By Onyema Ohaegbu

What if purchasing data ceased to be a straightforward commercial transaction and became an experience in which certainty meets pleasant surprise, guaranteed value encounters unexpected generosity, and connectivity yields more than the customer originally bargained for? What if every subscription carried within it the possibility of an additional reward, transforming the familiar business of buying data into an invitation to enjoy more, achieve more and experience more?

This is the refreshing proposition behind Globacom’s Magic Data Bundles, an innovative offering that is redefining the conversation around affordability, customer value and digital inclusion in Nigeria’s telecommunications landscape.

At a time when data has become the indispensable currency of contemporary civilisation, powering conversations, commerce, education, entertainment, healthcare, governance and virtually every expression of human enterprise, the importance of affordable and dependable internet access cannot be overstated. Data is no longer merely a technological commodity; it is the invisible infrastructure upon which modern society conducts its business, exchanges knowledge, creates opportunities and sustains relationships.

Globacom’s Magic Bundles recognise this changing reality and respond with a proposition whose central philosophy is beautifully uncomplicated: customers should receive what they pay for, and enjoy something extra.
The ingenuity of the offering resides in its distinctive two-component architecture: a guaranteed main data allocation, complemented by an additional Magic Bonus, automatically credited following a successful subscription.

Available at two accessible price points, ₦1,600 and ₦3,500, the proposition introduces an appealing dimension of reward into the customer’s data experience.
At ₦1,600, subscribers receive a guaranteed 2.5GB main data allocation, alongside a Magic Bonus ranging from 500MB to 7.5GB, bringing the potential total allocation to between 3GB and 10GB. At ₦3,500, customers are assured of 8GB, with an additional bonus ranging from 1GB to 12GB, potentially raising their total data entitlement to between 9GB and 20GB.

Herein lies the magic: the guaranteed allocation remains sacrosanct, while the additional reward introduces an element of delightful anticipation. The bonus is automatically assigned by Globacom’s system, meaning that customers may receive different additional allocations on different subscriptions. The maximum reward is not guaranteed, but an additional bonus accompanies every qualifying purchase.

It is an ingenious marriage of commercial assurance and rewarding spontaneity.
Beyond the attractive numbers, the strategic significance of Magic Bundles becomes even more compelling when examined against the diverse demands of Nigeria’s increasingly data-dependent population.

For entrepreneurs, small businesses, retailers and corporate organisations, data is the oxygen of commercial productivity. It facilitates digital marketing, electronic payments, customer engagement, virtual meetings, inventory management and the expanding universe of online commerce.

Additional data can translate into more opportunities to transact, communicate and serve customers without immediately returning to the marketplace for another subscription.

For students, researchers, lecturers and educational institutions, connectivity is a gateway to intellectual discovery. Online libraries, virtual classrooms, academic journals, educational videos and collaborative learning platforms have made internet access indispensable to contemporary education. More data means greater latitude to explore knowledge and participate in the expanding global classroom.

In healthcare, connectivity strengthens the possibilities of teleconsultation, medical research, professional collaboration, digital health records and public-health communication. Government institutions equally depend on data for administrative efficiency, citizen engagement, electronic services, policy communication and the expanding architecture of digital governance.

Within Nigerian homes, the benefits assume an altogether intimate character. Parents connect with children, families maintain relationships across geographical distances, young people explore opportunities, and households access entertainment, information and digital services.

From video streaming and social networking to online banking and professional development, Magic Bundles offer additional breathing space for everyday digital living.

Another attractive dimension is the flexibility of the proposition. Customers can purchase through the Glo Café application or by dialling *312#. The bundles are also shareable and giftable, subject to applicable conditions, while rollover provisions apply under Globacom’s prevailing policies.

Customers can monitor their main and bonus balances through Glo Café, the web self-service platform or *323#.
Viewed against competing industry propositions, Glo’s offering deserves particular attention.

Other operators provide daily, weekly and monthly subscriptions, promotional bonuses and specialised data packages. However, Magic Bundles distinguish themselves through the deliberate combination of a guaranteed allocation and an automatically awarded additional data reward within one subscription proposition.

This differentiation, rather than any sweeping dismissal of competitors’ offerings, constitutes the product’s strongest competitive argument.
The television commercial currently running on Arise TV provides an important communications platform for this proposition. Its significance extends beyond announcing another data package.

It places the product within a broader conversation about value, aspiration and the changing expectations of Nigerian telecommunications consumers. Arise TV’s national visibility and business-oriented audience offer a useful environment for communicating the proposition to decision-makers, professionals, entrepreneurs and ordinary subscribers alike.

Ultimately, Glo Magic Bundles embodies an attractive commercial philosophy: connectivity should empower, affordability should deliver substance, and customer loyalty should encounter tangible rewards.

In an industry where operators compete for attention, subscription and market share, Globacom is making a persuasive statement by placing additional customer value at the centre of its proposition.

It is a philosophy that resonates naturally with the company’s overarching campaign declaration, Never Settle for Less. Indeed, why should customers settle for the ordinary when their subscriptions can deliver something extra?

With Magic Bundles, Globacom is inviting Nigerians to experience data differently: not simply as megabytes purchased, but as opportunities multiplied, possibilities enlarged and everyday digital experiences enriched.
Because when connectivity comes with a little more magic, the possibilities become considerably greater.

Pastor Onyema Ohaegbu, Telecoms Enthusiast, writes in from Abuja

By Our Reporter

The former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, has dismissed allegations of ₦210 trillion in unaccounted funds raised by the Senate, insisting that no money was lost under his watch.

Kyari said the allegations relating to the company’s financial records between 2017 and 2023 were based on misconstrued entries and accounting issues.

He spoke on Tuesday when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, which is investigating queries raised by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation over NNPCL’s financial records during the period.

Explaining the issues, Kyari said the company had made efforts to implement decisions of the National Assembly, resulting in sustained investments and the development of the downstream sector for the benefit of the country.

“I am very proud that we have served this company in the best way possible. I remain loyal to this country and have done nothing deliberately wrong,” he said.

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On payments made to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Kyari explained that they were for registration purposes, describing the discrepancies as entry issues. He also said the ₦2.9 billion in question represented statutory payments.

Addressing the allegation that ₦5 billion was spent on renaming the NNPCL, the former GMD said the company’s name change was effected by the National Assembly, insisting that no money was paid for the exercise.

Kyari subsequently presented his report to the committee.

In his response, the committee chairman said 23 issues had been raised before the panel, with only one or two relating to the former NNPCL chief.

He said the report would be circulated among committee members for examination, adding that the panel could invite those concerned, as well as the Auditor-General of the Federation, for further clarification if necessary.

“We accept your apologies for not appearing at the previous sittings, and we will look at the figures,” the chairman said.

Kyari was subsequently discharged by the committee pending the conclusion of its investigation.

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts began investigating the disputed figures in June 2025 after discrepancies were identified in NNPCL’s audited financial statements covering 2017 to 2023.

The figures comprise ₦103 trillion recorded as accrued expenses and ₦107 trillion listed as sundry receivables. The committee has repeatedly rejected the explanations provided by the company, insisting that the entries must be properly accounted for.

In March 2026, the panel summoned Kyari and other former officials to explain the figures. It later ordered Kyari’s arrest in June after he failed to appear before it. However, former NNPCL officials have denied that the money went missing, arguing that the ₦210 trillion figure arose from a misinterpretation of the company’s financial records.

By Prosper Okoye

Nigeria’s anti-trafficking network is seeking to improve relations with the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) in some states, as it pushes for closer coordination between government agencies and civil society organisations.

Osita Osemene, president of the Network of Civil Society Organisations Against Child Trafficking, Abuse and Labour (NACTAL), said on Tuesday that his administration would prioritise repairing strained relationships between NAPTIP state commands and the network’s chapters.

Speaking at the 29th National Stakeholders Consultative Forum on Human Trafficking in Nigeria in Abuja, Osemene said poor relations in some states had weakened the collaboration needed to tackle trafficking.

“I have seen that in some states the relationship between NAPTIP command and NACTAL are strained. We shall change this,” he said.

He also called for greater unity among civil society organisations, urging NAPTIP’s director-general to encourage organisations working with the agency to become members of NACTAL.

Osemene appealed to non-governmental organisations and other civil society groups to register with the network, saying a common platform would improve coordination and strengthen Nigeria’s reporting on human trafficking.

“We want to achieve a good coordination. A country with a good coordination will make a good report because we are going to be reporting as one,” he said.

He said his administration would also focus on building the capacity of NACTAL members to strengthen their contribution to anti-trafficking efforts and improve collaboration at state and federal levels.

Citing engagements with anti-trafficking organisations in Ghana, Mali, Senegal and other countries, Osemene said Nigeria had made progress in government-civil society collaboration.

“We noticed that Nigeria is at the top,” he said, adding that NACTAL would strengthen its relationship with NAPTIP.

NAPTIP Director-General Binta Lami Adamu Bello also stressed the importance of collaboration, describing human trafficking as a continuing challenge that disproportionately affects women.

She raised concerns about the absence of NAPTIP commands in some states, specifically mentioning Delta, which she described as a major trafficking route.

Bello said state anti-trafficking task forces had been established in 25 states, while 10 states were yet to establish theirs. She called for stronger cooperation among states and partners to ensure responses were coordinated and responsive to emerging trafficking trends.

She expressed hope that the forum would provide an opportunity to review the country’s 2027 National Action Plan on Trafficking in Persons.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi said the Tinubu administration remained committed to combating human trafficking, arguing that poverty and vulnerability created conditions that traffickers exploited.

He said government programmes under the Renewed Hope Agenda were intended to reduce poverty, while reforms to the judicial system and improved intelligence sharing would help bring perpetrators to justice.

Fagbemi also called for greater state participation in funding anti-trafficking efforts, saying responsibility should not rest solely with the federal government because victims and perpetrators came from the states.

He urged stakeholders to use the review of the 2027 national action plan to address identified gaps, strengthen public awareness and improve prevention efforts.

Javier Leon, deputy team lead of FIAP, said Nigeria had made important efforts to combat trafficking but warned that no institution could address the problem alone.

He said cooperation, trust and shared commitment among government agencies, civil society and international partners were essential to achieving lasting results.

He described the impending end of the current National Action Plan as an opportunity to assess progress, identify shortcomings and establish priorities for the next plan.

Leon said the success of anti-trafficking efforts should not be measured only by the number of meetings held or officers trained, but also by the lives protected, victims supported and people prevented from falling into trafficking.

Other organisations and international partners at the forum also delivered goodwill messages, pledging continued support for Nigeria’s efforts to combat human trafficking and stressing the need for stronger collaboration among government institutions, civil society groups and development partners. They included the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Swiss Embassy, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), the European Union (EU), UNODC and other stakeholders.