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Tag: 9Mobile

  • 9mobile appoints new COO

    9mobile appoints new COO

    9mobile has appointed John Vasikaran as its Chief Operations Officer (COO). 

     Vasikaran has more than 20 years in the African telecoms industry.

    As COO, he will provide strategic leadership for the operations across Technical, IT, Sales, Commercial Planning, Customer Care, Marketing Communications, and PMO in line with the trends and EMTS’ strategic vision.

    He was Director of Business Development and Sales for Ribbon Communications.

    Read Also: 9mobile: 5G is game-changer for IoT

    9mobile CEO Juergen Peschel said: “We are thrilled to welcome Vasikaran to the 9mobile family. His extensive experience, especially in Nigeria and Africa, makes him the ideal leader to steer our operations in line with current industry trends and our strategic vision. We believe that with his addition, 9mobile will continue to provide world-class services to our valued customers.” 

    Vasikaran said: “It gives me great joy to join 9mobile. I look forward to working with the team towards maintaining its position as a leading telecommunications provider in Nigeria.

     and also seeking new ways to drive growth and meet the evolving needs of our customers while staying at the forefront of technological advancements in the telecommunications sector”.

    Educated at prestigious institutions, Vasikaran holds a Master’s in Business Analytics with a specialization in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from Harvard Business School, USA. He also possesses a Master of Business Administration degree with a dual focus on Finance and Marketing, a Master of Social Sciences degree in Industrial Psychology, and a Bachelor of Commerce degree, all earned at Loyola College, Chennai, India.

  • 9mobile to provide toll-free emergency lines to corps members 

    Mobile Telecommunications company, 9mobile, has offered to provide a toll-free emergency lines for the National Youth Service Corps.

    Its Executive Director in charge of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Abdulrahman Ado, disclosed this during a visit to the NYSC Director-General, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, in Abuja.

    In a statement by NYSC’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Adenike Adeyemi, the service was part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility.

    He said the emergency lines would enable corps members reach dedicated help lines of the NYSC and security agencies when in distressed situation.

    Read Also: NYSC DG to corps members: be security conscious

    Ado presented a proposal for partnership on employment generation for corps members, which involves the implementation of E-Learning Digital Skills Center at each of the NYSC Orientation Camps.

    The centers, he said, would train the corps members in digital skills and entrepreneurship, and also provide them opportunities to become business process outsource specialists.

    In his remarks, NYSC’s Director-General said the empowerment of corps members through entrepreneurial training was one of the focal points of his policy thrust, adding that the scheme would welcome offer of assistance from credible stakeholders.

    Ibrahim hailed 9mobile for its interest in the empowerment of youth, noting that its proposal would be beneficial to the scheme in its bid to equip corps members for self-employment and wealth creation.

    He spoke of the NYSC Mega Skill Centres constructed for the North-East and South-West Geo-political zones in Gombe and Ekiti States respectively through public-private-partnership, and called on 9mobile and other private sector organizations to assist in providing similar facilities in other zones of the country.

  • Court dismisses suit challenging 9mobile’s sale

    The Federal High Court in Lagos yesterday dismissed a suit by Spectrum Wireless Communications Limited against Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services (EMTS), owners of 9mobile.

    The plaintiff challenged the sale of Etisalat (which was renamed 9mobile).

    Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke, in a ruling on EMTS’ preliminary objection, held that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to file the suit numbered FHC/L/CS/153/2018.

    He held that there was no direct shareholding relationship between Spectrum Wireless and EMTS to vest on Spectrum the right to sue EMTS to protect its alleged shareholding.

    The court also upheld the defendant’s position that Spectrum is not a shareholder in EMTS and cannot be directly affected by the actions of its shareholders – Mubadala Holdings Cyprus Ltd, Myacynth Coperative UA and Etisalat International Nigeria Ltd.

    The court further upheld the defendant’s argument that if at all Spectrum has a right of action, it should be against Premium Telecommunications Holdings NV (PTHNV), the company it originally invested in, and not EMTS.

    Justice Aneke, therefore, upheld the submission of counsel to EMTS that not being a shareholder of EMTS, Spectrum lacked the locus standi (legal right) to bring the suit against EMTS on the basis of any decision taken by EMTS’ shareholders.

    The judge added that the concept of “indirect shareholding/economic interest” claimed by Spectrum is unknown to Nigerian law, which only recognises members of a company as those named in its Register of Members.

    Justice Aneke also held that Spectrum is not a party to the credit facilities which it claimed were unlawfully obtained; adding that it is elementary law that only parties to a contract can make judicial claims in respect thereof.

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    The court, therefore, dismissed the suit in its entirety.

    Spectrum Wireless Communications had sued EMTS and 16 others, including United Capital Trustees Limited (the lenders), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over the sale of 9mobile.

    The company had claimed that it acquired indirect holding of 30 per cent of EMTS’ shares after a private placement and was allotted 4,041,096 Class A shares of PTHNV, which owns 99 per cent of the shares in MyaCynth.

    The plaintiff also claimed that MyaCynth holds 30 per cent of EMTS BV’s shares; that EMTS BV holds 99.9 per cent of EMTS’ shares, and that EMTS’ syndicated loan from the second to fourth defendants was granted without the requisite statutory approval of CBN.

    Spectrum Wireless Communications also claimed that its investments in EMTS would be lost if the 15th to 17th defendants were allowed to effect EMTS’ sale.

    However, Justice Aneke dismissed the claims and upheld EMTS’ preliminary objection.

  • Court nullifies sale of 9mobile to Teleology

    ALL steps taken from April 25, 2018 in respect of ownership transfer of Etisalat International Nigeria Limited (9mobile) to Teleology Nigeria Limited were yesterday voided by a Federal High Court in Abuja which set aside the sale of the telecommunication firm.

    Justice Binta Nyako voided all steps taken in relation to the exchange of ownership of Etisalat, despite pending orders for maintenance of status quo, restraining parties to a suit involving investors and other stakeholders from destroying the res (subject matter).

    Justice Nyako, who noted that parties were all aware of the suit, the defendants having been served between April 24 and 27, 2018 with the originating process, faulted the sale, as claimed by the plaintiffs in a motion filed on November 16, 2018.

    The judge held: “Any action that has been taken concerning the res of this litigation from the 25th day of April, which is earlier in time, should revert to the position, as of the res, to  25th day of April 2018.”

    The April 1 ruling (a copy of which was sighted yesterday) was in a suit filed on April 6, 2018 by two major investors in Etisalat —Afdin Ventures Limited and Dirbia Nigeria Limited.

    Afdin and Dirbia, whose investment in Etisalat is estimated at $43, 033,950, had approached the court to retrieve their investments on the grounds that they were aggrieved, having been excluded from the company’s decision making process.

    Defendants in the suit are: Karington Telecommunication Ltd, Premium Telecommunications Holdings NV, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Central Bank of Nigeria, Etisalat International Nigeria Ltd and Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC).

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    The plaintiffs stated, in a supporting affidavit to the motion dated November 16, 2018, that they resorted to praying the court to void the sale of Etisalat, upon learning that the defendants have proceeded to conclude the transfer the company’s ownership despite the restraining orders made earlier by the court.

    They said: “In 2009, the plaintiffs/applicants purchased a total of 4,303,391 class “A” shares from the 1st, 2nd and 5th defendants (Karlingtton, Premium Telecommunication and Etisalat International) at the rate of $43, 033,950 only, and were issued with share certificates.

    “In 2010, the defendants rebranded Etisalat Nigeria Limited to 9mobile and entered into negotiations with Smile.com and Glo Network to transfer its licence without recourse to the plaintiffs.

    “When the plaintiffs became aware of the purported transaction, they filed this suit along with two applications namely: motion ex-parte and motion on notice, seeking for an order of injunction to restrain the defendants from going ahead with the transaction.

    “When this suit came up for hearing on the 17th of April, 2018, this honourable court ordered parties to maintain status quo-pending the determination of the motion on notice.

    “Notwithstanding the aforementioned order, the defendants continued negotiations with Smile.com and Glo Network in defiance to the subsisting order of this court.

    “When the plaintiffs/applicants discovered that the defendants were bent on selling Etisalat Nigeria Limited “rebranded 9moile” despite the subsisting order of court, they instructed their Counsel Mahmud A. Magaii (SAN) to write and caution the defendants of the implications of their actions.

    “Upon receipt of the above letters, the 3rd and 4rd respondents (First Bank and Central Bank), through their counsel Olaniwun Aiayi wrote to the applicants, through their counsel on the 24th August, 2018 and  31th August, 2018, denying the existing of the order of status quo made by this honourable court on the 17th  April, 2018 and 31th August, 2018.

    “When this matter come up on the 10th of October, 2018, counsel to the plaintiff Okechukwu Edeze, informed the court of the attempts mode by the defendants to sell Etisalat Nigeria Limited.

    “Consequently, this honourable court made another order of status quo, directing parties to refrain from tampering with the subject matter of the suit.

    “Despite the orders of this honourable court made on the 10th of October, 2018, the defendants went ahead and sold Etisalat Nigeria limited, rebranded 9moible to Teleology Nigeria Limited with impunity.

    “It will be in the interest of justice to set aside the sale of Etisalat Nigeria limited rebranded 9moible to Teleology Nigeria Limited and commit the defendants to prison for disobeying the lawful orders of the court.”

    Justice Nyako  adjourned hearing in the substantive suit to June 12.

    Ownership transfer intact, says firm

    Emerging Markets Telecommunication Services Ltd. (trading as 9mobile) management yesterday refuted reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has nullified the sale of EMTS to Teleology Nigeria Limited.

    The telco described the reports as incorrect, misleading, mischievous and a total falsehood.

    Company Secretary/Legal Adviser Ore Olajide said the Federal High Court did not nullify the sale of EMTS, adding that the court had on April 1, 2019 made an order for parties to maintain status quo as at April 25, 2018. As at the said date, 9mobile was not a party to the suit before the court.

    Olajide said the action before Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court was not about the sale of EMTS (9mobile) but rather, the transfer of its licence even without locus standi.

    He said EMTS (9mobile) has, however, appealed the order and also sought an injunction pending appeal at the Court of Appeal.

    Olajide said: “The sale of 9mobile to Teleology Nigeria Limited has not been nullified. The court made an order to maintain status quo as at April 25, 2018 when EMTS was not a party to the suit and we have appealed the ruling as well as sought an injunction pending appeal at the Court of Appeal.”

    Assuring its subscribers and all stakeholders to remain calm, the company secretary said: “We are working with our team of legal counsels to follow through as deemed necessary. EMTS remains focused on providing best in class telecoms services to its subscribers and will provide necessary updates in due course.”

  • Updated: 9mobile:Court nullifies sale of Etisalat

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has set aside the sale of telecommunication firm, Etisalat International Nigeria Limited (9mobile) to Teleology Nigeria Limited.

    Justice Binta Nyako, in a ruling, voided all steps taken in relation to the exchange of ownership of Etisalat despite pending orders for maintenance of status quo, restraining parties to a suit, involving investors and other stakeholders in the company, from destroying the res (subject matter).

    Justice Nyako, who noted that parties were all aware of the existence of the suit, the defendants having been served between April 24 and 27, 2018 with the originating process, faulted the sale, as claimed by the plaintiffs in a motion filed on November 16, 2018

    The judge held: “Any action that has been taken concerning the rest of this litigation from the 25th day of April, which is earlier in time, should revert to the position, as of the res, to its 25th day of April 2018.”

    The ruling, given on April 1, 2019 (a copy of which was sighted on Thursday) was in a suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/288/2018 filed on April 6, 2018 by two major investors in Etisalat, Afdin Ventures Limited and Dirbia Nigeria Limited.

    Afdin and Dirbia, whose investments in Etisalat is estimated at $43,033,950, had sued to retrieve their investments on the grounds that they were aggrieved, having been excluded from the decision making process of the company.

    Defendants in the suit are: Karington Telecommunication Ltd, Premium Telecommunications Holdings NV, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, Central Bank of Nigeria, Etisalat International Nigeria Ltd and Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC).

    The plaintiffs stated, in a supporting affidavit to the motion dated November 16, 2018, that they resorted to praying the court to void the sale of Etisalat, upon learning that the defendants have proceeded to conclude the transfer the company’s ownership despite the restraining orders made earlier by the court.

    Read Also: Court warns CBN, NCC on Etisalat

    They said: “In 2009, the plaintiffs/applicants purchased a total of 4,303,391 class “A” shares from the 1st, 2nd and 5th defendants (Karlingtton, Premium Telecommunication and Etisalat International) at the rate of $43,033,950 only, and were issued with share certificates.

    “In 2010, the defendants rebranded Etisalat Nigeria Limited to 9mobile and entered into negotiations with Smile.com and Glo Network to transfer its licence without recourse to the plaintiffs.

    “When the plaintiffs became aware of the purported transaction, they filed this suit along with two applications namely: motion ex-parte and motion on notice, seeking for an order of injunction to restrain the defendants from going ahead with the transaction.

    “When this suit came up for hearing on the 17th of April, 2018, this honourable court ordered parties to maintain status quo-pending the determination of the motion on notice.

    “Notwithstanding the aforementioned order, the defendants continued negotiations with

  • 9mobile assures of quality service

    Nigeria’s telecommunications company and leading provider of enterprise solutions, 9mobile, has affirmed its commitment to enabling the growth of enterprises in Nigeria, in recognition of their pivotal role in driving economic development.

    Its Acting Managing Director, Stephane Beuvelet, gave the assurance during a visit to one of its numerous enterprise customers, Nigerdock at its Integrated Inland Free Trade Zone, Snake Island, Lagos.

    He explained that a critical component of partnering with key enterprises within the economic landscape is regular top-level engagements with their leadership teams.

    This, he said, is to better understand their businesses, sharing useful information as well as receiving direct feedback on how 9mobile can support them to achieve their business goals.

    Beuvelet appreciated the management and staff of Nigerdock for their continuous trust in the network and reiterated 9mobile’s commitment to offering excellent service and products that enable growth and productivity.

    Beuvelet also provided insights into steps being taken by 9mobile to offer customers maximum satisfaction.

    “We are doubling the capacity of our 4G network across the country, which will dramatically improve customers’ experience. We are bringing a lot more innovation to the market, especially on the corporate side but with a lot to offer to our individual subscribers as well.

    “There is a very high focus on technical capability and quality of service, and lots of products that we are currently developing. We also want to be strong players in driving the Nigerian telco space on Internet of Things (IoT), so you will see significant strides from us in this regard.”

    Nigerdock Managing Director Pade Durotoye said it was enlightening to note that 9mobile is not just a mobile telecommunications company but one that offers a variety of best-in-class enterprise-support services.

    Durotoye commended 9mobile for the innovative telecommunications services it has consistently provided to Nigerdock and other corporate subscribers, over the years.

    He assured 9mobile management of the company’s continuous patronage, while exploring other areas of mutual benefits.

  • 9mobile offers free WhatsApp service to customers

    Fourth national carrier, 9mobile, is offering Nigerians the opportunity to use WhatsApp chat free of charge on its network.

    With this offer, upon purchase of  data bundles using *200*3*1#, customers will be able to use their data plans for other purposes while enjoying WhatsApp chat free of charge.

    The offer is the first-of-its-kind in the market and it is available to 9mobile subscribers on both pre-paid and post-paid/hybrid packages. With the free WhatsApp offer, customers can connect more with family and friends; businesses are also not left out as business customers can also benefit from the offer to connect with colleagues and clients. 9mobile’s free WhatsApp offer includes text, images, video and other multimedia content sharing, but excludes voice calls, video calls and status updates.

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    Speaking on the offer, Vice President, Marketing, 9mobile, Adebisi Idowu, said the offer affirms the telco’s commitment to rewarding customers for their loyalty and providing greater access to platforms that help foster closer relationships with loved ones.

    He said: “You will recall that in our 2018 end-of-year message, our Acting Managing Director, Stephane Beuvelet, made some promises to our customers including the deployment of an array of innovative brand loyalty reward programmes this year.”

  • 9mobile is ‘Telecom Company of the Year 2018’

    9mobile has won the Telecom Company of the Year 2018. The firm won the award at the LEADERHSIP Annual Conference and Awards which held yesterday at the International Conference Centre (ICC), Abuja.

    The honour was conferred by Leadership Group Limited, publishers of Leadership Newspaper, in recognition of the telco’s resilience and stability in the face of challenges which the company pulled through over the last two years.

    Leadership Group Ltd Group Managing Director, Abdul Gombe, who presented the award, said the choice of 9mobile was a unanimous decision reached by an enlarged Board of Editors at a recent meeting.

    Gombe hailed 9mobile for emerging stronger from its many tests, including the challenging operating environment, tough regulatory requirements, threat of take-over by a banking consortium and post-acquisition realities.

    “In the face of all these, 9mobile has maintained its relevance and its 9ja brand heritage within the Nigerian telecommunication space. For your resilience, the selection board found you most suitable for this prestigious award,” he added.

    9mobile Acting Managing Director Stephane Beuvelet, who received the award, praised Leadership for finding the telco worthy of the honour, saying it would motivate the board and management to continue building a world-class telecommunications company.

    He said: “On behalf of my other board members, we say thank you to Leadership Group Limited, for this award. Indeed, 2018 was a defining year for 9mobile, but we saw it as an opportunity to show our mettle and resilience.

    “Our thanks also goes to our stakeholders, our regulators who worked assiduously to ensure that the transition process was seamless; investors and financial partners that sustained the flow of critical lifeblood that we needed to stay afloat, and our customers who demonstrated loyalty and confidence in the brand.”

  • 9mobile appoints Oki CFO

    9mobile has appointed of Phillips Oki as its new Chief Financial Officer.

    Oki, who has already resumed duties, emerged through a meticulous process that sought to identify the best fit for the towering requirements of the critical position, given the new phase of the business as it moves to explore new grounds of success.

    The new CFO brings to 9mobile over two decades of cognate work experience in functional areas across financial accounting and management, audit, business and project management, financial reporting, and budgeting. With robust experience cutting across private and public sectors, including the academia, Oki possesses a rare blend of invaluable insights and working knowledge in the vast field of finance.

    Prior to joining 9mobile, Oki’s career progressed steadily over time across organisations where he played strategic roles resolving challenges innovatively and creating commendable solutions.

    From a successful audit role at KPMG Nigeria and consulting experience with Price Water Coopers (PWC), he joined Royal Marchant Bank and moved on to other organisations, including Pepsico International, TBIC Nigeria Limited and Babcock University.

  • 9mobile appoints new Chief Financial Officer

    Telecommunications company, 9mobile has announced the appointment of Mr Phillips Oki as its new Chief Financial Officer.

    The Acting Managing Director of 9mobile, Stephanie Beuvelet, who disclosed this in a statement issued in Lagos on Monday, said that Oki has resumed duty.

    Beuvelet said that Oki emerged as the best person for the position after a meticulous search process.

    “The new Chief Financial Officer brings to 9mobile over two decades of cognate work experience in functional areas across financial accounting and management, audit, business and project management, financial reporting, and budgeting.

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    “With robust experience cutting across private and public sectors, including the academia, Oki possesses a rare blend of invaluable insights and working knowledge in the vast field of finance.

    “Prior to joining 9mobile, Oki’s career progressed steadily over time across organisations where he played strategic roles resolving challenges innovatively and creating commendable solutions,” Beuvelet said.

    He noted that Oki had worked in several companies like KPMG Nigeria, Price Water Coopers (PWC), Royal Merchant Bank, Pepsico International, TBIC Nigeria Ltd and Babcock University.

    Beuvelet added that Oki was an economist and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountant of Nigeria (FCA), and also a project manager, who has delivered projects across multi-disciplinary organisations like Adam Smith International, United Kingdom, among others.

    He said that members of the senior management team were excited to have Oki on board and are positive that his experience would count in providing strategic financial leadership for the organisation.

    “We are excited to have Oki with us. Finance is a huge part of any business, especially one like ours in a competitive telco space where it continues to be imperative to have operational costs within healthy bounds.

    “We are confident that Oki will leverage his wealth of experience to inspire the finance team to deliver on their mandate,” Beuvelet said.