Ondo, partner get licence for 550MW power plant

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued a licence to the Ondo State Government and its partners, Kingline Development Company, a South Korean firm, to generate 550 megawatts of electricity.

Nigeria MTN licence renewed but penalty still an issue

MTN offered some good news out of Nigeria on Tuesday, saying the authorities had renewed its licence for another five years.

After a torrid week, its stock rose 5% to close at R155.54 after the announcement.

It is however still caught up in a crisis over a $5.2bn fine from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for unregistered SIM cards on its network and on Tuesday it was unclear whether the payment of the fine was linked to the renewal.

Its original licence was issued in 2001 and is due to expire in February next year.

The five-year licence period is much shorter and could put further pressure on MTN in its single largest market.

Asked why the licence was only renewed for five years NCC head of public affairs Tony Ojobo said the period was the same for all operators. He did not provide further details on what the decision was based.

Kentucky: Gay Couple Receives Same-Sex Marriage License

A day after a Kentucky clerk was jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, a gay couple successfully secured one at the Rowan County clerk’s office Friday morning.

 

William Smith Jr. and James Yates were the first couple to obtain a license since Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk, stopped issuing marriage certificates immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June legalizing same-sex unions.