Economy
TikTok restores service in US after Trump pledge
TikTok is resuming services to its 170 million users in US after President-elect Donald Trump said he would issue an executive order to give the app a reprieve when he takes office on Monday.
On Saturday evening, the Chinese-owned app stopped working for American users, after a law banning it on national security grounds came into effect.
Trump, who had previously backed a ban of the platform, promised on Sunday to delay implementation of the law and allow more time for a deal to be made. TikTok then said that it was in the process of “restoring service”.
Soon after, the app started working again and a popup message to its millions of users thanked Trump by name. In a statement, the company thanked the incoming president for “providing the necessary clarity and assurance” and said it would work with Trump “on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States”.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration Monday.
Posting on Truth Social, a social media platform he owns, Trump said on Sunday: “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark! I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, previously ignored a law requiring it to sell its US operations to avoid a ban. The law was upheld by Supreme Court on Friday and went into effect on Sunday.
It is unclear what legal authority Trump will have to delay the implementation of a law that is already in effect. But it expected that his government will not enforce the ban if he issues an executive order.
It’s an about-face from his previous position. Trump had backed a TikTok ban, but has more recently professed a “warm spot” for the app, touting the billions of views he says his videos attracted on the platform during last year’s presidential campaign.
For its part, President Joe Biden’s administration had already said that it would not enforce the law in its last hours in office and instead allow the process to play out under the incoming Trump administration.
But TikTok had pulled its services anyway on Saturday evening, before the swift restoration of access on Sunday.
The short-form video platform is wildly popular among its many millions of US users. It has also proved a valuable tool for American political campaigns to reach younger voters.
Under the law passed last April, the US version of the app had to be removed from app stores and web-hosting services if its Chinese owner ByteDance did not sell its US operations.
TikTok had argued before the Supreme Court that the law violated free speech protections for its users in the country.
The law was passed with support from both Republicans and Democrats in Congress and was upheld unanimously by Supreme Court justices earlier this week.
The issue exposes a rift on a key national security issues between the president-elect and members of his own party. His pick for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had vocally supported the ban.
“TikTok extended the Chinese Communist Party’s power and influence into our own nation, right under our noses,” he said last April. But he seemed to defer to the president-elect when a journalist asked if he supported Trump’s efforts to restore the ban.
“If I’m confirmed as secretary of State, I’ll work for the president,” he told Punchbowl media last week.
After Trump intervened on Sunday morning, Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Tom Cotton, a Republican senator from Arkansas, broke with Trump by saying that any company that helps TikTok stay online would be breaking the law.
“Any company that hosts, distributes, services, or otherwise facilitates communist-controlled TikTok could face hundreds of billions of dollars of ruinous liability under the law, not just from DOJ, but also under securities law, shareholder lawsuits, and state AGs,” he wrote on social media.
An executive order that goes against the law could be fought in court.
Several states have also sued the platform, opening up the possibility to TikTok being banned by local jurisdictions, even if it is available nationally.
Although the platform went live again on Sunday for existing users, the question of whether third-parties – hosting platforms or app stores like Google or Apple – could support TikTok in the US remains murky, says University of Richmond law professor Carl Tobias. The app had been removed from those stores in anticipation of the ban.
“It is murky,” he told the BBC.
In a post on Truth media, Trump promised to shield companies from liability, opening the door to TikTok being available on Apple and Google again.
“The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order,” the president-elect said on Truth Social Sunday.
But during the Supreme Court hearings, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar was adamant that an executive order cannot change the law retroactively.
“Whatever the new president does, doesn’t change that reality for these companies,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor said during the hearings.
“That’s right,” Prelogar said.
Professor Tobias said that the law does include a provision that would allow the president to postpone the ban for up to 90 days, if he can show that the company is making substantial progress on alleviating national security issues. But, he said, it’s not clear whether those conditions have been met.
“The best thing Trump could do is work with Congress, and not potentially be in violation of the law or have any questions left hanging,” he said.
“I don’t know that we’re going to know a whole lot more until we see that executive order.”
The launch of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE Initial Public Offering on Monday triggered a surge in demand that overwhelmed two popular Nigerian investment platforms, Bamboo and Cowrywise.
Both platforms reported unusually high traffic as retail investors rushed to subscribe to the offer, with some users unable to log into their accounts.
Bamboo announced the access difficulties on X, attributing them to the unexpected volume of traffic generated by investors seeking to participate in the Dangote IPO.
“Hey everyone, we’re getting a much higher than expected traffic trying to get into the Dangote IPO and it’s making it difficult for some users to log into the Bamboo app. We’re working on a fix and it will be up and running shortly,” the platform said.
Cowrywise also acknowledged increased traffic on its platform.
“We’re currently seeing more traffic than usual on the Cowrywise app. Our team is already on it and working to get things back to normal. Thanks for your patience, everyone,” it said in a post on X.
The two platforms are among the approved fintech channels through which investors can subscribe to the Dangote Refinery public offer.
The rush came as the offer opened to investors on Monday, with the public offer seeking to raise about N2.15tn through the sale of 4.1 billion ordinary shares at N525 each.
Investors can subscribe for a minimum of 10 shares, valued at N5,250, a structure designed to encourage broad participation by retail investors.
The Dangote Refinery IPO is one of the largest public share offerings in Africa. The refinery, owned by the Dangote Group, plans to use the proceeds to support expansion and increase its refining capacity.
The offer has generated significant interest among retail investors, following efforts to promote the opportunity as a means of allowing Nigerians and other African investors to own shares in one of the continent’s biggest industrial projects.
The surge in demand highlights the scale of interest in the offer while exposing the pressure that high-demand investment events can place on digital platforms.
The Securities and Exchange Commission had earlier warned investors against unauthorised promotions relating to a purported Dangote Refinery IPO before the formal offer received regulatory approval.
In June, the commission said no application for the IPO had been filed or approved at the time and directed capital market operators to stop accepting deposits or expressions of interest.
Following regulatory approval, the Dangote Refinery public offer was cleared to proceed, with the company publishing a list of approved banks, fintechs, mobile operators and NGX Invest through which investors can subscribe.
See Exchange Rate As Naira Gains 0.07%
The Black Market Dollar-to-Naira Exchange Rate for 14th September 2026 Can Be Accessed Below.
NOTE: The exchange rate changes hourly. It depends on the volume of dollars available and the Demand. This means…you can buy or sell 1 dollar at a certain rate, and the price can change (high or low) within hours.
The official naira black market exchange rate in Nigeria today, including the Black Market rates, Bureau De Change (BDC), and CBN rates.
The exchange rate fluctuates hourly based on the supply and demand of dollars in the market.
What’s the dollar to naira black market today, 14th September 2026?
The exchange rate for a dollar to naira at Lagos Parallel Market (Black Market) players sell a dollar for ₦1390 and buy at ₦1380 on Monday, 14th September, 2026, according to sources at Bureau De Change (BDC).
Please note that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does not recognize the parallel market (black market), as it has directed individuals who want to engage in Forex to approach their respective banks.
Dollar to Naira Black Market Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) Black Market Exchange Rate Today
Selling Rate ₦1390
Buying Rate ₦1380
Dollar to Naira CBN Rate Today
Dollar to Naira (USD to NGN) CBN Rate Today
Highest Rate ₦1330
Lowest Rate ₦1326
The pump price of petrol has risen to as high as N1,430 per litre in parts of Abuja following an increase in the wholesale price of Premium Motor Spirit by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.
The refinery raised its gantry price from N1,265 to N1,350 per litre, representing an N85 or 6.7 per cent increase, as international crude oil prices continued to climb.
The latest adjustment has already triggered fresh increases at filling stations across the Federal Capital Territory, with motorists paying between N1,395 and N1,430 per litre, depending on the outlet.
Checks in Abuja on Sunday showed that MRS filling stations had moved their pump price from N1,350 to N1,395 per litre, while NIPCO increased its price to N1,430. Mobil outlets also raised theirs to N1,400 per litre.
An attendant at an MRS outlet, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said motorists should expect another increase as stations begin receiving products purchased at the new depot price.
“We are currently selling our old stock at N1,395 per litre, but from tomorrow, once the new stock arrives, the price will be higher,” she said.
The development has raised concerns among economists and other stakeholders over its likely effect on transportation, food prices and the wider cost of living.
An economist and development expert, Aliyu Ilias, warned that another increase in petrol prices could push up inflation, arguing that higher fuel costs would eventually be reflected in transportation and production expenses.
Similarly, former Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity, Owei Lakemfa, urged the Federal Government to strengthen regulation and economic planning to cushion consumers from fluctuations in global crude prices.
Lakemfa argued that domestic petrol prices should not automatically rise whenever geopolitical tensions cause crude prices to increase internationally, stressing that Nigeria’s status as a crude oil producer should give it an advantage in refining and supplying petroleum products locally.
Meanwhile, the National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, said marketers had been forced to adjust their pump prices following successive changes in the refinery’s pricing.
Ukadike said the frequent adjustments were creating uncertainty for both petroleum dealers and consumers because the cost of replacing existing stock could change within a short period.
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