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FCCPC files charges against MultiChoice over price hike

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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has filed charges against MultiChoice Nigeria Limited and its Chief Executive Officer, John Ugbe, for defying regulatory directives to suspend a subscription price hike.

FCCPC’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Ondaje Ijagwu, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

On February 27, the FCCPC directed MultiChoice to suspend its planned price increase for DStv and GOtv services pending the conclusion of an investigation into the hike.

However, the company went ahead with the price adjustments on March 1, disregarding the directive.

The regulator said the charges, filed at the Federal High Court in Lagos, were based on three counts: obstructing the Commission’s inquiry, failing to comply with directives, and attempting to mislead the regulatory body.

Part of the statement reads, “Following the blatant disregard for regulatory oversight, the FCCPC has filed charges against MultiChoice Nigeria and John Ugbe at the Federal High Court, Lagos Judicial Division, on three counts of offences under the FCCPA 2018.

“Specifically for willfully obstructing the Commission’s inquiry by implementing a price hike contrary to directives (Section 33(4)), impeding the ongoing investigation by ignoring instructions to suspend the hike (Section 110), and attempting to mislead the Commission by proceeding with the increase without objection (Section 159(2), punishable under Section 159(4)(a) and (b)).”

The Commission described MultiChoice’s actions as a deliberate attempt to undermine regulatory authority, disrupt market fairness, and deny Nigerian consumers the protection guaranteed under the law.

“By disregarding the FCCPC’s directive and implementing the price hike before appearing before the Commission’s investigative hearing on March 6, 2025, MultiChoice has not only flouted regulatory processes but also demonstrated a pattern of conduct that undermines consumer rights and fair competition,” the statement added.

In addition to the legal action, the FCCPC said it is considering further enforcement measures, including sanctions and regulatory interventions, to ensure compliance and accountability.

MultiChoice had earlier informed customers of the impending price review, set to take effect on March 1, 2025, attributing the adjustment to rising costs of delivering premium content.

According to the notice titled “Price Adjustments for DStv and GOtv Packages,” the company said, “Dear Customer, please note that effective March 1, 2025, there will be a price adjustment on all DStv packages.

This is to enable us to continue offering our customers world-class homegrown and international content, delivered through the best technology.

”While the Compact Plus and Premium bouquets will remain at N30,000 and N44,500, respectively, the DStv Compact package is among the subscriptions expected to be affected by the price increase.

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MTN , Airtel , Glo Begin USSD Direct Charges from Today

The new billing model would allow mobile network operators to charge customers directly for USSD sessions, with charges deducted from airtime balance at N6.98 per 120 seconds.

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Telecom subscribers in Nigeria will now be charged directly by their mobile network operators for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) services, starting Wednesday, June 18, 2025.

This was disclosed by Mr Gbenga Adebayo, the Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), and the Publicity Secretary, Mr Damian Udeh.

Adebayo said that the change is in line with the Nigerian Communications Commission’s (NCC) determination of USSD pricing and services, developed in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other stakeholders.

” The new billing model would allow mobile network operators to charge customers directly for USSD sessions, with charges deducted from airtime balance at N6.98 per 120 seconds,” he said.

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CAC unveils new service fees starting August 1

For companies, notable revisions showed that the voluntary striking-off fee has been raised from N25,000 (for small companies) to N50,000, and N100,000 for public entities.

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The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAc) on Tuesday, announces an increments for its service fees review certain service fees effective the 1st day of August 2025.

In a statement , the Commission said that the new fees are a reflection of the current economic conditions and rising operational expenses.

The CAC added that the new development is expected to have implications for business owners, legal practitioners, compliance officers, and stakeholders engaging with the corporate registry for post-incorporation filings and regulatory services..

Said CAC: ” the reviewed fee structure affects services offered to companies, limited partnerships, business names, and incorporated trustees.

For companies, notable revisions showed that the voluntary striking-off fee has been raised from N25,000 (for small companies) to N50,000, and N100,000 for public entities.

Relisting of a Company now costs N50,000 for LTD/GTE and N100,000 for public companies.

Due Diligence Search (Self-Service) has been fixed at N50,000 across all categories.

The commission said the request for an extension of time to hold the annual general meeting will now cost N100,000 for public companies, and N50,000 for others.

Historical Search Reports: Depending on the type, public users will now pay N20,000 to N30,000 per request.Other charges include N25,000 for restriction of the director’s residential address and N5,000 per certified true copy of documents or extracts.Under Limited Partnerships, the updated fees are as follows voluntary Striking Off and Relisting: N25,000, letter of good standing: N10,000, Registration and CTC of Documents: N30,000, Change of Name: N10,000.

For Business Names, the structure reflects modest increments of N10, 000 for voluntary striking off, relisting: N25,000, application for cessation N10,000, CTC of Documents/Extract: N5,000 each, restriction of Proprietor’s Address: N25,000.

The commission stated that name reservations across the board remain at N1,000 while name reservations for restricted words cost N5,000.”

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June Tax Returns: FIRS Extends Office Hours to Weekends

“As you are aware, the month of June marks the peak of the annual Companies Income Tax (CIT) filling season, with many taxpayers whose financial year ends 31st December expected to file their tax returns by June 30.“

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THE Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zaacheus Adedeji, has directed the extension of tax office operations to weekends for the month of June.

In a statement on Monday, Dare Adekanmbi, Special Adviser on Media to the FIRS chairman, explained that the directive is part of Adedeji’s commitment to matching the agency’s customer-centric policy with tangible action.

The statement reads: “The weekends service, which started on June 14, will end on Sunday, June 29, “and it is aimed at helping companies who are mandated by law to file their tax returns by the end of the month meet up with the deadline.”

“With the directive, tax offices are expected to open for business from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday throughout the month of June.”

Consequent upon Adedeji’s approval, the Coordinating Directors of Large Taxpayers Group (LTG), Government and Medium Taxpayers Group (GMTG) as well as Emerging Taxpayers Group (ETG), Ms Amina Ado, Dr Dick Irri and Mr Kabir Abba respectively have conveyed the decision of the management to all staff in the tax offices in the three groups.

“As you are aware, the month of June marks the peak of the annual Companies Income Tax (CIT) filling season, with many taxpayers whose financial year ends 31st December expected to file their tax returns by June 30.“

To ease the process for taxpayers, enhance service delivery, and maximize tax collection during this critical period, management has approved extension of tax office operations to weekends for the month of June 2025,” a directive jointly signed by the three Coordinating Directors said.

The FIRS chairman, on assumption of office, reorganized tax operations for ease of tax payment, leading the transformation of the agency from merely being a tax-collecting entity to a service-providing body.

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