Category: Business Day

[This is Part Two of a two-part series on Nigeria’s evolving approach to data localisation. Part One examined the legal foundations of Nigeria’s data localisation framework. This instalment explores the regulatory, policy and infrastructure developments shaping its future direction.]

In Part One of this series, we examined the legal framework underpinning data localisation in Nigeria and explained why the country has adopted a layered approach rather than a single comprehensive data localisation law. However, legislation alone does not tell the full story. Increasingly, sector-specific regulation, government policy and technical standards are shaping Nigeria’s approach to data governance, sovereign cloud infrastructure and digital resilience. It is these developments, and their implications for businesses, that this second instalment explores.

The Expanding Regulatory Landscape

While the NDPA provides the principal framework governing personal data and cross-border transfers, it represents only one component of Nigeria’s broader approach to data localisation.

Increasingly, sector regulators are introducing targeted localisation requirements where they consider local storage necessary to support operational resilience, regulatory oversight or the protection of critical national infrastructure.

One recent example is the CBN’s June 2026 Circular introducing market structure requirements, ultimate beneficial ownership disclosure obligations and data localisation measures within Nigeria’s payments ecosystem. The Circular requires financial institutions and other participants facilitating payments within Nigeria to ensure that payment transaction data generated within Nigeria is stored and managed within Nigeria, with full compliance required from 1 January 2027. Unlike the NDPA, which focuses primarily on protecting personal data through regulated transfer mechanisms, the CBN’s approach reflects broader policy objectives relating to the resilience, integrity and operational oversight of Nigeria’s payment systems.

The financial services sector therefore illustrates an important point. Data localisation in Nigeria is no longer driven solely by privacy considerations. Increasingly, it is being used as a regulatory tool to support financial stability, operational resilience and systemic supervision.

Towards Sovereign Cloud Infrastructure

Data localisation is also increasingly reflected in Nigeria’s broader digital economy policies. NITDA’s National Cloud Computing Policy, first issued in 2019, established a ‘Cloud First’ approach for government institutions while encouraging the development of indigenous cloud service providers and local cloud infrastructure. Rather than simply promoting cloud adoption, the Policy recognises cloud computing as an important enabler of digital government, economic development and local technology capacity. It also introduces important policy considerations relating to cloud procurement, vendor lock-in, data classification and the need for cloud solutions that support national digital objectives.

More recently, NITDA has begun translating these policy objectives into more detailed technical guidance. The National Cloud Technical Document proposes comprehensive standards governing sovereign cloud deployments for public institutions, including technical requirements relating to cloud procurement, recognised deployment models, cybersecurity controls, data classification, disaster recovery, localisation, service levels and infrastructure standards. Particularly noteworthy is its emphasis on hosting higher-sensitivity government data within Nigeria while recognising that certain cross-border transfers may remain appropriate where adequate legal and technical safeguards exist.

Closely linked to these developments is NITDA’s recently issued National Data Classification Framework, which seeks to establish a structured methodology for classifying data according to its sensitivity, criticality and the potential impact of its compromise. Rather than treating all information alike, the Framework recognises that different categories of data require different levels of protection and, consequently, different governance, security and hosting arrangements.

This represents an important policy development. It suggests that future discussions around data localisation in Nigeria are likely to become increasingly risk-based rather than driven by blanket localisation requirements. Highly sensitive government information and critical national data may warrant stricter localisation and sovereign cloud requirements, while less sensitive information may continue to be hosted or transferred across jurisdictions, subject to appropriate legal, contractual and technical safeguards.

For businesses, the practical implication is that data classification is becoming an increasingly important component of data governance. Decisions regarding where data should be stored, processed and transferred are likely to depend not only on the applicable legal framework, but also on the nature and sensitivity of the data itself. Organisations that maintain robust data inventories and classification frameworks will therefore be better positioned to respond as Nigeria’s localisation requirements continue to evolve.

Taken together, these developments suggest that Nigeria’s policy direction extends beyond protecting personal data. Increasingly, it seeks to establish a broader governance framework for data, cloud infrastructure and digital sovereignty, one that combines legislative requirements, sector-specific regulation, technical standards and government policy to support public sector digital transformation, strengthen national digital resilience and build trusted domestic digital infrastructure.

Is Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Ready?

Legal obligations are only one part of the discussion. Effective data localisation depends not only on regulatory requirements but also on the availability of reliable digital infrastructure capable of supporting local storage, processing and cloud-based services.

Nigeria has witnessed significant investment in carrier-neutral data centres, cloud infrastructure and fibre connectivity over recent years. International cloud providers, together with local cloud operators and data centre operators such as Rack Centre, Open Access Data Centres (OADC) and Equinix (through MainOne), have expanded local infrastructure, increasing the capacity available to organisations seeking in-country hosting solutions.

Importantly, recent government initiatives also recognise that localisation requirements cannot exist in isolation. The National Cloud Computing Policy and the National Cloud Technical Document reflect a broader policy objective of strengthening Nigeria’s indigenous cloud ecosystem and digital infrastructure, recognising that any meaningful localisation strategy must be supported by commercially viable local hosting capacity, resilient cloud services and appropriate cybersecurity capabilities.

While challenges remain, including energy reliability, nationwide infrastructure resilience and the continued expansion of hyperscale cloud capacity, Nigeria’s digital infrastructure has developed considerably over recent years and is increasingly capable of supporting localisation requirements across a growing range of sectors. The focus is therefore shifting beyond whether localisation is technically feasible to how Nigeria can continue expanding the infrastructure needed to support its broader digital economy ambitions.

Data Localisation and Regional Digital Trade

Nigeria’s evolving approach must also be considered within the broader context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which seeks to facilitate digital trade and cross-border services across the continent. As African economies become increasingly interconnected, policymakers will continue to balance legitimate objectives relating to digital sovereignty, cybersecurity and national resilience against the economic benefits of cross-border data flows and regional digital integration.

How that balance ultimately develops is likely to become one of the defining regulatory questions for Africa’s digital economy over the coming decade.

Conclusion

Perhaps the most important point is that Nigeria’s data localisation framework should not be viewed as settled. The direction of travel is becoming clearer than the final destination.

Recent initiatives by the CBN and NITDA demonstrate that policymakers are moving beyond broad policy statements towards increasingly specific localisation, sovereign cloud and digital infrastructure requirements. At the same time, the rapid development of artificial intelligence, cloud computing and shifting geopolitical dynamics will continue to influence how governments think about data governance.

More fundamentally, data localisation should not be viewed as an end in itself. Rather, it forms part of a broader strategy aimed at strengthening digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, regulatory oversight and the resilience of Nigeria’s digital economy. Businesses should therefore resist treating today’s localisation requirements as the final position. Instead, they should monitor legislative, regulatory, technical and policy developments closely and periodically reassess their data governance strategies to ensure they remain aligned with evolving legal obligations and commercial realities.

For boards, general counsel and technology leaders, the question is no longer simply where data is stored. Increasingly, it is whether their organisations have the governance, infrastructure and strategic flexibility to operate confidently in a regulatory environment that is still taking shape.

Anambra State is seeking to turn its worsening erosion, flooding and waste-management challenges into opportunities for investment, job creation and a new green economy, as government and environmental stakeholders push for stronger climate-resilience partnerships.

The shift was at the centre of the Anambra Climate Resilience and Erosion Greening Roundtable held virtually, under the theme ‘From Gully Sites to Green Assets.’

The roundtable, organised by the Anambra Waste Recyclers Association (ASWRA) in collaboration with SWEEP Foundation NG and the Anambra State Ministry of Environment, brought together policymakers, climate advocates, environmental professionals and players in the waste and recycling value chain.

The discussions pointed to a broader change in approach: environmental degradation should not be treated only as a cost to government but also as an opportunity to develop businesses around recycling, restoration, resource recovery and climate adaptation.

Anambra has long struggled with gully erosion, flooding, land degradation and poor waste disposal, problems that have damaged communities, roads and other infrastructure while increasing pressure on public finances.

But participants said the state could use these challenges to build a more resilient economy if government policies are matched with private investment, community participation and better environmental data.

Clem Aguiyi, Anambra’s commissioner for Environment, stressed the need for coordinated action between government, communities and private-sector operators.

Aguiyi also invited Yusuf Kelani, the special adviser to the president on Climate Change and his team to visit Anambra for an on-the-ground assessment of the state’s gully erosion crisis.

Kelani provided a national perspective on climate action and the growing opportunities in Nigeria’s green economy. He said subnational governments and local stakeholders needed to position themselves to benefit from the emerging climate-resilience value chain.

He also assured participants that his team was planning a visit to Anambra as part of a wider nationwide consultation on climate-change mitigation and adaptation.

Obuesi Phillips, executive director of SWEEP Foundation NG and lead consultant on Climate Change, Sustainability and Circular Economy, called for a stronger response to Anambra’s ecological problems.

He said the state, increasingly described as Nigeria’s erosion capital, needed more than temporary interventions and public commentary.

Phillips urged closer cooperation between the federal and state governments to tackle erosion and other environmental problems while developing economic opportunities around waste recovery, recycling and environmental restoration.

The central idea of the roundtable was that degraded land, erosion sites and waste dumps could be converted into entry points for environmental restoration and economic activity.

That would require Anambra to move from a largely reactive approach to one focused on prevention, early intervention and long-term investment.

Stakeholders identified nature-based solutions, climate-resilient infrastructure, recycling, waste recovery, green entrepreneurship, youth participation and environmental education as areas that could support the transition.

They also called for stronger public-private-community partnerships and data-driven planning to identify vulnerable areas before environmental damage becomes more expensive to reverse.

Waste recyclers emerged as a critical part of the proposed green-economy model.

Waste pickers, aggregators and recyclers already recover materials that would otherwise end up in dumpsites, drains and waterways. Participants said the sector could play a larger role if operators receive institutional recognition, access to finance, appropriate technology and stronger links to formal markets.

Safer working conditions and skills development were also identified as necessary to move the recycling sector from an informal survival activity into a more organised economic industry.

For Anambra, such a transition could create new opportunities for young people and small businesses while reducing the volume of waste entering the environment.

The discussions also placed climate resilience within the wider development agenda.

Investments in recycling, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, green infrastructure, environmental restoration and waste-to-value businesses could create jobs while reducing the economic damage caused by environmental degradation.

That means climate policy could become part of Anambra’s enterprise-development strategy rather than remaining confined to environmental regulation.

Participants said government could provide policy direction, regulation and infrastructure, while private companies bring capital, technology and markets. Civil society groups could support advocacy and community mobilisation, with local communities playing a central role in implementation.

The partnership between ASWRA, SWEEP Foundation NG and the Ministry of Environment was presented as a model for this multi-stakeholder approach.

The key challenge now is moving from discussions to projects.

Stakeholders said the next phase should include community-based erosion restoration programmes, recycling hubs, green-enterprise initiatives, climate-awareness campaigns and mechanisms that connect environmental businesses with funding and investment.

The goal is to make climate action deliver measurable benefits to communities while reducing the environmental risks facing the state.

For Anambra, the ‘From Gully Sites to Green Assets’ approach represents a potential change in the economics of environmental management: from spending mainly to repair damage to investing in systems that prevent damage, recover resources and create new businesses.

The roundtable has opened the conversation. The bigger test will be whether government, investors, communities and environmental actors can turn the proposals into projects that make Anambra cleaner, greener and more economically resilient.

The global success of Afrobeats has transformed Nigerian music into one of the nation’s most influential cultural exports, earning billions of streams and placing local artists on the world’s biggest stages. Beneath this international acclaim lies a troubling reality – thousands of Nigerian songs are uploaded every day with little or no metadata (data about data, like the author, date, and file size of a photo), poor rights management, limited monetisation opportunities, and virtually no institutional support.

It is against this backdrop that the proposed government-backed Digital Service Provider (DSP), ‘Discover Nigeria’, deserves serious attention. If implemented effectively, the initiative could become one of the most important interventions in Nigeria’s creative economy, not because the government is entering the music business, but because it seeks to address the structural deficiencies that have denied artists their full economic value.

Between 5,000 and 10,000 songs are reportedly uploaded daily by Nigerian creators. While this demonstrates remarkable creativity and productivity, it also exposes a chaotic ecosystem where many artists release music without accurate metadata, copyright registration, publishing arrangements, or management structures. Consequently, countless songs disappear into the crowded digital marketplace without generating sustainable income for their creators.

This is where ‘Discover Nigeria’ can make a difference. Far beyond functioning as another streaming platform, it promises to improve discoverability, artist branding, playlist promotion, and content management. More importantly, it seeks to establish the infrastructure necessary for artists to earn from every legitimate use of their intellectual property.

The director-general, National Council for Art and Culture, Obi Asika’s observation that ‘the fight for value is a fight against absence’ captures the industry’s greatest challenge. Nigeria is not short of talent but suffers from the absence of systems.

The comparison with South Africa should concern policymakers. Despite Nigeria’s larger population, bigger music industry and greater global cultural influence, South Africa reportedly earns several times more in music revenue because it possesses stronger collection systems, better copyright enforcement, more transparent institutions and efficient licensing structures, and this should not be the case.

For too long, Nigeria’s music industry has relied almost exclusively on streaming income and live performances while neglecting lucrative revenue streams such as publishing rights, synchronisation licensing for films and advertisements, merchandising, gaming, digital collectibles, licensing, toys and branded products. These sectors generate billions of dollars yearly in developed entertainment markets but remain largely untapped locally.

The government therefore has a legitimate role, not as a music promoter or operator, but as a builder of enabling infrastructure. The approval of Nigeria’s Intellectual Property Financing Framework in 2025 represents another significant policy milestone. Allowing intellectual property to serve as collateral for financing could unlock desperately needed capital for musicians, filmmakers, writers and other creative entrepreneurs. For decades, Nigerian creatives have struggled to obtain loans because banks seldom recognised songs, films or digital content as bankable assets.

If banks begin accepting music catalogues, copyrights and publishing rights as collateral, many talented creators will finally gain access to affordable financing without depending entirely on record labels or private investors.

However, policy announcements alone will not transform the sector. The real challenge has always been implementation. Nigeria has witnessed numerous creative economy initiatives that generated impressive headlines but failed to deliver measurable impact because institutions lacked coordination, funding or political consistency. Discovering Nigeria must avoid that fate.

Its success will depend on seamless collaboration among the National Council for Arts and Culture, the Nigerian Copyright Commission, financial institutions, Collective Management Organisations, technology companies and private-sector music distributors. The government should establish standards, strengthen regulation, improve copyright enforcement and create incentives for investment, while allowing experienced private operators to manage the platform commercially.

Artists, too, have responsibilities, as many emerging musicians still overlook basic professional practices such as registering copyrights, maintaining accurate metadata, signing transparent publishing agreements and protecting ownership of their works. Professionalisation is no longer optional in a digital economy where algorithms, licensing systems and royalty collections depend heavily on accurate information.

Equally important is capacity building, as music schools, talent hubs, industry associations and government agencies should educate creators on publishing, royalty management, intellectual property law, branding and international licensing opportunities.

Nigeria’s creative economy has demonstrated extraordinary resilience despite weak institutions. Imagine what it could achieve with modern infrastructure, transparent royalty systems, accessible financing and stronger public-private collaboration.

Discover Nigeria presents an opportunity to convert Nigeria’s cultural influence into sustainable economic prosperity. But the platform must be judged not by the excitement surrounding its launch, but by measurable outcomes – improved royalty collections, better artist earnings, increased copyright registrations, expanded export revenues and stronger global competitiveness.

Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has urged Everest Okoro, a Major-General and newly appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, to sustain proactive security measures and collaboration with other security agencies to protect lives, property and critical economic assets in the Niger Delta.

Governor Oborevwori gave the charge on Tuesday when he received Okoro, who is also the Land Component Commander, Joint Task Force South-South, Operation Delta Safe, on a courtesy visit to Government House, Asaba.

The governor, who congratulated the GOC on his appointment, described 6 Division as a strategic operational formation with a critical role in maintaining peace and security across the region.

Governor Oborevwori assured the Army chief of the continued support and cooperation of the Delta State Government.

He said the peace in Delta is largely the result of sustained collaboration between the state government and security agencies, stressing that the state’s strategic position as a major oil-producing state made its security crucial to Nigeria’s economic stability.

‘Delta State is very, very key to the economy of Nigeria, and we rely on the security agencies to do their work because the peace we are enjoying today is the result of collaboration between the state and the security agencies,’ he said.

Governor Oborevwori commended the Nigerian Army and other security agencies for their efforts in safeguarding the state, noting that his administration had continued to provide infrastructure and logistics to enhance their operational capacity.

He disclosed that the Government recently constructed one-unit flats at the Amphibious Army Barracks in Agbor and had provided sustained logistical support to the 63 Brigade.

‘This is just one of our initiatives among others to support the Nigerian Army. We assure you that we will continue to give you support and collaborate with the Nigerian Army for a safer and more prosperous region,’ the governor said.

He stressed the strong link between security and economic development, noting that investments and businesses could only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and stability.

‘If this region is safe, the economy will go up. If there is unrest in this region, the economy will go down,’ he said, urging the new GOC to be proactive and decisive in tackling criminal elements.

The governor, who recalled his previous involvement with the Presidential Amnesty Programme and his close working relationship with security agencies in the Niger Delta, said his relationship with the military remained cordial. ‘I want to assure you that we will continue to work together,’ he added.

Earlier, Major General Okoro said the visit was part of his familiarisation tour of military formations and units under his command following his assumption of duty.

He commended Governor Oborevwori for what he described as purposeful leadership and strong support for Delta’s security architecture, particularly in the areas of infrastructure, welfare and economic development.

Okoro said Delta’s strategic location, oil and gas infrastructure, waterways and other critical national assets made the state important to Nigeria’s economic and energy security.

He said the protection of critical national assets and the security of states within the Division’s area of responsibility were therefore among his priorities.

He said credible intelligence, realistic training and close coordination among security agencies and other stakeholders were essential to effectively address security threats.

Okoro said his vision was to safeguard critical national assets, defeat threats within the Division’s area of responsibility and accomplish assigned missions through disciplined leadership, realistic training and seamless joint operations.

He commended the cordial relationship between the Delta Government and the Nigerian Army, particularly the 63 Brigade, and sought its sustenance.

As Southwest states and Edo State grapple with an estimated 3.5 million children without birth certificates, the National Population Commission (NPC) has identified poor network connectivity as one of the major challenges hindering the smooth and timely implementation of electronic birth (e-birth) registration.

BusinessDay recalls that Celine Lafoucriere, Chief of the UNICEF Lagos Field Office, on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, raised concerns that children who are not registered at birth could, in the future, face difficulties accessing government social protection programmes and essential services, as well as claiming inheritance from their parents.

Lafoucriere spoke at a two-day birth registration media dialogue organised by the NPC in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for media practitioners from Lagos, Ondo, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Edo states.

The dialogue was themed, ‘Giving Every Child a Legal Identity by Driving Birth Registration in Nigeria.’

She highlighted several rights and opportunities that unregistered children could struggle to access, including obtaining passports, voting when they reach adulthood, inheriting their parents’ property and establishing their legal identity.

Speaking to journalists at Majeck Health Centre, Sangotedo, during a field visit organised as part of the dialogue, Phillip Agbatun, NPC Registrar in charge of the health centre, said poor network connectivity was slowing down the electronic birth registration process.

Agbatun explained that network disruptions reduced the number of children that could be registered each day, creating delays for parents and health workers.

He recalled that two weeks earlier, 76 people had visited the health centre for birth registration, but only 46 could be successfully registered because of network-related challenges.

‘Sometimes, when you get to the point of submitting the registration, you experience delays because of poor network connectivity. It takes time before we submit this thing, and because we don’t want to waste our mothers’ time, we have a form that we print. We collect their details so that we won’t keep them here unnecessarily,’ he said.

According to him, network disruptions could increase the time required to register a single child significantly.

‘Whenever there are network challenges, sometimes it takes as long as 10 to 15 minutes to attend to a single person,’ he said, adding that the process takes about five minutes when the network is stable.

Agbatun also stressed that birth registration could not be conducted by proxy, urging mothers to provide their husbands’ National Identification Numbers (NIN) to ensure that the correct names and other details were captured during registration.

He stated that birth registration is free for children aged zero to five years, while children above the age of five who have not been registered would be required to pay N5,000.

Meanwhile, Duke Juliet, a nursing mother who spoke during the field visit, said she registered her daughter when the child was six weeks old. The child is now 10 weeks old.

Juliet said she completed the registration during an immunisation exercise, and encouraged other parents, particularly mothers, to take advantage of opportunities provided at health facilities to register their children.

She urged parents to present their children for e-birth registration early, stressing the importance of obtaining a legal identity for every child.

The NPC and UNICEF have continued to promote birth registration as a critical component of Nigeria’s identity-management system, particularly as millions of children remain without official proof of birth.

Africa is entering a more consequential second half of 2026 – elections are testing reforms, currencies are stabilising unevenly, investors are returning to African debt, inflation is proving sticky and capital-market gains are creating new pockets of wealth.

Here are the stories shaping the week

Zambia votes Thursday as economic reforms face voters’ verdict

Zambians head to the polls on Thursday, August 13, in a presidential and parliamentary election that will test whether President Hakainde Hichilema’s economic reforms have delivered enough progress to secure him a second and final term. Hichilema, 64, who defeated former president Edgar Lungu in 2021, remains the favourite, but a newly assembled opposition alliance led by former Patriotic Front lawmaker Brian Mundubile has made the contest more competitive than expected.

Why it matters: The result will determine the direction of Zambia’s economic reforms, debt-management strategy and investor policy at a time when households are still grappling with economic hardship. A change in government could also alter the pace and priorities of reforms that have reshaped Zambia’s relationship with creditors and international investors.

Otedola’s FirstHoldCo buying spree makes him Africa’s fastest-growing billionaire

Femi Otedola’s aggressive accumulation of First HoldCo shares has emerged as one of Africa’s biggest wealth-creation stories in 2026, as the billionaire benefits from the strong rally in the parent company of FirstBank. Otedola has repeatedly increased his stake this year, while First HoldCo’s shares have surged alongside stronger earnings, with first-half pretax profit rising by 83 percent to N654 billion.

Why it matters: Otedola’s gains show how Nigeria’s stock-market rally and banking-sector earnings are reshaping the fortunes of the country’s wealthiest investors. His growing stake also makes First HoldCo, which is the parent company of the country’s oldest bank, a closely watched test of whether the bank’s transformation can sustain its share-price rally and create more wealth.

Higher fuel prices push Egypt inflation higher for first time in four months

Egypt’s annual urban inflation accelerated to 14.9 percent in July from 14.3 percent in June, ending a three-month decline as higher housing, fuel and education costs put renewed pressure on households. The increase, reported by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, also came as the government continues to implement subsidy reforms that are feeding into consumer prices.

Why it matters: The renewed inflation pressure complicates Africa’s second largest economy’s efforts to lower borrowing costs and support economic growth. It also threatens household purchasing power and could influence the central bank’s room to continue monetary easing after a prolonged period of disinflation.

Afreximbank’s record $1.5bn bond signals investor confidence in Africa

Global investors are showing continued appetite for African credit despite elevated global yields and geopolitical uncertainty, with Afreximbank raising $1.5 billion in its largest-ever bond sale. The dual-tranche Eurobond attracted orders of up to $3.8 billion, roughly twice the amount offered, from investors across the UK, Europe, Asia and the US.

Why it matters: Strong demand for the bond is an important signal for African borrowers. It suggests investors remain willing to provide long-term dollar funding to credible African institutions, potentially opening a window for other highly rated African sovereigns and corporates to return to international markets.

Seven African currencies beat the dollar in July as FX pressure eases

Seven African currencies strengthened against the US dollar in July, up from just four in the first half of the year, as global market conditions improved and fears of a prolonged oil-supply disruption eased following the US-Iran ceasefire. The retreat in Brent crude from around $100 a barrel during the conflict to below $85 also provided relief for oil-importing economies, although fuel costs remain elevated across much of the continent.

Why it matters: The improvement in African currencies offers some relief to central banks battling imported inflation and external financing pressures. But with oil prices rising again to around $90 a barrel in early August amid renewed geopolitical tensions, the July relief may prove temporary.

Jumia Technologies has raised $50 million in fresh capital, anchored by a $25 million investment from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), as the African e-commerce company reported stronger sales and narrowing losses in the second quarter of 2026.

The company disclosed the capital raise alongside its Q2 results for the three months ended June 30, 2026, marking a significant boost to its balance sheet as it pushes towards profitability.

Jumia’s revenue rose 14 percent year-on-year to $52 million, while gross merchandise value (GMV) increased 20 percent to $216.3 million. Adjusted for changes in its market footprint, GMV growth was 23 percent.

The company’s gross profit climbed 28 percent to $30.7 million, while its adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed 36 percent to $8.7 million, compared with $13.6 million a year earlier.

Loss before income tax also improved by 33 percent to $10.9 million.

Nigeria emerged as Jumia’s strongest market during the quarter. Orders in the country increased 34 percent year-on-year, while GMV rose 36 percent, highlighting the importance of Nigeria to Jumia’s growth strategy.

Jumia recorded 6.3 million physical-goods orders during the quarter, up 26 percent year-on-year, while quarterly active customers increased 24 percent.

International sellers also gained traction, with gross items sold rising 96 percent, driven largely by the expansion of Chinese sellers and affordable fashion suppliers in Turkey.

The results came despite supply disruptions affecting smartphones and electronics, higher fuel costs and weaker consumer demand in Ivory Coast linked to falling cocoa prices.

Jumia said it deliberately prioritised margins and unit economics over pursuing GMV growth through discounts.

Marketplace revenue rose 34 percent to $28.8 million, while advertising revenue jumped 88 percent to $3.5 million as more sellers adopted Jumia’s retail media offerings.

The firm is also using artificial intelligence to reduce operating costs.

Jumia said AI-driven automation is being deployed across operations, finance, customer support and technology, including cybersecurity and code-quality workflows. AI is also being used in logistics, customer service and seller management.

The cost-cutting programme has reduced Jumia’s workforce to just over 1,770 employees as of June 30, down 11 percent from March 2026 and significantly below the 4,318 employees recorded at the end of 2022.

Despite the stronger operating performance, Jumia’s liquidity position fell to $48.3 million at the end of June, after declining by $14.3 million during the quarter.

The new $50 million investment is therefore expected to provide additional financial capacity as the company scales its operations.

Jumia maintained its target of achieving adjusted EBITDA breakeven and positive cash flow in the fourth quarter of 2026, with full-year profitability and positive cash flow targeted for 2027.

It expects GMV to grow between 20 percent and 30 percent in 2026.

The Katsina State Government on Wednesday commenced the 2026 SMART Nutrition Survey to assess malnutrition, food insecurity and related health challenges across the state’s 34 Local Government Areas.

The exercise is expected to generate updated data on children and women to guide government and development partners in targeting nutrition interventions.

Speaking at the flag-off in Katsina, Prof. Saifullahi Ibrahim, the Statistician General of the Katsina State Bureau of Statistics, described the survey as a critical investment in evidence-based governance.

‘Statistics provide the evidence upon which governments make decisions, allocate resources, monitor progress and assess whether public interventions are achieving the desired results,’ he said.

The 2025 SMART Survey recorded 7.4 per cent Global Acute Malnutrition, 46.3 per cent stunting and 25.8 per cent underweight among children in the state.

Although acute malnutrition declined from 13.5 per cent in 2022 to 7.4 per cent in 2025, officials said the high rates of stunting and underweight remained a concern.

The survey also found that only 21.2 per cent of children were exclusively breastfed, while minimum dietary diversity stood at 28.5 per cent.

Ibrahim identified poverty, inflation, conflict, displacement, childhood illnesses and inadequate intervention coverage as major drivers of malnutrition.

He added that about 73,500 people faced emergency food insecurity between October and December 2025, with further deterioration projected during the 2026 lean season.

The survey will assess child nutrition, mortality, morbidity, maternal nutrition, feeding practices, health-seeking behaviour and WASH indicators using SMART methodology across seven domains.

The Statistician General stressed the importance of data quality, saying, ‘The quality of a policy decision can never be better than the quality of the evidence upon which it is based.’

In the meantime, Nura Shehu, the UNICEF Planning and Monitoring Specialist, commended the state government’s commitment to improving nutrition but warned that the high stunting and underweight rates required sustained action.

‘While the decline in acute malnutrition is encouraging, the continued high prevalence of stunting and underweight demonstrates that substantial challenges remain,’ Shehu said.

He said UNICEF would continue supporting evidence-based nutrition programming and urged survey teams to ensure accurate data collection.

UNICEF also commended Governor Dikko Radda for funding the survey, describing the initiative as an investment in better planning and improved outcomes for children.

Mohammed Bashir, the IRC and ALIMA Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, pledged continued support for the state’s nutrition efforts.

He urged stakeholders to prioritise data quality, community participation, security and strict adherence to the SMART methodology.

The organisations stressed that the findings must translate into concrete interventions for vulnerable communities.

Hon Rabo Tambaya, the Chairman of ALGON, Katsina State, speaking on behalf of the 34 local government chairmen, pledged support for community mobilisation and access to selected households.

‘The success of any nutrition programme ultimately depends on our ability to understand the realities facing our communities,’ he said.

Stakeholders said the ultimate measure of the survey would be whether its findings lead to better-targeted interventions and improved nutrition outcomes for children and women.

Hyacinth Alia, Benue State Governor, assumed office amid some of the state’s most pressing challenges, including insecurity, widespread displacement, weak infrastructure, unemployment and an economy in need of stronger private-sector activity. Since then, his administration has embarked on reforms aimed at restoring stability, improving public finances and creating an environment for economic growth.

The government has also prioritised the return of internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their ancestral homes, the rebuilding of critical infrastructure, the revival of moribund industries and the strengthening of agriculture, a sector central to Benue’s economic identity. But significant challenges remain, particularly around security, job creation, investment and the sustainability of the state’s finances.

In this interview with BusinessDay’s Tope Omogbolagun, Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, speaks on his administration’s efforts to tackle insecurity, return IDPs to their ancestral homes, rebuild infrastructure, revive industries, strengthen agriculture and reform the state’s finances.

Your administration has been in office for over three years. What would you say you have achieved so far, and what informed your development blueprint?

We came into governance with our own blueprints and a way of quantifying and identifying the projects’ desired fate for the good people of the state. So, we came out to have them executed. Much has been done.

Thank you so much for going out to the field to see what a blueprint has prescribed and what we have been able to achieve. And as much as much is done, I know that so much is still left to be done.

The fact here is that the moment we came in, we had declared a state of emergency on our roads infrastructure.

This is why, if you go around the 23 local governments, there has been very good connectivity of road networks now in most parts of the state. In a number of our urban places, we are doing urban renewal roads.

And all the roads within some major townships here have also been converted into the newness of what they are today. We have achieved quite enormously on the reformation and revamping of our primary schools.

They were in the Intensive Care Units; local government primary schools were no longer being attended to.

So, we were able to give some priority attention just to revamp the primary schools, and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of primary schools in local governments have been brought back to life.

We were able to hire 9,700 teachers, actually, just for the primary schools. And then we also went statewide to take care of the primary health institutions.

First of all, what we had and life was literally running out from was the teaching hospital. So, once it was fixed, and it is fixed now to this purpose, to a point that we are having medical tourists coming from all the surrounding states here.

We are very grateful that we also have a VIP wing of it. And, in fact, this is one of the units that is most attended by those who come from outside of the state here.

I think it is simply due to the fact that we have a number of specialists to cover those areas. So, it is quite welcome to have them.

Now, we have to get back to the basics, the primary healthcare establishments. They had vanished for some reasons because no attention was given.

So, we had to recreate some traction in there.

And what we have done now is that hundreds and hundreds of primary healthcare establishments have been brought back to life.

We are expecting some consignment to come in from the United States.

We have been in some collaboration and partnership with the United States government and subnational governments on health.

So, we ordered some instruments that will be coming. These are meant to be delivered to the local government, to the primary healthcare facilities in different local governments.

You have spoken about your blueprint and promises made to the people. What informed the decision to focus on these areas?

Why did we have to do this? When you say you will, I think the willpower should also be accompanied. And when you tell the people this is what will also make them or promote them, I feel something has to be done about that.

And we had monitored very closely the words we had given the people. We had to inspect what we were expecting out there.

So, the results you see out there now are the inspections we had done to ensure that a blueprint was made, promises were made to people. We received good enough funds from even the Federal Government as well.

And that gained a lot of support from us. We had a hiccup, and the hiccup was the insecurity and insurgencies that crept in. But again, thank God that the Federal Government immediately swung in.

Benue has faced serious insecurity and displacement. How would you describe the situation now, and what is happening to internally displaced persons?

We have a very high, I would call it, amount of relative peace in this state. How do we get the indices? Through our security apparatuses who are out there in all the local governments, and then through the traditional institutions as well, and then also through our own people, the citizenry of the state who are there.

We had a chunk of the internally displaced persons. Fifteen internally displaced persons camps were set around the state.

A few internally displaced persons camps we have now; we are already making some plans to close down some, because the internally displaced persons occupants have very directly and voluntarily gone back to do their farming.

And here is the thing: by the plan, by the durable solution we have made, with the collaboration and the partnership of the international community, the United Nations, the International Organization for Migration, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, we truly appreciate the efforts and the support they sent to us.

In conjunction, we made so many inroads into ensuring that the internally displaced persons are returned to their homelands and back to their farms. It is not just for them to go back to farm and then come back again.

You continue to see a dwindling number from the Internally Displaced Persons camps. And this is because they are out there, not just farming, but now constructing their own homes back.

So, it is a hope that we will continue to pump in, by various forms and shades, as security frameworks, so that they remain back there and they do what they know how to do best, the farming.

Benue is 50 years old. Looking back at its development, what do you think has been responsible for the gaps you are trying to address?

Thank you so much. It is a very tricky question. Trying to answer it expressly, we need to touch on the inefficiencies of certain leadership. But I will try to pull that out from the attempts in here.

And there has to be a direction. There has to be a mission, and there has to be a vision. Benue State is 50 years old today.

And in the 50 years, we have had a series of leadership that came in and out. As a state, do we have a development plan, a master development plan? The answer is no, we did not.

So, when people came in, they made some inroads on what they thought was meant for the people. But again, this is what the blueprint is expected to be.

You do a filtering of the people you are going to serve. What are your needs, your priority needs? Do you really want this? Do you really have this as a need? Want is different from a need.

So, when you do not do a filtering, the tendency of you just simply doing the want of the people is there. We had to go down to the trenches to ensure that this is what the market woman is needing at this particular time. This is what the farmers are desiring. And this is what everybody in the state truly seeks to have.

How are you ensuring that the projects you are executing are sustainable beyond your tenure?

On a number of the other projects we have done, there is some caveat to enable it to stay sustained.

And if people say the government does not have business into business, if government does not have those whose minds are hung on business, then every little effort made, you know, it is going down the drain.

We have established, very fresh, the Benue Food Basket Brewery, Zeva Premium Lager beer. We had one before.

If you take statistics from the people to know why we had more beer breweries here previously. Doing an empirical analysis, it was simply because people desired it.

If, through that means, a lot of capital flight is being taken out, it is being made against us, against the state, against those who are supposed to be enjoying it.

You would experience some problems like that. It is not that we have people who love to drink so much. It is, after all, food. People love it.

We make it from local produce: from the sorghum we produce, from the cassava we produce, from the corn we make.

So, if we are producing this, why are we not converting it so that we all have the rippling effect of the value chain? So, this is being made. And there are several things that are put in place to ensure that the Zeva factory survives.

We have the juice factory. We also have a separate factory from the juice, the concentrate factory. All those three factories, made in the last three years, are functional, and they are meant to remain as such because we continue to monitor.

We have the right people to ensure that things work. Now, we are also getting some partnership from out there who want to have these.

Now, in the last one year, a bag of orange has shot from N3,500 to N17,500 as I am speaking now, and many more.

There is a lot of competition for that. The farmers are also going to enjoy it.

We have already registered all the site rooms and those who have their orchards. Those different frames of farms are being registered under cooperatives. They know that this is the source of where the funds are coming for them.

One, to keep their farms; two, to expand the farms and then to keep them smiling to the bank. So, there is a full assurance that what they do today will be sustained tomorrow.

And they know that we are going to be very constant. So, we are business-minded and wise, which means we have put in place what is going to make them stay.

You have also revived the Taraku Mills. What does that mean for Benue’s agricultural economy?

It is quite unfortunate that we had lost the Taraku Mill. It is one of the very huge components of driving the economy here in the state.

That arm of commerce had died because people felt it was just a common cake. Get your knife, cut a chunk, and then you leave. But at the end of the day, everybody lost in the state.

Benue State was the number one producer of soybeans here, nationwide. So, we are now trying to work our way back to the front line again.

And what is that going to do to the farmers? They understand that the Taraku Mill has come back. It is going to be a market sustenance for the farm produce they are doing on the farm.

Already, we have started giving farm incentives.

We are giving some money to non-farmers, to very big farmers, to go and then get back into soybean farming. We are already giving farm inputs to those who have identified themselves. Some data was already taken.

So, if some good guard, as we have in place now, would be sustained as we have designed and planned, I want to believe that we are going to even raise more companies here.

These are cottage industries; once they are in place here, several lives are going to be changed.

We are even intending to have a Benue farm market in Abuja. The road is now express. We used to do five and a half hours from here to Abuja. Now it is even shorter. It takes under three hours for us to get to Abuja.

So, what stops us from bringing the Benue fresh farms? Oranges, yams, you name them, over there. Except if you do not plant, you do not harvest on this land.The land is very fertile.

So, these are the advantages we have. And if people are making money consistently from their produce, we are going to remain on the path we have now taken.

So, we did not just bring back to life the Taraku Mills. It is just one factory that we have resurrected. But all the other new ones are also going to be sustained.

And I am very hopeful that as people get some more money and supply to the bank, they are also going to ensure that they will keep coming back to us.

What structures have you put in place to ensure that future administrations continue with your development agenda?

At Benue at 50, we began a 30-year master plan to ensure that even after power is changed, the same developmental dynamics are still kept.

The same vision is being shared, and the same mission is being embarked upon through this developmental plan.

So, I want to believe that if people continue to hold us and those who come after me accountable for the results to be given, I want to believe that it is only one new trend to keep on. These are people-driven projects.

What is different about the roads being constructed by your administration?

The roads we are doing are very different from the roads done previously and in a number of places elsewhere.

The roads we are constructing are stone-based roads that have a guarantee of over 30 years. They have a guarantee; in fact, I just minimise the years as I pay the contractors.

So, why do we have to spend so much on this? If I have given so much life and concentration, again, and traction to the road projects, not only in town, in different parts of our suburbs.

So that as we begin to build the master development plan of the state, should we bring in roads in there, it is going to be not as heavy as it would have been.

We have taken care of the primary healthcare. We have already embarked on the secondary tier of the health system. If those are done and subsequent administrations come, they will have less concentration on those because they are fundamentally and diligently done in a manner that durability is guaranteed and is visibly also felt.

This is why what we do is purely based on that durability of the thing, a guarantee for these things. And it is left to the people now.

They wanted it. We have gone above and beyond to ensure the durability of the thing. So, we push everything back to them, back to their hands.

This was the mandate you gave us. There are many, many more things I have to do going forward in the second term. So, am I a worthy servant just to keep going forward? Because when you send me, I go and you see results.

And these are results that you have now. So, is it ideal that you send me again? They have already given me the answer that, yes, Father, you are worth our sending. And then we are going to do this.

So, I am all into their hands. But what we have on the ground, it is what they desire. They kept me accountable. They kept me accountable.

And the Federal Government had supplied much for us. So, we were able to ensure that what we got is being felt, seen and used by the very people who sent us.

You have mentioned new partnerships in agriculture. How will they help farmers get more value from their produce?

I am going into certain partnerships. In fact, this afternoon, we were about to sign something, but the point man who is supposed to do this had another function. So, we had to wait.

Some project on Food City. This is going to be an agricultural zone to co-exist where much land has been given to these people. We have done our part by giving the land. We are taking care of it by constructing the road to this space. And then they bring in their own facilities also to put this.

We share in the residues that are going to come from here. So, I think it is one quick way to do this. Let us not be deceived.

I think what we know today is superior to what people knew and were practising just years ago.

Meaning simply that for us to get more mileage on the produce we make on our farm, for us to be able to expand our farms, and for us to be able to create more economy from the drive we do on those farms and different forms of commerce, we have to be mindful of the value chain in between.

So, anything short of that would never work.

People want this. People have a desire for it. They go back to their farms. They are now expanding their farms because of the support we give them.

We just distributed over 11 trucks of fertiliser from the Federal Government. We did ours some two months back at the level of the state to our own farmers. And when we do this, it is at a subsidised rate.

So, why are we doing this? To ensure that there is continuity on their own farm. And then we want them to expand those farms. And then we also want them to make the gains they make from here.

They do not just carry the raw materials straight to the buyers’ hands. And this is why the establishment or the revival of the Taraku Mills is being done. Already, people are coming to the table to partner on this.

If we, the state, never use our public funds to revive the Taraku Mills, it would only be the part that cooks the rice but never eats the rice.

So, we want a share in what we spend our money on in the establishment. So, as we bring it back to life, already those that are being attracted, the companies that want to come in and join us on this, already have their documents on the table for us.

So, we have been going through three or four separate companies to see how they can come in to partner with us. I think it is one quick way that our farmers are going to have their full value chain.

You travelled to France with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. What conversations did you have about Benue’s agricultural potential?

We travelled with Mr President to France. And some French businessman who is conversant with some part of Nigeria was asking why Benue State has so much soybeans, but we are not exporting our soybeans.

So, the simple answer I had given was after a presentation I made. It was that what we need is for us to be able to use every part of this soybean back home.

They can come to us with their own factories and every other form of partnership they want to do. Rather than us trying to struggle with this soybean and take it over there, the value chain remains very limited.

So, we want it at full scale.

Critics sometimes argue that infrastructure does not directly put food on people’s tables. How do you respond?

Is it roads that we eat? No, it is not roads that you eat. But at the same time, intrinsically, you enjoy the roads, and you eat the roads because they have gone through your farms, they have gone through the market square, and then from the produce on the farm they are coming back to the buyer in the town or in some suburban area.It means you are still eating the roads.

But at the same time, a 50-year-old boy who does not have anything to show for, physically, is a problematic child, so he has to augment himself.

We are augmenting the state in the manner that people have already started enjoying the reforms that are here.

Parents are enjoying not paying any school fees for their children from Basic One to Basic Nine because we are using their own money given under the custody of government leadership to take care of this.

So, in other words, we are pinching the pennies to ensure that we do these things.

We are taking care of the primary health system now. If you have malaria, you do not have to leave my village to come all the way to Makurdi to spend three and a half hours coming to treat malaria here.

With the clinic we have, with the hospital we have, with the general hospital we have, we have the primary and then we have the second tier, the general hospital by the same axis.

I think that takes care of some things and it is the same thing with the primary schools and all that.

So, why are we able to do this, initially there was kind of a resistance. If you go back into history, reforms bring resistance, and I think it is part of what even the Federal Government might be suffering from.

So much is done. I just made a pronouncement here that with the much money that the Federal Government is giving us, thank God you have been out there, you have seen that this money is being translated into those projects, into Otukpo Water Works, into the series of roads and the underpasses you are seeing, into the schools, into the hospital systems you are seeing.

And I think it is the only way to go.

Let us talk about the state’s finances. How have federal government allocations and internally generated revenue affected what your administration is able to do?

What the Federal Government gives me is what is being distributed elsewhere as well. So, we all have just a very common share.

In fact, we have so much on the ground, but since the harnessing of what we have has not fully taken its position on the table, we are yet to have 13 per cent derivatives.

I think quite soon we are going to be there. You may hear the announcement on the oil and gas that is found in the state here.

So, once much attention is already given there, not just having a pipeline, work has already begun on harnessing the series of minerals we have, solid minerals we have.

Nigeria has quite a chunk. Benue has a share in that of 43 varied solid minerals, and quite a number are on a commercial basis.

So, once we go in there, we are also going to continue to support.

Our internally generated revenue has been increased again, simply because of the money. The oil subsidy, I think, is the one that is throwing this back to us, throwing much money back to us.

The funds that were being used to ship the oil, I mean, to get the oil in different places, it is now being brought to us directly in this cache of the thing.

We must say it. Previous administrations tell me; I hear what a number of people, including the state here, speak with the media. I read in the papers, I see some clips also on the screens, you know, that the amount of money we are receiving, it is way, way much more than what they were receiving.

With more funds coming to the states, what is the most important issue in managing these resources?

I think, let me try to be very cautious so that I do not make it very personal. The management skills of those funds it is what would be of importance here.

So, if the intent for what we receive is meant to take care of salaries, it is meant to take care of the infrastructure, it is meant to take care of our security, then it simply means the intention of the donour has to be respected.

And in this case, what we receive, it is meant to go; it is not for individual pockets; it is meant for the common good.

So, if you understand the common good, the poor masses, then they must be on the front burner of everything you do, and this is why very good attention is given to this.

Again, I spoke about inspecting what you expect.

The people sent me. If I perform abysmally, then they are not going to look in my direction.

So, I also had to work this, not the fine line, but how to make it in a manner that they know that I am worthy as a messenger.

And this is why I had mentioned pinching the pennies. If we are able to hold ourselves accountable and to govern ourselves, then we will be able to govern also all the resources that come our way for the people.

And that is what makes democracy.

Your relationship with the Federal Government appears to have changed significantly. What has that meant for Benue?

Things had gone sour, really sour. So, the end result was that the state lost so much. People did not have relevance. They did not know what was actually happening from the central government.

So, we had to renew our relationship. And I thank God you even asked. It is superb, quite superb.

And this is why the Federal Government, Mr President, has been quite good to us, the subnationals.

Remember, we are running a federation. We have the federation, then the federal government, then the subnationals in here.

What we receive from our Federation Account, it is what enables us to do what we do.

So, the attention we have given to re-energising our internally generated revenue is what enables us to do what we are doing today and to ensure we are paying without owing anybody.

So, there is a very good relationship here between the Federal Government and us.

And this is why when we are rejoicing, they are here rejoicing with us. When we are mourning, they are also feeling the pinch and they are here with us also to mourn.

What specific benefits has this relationship brought to Benue?

So, why so much attention is it giving us? There are lots of appointments that we enjoy due to this friendship. We did not have that prior to my coming in.

There is so much that the Federal Government is giving because of our position and where we are.

In fact, at the end of the month, we are also going to have to be the state host to the entire nation here on Security Summit.

They are coming over here. Why us? Again, I feel that it is because of this very great relationship.

We are going to represent the entire North Central. Everybody is coming in here. The entire nation is coming in here for us to share ideas, for us to see possible ways of curbing all the insecurities and all that, and then to explore the different dynamics on how these things work.

So, we have this great relationship and we must remember and be grateful again to the President.

Finally, despite the reforms, some people still say the economy is not working. What is your response?

The reforms that are brought in place are bearing fruit, and it is difficult to change a certain fixed mind, to change the status quo, but what is even more permanent is that change itself.

For those who may still want to doubt, those who may still have their agitations or reservations that the economy is not working, the economy in the state is improved.

I must say that it is improved.

If a bag of oranges was sold, for this simple example, for N3,500, people even had to beg for the oranges to be bought. But because we have gained a lot of financial support and chose to establish some factories, there is already a lot of competition for the oranges coming from the farms.So, how would you say it is not spreading?

The poor women out there, we are pushing them. It is their money we are using even to push them.

If you do not pay your child’s school fees for nine solid years, I mean, definitely there is some saving in there for you.

So, it is something new. Reforms are new, but then if you give it patience, if you study it, if you look and look again at the differences, they are dropping bit by bit.

And then you come to realise that reforms are one, the way to go; change, one is another way to go; and then patience, one, it is some basic way to go so that we get everything, not just in part, and not just by bit, but in total.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has denied reports that it reached an agreement with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to collect a N200 levy from students as a condition for mobilisation for national service.

The NYSC said it had neither discussed nor agreed to the proposed levy and had not entered into any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NANS concerning the collection of money from students in connection with the mobilisation process.

In a statement signed by Caroline Embu, director, Information and Public Relations, the Scheme urged students and prospective corps members to disregard reports suggesting that payment of a levy to NANS or any other student association was required for NYSC mobilisation.

‘The NYSC wishes to state unequivocally that it has not, at any time, discussed, agreed to, or entered into any Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) regarding the collection of any levy from students in connection with mobilisation for national service,’ the statement said.

The clarification follows a viral publication titled, ‘NANS Moves to Collect N200 Levy from Nigerian Students, Links Dues to NYSC Mobilisation,’ which reportedly suggested a connection between payment of the levy and students’ eligibility for mobilisation.

The NYSC stressed that the scheme operates under the authority of the Federal Government and implements only policies, guidelines and procedures approved by the appropriate government authorities.

It said its mobilisation process was conducted through established official channels and did not involve student associations.

According to the Scheme, the process involves collaboration between NYSC management and the Heads of Corps Producing Institutions (CPIs), who are responsible for submitting the required information on eligible graduates for mobilisation.

‘The mobilisation process is neither linked to nor contingent upon the activities of any student association or organisation,’ the NYSC said.

The clarification is significant for prospective corps members, particularly final-year students and graduates preparing for national service, as unofficial payment demands could create confusion and expose students to potential financial exploitation.

The NYSC therefore advised members of the public, especially students and prospective corps members, to rely only on official information regarding mobilisation requirements and procedures.

‘Consequently, members of the public, particularly Prospective Corps Members and students, are advised to disregard any information suggesting that payment of a levy to NANS or any other association is a requirement for NYSC mobilisation,’ the statement said.

The Scheme reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining a transparent, credible and efficient mobilisation process in line with existing government policies and guidelines.