telecommunications sites nationwide, servicing Mobile Network Operators (MNOs).

“These sites not only power mobile and internet services for millions of Nigerians, but also support essential services such as banking transactions, hospital communications, emergency response systems, and national security operations.”

“While ALTON does not necessarily interfere in disputes between its members and third parties, we are gravely concerned about the wider implications of this action on national infrastructure and public safety.

“We recognise and deeply respect the vital role NOGASA and NUPENG have played in sustaining Nigeria’s energy supply chain and supporting national development over the years, and we trust that they will continue to uphold these values by ensuring that their actions do not jeopardize critical national infrastructure or public welfare,” it added.

The body then requested that uninterrupted access be granted to the diesel supply locations, and urged all parties involved to embrace constructive dialogue to resolve the matter, without further disruption to essential services.

They also reminded all stakeholders that telecommunications infrastructure had been officially classified as Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII) under Nigerian law, insisting that any deliberate disruption or blockade that affects the operation of such infrastructure constitutes a serious threat to national security and economic stability and will attract strict legal consequences.

ALTON also called on the leadership of NUPENG and NOGASA, to intervene by calling their members to order, adding that disputes must be resolved within the framework of lawful contracts and applicable legal processes, without resorting to actions that endanger the operations of an entire industry and the lives and livelihoods that depend on it.

“We also call on relevant authorities, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), and other critical stakeholders, to urgently intervene to forestall a looming nationwide communications blackout.

“ALTON remains fully committed to ensuring quality, reliable, and resilient telecommunications services for all Nigerians. However, disruptions of this nature undermine our members’ ability to maintain and improve service delivery and threaten the integrity of the country’s digital and communications ecosystem,” the statement further said.

By Dipo Olowookere

A financial technology firm, Rillet, has completed a $70 million Series B funding round led by a16z and ICONIQ and other investors to revolutionise accounting with Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The company is expected to develop an AI-powered accounting software and AI-native ERP (enterprise resource planning) platform to replace 20th-century accounting software.

The fresh funding package is coming just 10 weeks since it raised $25 million from Sequoia, bringing the total funds to $100 million in 12 months.

The accounting industry is facing a major talent crunch, with 75 per cent of accountants expected to retire in the next 15 years. At the same time, 80 per cent of routine financial operations could be automated according to Accenture.

Rillet sits right at this crossroads, creating a new platform shift in how humans and AI work together in finance. The result is transformative: finance teams get more done with fewer people, while shifting their focus from manual grunt work to strategic analysis that actually moves the needle for their business.

The plan by Rillet is to expand its AI capabilities and deepen integrations across the financial technology stack. The team’s ultimate vision extends far beyond automation; they’re building towards a collaborative platform where AI agents and human expertise work together to transform how businesses understand and manage their financial performance.

Rillet starts with native integrations, which enable structured data to flow into their smart general ledger. AI is then applied directly within the system, empowering finance teams to collaborate in real time, automate workflows natively and get insightful reporting the moment something happens, not days or weeks later.

“Finance teams deserve the same AI advantages that have revolutionized sales, engineering, and legal,” the General Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Alex Rampell, stated.

Also, a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Seema Amble, noted, “Rillet is delivering that transformation by rebuilding ERP infrastructure specifically for the AI era. We’re excited to support their vision as they scale to serve the next generation of high-growth companies.”

“In our view, Rillet is not just modernizing accounting software, it’s redefining what finance teams can achieve when freed from outdated systems.

“Their AI-native approach can give companies a clear edge: faster insights, leaner teams, and smarter decisions. We believe Rillet will become foundational infrastructure for the next generation of category-defining businesses,” the General Partner at ICONIQ, Seth Pierrepont, said.

The chief executive of Rillet, Nicolas Kopp, said, “As US CEO of N26, I experienced firsthand how frustrating it was to wait weeks for critical business metrics.

“My finance team was world-class, but simple requests took weeks because the systems were stuck in the past. I knew there had to be a better way.”

By Dipo Olowookere

The chief executive of Airtel Nigeria, Mr Dinesh Balsingh, has expressed the desire of the company to double its investment in the country in its current financial year in a bid to further improve customer satisfaction.

At a parley with media executives at Radisson Hotel Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, he disclosed that the telecommunications firm would invest more in infrastructure and others to ensure customers, especially data consumer, continue to get value for money.

Mr Balsingh noted the exponential explosion of data usage across Nigerian cities, particularly Lagos, as rapid urbanisation, digitisation, and mobile-first lifestyles continue to drive bandwidth consumption at unprecedented rates.

“Cities like Lagos are growing at lightning speed—more people, more businesses, more devices. At Airtel, we recognise that data is the new oxygen. That’s why we’re investing heavily in 5G and fibre to build a smart, scalable network that can carry the weight of Nigeria’s digital future.

“This isn’t just about faster internet; it’s about enabling education, healthcare, commerce, and opportunity through reliable, high-capacity connectivity,” the Airtel Nigeria chief stated.

“Airtel Nigeria is responding with cutting-edge solutions to power the future of digital connectivity in urban areas as well as hard-to-reach areas across the country,” he added.

With the introduction of 5G-ready technologies and aggressive fibre rollout in major urban areas, he stated, Airtel is ensuring that Nigerians are not left behind in the global digital economy, stating that the company’s evolving network infrastructure is designed to serve the needs of modern consumers who demand high-speed, uninterrupted access to online services

Mr Balsingh also disclosed that the organisation was making efforts to reduce its energy costs by embracing green energy to power its base stations and other infrastructure across the country.

During the media engagement, which had in attendance business editors, brands and consumer editors, ICT editors, and capital market editors from legacy print and the digital press, Mr Balsingh provided insights into the strategies deployed by the organisation to address Nigeria’s growing telecom and technology ecosystem.

He also spotlighted several other advancements such as the Airtel Business Network as a Service (NaaS) solution to boost Nigerian enterprise; collaborations with Starlink and OneWeb to deepen data coverage in remote areas; self-service customer experience products; AI-enabled user data and privacy protections; and the ongoing cashback programmes offered on the Smartcash mobile app.

Other programmes highlighted by Mr Balsingh and his team included Airtel’s groundbreaking AI-powered Spam Alert Service, which currently flags about 30 million spam SMS messages monthly; the NXtra Data Centre, which is set to go live in 2026 as the largest data centre in Nigeria; and the scale of education support projects like the N1 billion investment in the federal government’s Three Million Technical Talents (3MTT) initiative, Adopt-a-School, and the Reimagine Education programme which currently benefits over 1.5 million Nigerian learners of which over 880,000 are public elementary school pupils across the 1,450 Airtel/UNICEF schools nationwide.