Category: Business Day

Anambra state has set a 2030 deadline to digitise every government entity in the state as it seeks to move more public services online and extend digital access to rural communities.

Chukwuemeka Fred Agbata, managing director and chief executive officer of the Anambra State ICT Agency, said the state’s next phase of digital transformation would focus on e-governance, smart government, digital infrastructure and the use of emerging technologies to improve public services.

‘My core vision is that we would have digitised every single government entity in Anambra State,’ Agbata said during an online media engagement on Thursday.

The target marks a shift in the state’s technology strategy from building basic digital infrastructure to using it to deliver government services, support businesses and improve how residents interact with government.

Agbata said the agency, under its 2.0 agenda, is building websites for ministries, departments and agencies while adding functions that allow residents to access actual government services online.

‘We are building websites for all the MDAs. We are also automating them to be able to carry out services and give government support and government services through their websites,’ he said.

The move is intended to reduce the need for residents to travel to Awka or other government offices for services that can be initiated or completed online.

Early usage of the Smart Anambra platform is already pointing to demand for such services. Agbata said the platform recorded about 14,000 visits between July 9 and July 29, an average of about 700 visits a day, despite limited publicity.

The platform is being connected to services spanning hospitals, schools and other government processes, with the goal of allowing residents to start applications remotely, complete forms online and only appear physically where necessary.

‘What the data is already showing us is that we really need to build a system that allows people to actually get government services remotely,’ Agbata said.

Rural connectivity remains a hurdle

The state’s 2030 digital ambition, however, faces a major infrastructure challenge outside urban centres.

Agbata said rural connectivity remained weak because telecommunications operators are often reluctant to invest in communities where the commercial returns do not justify deployment costs.

The state is therefore considering partnerships that could allow it to use Federal Government infrastructure and support from the Universal Service Provision Fund (USPF) to extend connectivity to underserved communities.

‘We understand what digital inclusion means because we are dealing directly with these communities,’ he said.

The push is important to the state’s digital-government strategy because online public services cannot reach residents who lack reliable access to mobile networks or broadband.

Anambra wants rural residents to benefit from digital government regardless of where they live, making connectivity a key part of the state’s broader digital transformation programme.

SMEs targeted

The government is also linking digitalisation to business formalisation, particularly among small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the state’s major markets.

Agbata said the ICT Agency was working with the Ministry of Commerce to explore ways of bringing more informal businesses into the formal digital economy.

‘One of the biggest challenges that we have is that SMEs are not formalised enough,’ he said.

The strategy could make digital platforms a gateway for businesses to interact with government, access support and participate more fully in the formal economy.

The agency also plans to deepen digital skills and education programmes, including initiatives linked to Smart Schools and broader capacity development.

Paperless government to come gradually

While the State Executive Council already operates a paperless system, Agbata said the government was unlikely to declare the entire civil service fully paperless immediately.

He said selected ministries, departments and agencies could instead serve as pilots for deeper digital transformation, with paper and digital processes operating alongside each other during the transition.

‘What might happen is a dual situation,’ he said.

Cybersecurity and public trust will also be important as more government services move online, according to Agbata.

He said the state’s transformation would require cooperation among government agencies, technology companies, telecommunications operators and local technology manufacturers.

He cited the procurement of about 2,000 computers from indigenous technology company Zinox as an example of the state’s engagement with local technology providers.

For Anambra, the challenge over the next four years will be to turn its digital infrastructure into services that residents can actually use, while solving the connectivity, skills, funding and trust gaps that could slow adoption.

Agbata said the ultimate goal was to create a state where residents and businesses can increasingly interact with government digitally and where technology plays a larger role in economic development.

The 2030 deadline now gives the state a clear benchmark against which its digital-government progress can be measured.

Brand Nigeria has huge potential but inconsistent execution. From your experience in narrative and market positioning, what is your honest diagnosis, and what would genuine repositioning require?

Brand Nigeria does not have a visibility problem. It has a narrative problem. I say that with conviction because I see the same pattern in businesses every day. Nigeria is one of the most visible countries on the planet. Our music is on global charts. Our films are on international streaming platforms. Our diaspora is in boardrooms, hospitals, and universities across major cities around the world. We are not invisible. We are simply not telling a coherent story about what we stand for. And when that gap exists, the world fills it with whatever narrative is most available, which is rarely the one that serves us.

A defined narrative, told consistently and pushed through the right channels, does more than inform people. It shapes perception, creates interest, and can attract investment. Investment creates businesses and industries. Industries create employment and economic activity. That is the compounding return on narrative investment, and it applies at both state and national levels.

So, what would an actual Brand Nigeria repositioning look like? First, a decision, not a committee, not a rebrand exercise. A genuine decision about the story Nigeria is choosing to own, built around our real, demonstrable strengths: our market size, talent density, creative output, and resilience.

Second is consistency. The government, the private sector, and the diaspora all need to show up within that story rather than telling competing versions of it.

Third is measurement: treating Brand Nigeria like a campaign with defined outcomes: investment attracted, trade expanded, tourism increased, and talent retained or returned. Not like a PR exercise.

Nigeria does not need a rebrand. It needs a narrative it is willing to commit to and the discipline to tell it everywhere, over time, without flinching.

That is what turns perception into economic value. At a national scale, that value looks like investment, tourism, trade, and the best of our people choosing to build here.

Nigeria has world-class creative talent, yet that creative excellence rarely translates into world-class brand building for Nigerian businesses. Why is the disconnect happening, and how do we fix it?

This is one of the most important questions the industry is not asking loudly enough. We have proven to the world that Nigerian creativity travels. Afrobeats is a global genre. Nollywood is the second-largest film industry by volume on the planet. Our fashion designers are on international runways.

Our content creators are shaping culture across continents. The creative muscle is not in question. The disconnect is that creativity and brand building are being treated as separate disciplines when they are fundamentally the same thing. A hit record is a narrative. A film that moves people is a narrative. But when Nigerian businesses sit down to build their brands, they abandon that instinct entirely and reach for the most generic, safest version of themselves. They stop being storytellers and become announcers. The fix is not complicated, but it requires a mindset shift.

‘But here is what nobody expected: when people came for that meal, they did not just buy that meal. They bought everything else on the menu too, and sales on every other day improved because the energy around that one narrative created a ripple through the entire business.’

Brands need to approach their identity the way our best creatives approach their craft: with a distinct point of view, a willingness to be specific, and the conviction that the right story told powerfully will find its audience. The businesses that make that shift are the ones that will build brands the world remembers.

If I get you right, most businesses don’t have a visibility problem but rather a narrative problem. Could you break that down?

Take any competitive industry – dental clinics, restaurants, financial services – every brand in that space is showing up, posting content, showcasing work, attending events, and running ads. They are visible, but visible is not the same as chosen. We worked with a restaurant once. My first question when we came on board was simple: what is your best-selling meal? What do people actually come here for? They told us. And I said, ‘Fine.’ Let us build a day around that meal. Declare it. Create a moment. When we did, footfall on that specific day increased significantly.

But here is what nobody expected: when people came for that meal, they did not just buy that meal. They bought everything else on the menu too, and sales on every other day improved because the energy around that one narrative created a ripple through the entire business. That is the difference between visibility and narrative. Visibility gets you seen. Narrative gets you chosen. And in a market this competitive, being seen is no longer enough.

What is the conversation that should be happening instead of digital marketing, ad spend, and follower counts?

A brand came to us with a brief that I hear in different forms constantly: ‘We want one million followers on social media in our first year.’ New brand, new to market, no existing audience. Before responding, I quietly checked the social media following of the most established brand in their industry. A brand that has been operating for over seven years, investing heavily in digital, with a strong team. Their following was under one million. So, I told this client plainly, You are not going to cook your followers and eat them. One million followers is not a business goal. It is a vanity metric. The real question is, what does one million followers actually do for your business? Does it drive awareness? Does it convert to sales? Does it attract the right partners?

When you answer that question honestly, everything changes. You stop chasing numbers and start building with purpose. And the growth follows, because you are playing the bigger game. The conversation that needs to happen in boardrooms is not how many people are seeing us. It is what people understand about us when they see us. Reach without clarity is just noise with a budget.

What are the specific, observable signs that a business has a narrative problem, and why do so many mistakes lead to a visibility or sales problem?

We worked with a brand in the aesthetics space. On their social media bio, they had a line that was genuinely powerful: ‘We improve confidence in women.’ Strong, differentiated, memorable. But when you scrolled through their content, that line existed nowhere else. Not in the stories they told, not in how they celebrated their clients. Not in how they described their services. The narrative was in the bio and nowhere else. And yet this brand was active, posting consistently, attending events, and known within their industry.

By every surface measure, they looked like a brand that had it together. But they were not the first name that came to mind when someone needed to make a decision in their category. That is a narrative problem. And it was being treated as a sales problem, with more campaigns, more spend, and more content. But you cannot spend your way to being the first choice. You earn that through consistency of story. Here is what most brands miss: ‘Narrative has a long game.’

Someone who encounters your story today and does not buy will eventually have a need. And when that moment comes, they will remember. They will search for that brand they saw once that said exactly the right thing. That is what a strong narrative does. It keeps working long after the campaign has ended.

Most business leaders think about the brand after they have built the product; what do you consider a more progressive approach?

If your goal is to build a healthy meal restaurant, the customer has to exist in your thinking from day one: who they are, where to find them, what to say when you do, and why this matters specifically to them. Too many brands launch and then ask – now how do we get people to care? But if you build the narrative from the beginning, people start falling in love with what you are building before it even opens. They feel like they are part of something. That is not marketing; that is architecture. The brands that enter a market and immediately feel inevitable, the ones that seem to have always belonged, did not get there by accident. They defined who they were building for before they built a single thing. And every decision after that was made through that lens.

Finally, what is the most significant result Innoventure has produced in two years, and what was the narrative shift behind it?

Two results stand out. The first was a healthcare support company that had been trying to expand into a new market for some time but kept stalling. When we came in, the problem was clear; they had not yet made their authority unquestionable in their existing market. You cannot export strength you have not yet established at home. We sharpened their narrative, reinforced their market leadership, and then led their entry into a new country. The expansion landed. Their revenue reflected it, their industry positioning reflected it, and the calibre of conversations they were having at a sector level changed entirely.

The second was a government project that came to us framed as a digital advertising campaign. I redirected that early. You cannot put fire into the market without a story behind it; people do not respond to activity, they respond to meaning. We built the narrative first, then executed. We exceeded the campaign target by over 400%. That is what narrative does when it is right. It does not just support the campaign. It is the campaign.

President Bola Tinubu has assented to a bill establishing the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), bringing to a close more than a decade of attempts to give port regulation a statutory footing.

Pius Akutah, executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), disclosed the development on Thursday in a Facebook post. ‘Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026. Thank you Mr President for making it a reality,’ he said.

Since the Nigerian Senate passed the bill on April 28, anticipation had peaked for final approval.

The legislation is intended to replace the regulatory arrangement under which the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has overseen the economic side of Nigeria’s ports since 2014, when the Federal Government designated the council as the interim port economic regulator following the port concessions of 2006.

The council’s role has rested largely on presidential directives and regulations rather than a dedicated Act of Parliament. The new law is intended to give the port economic regulator statutory powers over areas including tariffs, rates and charges, competition, service standards and commercial disputes.

The legislation has taken a long route to enactment. Successive National Assemblies had considered bills to establish a dedicated port economic regulator, but attempts in the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth assemblies did not produce a law.

The current legislative effort, initially titled the Nigerian Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency Bill 2023, was introduced in the House of Representatives in February 2024 and passed second reading the following month. The bill sought to repeal the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act and replace it with a new statutory framework.

Its passage was not straightforward.

The bill attracted objections from other maritime agencies over the potential duplication of regulatory powers.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), for instance, raised concerns about provisions covering shipping regulation, licences, fees and charges, while the Nigerian Ports Authority questioned potential overlaps with its role as landlord and concessioning authority.

After eventually passing through the National Assembly, the legislation reached the Presidency but did not receive immediate assent. The bill was returned to lawmakers for amendments, including issues concerning its mandate and conflicts with the Nigerian Tax Administration Act 2025. The House subsequently revised the legislation, with the Senate also reconsidering its earlier passage before the amended version cleared the legislature in 2026.

By March, Akutah said the revised bill was awaiting Senate concurrence before being retransmitted to Tinubu. In April, the Senate considered the revised legislation as part of the process that eventually put it back before the President.

The significance of Thursday’s assent therefore settles, at least in legislation, the question of who should regulate the commercial relationship between port operators and users, and on what legal authority.

For importers, exporters, shipping lines, terminal operators and other port users, the practical impact will depend on how the new regime is implemented. The key questions now include when the Act takes effect, how its powers will be transferred and what happens to the existing NSC’s current structure.

The earlier version of the legislation provided for the repeal of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act, but the precise institutional and transitional arrangements under the final 2026 Act will determine whether the council is effectively converted into the new regulator or whether a separate institutional transition takes place.

The Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Osun State have said voters are ready for a change of government at Saturday’s Governorship election, saying residents are tired of what it described as ‘dancing’ and want a governor ready to work and deliver the dividends of democracy to them.

Sunday Akere, the State Coordinator of the Group, stated this during the ‘Walk for AMBO’ organised in support of Bola Oyebamiji, the Governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said, ‘The people of Osun are tired of dancing, dancing, dancing, and they are ready for a governor who is ready to work and deliver the dividends of democracy to them.

‘You can see the support of the people. The people of Osun want us, they love us, and they desire change. They know that what we have been witnessing in the last almost three and a half to four years is nothing but mediocrity.’

He added that the Renewed Hope Ambassadors had a structure of more than 95,000 members across Osun, adding that only a fraction of the structure was mobilised for the walk within 18 hours.

‘APC is a party that is loved and adored by the people of Osun State, and you can see within 18 hours, we mobilised the structure of Renewed Hope Ambassador. If you want to mobilise the entirety of our structure, it’s over 95,000 in Osun. But we just said a few should come around and show their support to Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, and that is what we are witnessing here today’, he noted.

Akere expressed confidence that voters would support Oyebamiji on August 15, saying the APC was loved and supported by the people of the State.

He also described President Bola Tinubu as a father to all, saying the group was working towards victory for Oyebamiji at the poll.

Adebowale Azeem, an APC chieftain dismissed claims that the party is relying on federal might to win the election, saying the turnout for the mobilisation was evidence of support for the APC.

Also, Amos Adekunle, the Director of Security of the Renewed Hope Ambassadors in Osun, appealed for a peaceful and violence-free election, urging residents to come out and vote.

He said, ‘We just want it to be a violence-free and peaceful election. Everybody should come out and vote. Security will be provided for everybody that needs to come and vote. Rest assured that it’s going to be peaceful. Security will be there, the votes will be counted, and the votes will count.’

Dr Romoke Abiola, a member of the group, urged women in the 30 local government areas and one area office to vote for the APC candidate.

‘My advice for women is that their time has come for prosperity, if you look at the agenda of Bola Oyebamiji, you will see that he has plans for the women, microcredit programme, our primary healthcare for women and the children, when we talk about productivity Oyebamiji is there so the women should expect prosperity,’ Abiola stated.

If you follow Facebook or other social media platforms, you would be tempted to believe that Port Harcourt, once the garden city of highlife, is now the refuse capital of Nigeria.

Those who now berate Port Harcourt’s image may have a big point. From whatever point you enter the city; from Eleme on your way from Uyo and Calabar; from Aba into Oyigbo; from Choba on your way from Warri; or into Rumokoro from Owerri, you will get a ‘warm’ welcome from heaps of refuse, and some ‘warm’ stench.

Before now, Port Harcourt competed in the ‘Cleanest City’ category in Nigeria along with Minna and Owerri. Now, it may be competing in the dirtiest city category.

Records say ‘Port Harcourt earned its legendary title as Nigeria’s ‘Garden City’ through its lush tree-lined streets, peaceful neighbourhoods, and vibrant recreational spaces.’

Green spaces were evident; ‘And the city was historically celebrated for its well-maintained parks, quiet residential layouts, and fresh air coming off the creeks.’

This must be earned from the flowers in the now Old GRA and the well-ordered streets in the Aggrey area of old Township. Now, most of those trees or former flowers now appear to be threats to buildings. There seems to be no replacement and replanting system as part of urban planning.

It is always said that older residents remember an era defined by slow evening strolls, friendly neighbourhoods, and a tranquil pace of life; this was before rapid industrialization.

There were iconic leisure spots, topped by the Port Harcourt Tourist Beach located in the old township of Borokiri. Residents trooped into this place on public holidays and at weekends. Port Harcourt Tourist Beach was established along the Kolabi Creek in 1988, and was once a bustling weekend destination for live traditional music, picnicking, and boat rides.

It died a long time ago, only to be recently replaced by the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park, a modern, expansive open-air facility featuring lakes, fitness trails, and family entertainment. The place seems to rekindle the memories of leisure and picnics. Most weekends these days, crowds swarm into the Park on Aba Road, lapping up every inch of entertainment they can find.

Port Harcourt people love open-air dining, an open ravish of dress and bonding that reflects the cultural lineages that cluster to create the vibe of the Garden City.

This snowballs into a local flavour and lifestyle that make Port Harcourt unique; what with evening outings traditionally involving relaxing with fresh palm wine or enjoying the city’s famous street-side roasted plantain and fish, a delicacy known as bole.

The city is also indicated as blending a bustling maritime and petroleum economy with a relaxed, welcoming social scene.

Now, what the city offers seems to be mountains of refuse from all angles. Vultures and other ugly birds arrive for a feast every now and then.

The Govt House says it discharges its monthly financial obligation. The Ministry of Environment says it’s the agency responsible for the evacuation of rubbish that may be holding the state capital hostage. Many say this is a sign of a system in an almost comatose state.

The Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) has adopted a smart waste collection initiative aimed at tackling growing refuse heaps and environmental concerns in the state.

Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, has, since last year, experienced steadily growing heaps of refuse along major roads and in suburban centres, heightening calls for an environmental audit.

In a bid to tackle the refuse heaps, RIWAMA, led by Ibimina Wokoma, its managing director, adopted the smart collection initiative, which is expected to kick off in October this year.

The smart waste collection initiative, a technology-driven system aimed at making refuse collection more organised, traceable and responsive, was initially scheduled to begin in May 2026.

The project, which will begin in Port Harcourt, Obio/Akpor and surrounding areas, uses real-time data and digital monitoring to optimise collection routes and monitor waste movement from households to approved dumpsites.

Harry Sotonye Henry, RIWAMA’s Head of Media and Advocacy, said in a radio interview on Wednesday that the agency and its technical partners were completing training for vendors and other stakeholders expected to participate in the project.

Explaining the delay in starting the new waste collection initiative, Henry said the agency was also working to fix some problems identified during the test run.

He said: ‘The initiative is fully on course. It goes through a process. You get the vendors, you profile them and take them through sessions. That process is what we have been doing over the past week. The last one we had was the practical session. So, hopefully, before the end of next month-let’s say in October-we should be using the smart collection app.’

Sotonye Henry said the delay in deploying about 25 newly acquired waste trucks was because the agency was putting safety measures in place before they were used. He said the trucks were expected to be deployed on the roads by September.

‘This is meant to boost the refuse collection system in the state. Since the purchase of these vehicles, we have overhauled them and also examined how we could customise them by installing tracking systems and other relevant gadgets. These vehicles will be going to distant places, so there is a need to put proper security and safety measures in place,’ he said.

The growing heaps of refuse on road medians across the state capital have become a major environmental crisis, with civil society groups calling for a state environmental audit.

NolliStream is betting that Nigeria’s mobile-first viewing habits can succeed where subscription streaming platforms have struggled, launching an advertising-funded model as Showmax and IROKOtv retreat from the Nollywood market.

The Lagos-based platform, which launched earlier this year, is taking a markedly different route from the subscription model that defined much of the first wave of Nigerian streaming.

Instead of asking viewers to pay a monthly fee, NolliStream allows users to watch its content for free, with advertising placed before or during programmes. The strategy puts the platform closer to YouTube, where Nigerian filmmakers have increasingly found an audience and a source of income, than to the subscription services that have spent heavily trying to build a paid streaming market.

The timing is significant. Showmax, which operated in Africa for 11 years, shut down across the continent at the end of April 2026 after sustained trading losses. The service had been backed by MultiChoice and later by Canal+ following Canal+’s acquisition of the South African media group.

IROKOtv, one of the earliest dedicated online platforms for Nollywood, closed after 15 years of operation. Its founder, Jason Njoku, had previously acknowledged that the subscription model was difficult to make work in Nigeria, where consumers face high data costs and relatively low disposable income.

The retreat has changed the economics of the Nigerian streaming market. Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have also reduced their appetite for commissioning Nigerian originals, increasingly favouring licensing arrangements. That shift reduces the financial exposure of global platforms but also limits the scale of original-production opportunities available to Nigerian filmmakers.

NolliStream is entering that gap with a proposition built around how Nigerians already consume video: on mobile phones, often through inconsistent connections and with a strong preference for free content.

Its platform allows users to download titles over Wi-Fi for later viewing. It also has a low-data mode that the company says can stream content using as little as 50 megabytes an hour. The service has partnerships with mobile networks aimed at improving playback on 3G and 4G networks outside major urban centres.

That focus reflects a basic problem that has complicated the economics of streaming in Nigeria: getting a viewer to a film is not only a content problem but also a connectivity and affordability problem. A subscription service can have a strong catalogue and still struggle if the customer must pay for both access to the platform and the data required to watch its content.

NolliStream’s model attempts to remove one of those barriers by making access free while reducing the amount of data required to consume the content.

The platform is also designed primarily for mobile use, rather than adapting a desktop-oriented streaming experience to smartphones. Parental controls and film board-rated titles are intended to make the service suitable for household viewing.

But free streaming does not remove the central challenge facing Nollywood platforms. It changes the source of revenue. Instead of depending on monthly subscriptions, NolliStream must build enough viewers and viewing time to attract advertising revenue. That means the platform needs scale, consistent engagement and advertisers willing to commit budgets to a relatively young service.

That is a different risk from the one faced by Showmax and IROKOtv, but it is still a risk. YouTube has already demonstrated that free, advertising-supported video can generate meaningful revenue around Nigerian content. Nollywood-focused YouTube channels were estimated to have generated tens of millions of dollars in 2024, with the market benefiting from Nigerian viewers and diaspora audiences.

Diaspora viewers are particularly important because advertising rates in international markets can be significantly higher than those available in Nigeria.

NolliStream is therefore not simply betting that Nigerians will watch films for free. It is betting that a large mobile audience, combined with advertising and diaspora demand, can produce a business large enough to support local filmmakers.

The platform is also trying to address another weakness in Nollywood’s digital economy: piracy.

Unauthorised distribution remains a major problem for producers, with industry estimates putting annual losses in the tens of billions of naira. Films can appear on illegal websites shortly after release, weakening the ability of producers to recover production costs through legitimate distribution.

NolliStream says it uses automated detection and digital rights management tools to protect content.

The company also says its payment arrangements with filmmakers are designed to offer better terms than those commonly available elsewhere in the market, although the specific commercial terms have not been made public and cannot be independently verified.

The bigger test, however, will be whether NolliStream can move from being a distributor of existing Nollywood films into becoming a producer of content that gives audiences a reason to remain on the platform.

The company has begun that transition. In July, NolliStream released a first look at Blood and Secrets, a drama currently in post-production that will carry the NolliStream label rather than being simply licensed from an outside studio.

The film centres on the consequences of family secrets and is being positioned as an example of the platform’s move into original production.

That is an important change in risk. Licensing existing films allows a streaming service to build a catalogue without taking on the full financial exposure of production. Original content requires the platform to invest before it knows whether viewers will respond.

For NolliStream, the advantage is greater control over the entire chain, from production and rights management to distribution and monetisation.

The company can also apply its mobile-first infrastructure to content it controls from the beginning, including offline viewing and low-data streaming.

NolliStream is not alone in testing a new formula. Kava, another newer Nollywood-focused platform, has taken the opposite approach, charging Nigerian users a monthly fee while applying a higher subscription price to diaspora customers.

The two platforms are therefore testing different answers to the same question: what business model can persuade Nigerian audiences to pay for or spend enough time with locally produced video to make streaming sustainable?

For years, the answer appeared to be the subscription model used by global streaming companies. The retreat of Showmax and IROKOtv suggests that assumption is no longer sufficient.

NolliStream bets that Nigeria’s constraints, rather than being obstacles to be overcome by importing a foreign streaming model, should determine how the service is built.

That means free access, advertising, mobile-first design, offline viewing and low-data consumption. The unresolved question is whether those features can generate enough scale and advertising income to finance a sustainable content business.

Blood and Secrets will provide an early test of that strategy. If the platform can turn a free mobile audience into meaningful advertising revenue while attracting filmmakers with stronger rights protection and commercial terms, it could offer Nollywood a different path after years of subscription-led experimentation.

For now, NolliStream is betting that the future of Nigerian streaming may not look like Netflix. It may look much more like the phone Nigerians already use to watch YouTube.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has disrupted an international wildlife trafficking operation at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, rescuing two live lion cubs allegedly being smuggled out of Nigeria.

Three suspects, including the alleged owner of the animals, the driver of the vehicle used in the operation and a Customs clearing agent, were arrested during the intelligence-led operation carried out on August 4, 2026.

The operation was conducted by the Special Wildlife Office (SWO) of the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU), in collaboration with the FCT CIU, Customs Police Unit, FCT Command and conservation partner, Focused Conservation.

Anuhu Mani, officer-in-charge of the Special Wildlife Office, disclosed the development in a statement issued on August 10, saying the suspects were allegedly moving the cubs from Kano through Abuja, with Congo-Brazzaville as their intended destination.

According to him, Customs operatives, acting on actionable intelligence, mounted surveillance around the airport’s Cargo Terminal and identified a black SUV suspected to be connected with the movement of the animals.

The operation took a decisive turn when a CIU operative conducting a physical inspection of the vehicle heard animal cries from the rear compartment.

A subsequent search led to the discovery of the two lion cubs concealed inside crates in the luggage area of the vehicle.

Mani said the three suspects were immediately taken into custody and were being interrogated to establish the wider network allegedly behind the trafficking operation.

He said the seizure underscored the Service’s determination to prevent Nigeria from becoming a transit route for international wildlife trafficking networks.

‘This operation sends an unmistakable message that Nigeria will not serve as a transit hub or safe haven for wildlife trafficking syndicates,’ Mani said.

He added that the rescue was particularly significant given the declining population of wild lions in Nigeria.

‘With fewer lions remaining in Nigeria’s wild, saving these cubs is not just an enforcement success, it is a critical conservation victory,’ he said.

Mani said the Special Wildlife Office would continue to use intelligence gathering, profiling of trade routes and enforcement measures to identify and prosecute individuals involved in the illegal trade in endangered species.

The alleged trafficking, he said, contravened national and international wildlife protection frameworks, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Nigeria’s Endangered Species Act.

Following the interception, the two cubs were handed over to Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative for veterinary attention, rehabilitation and specialised care.

The development adds a new dimension to the Customs Service’s enforcement responsibilities as it increasingly targets environmental crimes alongside conventional smuggling and illicit trade.

The Service said the operation reflected its broader efforts under Comptroller-General of Customs Adewale Adeniyi to strengthen intelligence-led enforcement and disrupt organised criminal networks using Nigeria’s transport corridors.

Ola Olukoyede, executive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has warned Nigerian youths against engaging in internet fraud, saying the pursuit of quick wealth could destroy their future and wipe out assets acquired through fraudulent means.

Olukoyede gave the warning in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, while addressing youths and teenagers at a conference organised by the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), Rivers State Chapter, at the Port Harcourt Ecumenical Centre.

According to a statement by Dele Oyewale, EFCC Head of Media and Publicity, Thursday, the conference, which focused on addressing social vices among young people, featured a presentation on ‘Internet Fraud Dangers, Consequences and Godly Alternative,’ delivered on behalf of the EFCC chairman by a Deputy Superintendent of the EFCC, James Adayilo Hosea.

Olukoyede described internet fraud as the use of the internet, computers, mobile phones and social media platforms to deceive unsuspecting individuals for financial gain.

He warned that beyond the immediate financial and legal consequences, involvement in cybercrime could have long-term implications for the future, reputation and livelihood of young people.

According to him, internet-related crimes include fake online investment schemes, romance scams, identity theft, social media impersonation, online shopping scams, cryptocurrency fraud, fake giveaways and fraudulent job offers.

He said young people involved in such activities risk arrest, prosecution, conviction, imprisonment and forfeiture of assets traced to criminal proceeds.

‘All you have laboured for will be taken away,’ Olukoyede warned.

The EFCC chairman identified peer pressure and the desire to become wealthy within a short period as among the major factors driving young people into internet fraud.

He said the increasing pressure among youths to acquire expensive cars, live affluent lifestyles and attain financial success without going through the necessary process of education, skills acquisition and legitimate work was exposing many to criminal activities.

‘Many young people want quick results without process. They want a car before career; comfortable lifestyle before they labour. They want rewards before work. Unfortunately, life does not work that way.

‘Success without process rarely lasts. Peer pressure also leads some into committing internet crimes,’ he said.

Olukoyede urged the youths, particularly those who profess Christianity, to embrace integrity and resist the temptation to measure success solely by material possessions.

He said every young person possesses unique talents, abilities and potential that could be developed for legitimate economic and social purposes.

‘God created every young person with unique gifts, talents, and a purpose. He did not create us to live by deception or dishonesty, but to be lights in our generation,’ he said.

Rather than deploying technology to defraud others, the EFCC chairman encouraged young Nigerians to use digital tools to create value, develop businesses, acquire useful skills and contribute to the country’s economic growth.

‘Instead of using technology to scam people, use it to create value and be responsible citizens by learning useful skills and contributing meaningfully to the growth of the economy,’ he said.

Olukoyede further advised youths to be deliberate about the people they associate with, warning that negative peer influence could undermine their future.

He urged them to avoid get-rich-quick schemes, acquire marketable skills, seek mentors known for integrity and develop personal development plans.

He also encouraged the youths to focus on long-term goals rather than instant gratification, while making productive use of technology.

Among the measures he recommended were choosing friends carefully, developing valuable skills, seeking guidance from credible mentors, maintaining spiritual discipline and setting clear personal and professional goals.

The EFCC boss also called on young Nigerians to view technology as an instrument for innovation and wealth creation rather than a tool for exploiting unsuspecting victims.

He stressed that legitimate success requires patience, discipline, hard work and a willingness to follow due process.

The commission’s warning comes amid continuing concerns over the involvement of young Nigerians in various forms of cybercrime, including online scams and fraudulent digital investment schemes.

The EFCC has repeatedly warned that proceeds of internet fraud can result in criminal prosecution and the forfeiture of properties, vehicles, cash and other assets linked to illicit activities.

Olukoyede therefore urged the youths to make choices that would protect their future and enable them to become productive contributors to society rather than expose themselves to criminal prosecution and the loss of assets.

Seyi Makinde, Oyo State governor and presidential candidate of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), has picked Lawal Musa Daura, former Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), as his running mate for the 2027 poll.

Makinde announced Daura’s selection on Thursday at the APM national convention held at Rilwanu Adamu Square, Government House, Bauchi, where he also called on opposition parties to unite around a credible alternative ahead of the 2027 general election.

The governor said the opposition’s responsibility went beyond winning elections, stressing that political actors must present Nigerians with measurable solutions to the country’s challenges.

‘As we approach 2027, therefore, I believe the task before all of us is bigger than winning an election. It is to give Nigerians a real choice about the future of their country,’ he said.

Makinde urged the newly elected APM leadership to collaborate with other opposition parties, noting that credible opposition was essential to sustaining democracy.

He said the 2027 election must focus on outcomes rather than slogans, government announcements and promises that failed to improve citizens’ living conditions. ‘The 2027 election must be an election about outcomes,’ he said.

Makinde said Nigerians should assess economic policies by their impact on purchasing power, while young people should judge employment policies by their ability to create productive jobs.

He said farmers should assess agricultural policies through productivity and access to markets.

On security, Makinde said government performance should be judged by whether Nigerians could travel, farm, work and sleep without fear.

He said poverty reduction, job creation, education, healthcare and security should dominate the 2027 political debate.