Tech
Crypto: Binance confirms working with Tinubu govt to block dollar-naira exchange

Published
1 year agoon
By
Ekwutos Blog“Users behaving in a manipulative way will be removed from the platform.’’
One of the World’s biggest cryptocurrency trading platform, Binance, has confirmed collaborating with President Bola Tinubu’s administration to block Nigerians from dollar-naira trade on its platform.
Binance disclosed this in an announcement on its “commitment to P2P users in Nigeria” on Tuesday, warning that “users behaving in a manipulative way will be removed from the platform.”
“As industry leaders,” Binance said, “We are working hand in hand with local authorities, lawmakers, and regulators to ensure we act on non-compliance.’’
The crypto exchange platform further said it is “setting an upper limit for ads, filtering and removing bad ads, requiring and raising deposits for merchants posting ads as well as processes for actioning against any market manipulators.”
On Tuesday, Binance disabled sell option for its Nigerian users, blocking them from selling fiat currency, USDT, on the platform. It also capped the buy option to $1802 for Nigerian users.
It also disabled purchase of cryptocurrencies via P2P for its Nigerian users, leaving those who might want to sell their crypto assets such as Bitcoin, BNB, Ethereum via P2P stuck.
This comes as another desperate move by the Tinubu-led government to stem naira freefall against the dollar. The naira continues to decline even after the Economic Financial Crimes Commission raided perceived currency speculators at a popular Abuja Bureau De Change hub on Monday.
Earlier on Tuesday, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, directed law enforcement agencies to take firm measures against anyone engaged in foreign exchange market speculation.
“In a concerted effort to safeguard Nigeria’s foreign exchange market and combat speculative activities, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Central Bank of Nigeria are joining forces to address challenges impacting the nation’s economic stability,” a statement issued by Mr Ribadu’s office read.
It added, “The CBN’s proactive measures to stabilise the foreign exchange market and stimulate economic activities have been commendable. However, the effectiveness of these initiatives is being undermined by the activities of speculators, both domestic and international, operating through various channels, thereby exacerbating the depreciation of the Nigerian naira and contributing to inflation and economic instability.”
The naira hit its all time low, trading for N1902 to a dollar on Tuesday before Binance blocked its Nigerian user from selling USDT on the platform.
Mr Tinubu’s government collaborating with Binance to block Nigerians from dollar-naira trading mirrors his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s ban on cryptocurrency trading in the country in 2021. The CBN under Mr Tinubu’s watch in December 2023 lifted the ban on cryptocurrency.
Some Nigerian Binance users have criticised Binance on its latest move, threatening to migrate to other platforms for their dollar-naira trading.
An x user, @MikaelBernard, on Tuesday, dismissed Binance’s decision against Nigerian users as “absolutely ridiculous,” adding that “If this is how they plan to save the naira, I’m sorry but it’s going to fail woefully.”
“You can no longer sell your own tokens for above 1802/$. I don’t know what they aim to achieve, but traders are now on telegram, selling at 1850/$ and above. Binance was only a medium. If you block Binance, people will find new ways,” @MikaelBernard tweeted.
Another X user, MiracleOkeke said, “So, let me understand, you literally decided to put a peg or control a somewhat person to person transaction that should normally be determined by whatever price they wish? As an open market? Jokes on you, we will move to other platforms.”
With “more than half of its adult population” trading cryptocurrency “monthly,” according Binance, Nigeria ranks among countries with the largest population of crypto traders in the world.
Recent restrictions on domiciliary accounts in Nigeria by the Tinubu-led government could have also increased the number of Nigerians using the exchange to save their money or facilitate receipt of funds from abroad.
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Tech
9mobile customers raise alarm over network shutdown, blockage from porting, call out NCC

Published
5 days agoon
March 19, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Thousands of 9mobile customers are currently experiencing hardship due to the telecom operator’s decision to block porting requests.
Ekwutosblog gathered that for over a month, 9mobile subscribers have not been able to receive or make calls, send text or use their Sim card.
It was also learnt that the Sim card currently shows ‘No service’ or ‘emergency calls only’ nationwide.
A subscribers who spoke to our correspondents said the issue with the 9mobile network began last year and has now worsened. Subscribers also accused the telecom operator of blocking their porting requests.
Investigation by Ekwutosblog in major parts of the FCT revealed that there was no service while using a 9mobile sim.
A visit to the 9mobile Office in Kubwa and the Central Area also showed that there was no business activities going on due to unavailability of network.
A visibly angry subscriber who spoke to our correspondent said he has lost business due to the issue. He also called on the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, to sanction 9mobile.
One of the subscribers, identified as Ifiok Samson said, ”NCC needs to sanction 9mobile and issue a directive that they should allow their customers to port to other networks.
“We have been through a lot since last year. The network has been terrible and it has worsened since 2025.
”We barely have service for two days in a week. This is my main line and I have tried to port since January but it appears that 9mobile blocked its customers from porting. When I visited their office, their representative told me they had no network. They said this lackadaisical, like it isn’t their main purpose of doing business.
”This shows that the issue is really bad. Why should customers bear the brunt of these bad services and be forced to remain with 9mobile? Please help us. We have called on NCC and FCCPC on social media, yet no one has issued a directive to this effect. We are losing money daily due to our poor choice of using 9mobile. As a regulator please save us from this bondage.”
Here are some comments Ekwutosblog gathered from X
@Ifoye, NgComCommission, ”9mobile network has been down in Ibadan for over 2 weeks with no recovery date in sight. It is also impossible to port 9mobile numbers to other networks because they require 9mobile network to be on before that can be done. Kindly see to this because the implications are many for bank account owners, business, applicants, clients with prepaid subscriptions, etc.”
@DforDust, “9mobile has been unavailable for a month, a whole month. There’s no regulatory body dragging them, there’s no message from 9mobile about what’s going on. You know how many businesses some people would have lost because of that?!”
@PrettyaganahHello NCC, Please help us in Kano. 9mobile has been down for almost a month now and we have not been informed about it and nobody is doing or saying anything. We have lost a lot of business calls, especially being our primary lines. Please intervene.”
@motexmaryam, ”I have not used WhatsApp for almost 24 hrs because I can’t verify my number with mobile.Calls, SMS nothing is entering this God forsaking sim! Tried it at 4am still no network.”
@tony_okey, ”Please, you may have to temporarily waive the authorization code requirement for porting. I haven’t had any signal for months, so I can’t port from 9mobile. Please allow us to port from 9mobile in peace.No calls or SMS. Thank God for WhatsApp.”
@SanSparkles, ‘You guys have frustrated some of us enough. Kindly reinstate your porting services so those of us who want to port from 9mobile to another network can swiftly do that.Shutting your porting service is a selfish act.”
@aysomethin, ”Where is NCC the regulators? I went to MTN Yesterday to try to port away from this 9mobile network but was told they can’t do anything until 9mobile is back on the grid. Now I am being held ransom by a telcom. Shame.”
@suleman_Tanimu, ”9mobile needs to do one thing, at least make your porting service available so that customers can port to other preferred service providers. I’ve been visiting MTN office in Abuja for the past 3 weeks and the customer care keeps telling me that 9mobile porting service is down.”
Tech
The Tesla Cybercab Will Have A Surprisingly Small Battery

Published
7 days agoon
March 18, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Despite that, Tesla claims an impressive range figure.
- The Tesla Cybercab is coming next year.
- With a sub-50-kWh battery pack, Tesla claims it would be able to drive “close to” 300 miles.
The Tesla Cybercab could be the most efficient electric vehicle in the world when it hits the streets sometime next year. That’s what two of the EV maker’s execs alluded to during a brief interview with Sandy Munro that explored some of the robotaxi’s peculiar features.
As a reminder, the Tesla Cybercab is a two-door, two-seater EV that doesn’t have a steering wheel–instead, Tesla claims it will be capable of driving itself and doing double duty as both a personal transport device and a self-driving taxi to bring in revenue for the owner.
It’s Tesla’s smallest car with a roof and it was designed for ultimate efficiency–when driving and during the manufacturing process. As a result, the EV could have a maximum real-world driving range “close to 300 miles” on a full charge, according to Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering.
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But while that’s not exactly a record-setting figure–the refreshed Model 3 Long Range has an EPA-estimated range of 363 miles–it’s the battery size that impresses. As per Moravy, the Cybercab will have a sub-50-kilowatt-hour battery pack. By comparison, the Model 3 Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive has an estimated usable capacity of 75 kWh.
If true, this would result in a real-world efficiency of 6 miles/kilowatt-hour, which is outstanding. By comparison, the facelifted Model 3, which is one of the most efficient EVs out there, is rated at 4 mi/kWh, while the Lucid Air has an efficiency of 4.3 mi/kWh. In other words, the Tesla Cybercab would have a 50% higher efficiency than the Model 3.
The car’s design and manufacturing techniques help a lot with efficiency. According to Franz Von Holzhausen, Tesla’s Senior Design Executive, the teardrop shape of the car has a big impact on reducing energy consumption. Keeping it light also plays a significant role.
While the two execs did not disclose the weight of the two-door EV, they said that its body is made from unpainted polyurethane panels. The color is added to the panels during the manufacturing process, so even if a panel is scratched, there is no base coat that will show up, making scuffs less visible.
In fact, there is very little paint on the car, which leads to lower manufacturing costs and potentially lower repair costs if something goes wrong.
The two execs reiterated that the Tesla Cybercab is on track for a 2026 commercial launch. Manufacturing equipment is currently being installed at the Texas Gigafactory and the first pre-production units are expected to roll off the assembly line this summer.
Tech
NASA announces Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s return date to Earth

Published
7 days agoon
March 18, 2025By
Ekwutos Blog
Washington, DC [US], March 17 (ANI): NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, stranded at the International Space Station for over nine months, will return to Earth on Tuesday evening, NASA announced in a statement.
Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to travel back to Earth alongside Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.
NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 pm EDT on Monday. NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station.
In a statement, NASA stated, “NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with Dragon spacecraft hatch closure preparations at 10:45 p.m. EDT Monday, March 17.”
“NASA and SpaceX met on Sunday to assess weather and splashdown conditions off Florida’s coast for the return of the agency’s Crew-9 mission from the International Space Station. Mission managers are targeting an earlier Crew-9 return opportunity based on favorable conditions forecasted for the evening of Tuesday, March 18,” it added.
According to a NASA statement, the updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility before less-favourable weather conditions are expected later in the week.
Mission managers will continue monitoring weather conditions in the area, as Dragon’s undocking relies on several factors, including spacecraft readiness, recovery team readiness, weather, sea states, and other factors. NASA and SpaceX will confirm the specific splashdown location closer to the Crew-9 return, according to the statement.
SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov docked with International Space Station, Space X CEO Elon Musk announced on Sunday.
On Friday, SpaceX and NASA launched a mission to bring back US astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore from the ISS, where they have been stranded for nine months. The lift-off took place at 7:03 ET on Friday, with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon spacecraft on the Crew-10 mission.
The launch came after US President Donald Trump urged Elon Musk to rescue the stranded astronauts sooner than NASA had planned. He has repeatedly accused former US President Joe Biden of abandoning them in space.
Wilmore and Williams have been stranded on the ISS for nine months after reaching there in June last year. They were supposed to stay there for about a week. The astronauts were transported from Earth to the ISS aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
However, the spacecraft came back to Earth unmanned in September. This came after NASA and Boeing identified “helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters” on June 6 as Starliner approached the space station. (ANI)

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