Hallo,
Victoria from Techpoint here,
Here’s what I’ve got for you today:
- NRS debunks claims of fresh VAT on banking
- Falana wins $25K case against Meta over viral video
- Starlink cuts upfront costs with pay-small plan
NRS debunks claims of fresh VAT on banking
If your bank transfer alert this week came with a side of panic about “new VAT charges,” you’re not alone, but you’ve also been misled. Nigeria’s Revenue Service (NRS) has come out to shut down reports claiming the new Nigeria Tax Act slapped VAT on banking services like transfers, fees, and commissions. According to the agency, VAT on bank charges is not new and was not introduced by the latest tax law.
What this means is simple: Nigerians are not being taxed on the money they send or withdraw. VAT only applies to the service charge banks collect. Things like transfer fees, USSD charges, card issuance, and account maintenance. If a bank charges ₦10 for a transfer, VAT applies to that ₦10, not the amount you sent.
The confusion, the NRS says, is really about enforcement, not legislation. Banks are being reminded to properly remit VAT they already collect, in line with existing law. No fresh VAT burden has been placed on savings, interest earned, food, healthcare, or education.
How did we get here? In June 2025, President Bola Tinubu signed four major tax reform bills into law, with some provisions kicking in mid-2025 and others from January 1, 2026. Since then, half-understood summaries and social media hot takes have done the rounds, prompting the taxman to step in and clear the air.
Meanwhile, Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, has pushed back against reports claiming the Federal Government has paused the release of implementation guidelines for the new tax laws. The report had quoted him as saying agencies like the Nigeria Revenue Service and the Joint Revenue Board were told to hold off because the final version of the laws was unclear, comments he was said to have made at a recent ICAN event in Lagos.
Oyedele admitted there are concerns about conflicting versions of the tax laws in circulation but said that does not amount to a halt in implementation. He explained that his team simply tried to obtain an authenticated printed copy from the Government Printer, as required by law, but was told all copies were with the National Assembly. He later dismissed the report outright, posting a screenshot of the headline on X and stamping it “Fake News.”
Falana wins $25K case against Meta over viral video
It’s not every day a Nigerian court tells big tech, “you’re not just the middleman.” But that’s exactly what happened on January 13, 2026, when a Lagos State High Court ruled in favour of human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, against Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, over a viral video that spread false medical claims about him.
The court awarded Falana $25,000 in damages, holding Meta responsible for allowing the content to circulate on its platforms. The judgment, shared publicly by privacy expert and lawyer Olumide Babalola, rejected Meta’s long-standing defence that it merely hosts third-party content and should not be liable for what users post.
Per the court, Meta crossed that line because it controls how content is distributed and monetised through algorithms. That control, the judge said, makes Meta a joint data controller, not a passive platform. Under Nigeria’s Data Protection Act, false medical information, even about a public figure — counts as a privacy violation, and Meta was found to have breached its duty of care.
But the ruling has sparked unease among legal and privacy experts. Gbenga Odugbemi argues that the case should have been treated as defamation or negligence, not privacy. “Privacy law isn’t a shortcut for every kind of harm,” he warned, adding that using the wrong legal framework could weaken future cases instead of strengthening accountability.
Others, like Advocate Dirontsho Mohale, are more concerned about what this means going forward. If platforms like Meta are considered joint data controllers simply because they distribute content, the implications could extend far beyond this case, reshaping how tech companies operate in Nigeria and what everyday users can realistically expect when harmful content spreads online. Find out what this means for Meta and the average user in Delight’s latest for Techpoint Africa.
Starlink cuts upfront costs with pay-small plan in Kenya
Starlink is trying a new trick to win back Kenyan users — pay small, spread the rest later.
The SpaceX-owned satellite Internet company has introduced instalment payments for its Starlink Mini kit in Kenya, cutting the hefty upfront cost that has kept many potential users on the sidelines. Under the new plan, customers pay KSh 6,750 upfront, plus activation and shipping fees, then spread the remaining hardware cost over six months, while paying the regular monthly subscription.
For price-sensitive users, especially in rural and underserved areas, this is a big shift. Instead of coughing up KSh 27,000 at once for the mini kit, users can now ease into the service with lower initial cash and slightly higher monthly bills. It’s Starlink’s clearest move yet to tackle affordability, one of its biggest barriers in Kenya.
The timing matters. After launching in Kenya in 2023, Starlink grew fast, hitting a 0.5% market share within six months. But momentum slowed when the company froze new sign-ups in crowded cities like Nairobi and Mombasa in late 2024 due to capacity constraints, a pause that lasted until mid-2025.
That slowdown opened the door for local telcos. Safaricom and Airtel moved aggressively with cheaper 5G routers aimed at rural users, while Starlink’s market share slipped to under 1%. With instalment payments now on the table, the satellite provider is betting that flexibility — not just coverage — will help it regain lost ground.
In case you missed it
- “The third party didn’t exist” – Femi Falana’s lawyer explains why Nigerian court ruled against Meta
What I’m watching
- Tony Robbins: No One Is Ready For What’s Coming! Why The Next Decade Will Break People!
- The Most Romantic Thing You Can Ever Say to Someone
Opportunities
- Paystack MFB is hiring for a few roles. Apply here.
- Attend your first tech event in January! Tech Revolution Conference, a two-day event to discuss everything tech, takes place at Landmark Event Centre, Lagos on January 30 and 31, 2026. Get your tickets here.
- Don’t miss the Cavista Technologies Hackathon happening between February 21 and 22. Register your team and go home with cash prizes here.
- Kuda is recruiting a Head of Product (Credit). Apply here.
- Jumia is looking for a Senior Key Account Manager. Apply here.
- MTN is hiring a Specialist, International Remittance (Product Manager). Apply here.
- Don’t Miss the Africa Business Convention (ABC) 2026. It’s Africa’s #1 Business Conference & Investment Expo. It’s between February 3 and 4. Book your seat today here.
- Moniepoint is hiring for over 100 roles. Apply here.
- We’re hosting a debate on AI in daily life. Join us to share your insights and perspectives.
- Techpoint Africa is creating a video series where people discuss and debate policies and current events. If you enjoy thoughtful conversations, fill out this form. Apply here.
- Are you building a startup can feel isolating, but with Equity Merchants CommunityConnect? You can network with fellow founders, experts, and investors, gaining valuable insights and exclusive resources to help you grow your business. Click here to join.
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Have a fun weekend!
Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa
