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Pawavox, an election technology platform, has secured the N13 million grand prize from Yiaga Africa to deploy its cryptographic evidence infrastructure ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections. The platform is designed to help election observers document incidents at polling units, authenticate photos and videos, and analyse reports in real time, amid growing concerns about misinformation and the use of AI-generated content to undermine electoral credibility. In this interview with TAOFEEK OYEDOKUN, Jason Omu, co-founder of Pawavox, explains how the technology works, how it differs from INEC’s IReV portal, the challenges of deploying it across more than 170,000 polling units and the role it could play in strengthening electoral transparency and accountability. Excerpts:

Pawavox has secured the N13 million grand prize from Yiaga Africa ahead of the 2027 elections. What problem in Nigeria’s electoral system is your technology designed to solve, and what convinced the judges that your approach could make a difference?

Pawavox solves a three-fold crisis in election monitoring: the data collection bottleneck, the threat of synthetic media (deepfakes), and analysis paralysis in situation rooms.

During an election, observers across 176,000 polling units send in thousands of reports, text, video, and audio in multiple local languages. Without a structured way to collect this, situation rooms are overwhelmed. Secondly, we are entering the AI era. When an observer submits a video of an incident today, the immediate question is: Is this real, or was it AI-generated, edited, or recycled from a past election? Finally, manually transcribing and analysing these thousands of reports takes hundreds of hours of human labour.

Pawavox automates and secures this entire pipeline. We convinced the judges by demonstrating that we can seamlessly capture reports in any local dialect, mathematically verify that the media is authentic and unedited using cryptographic hashing, and instantly analyse that data using our ElectionGPT AI to highlight critical incidents in real time.

You describe Pawavox as a cryptographic evidence infrastructure. In practical terms, how does the technology work, and how can an ordinary voter, observer or journalist use it to verify what happened at a polling unit?

For the ordinary user on the ground, it is as simple as pointing their camera and pressing record. All the complex cryptography happens in the background.

In practical terms, the moment a video or photo is captured through Pawavox, our infrastructure immediately ‘signs’ it. It locks in the device’s unique ID, the precise geo-tag, and the exact timestamp, creating what is known as a cryptographic hash. This acts as an immutable digital seal.

If a bad actor intercepts that video and edits even one second of it, the hash breaks. Therefore, when a journalist, tribunal judge, or civil society organisation receives a Pawavox file, the mere presence of an intact cryptographic hash is mathematical proof that the evidence is 100 percent authentic. It takes the guesswork out of digital verification.

Nigeria’s electoral process already has INEC’s IReV portal for publishing polling-unit results. How does Pawavox differ from IReV, and how will your technology complement existing electoral systems rather than duplicate their functions?

INEC’s IReV portal is an excellent tool for transparency, but it is primarily designed for the end of the process – uploading the final tally sheets. However, election integrity is also about the process before the counting begins.

IReV cannot tell you if polling materials arrived on time, if voters were intimidated, or if the process was peaceful and fair throughout the day. Historically, people have relied on unverified WhatsApp or X (Twitter) videos to document these process-related issues, which leads to misinformation. Pawavox fills this gap. We complement IReV by providing irrefutable, cryptographically secured evidence of the actual voting process, ensuring that the journey to those final results was transparent and fair.

You have won the N13 million grand prize. How will the funding be deployed, what milestones do you intend to achieve before the 2027 elections, and will the amount be sufficient to deploy the technology at national scale?

As Nigerians, we are highly resourceful, but to be completely transparent, N13 million is not sufficient to independently mobilise and protect human observers across all 176,000 polling units. However, it is a powerful catalyst for our infrastructure layer.

The funding will be deployed over a strict nine-month operational roadmap. The immediate focus for Q4 is scaling our server capacity and hardening the technology infrastructure to ensure zero downtime during the January 2027 elections. The remainder of the runway will fund the mobilisation and coordination of our civic observer network, as well as post-election data archiving.

Nigeria has more than 170,000 polling units, with significant differences in internet connectivity, device access and security conditions. How will Pawavox operate in areas with poor connectivity, and how will you prevent its deployment from excluding voters or observers in underserved communities?

We built Pawavox specifically for the realities of the Nigerian landscape. We employ an ‘offline-first’ architecture. The cryptographic hashing happens directly on the device, meaning it does not require an active internet connection to secure the evidence. If an observer is in a deep rural ward with zero connectivity, Pawavox encrypts and stores the data locally. The moment the device catches even a faint 2G network signal, it automatically syncs to our servers.

Regarding security, we built this with the safety of frontline journalists and observers in mind. Any media captured via Pawavox is stored in a highly encrypted, hidden vault within the app – it never saves to the phone’s standard gallery. If an observer is harassed and their phone is searched, the videos cannot be found or deleted by malicious actors.

Election technology can become a target for cyberattacks, political interference and attempts to discredit independent monitoring. Who will oversee Pawavox’s verification process, will its methodology be open to independent scrutiny, and how will you protect the evidence and the identities of those submitting it?

The beauty of cryptographic hashing is that it relies on decentralised mathematics, not human intermediaries. However, to ensure total transparency, Pawavox is an open-source platform. Our codebase and methodology are open to independent scrutiny by software engineers, cybersecurity experts, and civil society.

To protect against political interference and data poisoning, our system tracks the unique device IDs attached to every hash. If a coordinated cyberattack or a bad actor attempts to flood the system with malicious or false reports, we can instantly identify the anomalous device IDs and quarantine that data from the central observation pool.

Looking towards 2027, what concrete change should Nigerians expect Pawavox to deliver? Will the platform work with INEC, Yiaga Africa, other civil society organisations, election observers and newsrooms, and how will you measure whether it has improved electoral transparency and accountability?

The era of dragging unverified AI images and recycled videos into election tribunals or social media debates is over. The concrete change Nigerians should expect from Pawavox in 2027 is the delivery of absolute, mathematical truth.

Because our infrastructure is open and verifiable, we look forward to collaborating closely with Yiaga Africa, other leading civil society organisations, newsrooms, and ultimately INEC itself. We measure our success by one metric: the adoption of cryptographic evidence as the undisputed standard for transparency. When the judiciary, the media, and the public no longer have to guess if an election video is real, we will have successfully improved democratic accountability in Nigeria.

Samuel Ibibi Ibrahim, a professor of Geography at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL), has called upon governments at all levels to prioritise water quality and safety over the provision of water infrastructure.

Ibrahim made the call while delivering the 47th inaugural lecture of the university, themed ‘Water Is Life: Is Our Water Living? Confronting the Water Quality Crisis in Nigeria’s Environment’, at the Felele Campus of the institution.

Ibrahim warned that contaminated water sources pose serious risks to public health and environmental sustainability in Nigeria, stressing that the country’s water crisis could not be resolved by drilling more boreholes and constructing additional water schemes alone, but required effective monitoring, stronger environmental regulations, improved sanitation and sustained protection of water sources.

He observed that Nigeria must move beyond measuring success by the number of boreholes drilled or communities connected to water schemes to determine whether the water supplied to households is safe for consumption.

‘The country’s water resources are under increasing pressure from pollution, poor waste disposal, inadequate sanitation, flooding, industrial effluent and unregulated human activities around water sources’.

He warned that contamination could occur at different stages, from rivers and underground aquifers to boreholes, storage facilities and household containers, making it necessary to protect water throughout the supply chain.

‘The time has come to shift to the question of safety,’ he said, arguing that access to water would remain incomplete without guarantees of quality.

As part of his recommendations, Ibrahim advocated Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), explaining that rivers, groundwater, land, waste streams and human settlements constitute interconnected systems that must be managed collectively.

He called for the strengthening of River Basin Development Authorities and hydrological institutions to incorporate water -quality protection into their planning activities, rather than concentrating largely on irrigation and dam development.

He also urged relevant agencies responsible for water supply, sanitation, agriculture, mining, environmental protection, urban planning and public health to coordinate their activities, share information and harmonise regulations, pointing out the need to protect source -water zones around boreholes, reservoirs and river intakes, while ensuring that land -use planning takes account of the potential impact of human activities on water resources.

He noted that poorly located pit latrines and soakaways could contaminate nearby boreholes, while indiscriminate waste disposal and industrial pollution could threaten entire communities downstream.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, vice chancellor of the university, called for greater scrutiny of water quality and sustainable management of water resources, warning that the abundance of major rivers does not necessarily translate into access to safe and adequate water.

Using a bottle of water on the lectern to illustrate his point, Ibileye suggested that, in the light of the subject of the lecture, even drinking water should be subjected to scientific scrutiny, noting that the lecturer’s research raised important questions about the origin and quality of water consumed by Nigerians, stressing the need to move beyond the mere availability of water to ensuring its safety.

Ibileye commended Ibrahim for his sustained engagement with environmental issues affecting ordinary Nigerians, describing his scholarship as an illustration of the relevance of Geography to understanding the relationship between natural resources, human activities and environmental sustainability.

He expressed confidence that the lecture would deepen public understanding of water quality challenges, highlight unresolved environmental concerns and stimulate further research into the sustainable management of water resources.

Shoprite Nigeria’s plan to reopen through standalone neighbourhood stores is more than the return of a familiar supermarket brand. It points to a larger lesson: successful retail property begins with the economics of the retailer and the behaviour of the customer, not with the prestige or size of the building. The customer has not abandoned organised retail. What is changing is the type of property through which retailers reach that customer.

The basis for describing this as a return is not speculation. In a Nairametrics interview published on 24 October 2026, Adekunle Adebiyi of MBO Capital Management said three Shoprite stores had reopened after a temporary shutdown to negotiate with suppliers and address outstanding obligations. He also disclosed plans for smaller standalone neighbourhood stores. This is a phased recovery, not yet a nationwide comeback: the number, locations and opening dates of the proposed outlets have not been announced.

The neighbourhood format is not an entirely new discovery. Nigerian retailers such as Prince Ebeano, Blenco, Market Square and Justrite have expanded within or close to residential communities. Some also occupy malls, but much of their growth has come from making organised retail accessible to the everyday shopper. Blenco’s outlets along the Lekki-Ajah corridor illustrate stores positioned around growing residential catchments rather than depending on enclosed-mall traffic.

The principle extends beyond grocery retail. Domino’s Pizza, Item 7 and other food-service brands use standalone and neighbourhood-facing outlets because convenience, visibility, delivery coverage and proximity drive their businesses. A household buying bread, vegetables or provisions may similarly prefer a supermarket ten minutes from home to a larger centre requiring a longer journey.

Shoprite’s decision does not mean the Nigerian mall is dead. It means the economics of a supermarket must be separated from assumptions about property format. Not every supermarket needs a mall, just as not every mall requires a very large supermarket anchor. The correct question is whether the size, rent, service charge, power cost, access and customer base of a particular property can support the retailer’s turnover.

That financial question is central to Shoprite’s experience. At the time the Nigerian business was acquired, about 17 of its 28 stores reportedly had dollar-denominated rental obligations. As the naira weakened, those rents became increasingly expensive in local-currency terms. Adebiyi also referred to a supermarket benchmark under which rent should ordinarily remain around 8 to 10 per cent of revenue. Once occupancy costs move materially beyond what turnover can carry, even a prestigious address becomes a burden.

Rent is only part of the equation. A retailer must fund power, security, logistics, refrigeration, inventory, technology, staff and working capital. A mall adds service charges and common-area costs. A standalone outlet may avoid some charges but must provide many services independently. It is not automatically cheaper; its advantage is greater control over store size and expenditure.

Some neighbourhood supermarkets also create small retail ecosystems, remaining the anchor while pharmacies, food outlets, ATMs or other complementary operators occupy part of the property. This can broaden the offer and generate additional income without recreating a conventional mall. Whether Shoprite adopts that model remains to be seen.

Shoprite has already done the difficult work of building a retail brand in Nigeria. Its appeal cuts across income levels and shopping occasions: from the labourer stopping for the popular Shoprite bread, to the homemaker buying properly packaged lamb chops, and the nearby worker picking up fried rice and salad for lunch. Customers know it for affordability, fresh food, prepared meals and an organised shopping environment.

A smaller floor plate must therefore not become a weaker customer proposition. Shoprite should be careful about dispensing with its bakery and butchery. The earlier U-Save experiment at Maryland Mall offers a warning: its smaller, value-led format did not provide the full bakery and butchery experience and struggled to generate the same attraction. Customers may accept a smaller store without accepting a diminished version of Shoprite.

Successful standalone supermarkets retain the core departments that draw repeat visits. Their advantage comes from bringing a sufficiently complete offer closer to residential communities, not merely occupying less space. Shoprite can compete strongly in that format if each outlet preserves the features customers expect while adjusting its size, stock depth and product mix to the local catchment.

Its historic branding also remains an asset. If the prominence of Shoprite’s external signage was a deliberate marketing strategy, it worked across Nigeria. In many cities, the brand became better known than the Grade A mall housing it; people referred to the entire destination simply as Shoprite. On a trip to Abuja, I discovered that I had left my phone at Jabi Lake Mall and rushed back in an Uber. The driver did not recognise the mall’s name, and my urgency turned the confusion into a frustrating argument. The moment he asked whether I meant Shoprite, the problem was solved. Many readers will recognise the experience. Shoprite did not merely occupy space; it became the landmark by which the property was identified.

That recognition still carries value, but the experience behind the sign must remain credible. Strong signage may bring the customer once; a dependable range, fresh food, service and value will determine whether the customer returns.

The property itself must work. A neighbourhood outlet needs parking or safe short-stay access, loading facilities, dependable power, security, waste management and an efficient floor plate. Traffic counts alone are insufficient. The retailer must understand the resident population, income profile, competing stores, basket size and shopping frequency. Poor access can damage a strong location, while excessive rent can consume the benefit of good sales.

The financing difficulty reveals the difference between a successful retailer and an asset-backed borrower. Adebiyi explained that supermarkets typically lease suitable premises and invest in shelves, refrigeration and other operating equipment rather than acquire the building. Shoprite therefore operated from malls it did not own. MBO Capital reportedly found that Nigerian banks struggled to identify sufficient tangible collateral during the acquisition, even though the business generated billions of naira in revenue. The property lesson is important: a strong operating business can remain financially vulnerable when it neither owns its premises nor has an adequate asset base against which conventional lenders will advance funds.

The comparison with Walmart is useful. Walmart combines leased stores with a substantial portfolio of owned retail properties, providing greater control over configuration, redevelopment and long-term occupancy costs while strengthening its asset base. This does not mean Shoprite must become a property developer. It means its financing strategy should recognise the limitations of relying almost entirely on leased premises in a lending market that favours fixed collateral. A disciplined mix of long leases, selective ownership, landlord partnerships and funding based on operating cash flow may prove more resilient.

For developers, the opportunity is to create supermarket-ready properties in growing communities: efficient floor plates, storage and loading areas, refrigeration capacity, parking and reliable utilities. For landlords, the highest opening rent is not necessarily the best outcome. A supermarket can generate recurring traffic and support surrounding businesses. A sustainable lease may create more long-term property value than an impressive rent that eventually drives the anchor away.

None of this invalidates the mall concept. A successful mall combines comparison shopping, entertainment, dining, services and social activity in a managed environment. It offers variety and experience that a single neighbourhood store cannot reproduce. The supermarket may remain an important anchor, but the centre should not depend on one tenant to justify the entire development. Location, scale, tenant mix, service charge and customer experience must work together.

Shoprite helped define Nigeria’s modern shopping-mall era. Its proposed neighbourhood strategy signals another stage in that evolution. The lesson from Shoprite’s return is not that the mall has failed or that the neighbourhood store has won. It is that no retail format succeeds for long unless the property, the operator and the customer are economically aligned.

More than three years after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed the petrol subsidy, the Federal Government is introducing a fresh wave of measures to ease the cost-of-living crisis occasioned by the government’s economic reforms.

But with the 2027 general election approaching, the timing of these interventions raises a difficult question: did the government only recently discover what could bring relief to Nigerians, or is it stepping up assistance when the political benefits could be greatest?

From a 90-day economic action plan to cash transfers targeting 7.5 million households and a N70,000 monthly transport intervention for public service workers, the government has announced measures aimed at cushioning the effects of economic reforms.

At its 161st meeting, chaired virtually by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the National Economic Council endorsed a 90-day economic action plan proposed by the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The plan focuses on food affordability, tax harmonisation, completing high-impact projects, removing investment bottlenecks and providing regulated household support. The council also approved a national dashboard to track projects and improve transparency, including reporting on proceeds from fuel subsidy removal.

Shettima urged state governors and relevant institutions to ensure that economic reforms translate into better living conditions, stressing that policies should be judged by their impact on people’s daily lives.

The government is also targeting 7.5 million households in another round of cash transfers. Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Bernard Doro said the administration was combining the transfers with vocational training, grants to farmers and collateral-free loans.

However, the effectiveness of these programmes will depend on whether assistance reaches the people who need it and whether it provides meaningful relief from the pressures on household budgets.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has questioned the effectiveness of the government’s 90-day relief plan, describing it as a ‘confession, not a solution’.

Chris Onyeka, the NLC’s assistant general secretary, argued that temporary interventions would not address the underlying causes of economic hardship, including rising living costs and declining purchasing power. The labour body also questioned the plan’s transparency and raised concerns about its timing ahead of the 2027 general election.

Transportation is another focus of the government’s response. Following a conciliation meeting with organised labour on October 27, the Federal Government approved a N70,000 monthly transport intervention for public service workers for six months, beginning in November 2026.

The agreement also provides for outstanding peculiar allowances to be paid in three equal monthly instalments from November. However, the government and the NLC failed to agree on the effective date for implementing the national minimum wage.

Although the transport intervention could help public servants, it does not directly cover private-sector workers, traders, artisans, students and other commuters who also face high transportation costs.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas and Electric Vehicles reported fare reductions of between 15 and 50 per cent on some programme routes. However, it did not identify the specific routes or provide comparisons of previous and current fares, making it difficult to independently assess the savings available to commuters.

The bigger question is whether these measures represent a sustained commitment to improving living standards or a late response to hardship that has persisted for years.

With the 2027 election approaching, Nigerians may reasonably question whether the renewed push for relief is driven solely by economic necessity or whether electoral considerations are also influencing the timing. The announcements alone, however, do not prove that the government deliberately delayed assistance for political advantage.

Ultimately, the government will be judged not by the number of relief programmes it announces but by the difference they make in people’s lives.

After years of economic adjustment, Nigerians deserve to know why stronger relief measures are being prioritised now, whether the same urgency could have been demonstrated earlier and how the administration intends to ensure that the interventions continue beyond the election season.

Nigeria’s Flamingos have booked their place in the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after edging Venezuela 1-0 in a tense quarter-final on Sunday night, with Azeezat Oduntan converting a late penalty in the 89th minute.

The closely contested encounter saw Nigeria create several scoring opportunities but struggle to find a way past Venezuela goalkeeper Valeria Rebanales, who produced a series of saves to keep her side in the game.

The Flamingos enjoyed much of the attacking play in the first half, but Rebanales stood firm as Nigeria pushed for an opener. Midfielder Favour Nkwocha was booked as the contest grew increasingly tense.

Head coach Hakeem Busari made his first substitution by bringing on Precious Oscar for Oluwakemi Adegbuyi as Nigeria searched for a breakthrough.

The deadlock remained unbroken until the 88th minute, when the referee awarded Nigeria a penalty before being called to the pitchside monitor to review the decision.

After consulting the video assistant referee (VAR), the referee upheld the penalty. Oduntan stepped up and converted from the spot in the 89th minute to give Nigeria the decisive goal.

Top scorer Oluebube Umejiaku won the penalty, creating the opportunity for Oduntan to settle the contest.

The victory sends the Flamingos into the semi-finals, where they will face Brazil, who advanced with a 2-1 win over China in their quarter-final match.

The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has called on recapitalised banks to expand access to affordable, long-term financing for small businesses as Nigeria seeks to translate N4.65 trillion in fresh bank capital into industrial growth, job creation and economic transformation.

The Institute said the success of the banking sector’s recapitalisation exercise would depend on how effectively lenders deploy their stronger capital base to support manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), rather than focusing mainly on balance sheet growth.

Dele Alabi, president and chairman of council of the CIBN, made the call at the Institute’s 2026 Fellowship Investiture Ceremony in Lagos on Saturday, where he said Nigeria had reached a critical stage in its financial sector reforms.

Following the completion of the recapitalisation programme in March 2026, the banking sector mobilised N4.65 trillion in fresh capital, with 33 banks meeting the new minimum capital requirements.

‘The question before us is no longer whether our banks have sufficient capital, but whether that capital will translate into new industries, expanded businesses, better infrastructure, thriving SMEs, sustainable jobs, and shared prosperity,’ Alabi said.

He said Nigeria had an opportunity to deploy the enhanced capital towards manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, technology and other productive sectors.

The call comes amid concerns about the allocation of bank credit, particularly to manufacturing, where lending declined by 33.8 percent from N8.53 trillion in December 2024 to N5.65 trillion in August 2026, according to a presentation by Tayo Aduloju, chief executive officer of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), at the same event.

Manufacturing’s share of total bank credit also fell from 17.4 percent in December 2023 to 8.7 percent in August 2026, while average credit to trade and commerce increased by 49 percent year-on-year to N5.9 trillion between January and August 2026.

The figures highlight the challenge facing policymakers and lenders as they seek to ensure that stronger bank balance sheets translate into productive investment and wider access to finance for businesses.

Aduloju said the recapitalisation exercise had strengthened banks’ lending capacity, but high borrowing costs, liquidity constraints, credit risks and the mismatch between short-term deposits and long-term industrial projects continued to limit financing for productive sectors.

Although the Central Bank of Nigeria reduced its monetary policy rate to 23 percent in September 2026, bank lending rates remained between 19 percent and 32.6 percent, according to the NESG presentation.

Government borrowing also continued to compete with private businesses for available funds. Credit to the government increased by 63 percent year-on-year to N39.4 trillion in September 2026, compared with 16 percent growth in private-sector credit to N83.9 trillion.

Aduloju argued that Nigeria’s industrial financing challenge was not simply a shortage of capital, but the fragmented way existing financial institutions mobilise and deploy funds.

He proposed a more coordinated financing framework involving commercial banks, pension funds, insurance companies, development finance institutions and credit guarantee institutions to expand access to long-term capital and reduce lending risks.

The NESG also recommended credit guarantees, interest rebates and tax incentives to encourage lending to productive sectors, alongside improved access to financing for businesses that lack conventional collateral.

Speaking at the event, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, similarly urged recapitalised banks to develop more accessible credit products for smaller businesses, support industrial clusters, finance equipment acquisition and strengthen supply chains linking small enterprises to larger markets.

He said government intervention alone could not meet the financing needs of Nigeria’s growing business community, stressing the need for stronger collaboration between government, financial institutions and private investors.

Sanwo-Olu pointed to opportunities around the Lekki Deep Sea Port, industrial activities along the Lekki corridor, infrastructure investments and the Lagos State Electricity Law as areas where stronger bank participation could unlock private investment, improve productivity and create jobs.

He also highlighted the role of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund in supporting entrepreneurs through access to finance, enterprise development and capacity building.

Alabi said the CIBN would continue to promote practical solutions to the financing challenges facing smaller businesses. The Institute is scheduled to host its CIBN MSME Forum on December 1, 2026, to advance discussions on expanding access to finance and accelerating enterprise growth.

The Institute is also advocating the establishment of SME hubs across Nigeria to provide entrepreneurs with financing, business support services, capacity development, digital tools and market opportunities.

Beyond access to credit, the NESG identified reliable electricity, logistics, port infrastructure and access to foreign exchange for machinery and industrial inputs as essential conditions for industrial expansion.

The presentation noted that the national grid delivered an average of 4,113 megawatts in the first quarter of 2026, compared with installed capacity of 13,625 megawatts.

Nigeria’s industrial policy targets include increasing manufacturing’s share of gross domestic product to 15 percent by 2030 and 25 percent by 2035.

The CIBN said the banking profession must support these ambitions through responsible lending, sound corporate governance and stronger professional competence.

For the Institute, the next phase of recapitalisation must move beyond stronger balance sheets to financing businesses, expanding productive capacity and creating sustainable employment opportunities across the economy.