By Sam Otuonye 

 Seplat Energy has strengthened its commitment to climate action and environmental sustainability through its Tree4Life Programme, which recently achieved a major milestone with the planting of 200,000 trees, reinforcing the company’s ambition to establish one million trees by 2030.

The Tree4Life Programme is a flagship reforestation and biodiversity conservation initiative that combines environmental restoration with community development. 

According to Seplat Energy’s 2025 Social Performance Report, the programme has established nurseries containing more than 175,000 seedlings and has trained more than 300 community members in tree planting, nursery management and sustainable land-use practices.

Beyond its environmental objectives, the initiative continues to deliver meaningful socio-economic benefits. More than 350 community members have been engaged through various project activities, including site preparation, planting operations, nursery management and logistics support, creating significant economic opportunities across participating communities. The programme has also supported community capacity building and sustainable agricultural practices, helping to strengthen local livelihoods while advancing conservation efforts.

Seplat Energy’s approach emphasizes close collaboration with host communities and key stakeholders to ensure the long-term success of restoration efforts. Through continuous engagement, the company is promoting shared ownership of forest protection and environmental stewardship across project locations.

Building on the momentum generated by the planting of 200,000 trees, Seplat Energy plans to scale up the programme from 2026 as part of a broader strategy to restore degraded landscapes, enhance biodiversity and contribute to global efforts to combat climate change. The company intends to sustain phased planting activities across the project area while strengthening maintenance programmes, survival monitoring and replacement planting to maximize long-term impact.

Future plans also include expanding environmental and social baseline studies, enhancing biodiversity monitoring and strengthening the measurement and verification of carbon sequestration outcomes in line with internationally recognized standards. These efforts are expected to support the programme’s long-term goal of planting one million trees by 2030 while creating enduring environmental and social value.

The Tree4Life Programme underscores Seplat Energy’s commitment to responsible energy development, environmental sustainability and inclusive growth, demonstrating how climate action can be integrated with community empowerment to create lasting benefits for present and future generations.

By Sam Otuonye 

In a bold move to secure Nigeria’s digital space Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has unveiled Type Approval Compliance framework, introducing a Device Checker service that enables consumers to verify communications devices by dialling *315#.

The Commission said the initiative would strengthen consumer protection, safeguard telecommunications networks and help identify counterfeit, cloned and other non-compliant devices seeking access to Nigerian mobile networks.

Speaking at a news conference on the Commission’s Technical Standards and Network Integrity initiatives in Abuja, on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, the Director of Technical Standards and Network Integrity, Engr. Edoyemi Ogoh, said the framework was designed to ensure that communications devices sold and used in Nigeria met the required technical standards.

Ogoh explained that Type Approval was an existing regulatory requirement, adding that the Commission was deploying technology to improve compliance monitoring and enforcement.

He said telecommunications had become central to Nigeria’s economic and social development, supporting business, financial transactions, education, healthcare, public services and personal communication.

“Type Approval is not merely a regulatory requirement. It is a vital mechanism for protecting consumers, safeguarding network performance and preserving confidence in Nigeria’s digital economy,” he said.

According to him, the enhanced framework followed consultations with original equipment manufacturers, importers, dealers, telecommunications service providers, government agencies and industry associations following the issuance of the Type Approval Business Rules in August 2024.

He added that the NCC had worked with the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders to onboard devices already in stock and ensure newly imported equipment underwent the required verification.

Earlier, the Director of Public Affairs at the NCC, Nnenna Ukoha, urged media organisations to intensify public awareness of the Device Checker and other regulatory initiatives.

Ukoha said the media engagement was organised to give journalists insights into the Commission’s regulatory activities, industry developments and issues affecting telecommunications stakeholders.

She stressed that effective communication was essential to ensuring that regulatory policies achieved their intended objectives, particularly among consumers at the grassroots.

According to her, even well-designed regulations could have limited impact if their objectives and benefits were not adequately communicated to the public.

She therefore urged journalists to provide accurate and balanced information to help Nigerians understand the Device Checker, its benefits and their responsibilities when purchasing communications equipment.

The NCC said consumers could check a device by dialling *315# and following the prompts or visiting its official portal at www.ncc.gov.ng/devicechecker.

For a device other than the one currently in use, consumers may need its 15-digit International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number, which can be obtained by dialling *#06#.

The Commission advised Nigerians to verify devices before making payment, particularly when buying second-hand phones.

However, it clarified that consumers purchasing devices from Nigerian sellers were not expected to obtain Type Approval themselves, as compliance responsibilities rest primarily with manufacturers, importers, suppliers and businesses placing devices on the market.

The enhanced compliance system took effect on October 7, 2026.

 According to the NCC, devices already connected to Nigerian mobile networks before implementation were automatically verified and generally require no action from their users.

The framework covers smartphones, feature phones, cellular tablets, eligible Internet of Things (IoT) devices, SIM-enabled point-of-sale terminals, cellular laptops and other equipment designed to connect to Nigerian mobile networks.

Addressing privacy concerns, Ogoh said the system was designed for device identification and regulatory verification, not surveillance.

He explained that although the framework uses device identification information, including IMEI numbers, it does not allow the Commission to listen to calls, read messages, access photographs, contacts, financial information or other personal files.

The Commission also said the Device Checker does not track users’ physical locations or movements.

The NCC said devices confirmed to be non-compliant with applicable requirements could be denied access to Nigerian mobile networks.

It explained that counterfeit phones imitate genuine products without the original manufacturers’ authorisation, while cloned devices use IMEI numbers assigned to other legitimate devices.

However, the Commission cautioned that an unsuccessful verification result did not automatically mean a device was counterfeit. 

Consumers were advised to seek clarification from sellers and resolve outstanding verification issues before completing purchases.

It also warned Nigerians against fraudsters exploiting the process, urging them to use only the official *315# channel and NCC website and never disclose one-time verification codes to sellers, callers or other individuals, even as clarified that international roaming with foreign SIM cards would not be affected. 

Abu Umar 

Nigeria has called on African countries to build a stronger, better-funded and self-reliant continental security system to confront the growing threat of terrorism and other emerging security challenges.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, made the appeal in Abuja, while addressing the Consultative Forum on Strengthening the Functional Performance of the African Union Peace and Security Architecture.

She said Africa must assume greater responsibility for safeguarding its peace and stability, particularly amid rising regional security threats, weaknesses in existing continental mechanisms and growing pressure on multilateral cooperation.

The minister raised the alarm over the spread of terrorism across Africa, noting that armed groups were adopting new technologies to advance their operations while relying on proceeds from transnational organised crime and illicit financial flows to fund their activities.

To address the threats, Odumegwu-Ojukwu urged African states to strengthen the Continental Early Warning System, expand African-led mediation efforts and reinforce the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). She also called for improved intelligence-sharing, stronger national peace structures and urgent action on local grievances and youth unemployment to build more resilient communities.

The Minister stressed the need for increased support for rehabilitation and reintegration programmes, and encouraged African countries to leverage on AU Counter-Terrorism Centre (AUTC) for the coordination of continental counter-terrorism efforts.

While speaking on the importance of complementarity between AU Peace Fund and international funding commitments, including those of the United Nations (UN), the Minister emphasized the need to institutionalise predictable financing for AU-led operations. 

She called for enhanced peace support operations through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2719 as well as the full operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF) and

Regional Standby Forces.

Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed optimism that the two-

day Forum would engender practical and implementable recommendations required to strengthen Africa’s collective capacity to prevent conflicts, respond to emerging threats and promote sustainable peace and security.

The Consultative Forum is focused on four priorities: mediation and preventive diplomacy; early warning and response; counter-terrorism; and peace support operations. Nigeria expects it to produce practical recommendations that would improve security coordination on the African continent, enhance financing for peace and strengthen the capacity of African institutions to effectively

respond to Africa’s security challenges.