Category: The Nation – Nigeria

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for stronger national and international cooperation to tackle emerging security threats confronting Nigeria and other parts of the world.

He said Nigeria was facing ‘multifaceted’ security challenges requiring coordinated and sustainable responses from governments, international organisations, faith leaders and other stakeholders.

The President spoke in Abuja yesterday at the international conference on security organised by Jama’atu Izalatil Bidiah wa Iqamatis Sunnah (JIBWIS Nigeria) in partnership with the Muslim World League of Saudi Arabia.

The conference, which had the theme: ‘Diversity and social peace: partnership for a promising future,’ brought together Muslim and Christian leaders, scholars and representatives from Saudi Arabia and other African countries.

Represented by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, Tinubu said his administration remained committed to working with other countries and international organisations to build a stable and secure Nigeria while contributing to global security.

‘Working within the Committee of Nations, [the government is] collaborating every day to ensure that security remains not only in our country but in the entire globe,’ he said.

He said the conference was significant given the evolving security situation and the need for authorities, faith leaders and other stakeholders to examine emerging threats to national and digital security.

Tinubu said the deliberations should produce practical recommendations to complement the government’s efforts to address insecurity.

He urged Nigerians to preserve national unity despite their differences.

The President commended the Muslim World League for choosing Nigeria as the venue and assured participants of the Federal Government’s support for initiatives promoting peace and security.

National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, urged religious leaders to make churches and mosques centres of peace.

To him, religion should promote human dignity, tolerance and peaceful coexistence rather than hatred and division.

Yilwatda urged clerics to use their influence to foster peaceful relations among Nigerians of different faiths and cautioned against using religious convictions to incite violence.

‘Let us preach faith without hatred, conviction without contempt, and truth without incitement,’ he said.

The APC chairman said genuine faith must compel believers to protect the lives, dignity and freedom of people of other religions.

He recalled his childhood in Yola, Adamawa State, where his father, a pastor, maintained a close friendship with a Muslim leader.

He said the relationship between the two families taught him that religious differences should not prevent peaceful coexistence.

However, Yilwatda said his family later lost its home and possessions during communal violence in Bauchi, an experience that showed him the devastating consequences of violence committed in the name of religion or ethnicity.

‘We may worship differently, but we suffer together. We dream together. We can build together, and ultimately, we can rise and fall together,’ he said.

He also cautioned political leaders against exploiting religion and ethnicity for political advantage, urging traditional rulers to promote dialogue and reduce suspicion among communities.

Yilwatda urged Nigerians to be cautious about sharing claims capable of deepening religious and ethnic divisions, particularly information that could inflame tensions.

He called for a society where children inherit schools, homes and opportunities rather than displacement camps and memories of violence.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has opened a new testing window for companies developing digital financial products, including virtual asset services, stablecoins, digital wallets and data-driven financial solutions.

The initiative is the second phase of the apex bank’s Regulatory Sandbox Programme, which allows financial technology companies to test new ideas with real customers under controlled conditions before such products are introduced more widely.

A statement from the CBN’s Acting Director Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Department Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali said applications for the new exercise will open on August 12 and close on August 31, 2026.

Unlike the first cohort, the latest programme has been divided into two separate areas to deal with different types of financial technology. One is specifically for Virtual Asset Service Providers (VASPs), while the other is for companies developing financial services that depend on the secure use of customer data.

The move is coming at a time when technology is rapidly changing the financial sector, with Nigerians increasingly using digital platforms for payments, savings, lending and other financial transactions.

Through the VASP window, companies working on virtual assets and related services will have an opportunity to test products involving digital currencies, stablecoins, payment and settlement systems, custody arrangements and digital wallets.

The second window is targeted at businesses that are not VASPs but are using technology and authorised access to financial data to develop new ways of providing credit, payments, risk management and other financial services.

The CBN said the purpose of the sandbox is not to give companies automatic approval to operate as financial institutions. Rather, it provides a supervised environment where the regulator can observe how new products work, identify possible risks and determine what regulatory requirements may be necessary.

The programme also gives technology companies an opportunity to engage directly with regulators before taking their products to the wider market.

Speaking on the initiative, the Director of the CBN’s Payments System Policy Department, Musa Jimoh, said technological changes were creating new ways for individuals and businesses to use financial services.

He said the sandbox, developed with technology partner EMTECH, would enable the regulator to work with innovators while ensuring that customers and the financial system are protected. ‘Financial innovation is continuing to transform the way individuals and businesses access and use financial services,’ Jimoh said.

He said the decision to create separate channels for virtual assets and data-based financial services was intended to ensure that regulation kept pace with changes in the financial industry.

For companies seeking admission, the CBN said it would consider several issues before allowing their products to be tested. These include how different the proposed solution is from existing products, whether it is ready for real-world testing, the possible benefits to customers and the market, the strength of the company’s management structure and its ability to identify and control risks.

Applicants will also have to present a clear plan showing how they intend to conduct their tests.

Companies admitted into the programme will operate within limits agreed with the CBN. Their activities will be monitored, with requirements covering customer protection, cybersecurity, business continuity and the submission of information to the regulator.

The apex bank, however, warned companies and investors not to interpret participation in the programme as a banking, payment or other financial services licence.

A company admitted into the sandbox will only be permitted to conduct activities covered by its approved testing arrangement. It cannot use its participation as permission to operate outside those limits.

The CBN said lessons from the exercise would be useful in helping it understand new technologies and decide how emerging financial services should be supervised in Nigeria.

For consumers, the programme could provide an additional layer of protection as new digital financial products are tested under regulatory observation rather than being introduced into the market without prior assessment.

The CBN said it was seeking to create an environment where new financial ideas could develop while risks to customers and the economy were properly managed.

Eligible organisations interested in participating have been advised to submit their applications through the CBN Regulatory Sandbox Portal at https://sandbox.cbn.gov.ng before the August 31 deadline.

The initiative is expected to give technology companies a clearer route for developing new financial products while giving the regulator practical experience needed to keep Nigeria’s financial rules in step with developments in digital finance.

A factional national chairman of Accord, Prof Chris Imumolen, has urged the people of Osun State not to waste their votes on Governor Ademola Adeleke, saying the governor will not win the upcoming state governorship election.

In a statement in Abuja, signed by Israel Jagunmolu, a Chieftain of the party, the factional chairman said Governor Adeleke’s political future was heading towards defeat, either at the polls or through the ongoing legal battle over the leadership of the Accord Party.

Prof. Imumolen has expressed confidence that the governor will lose the Osun election, stressing that he does not believe Adeleke has what it takes to prevail at the polls.

He said that even if Adeleke succeeds at the polls, the ongoing Accord Party leadership case before the Federal High Court in Abuja will provide the legal pathway through which his political position can ultimately be defeated.

Imumolen said the case involving the Adeleke-aligned Accord faction is progressing well, expressing confidence that the court will soon deliver a favourable judgment, saying, ‘We are expecting victory in the judgment very soon’.

Prof. Imumolen maintains that Adeleke cannot escape the consequences of the Accord leadership battle simply by winning an election, adding that if Adeleke wins the election, the political consequences of the Accord leadership case could still prove decisive.

He said, ‘Adeleke will lose at the polls. And if, against all expectations, he wins, the Accord leadership case will ultimately defeat him in court.’

He expressed confidence that the judicial process will vindicate their position and establish the party’s legitimate leadership structure.

He said, ‘Adeleke’s challenge is not only the ballot box. The Accord leadership case remains a major legal battle, and Prof. Chris Imumolen is confident that victory in that case will have decisive political consequences for Adeleke.’

The chairman of the Council of Ulama of the Jama’atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa’ikamatis Sunnah, JIBWIS, Jos Zone, Sheikh Sani Yahaya Jingir, has distanced the Islamic organisation from his recent call for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket in 2027, saying it was his personal view, not the official position of JIBWIS.

Jingir made the clarification on Tuesday while speaking with journalists in Kano, amid mounting criticism and tension over his earlier statement.

The cleric had earlier advocated that Nigerians support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima for a second term on the same Muslim-Muslim ticket in 2027.

His comment drew sharp reactions across the country, with Christian leaders, civil society groups and political commentators warning that such advocacy could deepen religious divisions ahead of the elections.

Critics argued that revisiting the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which generated heated debate in 2023, was insensitive in a multi-religious nation like Nigeria.

Addressing the fallout, Jingir said his remarks reflected his personal assessment of the political situation and should not be taken as a directive from JIBWIS.

‘My call for Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu and Vice-President Kashim Shettima was not a position adopted by the organisation. It was my personal opinion,’ he said.

The cleric urged Nigerians to exercise their constitutional rights by carefully considering candidates and political parties before voting in 2027.

He also appealed to political and religious leaders to promote peace, tolerance, and unity, stressing the need for ‘responsible political engagement’ ahead of the polls.

Despite the clarification, Jingir’s initial statement continues to generate debate, with many Nigerians questioning the timing and motive behind the renewed push for a same-faith ticket.

Observers note that with 2027 still over a year away, early religious-based political advocacy risks reopening fault lines that shaped the 2023 election discourse.

JIBWIS, one of Nigeria’s largest Islamic organisations, has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.

Ten policemen were killed on Monday when security operatives engaged a heavily armed group of suspected bandits along the Rafin Makuku axis in Sakaba Local Government Area, Kebbi State.

The deadly encounter, according to the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), also resulted in the deaths of 17 suspected bandits and the destruction of four motorcycles belonging to the attackers.

Two civilians were also killed during the confrontation, while two police personnel sustained injuries and are receiving medical attention.

The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, disclosed the development in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja.

He said the confrontation occurred at about 9:25 am on Monday when police operatives intercepted the suspected bandits moving between Zamfara and Kebbi states.

The engagement reportedly resulted in heavy casualties among the criminal group, with 17 suspects neutralised.

However, the police also suffered a major setback, losing 10 personnel in the line of duty.

Reacting to the incident, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Olatunji Disu expressed profound grief over the officers’ deaths and described their sacrifice as a painful loss to the Force and the nation.

Disu commiserated with the families and loved ones of the fallen personnel, assuring them that the officers would not be forgotten.

According to him, the deceased officers paid the ultimate price while defending Nigerians and protecting communities from armed criminal elements.

The IGP assured the bereaved families that the Nigeria Police Force would continue to support them and provide necessary assistance to the injured personnel.

The remains of the fallen officers have since been conveyed to Birnin Kebbi for further arrangements.

Following the encounter, the police said the affected area had been brought under control, with additional security personnel deployed to reinforce the operation.

The reinforcement, according to the Force, is aimed at sustaining the ongoing operation and pursuing fleeing members of the criminal group.

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The latest incident adds to the growing security challenges confronting communities along the northwestern axis, particularly areas bordering Zamfara and Kebbi states, which have witnessed persistent attacks by armed criminal groups.

The police said operations would continue until the fleeing suspects are brought to justice.

The Force also acknowledged the pain endured by the families of the deceased officers and promised to stand by them and provide the necessary support.

The NPF urged Nigerians to continue supporting security agencies with credible information to assist ongoing efforts to track down fleeing criminal elements and prevent further attacks.

Key political figures and grassroots mobilisers in the North have declared that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be overwhelmingly rewarded with massive votes in next year’s general election by the region.

The political heavyweights and mobilisers, who dismissed the moves by opposition figures as an ‘exercise in futility,’ also pushed back against reports of the North’s discontent with the Tinubu administration.

They said during the inauguration and unveiling of their umbrella body, Renewed Hope Project 2027(RHP-2027) in Abuja yesterday that the region has directly benefited immensely from the core policy interventions of the current administration and remains firmly in Tinubu’s corner.

‘The North has a lot to thank this government for,’ said the group’s Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Maj.- Gen. Abdulmalik Jibril.

‘The poorest people in this country, with due respect, you can say maybe due to our large population, come from the Northern part of the country. Who are the direct beneficiaries of the student loan scheme? They are those who cannot afford to send their children to school,’ Jibril added.

He listed key interventions by the Tinubu government in infrastructure, security, technology transfer, and skills acquisition-such as the 3MTT digital skills initiative, the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transition, and the National Apprenticeship and Technical Education Programme (NATEP) -as transformative policies heavily impacting communities in the North.

He insisted that the moves by Atiku Abubakar (African Democratic Congress), Peter Obi(Nigeria Democratic Congress), Donald Duke (People’s Redemption Party) and other political actors to forge a unified front against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) pose zero threat to President Tinubu’s re-election bid.

He said: ‘All their efforts put together will end up in futility. We have seen them before; they have done nothing, and they are not going to do anything again. So, we are not perturbed at all. We don’t care about what they do.’

‘If anybody has done anything similar or above what we have done in this administration, let him come forward with it. It is not an issue of argument or just talk. It is a question of what people can see on the ground.’

Idris also rejected drawdowns, attempting to compare the current political alignment to 2015, when a united opposition ousted the then-incumbent Goodluck Jonathan administration.

‘Of course, people have the right to talk about rhetoric, but talking about reality and what is on the ground, we can’t compare what happened in 2015 and now,’ he added.

Echoing these views, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who serves as the grand patron of the RHP-2027, restated that the campaign for 2027 would be anchored strictly on verifiable facts and governance records.

Akume, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant (Technical), Prof. Babatunde Bernard, maintained that President Tinubu took on deep structural challenges that past administrations ignored.

He said: ‘The Renewed Hope movement will continue to present verifiable facts about the administration’s performance as it mobilises support for the 2027 elections.

”Meaningful national development often requires difficult decisions and sacrifices.’

Akume listed local government autonomy, security agency re-tooling and foreign direct investment growth as visible evidence of progress.

Adding to the group’s stance, the Director-General of RHP- 2027, Dauda Salihu, stated that the group was ready to take the administration’s achievement-based message directly to the grassroots to counter opposition narratives.

The event, themed ‘A New Beginning, A Shared Vision, With Greater Nigeria,’ brought together party leaders, lawmakers, representatives of serving governors, and grassroots coordinators from across the North.

Yilwatda: APC will campaign with facts

All Progressives Congress(APC) National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has said the Tinubu administration is translating the Renewed Hope Agenda into tangible projects in Plateau State.

Yilwatda stated this while on a visit to the monarch of Ngolong Ngas, Nde Jika Golit, in Pankshin.

He was in company with the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Joseph Ufser, and other senior federal and Plateau State government officials.

The APC chairman explained that the visit, which was approved by President Tinubu, was to ensure that Plateau people witnessed concrete evidence of democracy through strategic federal interventions.

Yilwatda said that over 500 kilometres of federal roads are currently under construction across the state. He cited the Maraban Jama’a – Kanke – Shendam – Ibi dual carriageway and other trunk roads as key projects aimed at opening up the Northcentral, stimulating trade, and creating jobs for the youth.

He commended the Ngas Nation and other Plateau residents to remain united and continue supporting the Tinubu administration to attract more development.

Water Resources Minister announced federal approval of a multi-purpose dam to be sited at Gele in Kanke Local Government Area.

Ufser said the dam will support irrigation, domestic water supply, fisheries, tourism, and generate sustainable employment.

He also announced that the abandoned Gindiri Dam in Mangu council has received approval for completion, with remaining work expected to be delivered within the next six months.

The project, he added, will boost agricultural productivity and expand access to potable water in the state.

Nde Jika Golit hailed President Tinubu for his commitment to Plateau through ongoing federal projects.

He described the visit as proof of the Federal Government’s recognition of Plateau and the Ngas Nation and praised Prof. Yilwatda for his representation.

The royal father offered prayers for peace, unity, and progress under the RHA.

The Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) has donated 50 ballistic helmets, 50 bulletproof vests and 100 raincoats to the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Beecroft to boost the morale and operational readiness of security agencies in the state.

Executive Secretary of LSSTF, Dr Ayodele Ogunsan, said the donation, made at Apapa, was part of a routine exercise to inspect security agencies, encourage commanders and identify areas requiring intervention. He said the Fund was established as an interventionist agency to fill operational gaps that security agencies may be unable to address on their own.

Speaking on preparations for the forthcoming general election, Ogunsan said the Fund was working to ensure a hitch-free exercise by equipping personnel with the resources needed to secure lives and property, and that the state government had directed it to expand resources and deploy assets ahead of the polls.

Ogunsan also spoke on efforts to curb vandalism on bridges, citing the recent discovery of damage on the Alakija/Festac Link Bridge, uncovered during a clean-up exercise targeting scavengers and homeless persons occupying the bridge. He said affected persons had been relocated, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu visited the site after the matter was escalated to him, and security operatives have since been permanently stationed there. Ogunsan added that warnings had been issued to those found responsible and that patrol vehicles and equipment had been deployed to strengthen surveillance.

Responding, Commander of NNS Beecroft, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, said the donation would support the Navy’s constitutional role in Military Aid to Civil Authority and Military Aid to Civil Power operations. He thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu and the LSSTF, saying the equipment would help the Navy, under Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, secure Lagos waterways and land areas.

The Osun State Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Christopher Arapasopo, has dismissed allegations that the N20,000 palliative recently paid to civil servants by the state government was aimed at buying their votes.

Arapasopo said the payment followed a request made by organised labour to Governor Ademola Adeleke in April for palliatives to cushion the effects of the economic hardship on workers and pensioners in the state.

The NLC chairman spoke yesterday after a mini congress of organised labour comprising workers and pensioners held at the Osun State Secretariat, Abere, Osogbo.

The congress was convened to brief workers and the public on developments in the state, particularly the political situation and alleged intimidation ahead of Saturday’s governorship election.

Arapasopo said labour had written to Adeleke on April 8 requesting N20,000 palliative for each worker and pensioner, explaining that the request was made to cushion the impact of the economic hardship on workers.

According to him, during a subsequent meeting with the governor in July, the state government cited financial constraints and offered N10,000 each to workers and pensioners.

He said labour accepted the offer and also requested that payments covering June and July be made.

Arapasopo said: ‘We saw on social media that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is saying the governor is trying to buy it. They tagged it vote buying. But, they didn’t know that labour leaders were the ones that requested palliatives for workers to cushion the effects of economic troubles in the country, of which Osun State is not exceptional.’

He therefore appealed to President Bola Tinubu, as the leader of the country and ‘father of Osun State’, to call members of the APC in the state to order and ensure that the election was not turned into a war.

The NLC chairman said workers, pensioners and other residents of the state had the constitutional right to vote for candidates of their choice without intimidation or harassment.

Similarly, the State Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council (JNC), Comrade Olamilekan Adediran, urged civil servants, pensioners and other residents to participate in the election peacefully and vote for candidates of their choice.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino came under renewed fire on Monday as a joint letter from three confederations – UEFA, CONCACAF and AFC – declared football ‘belongs to no individual’.

Infantino has been the butt of scathing criticism ever since launching, and then withdrawing within days, a plan to bring private investment into FIFA competitions, including World Cups.

FIFA had hit back on Saturday at ‘a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine’ football’s governing body and Infantino.

However, Monday’s letter from the governing bodies of European football (UEFA), North and Central America (CONCACAF) and Asia (AFC), showed his critics are unbowed.

‘Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held,’ they wrote.

‘When trust is broken through deception, when an individual places himself above the collective that entrusted him with authority, that duty has been abandoned,’ the confederations added.

The three confederations had been vociferous in their condemnation of Infantino’s plan and had not let up after it was shelved.

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is viewed as a potential challenger to Infantino, who will seek a fourth and final term at the FIFA presidential election in Rabat next March.

Candidates have to be declared by November 18.

UEFA’s threat to boycott World Cups if the private investment plan went ahead – in theory depriving the competition of teams including reigning men’s champions Spain and 2026 semi-finalists France and England – proved pivotal in Infantino withdrawing his plan.

Prior to this debacle Infantino had looked likely to be unopposed, after overseeing a successful World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The 56-year-old Swiss, who has been in situ for 10 years, has received the backing of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) while South American governing body CONMEBOL are largely supportive.

The confederations do not vote as blocs and there have been some supportive voices for Infantino from CONCACAF, Mexico, and two AFC members – Kuwait and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar, where he has a house.

Although the proposal has been dead in the water for over a week now – UEFA had termed it ‘a shabby, opaque, backroom deal’ – the confederations harangued him for a lack of judgment. ‘FIFA’s recent letter to its Vice-Presidents and 211 Member Associations acknowledges that mistakes were made in the process,’ they said. ‘It treats this as a failure of communication, when what football witnessed was a failure of judgment.’

Although Infantino had received the ‘full support’ of senior FIFA directors last week in an emergency meeting he called in Morocco, the confederations said it was meaningless.

‘This recent meeting, where a select number of members of the FIFA Management Committee – not the full Committee – were summoned abroad, rather than leadership going to Zurich to address the heart of FIFA, its staff, only reinforces these concerns and represents a continuation of the very pattern of conduct that brought us to this moment,’ they said.

‘It is not the conduct of a custodian of the game, but of one who believes the game is answerable to him.’

Infantino had been basking in the afterglow of a hugely successful World Cup – the largest ever involving 48 teams.

However, the confederations made clear in the letter that it was not just Infantino who had made this possible.

‘The growth over the past decade has been real,’ they said. ‘But that progress was never the work of one individual.

‘It was the product of FIFA, the Confederations, the Member Associations, and the thousands of people who dedicate their lives to the game.

‘The expanded tournaments, the awarding of the 2030 and 2034 FIFA World Cups, the distribution of resources to associations. These were shared achievements, agreed together, delivered together.’

The confederations signed off their letter by claiming that under Infantino’s leadership ‘there is silence where there should be accountability, distance where there should be openness’.

They added: ‘That is why we have taken this stance: not lightly and not alone, but together, and out of duty to the game we serve. Football’s strength has always been its unity.’

The Federal Government has begun work to build a national digital identity and verification system for Nigeria’s cooperative sector, as part of reforms to improve access to finance, strengthen regulation and lay the foundation for the proposed Cooperative Bank of Nigeria.

Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the National Technical Workshop on Cooperative Sector Digitalisation under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (RH-CRRP 2030).

Abdullahi said the digitalisation programme would introduce a National Cooperative Smart Registry (NCSR), a Cooperative Verification Number (CVN) and a Cooperative Member Identification Number (CoopID) to provide reliable identification and data for cooperative organisations and their members nationwide.

He explained that the initiative was designed to address longstanding challenges in the sector, including weak governance, inadequate regulation, limited access to finance and markets, institutional capacity gaps and the absence of reliable data.

He noted that the Federal Government cannot effectively support or regulate cooperative organisations without a credible system for identifying and verifying them.

‘We cannot effectively finance what we cannot identify. We cannot properly regulate what we cannot see. We cannot build trust around institutions whose identities and records cannot be reliably verified,’ the minister said.

He added that the country could not establish a modern Cooperative Bank without credible data and identity infrastructure for the cooperative ecosystem it would serve.

Abdullahi stressed that the initiative should not be viewed merely as an Information and Communication Technology project, but as a major economic and institutional reform intended to transform the administration of cooperatives.

‘At the foundation of this transformation is the National Cooperative Smart Registry. Through the NCSR, we are building the infrastructure for cooperative search, registration, verification and digital governance,’ he said.

He explained that the CVN would provide verifiable identities for cooperative organisations, while the CoopID would establish a unique identification framework for individual cooperative members.

The minister said the three digital instruments would strengthen trust, visibility and integrity in the sector, while providing the government with reliable information for planning and economic interventions.

He also said the infrastructure would play a critical role in establishing and operating the proposed Cooperative Bank of Nigeria by supporting share subscription, credit profiling and risk management.

Abdullahi said the government’s vision was to establish a financial institution that would be ‘government-enabled, cooperatively-owned, cooperatively-controlled and professionally managed.’

He disclosed that the Federal Government plans to launch the CoopBank share-subscription programme by the end of October 2026, following ongoing sensitisation and mobilisation of cooperative stakeholders nationwide.

According to him, the Ministerial Advocacy Tour on Cooperative Bank Share Capital Mobilisation, Stakeholder Sensitisation and Cooperative Sector Digitalisation has already covered the South-West, North-West and South-South geopolitical zones.

He said the exercise, which began about three months ago, was launched in Ikeja, Lagos State, for the South-West, followed by Kaduna for the North-West and Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for the South-South.

The minister said similar engagements would be held in the North-Central, South-East and North-East before the planned October launch of the share-subscription programme.

‘I urge stakeholders in these zones to prepare and mobilise for the advocacy tour. Our message will remain clear: the future of Nigeria’s cooperative movement depends on building strong cooperative financial institutions alongside a trusted, inclusive and interoperable digital ecosystem,’ he said.

Abdullahi also charged State Directors of Cooperatives to take ownership of the digitalisation programme, noting that cooperative matters fall under the concurrent legislative list and therefore require effective collaboration between federal and state governments.

He said the Federal Government could not successfully digitalise the sector from Abuja without the active participation of state cooperative departments, describing the directors as frontline implementers of the reform.

The minister urged them to familiarise themselves with the digital platform, including cooperative registration, search, validation and verification processes, as well as the generation of CVNs and CoopIDs.

He said Seamfix Limited, the technical partner for the initiative, would demonstrate the platform’s end-to-end operations to stakeholders and receive feedback on peculiarities across states.

Abdullahi warned that the digitalisation exercise must go beyond transferring existing manual processes to electronic platforms, insisting that it should result in measurable improvements in cooperative administration.

‘Digitalisation must not simply reproduce our existing manual inefficiencies on a computer screen. It must improve transparency. It must strengthen accountability. It must make cooperative administration easier,’ he said.

He added that the success of the initiative would ultimately be measured by its ability to provide reliable information for policy and planning while delivering tangible benefits to ordinary cooperative members.

The minister called on the Federal Department of Cooperatives, State Directors of Cooperatives, Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, Institute of Cooperative Professionals of Nigeria, Seamfix and other stakeholders to treat implementation of the programme as a shared national responsibility.

In his remarks, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, said the partnership between the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (CFN) and Seamfix Limited to establish a nationwide digital infrastructure for cooperative societies and their members will eliminate fraudulent operators, prevent multiple registrations, improve access to finance and government interventions.

Ogunbiyi noted that cooperatives remain critical to food security, rural economic development and grassroots empowerment, but require modern systems to meet the demands of contemporary commerce and governance.

According to the Permanent Secretary, the programme aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and aims to modernise the cooperative sector, deepen financial inclusion, eliminate fraudulent operators and improve access to capital for smallholder producers and other cooperative members.

The Permanent Secretary added that the partnership would lay the technical foundation for the National Cooperative Smart Registry, which would streamline cooperative searches, registration and digital workflows across federal and state levels