From 50% telecoms tariff hike to Ezra Olubi’s saga: Here are the top 5 tech stories of 2025

Across 2025, tech stories dominated the waves, from telecoms to fintech, funding, banking, ride-hailing, crypto, and more. Beyond social conversations, these stories shaped decisions, policies and redefined how we conduct business.

To note: not. all tech stories. are the same. Some are more important than others.

This article spotlights the top five tech stories across the Nigerian scene in 2025.

While there are countless big tech stories in 2025, Technext did not exclusively make the selection of the top five. We reached out to founders in the Nigerian tech space, influencers and gathered opinions from techies.

We hope that this list will refresh your mind fondly:

1. 50% telecoms tariff hike

The conversation didn’t start in 2025.

It was one of the tech stories that dragged on into the year. It was an adjustment that was finalised in January. After months of dragging between MNOs, Stakeholders and the federal government, the 50% tariff came into effect. 

Within weeks of implementation, MTN, Airtel and Globacom rolled out new data subscription prices. Also, phone calls increased from N11 per minute to a range of about N15.40 to N16.50 per minute. 

Specifically, Globacom increased its call tariff from 11 kobo per second to 22 kobo per second. MTN raised its Pulse bundle call rate from N7.8/min (13k/sec) to N13.8/min (23k/sec) while SMS charges increased from N4 to N6. Also, Airtel increased its call rate from 18 kobo to 25 kobo per second. 

The telecoms tariff hike topped the list of major tech stories in 2025 because it impacts Nigerians directly. With the hike, students will spend more to attend classes online. It implies that most citizens will now spend more on mobile data and less on other necessities.

In a Technext’s story, Joseph, a job seeker, expressed the difficulties now faced in the wave to search for jobs online, and attending virtual interviews and tests. 

“The job market is already tough. Now, with the proposed data increase, it may feel impossible. Last month, I spent ₦5,000 on data just for job hunting. After the increase, I may need at least ₦7,500,” he said. 

Read more on how other individuals across Nigerian society express their new predicament here.

In a recent discussion, Abayomi, a 300-level Civil Engineering student at the University of Ibadan, expressed how most of his allowance has been devoted to mobile data subscription. 

“Online lectures have increased in the last two semesters. I spend close to 50% of my allowance on buying data. And this data drains fast due to watching YouTube tutorials to complement lecture notes,” he said. 

While telecoms operators attached pricing to infrastructure improvements, Nigerians are still adjusting to the shift.

2. Moniepoint $90m raise, $1B valuation 

Moniepoint, led by Tosin Eniolorunda and Felix Ike continued its meteoric rise in 2025 with an additional $90 million Series C round. It pushed Moniepoint’s valuation above the $1 billion mark and solidified its status as a unicorn.

The round sums its total funds raised to over $200 million, following an initial $110 million close announced in October 2024. It also includes an over $10 million Series C fund raised in January, backed by Visa.

It is also a statement of how Moniepoint has transitioned and made an impact across the African market. 

In his reaction to why the development is one of the top tech stories of the year, Emmanuel Oziuwa-John, Co-founder and CEO of Salvus Emergency, hammered on how Moniepoint has continued to lead in bridging Africa’s financial inclusion.

He notes its expansion to the United Kingdom. “They need no introduction; they scaled out of Africa,” he added.

Overall, Moniepoint has successfully transitioned from a payment infrastructure provider for banks into a comprehensive platform offering digital payments, business and personal banking, credit, cross-border transfers, and management services in about four years.

Recall that earlier in the year, the company processed over 1 billion transactions monthly. 

3. Chowdeck acquired Mira 

2025 has been Chowdeck’s year of notable milestones. It cemented its position as the default Nigerian logistics leader and raked in impressive numbers.

Its acquisition of Mira in June transformed it from being a sole logistics company to playing in the food business lifecycle, inventory, and POS operations. It was a move that addressed the company’s backend operation issues, inventory management challenges and strengthened its vendor ecosystem. 

On why Chowdeck made his list of top tech stories for the year, Emmanuel said: “How many times have you read or seen an African startup succeed so much they buy anyone?” He said. “Mira was one year old at the time of the acquisition.”

Over the past two years, Chowdeck has witnessed notable growth, positioning it as a potential infrastructure provider in a competitive market.

Lately, it surpassed two million users on its platform, reflecting how digital food delivery is becoming a necessity for people. In another milestone, Chowdeck crossed 1 million orders in October 2025 amid operational challenges. 

4. Tax! Tax!! Tax!!!

The Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025 will take effect in January 2026. Since its passing in June, it has generated heated debates about its potential impact, possible implementation and who will be affected. 

Technext held an X space in October to help Nigerian freelancers, content creators, SMEs, and full-time employees understand what it means.

You can access the full story here. 

At the bedrock of this discussion is the Tax Identification Number (TIN), which helps to connect financial records to a legitimate profile in the tax network. 

While this is a necessity, it is not compulsory (maybe for now), experts have urged freelancers and small business owners to take proactive steps and get their TIN. “It’s much easier to comply early than to fix mistakes later,” said Emmanuel Ifeanyi, a tax associate at Andersen in Nigeria.

See a step-by-step guide on how to get your TIN online here. 

One thing is clear: come 1 January 2026, the new law seeks to reduce multiple taxes and introduce transparency. 

5. Ezra Olubi’s past

Of course, this topped the list of tech stories in 2025. 

The Ezra Olubi’s saga generated conversations, memes and lessons for players and founders. It trended on all social media platforms, generating a conversation trend on X for days.

Consequently, Paystack fired Ezra. The decision comes as old social media posts from Olubi, dating back to 2010-2017, resurfaced, igniting widespread scrutiny over the controversial content.

There are a lot of lessons:

1. The permanence of information on digital platforms and how sensitive issues can come hunting years later.
2. It shows how public figures tend to face intense scrutiny and how prospective founders and leaders must be careful in their career buildup. 
3. Success or brilliance may not really protect individuals from falling when faced with public backlash, especially on a moral note. The internet can be unforgiving.

From a legal view, Agbo Obinnaya, Co-founder and CEO of Case Radar, said:

“Ezra was a public figure, and his posts led to his dismissal from a company he had built…although they had sold the company. It points out how a founder’s image reflects on the company.” He said, adding that “every founder/co-founder has an onus to represent a company and himself responsibly.”

Stemming from Ezra’s case, Technext did a story on what the law says about workplace disputes, social media scandals, and who has the upper hand. Read it here. 

Aside from the above, other tech stories mentioned were MultiChoice subscribers’ deep and rescue mission by Canal+, Central Bank of Nigeria’s POS and withdrawal limits regulations, Okra and Bento Africa’s sudden collapse.