News & Updates ‣ Jackson, Etti & Edu

Federal Ministry Of Interior Reviews Its Fee Structure For Expatriate Quota Facilities

March 2, 2022

The Federal Ministry of Interior (FMI) has been undergoing some internal restructuring.

NUPRC Revokes Marginal Field Awards to 33 Companies

February 15, 2022

The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has revoked marginal field awards to 33 companies that failed to pay signature bonus within the 45-day window stipulated by the Marginal Field Bid Round (MFBR) guidelines.

IMPORTANT UPDATES ON TRADEMARK PROTECTION UNDER THE OAPI

February 14, 2022

The Bangui Agreement, which governs the protection of intellectual property rights of African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) member states, has been revised, introducing some changes to the process of registering trademarks at the OAPI. The revisions have now entered into force and were effective from January 2022. These changes are discussed in detail below.

UPDATED GUIDELINES ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF EXPATRIATE QUOTA AND OTHER BUSINESS INSTRUMENTS

February 7, 2022

On the 24th of January 2022, the Federal Ministry of Interior (FMI) released new guidelines to govern the administration of Expatriate Quota (EQ) in Nigeria (Guidelines). These Guidelines contain some notable provisions which have now been summarized as follows:

TRADEMARK FRANCHISING IN NIGERIA

February 4, 2022

There are various reasons why foreign brand owners may be interested in the Nigerian market. First is the significant population of Nigeria, which stands at over 200 million people. Second is the fact that Nigeria is a large nation of consumers, and third is the fact that fast-moving consumer goods are highly successful there. At present, there are over 100 franchises in Nigeria ranging from food to construction, health and other industries.

UTILISING BIMI-VMC AS A CYBERSECURITY TOOL FOR BRAND PROTECTION

January 20, 2022

This article seeks to give an analysis of what BIMI entails, how it can be combined with validated trademark certification for email authentication and its benefits to businesses and government.

NITDA PUBLISHES LIST OF COMPLIANT ORGANISATIONS

January 17, 2022

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has recently released its 2021 List of Data Complaint Companies pursuant to the provisions of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

The World Trademark Review Interviews Ifeanyi E. Okonkwo & Wisdom Abiala over article titled Justification of Counterfeits: A Microscopic View from A Trademark Perspective

January 10, 2022

Ifeanyi E. Okonkwo and Wisdom Abiala, associates of Jackson Etti & Edu, have recently been featured in an article/interview by the World Trademark Review.

Ifeanyi Okonkwo’s Viral Article on NFTs gets Published in Oxford University Press

January 10, 2022

It is with great pride that we rejoice with our own Ifeanyi E. Okonkwo, expert in intellectual property & technology, over the recent publication of his viral article on 'NFT, Copyright and intellectual property commercialisation' by the Oxford University Press - International Journal of Law and Information Technology.

OPERATION OF PAN AFRICAN PAYMENTS SETTLEMENT SYSTEM IN NIGERIA

October 13, 2021

On October 11, 2021, the Central bank of Nigeria released the Guidelines for the Operation of Pan African Payments Settlement System (PAPSS) in Nigeria (the “Guidelines”). The PAPSS is a centralised payment and settlement infrastructure introduced by the African Export-Import Bank (“Afrexim Bank”) in conjunction with the West African Monitoring Institute (“WAMI”) to enable instant, cross-border payment in local currencies between African markets.

SPOTLIGHT ON THE NIGERIA STARTUP BILL

October 12, 2021

There is a current drive in Nigeria for the enactment of a legislation to cater to startups in the country. The hope is that this will promote and ensure stability within the startup space. Steps so far have commenced with the drafting of a Nigeria Startup Bill. Activities around this started in the early months of 2021 and it is an initiative being led by the Presidency. With the current ecosystem and regulatory environment in the country, this drive is not only timely but fundamental to the growth of the Startup space in Nigeria.

NITDA’S SANCTION OF ONLINE LENDING PLATFORM: A CAUTIONARY TALE FOR FINTECHS

September 6, 2021

The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the governmental agency responsible for the growth and development of information technology in Nigeria which includes regulation of the use and protection of personal data in Nigeria has been at the forefront of data privacy and protection in Nigeria. NITDA since the release of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019 (NDPR) has continued to establish and enhance the framework for the use and protection of private data. In recent times, the agency has had course to exercise its powers by imposing sanctions on errant companies.

EXPATRIATE QUOTA ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIA: Curbing Expatriate Quota Abuse

August 20, 2021

Under existing legal regulations, an Expatriate Quota (EQ) must be issued to the company employing an expatriate by the Federal Ministry of Interior (FMI) before it can employ such an expatriate to work in Nigeria.

FCCPC AMENDS PROCESSING FEES APPLICABLE TO NOTIFIABLE TRANSACTIONS

August 18, 2021

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018 (the Act) vests the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (the Commission or FCCPC) with powers to make regulations relating to imposition and collection of fees. Accordingly, the combined provisions of Regulation 15 and Schedule 1 to the Merger Review Regulations 2020 (the 2020 Regulations) lay out different fees payable to the Commission for the transactions requiring its approval. The fees provided in Schedule 1 of the 2020 Regulations include Application, Expedited Procedure Service, Negative Clearance Procedure and Notification Fees.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY ACT

August 18, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law the much-awaited Petroleum Industry Bill, now Petroleum Industry Act (“PIA”). Prior to PIA, there were different versions of the PIB. It started as an omnibus bill and was later divided into 4 separate bills before emerging in 2020 as a consolidated bill.