General News
Power, Security Limit Businesses in Nigeria
A 3-year trended result from the Business Leaders Perception Survey (BLPS) conducted by NOIPolls in 2009, 2010 and 2012 has revealed top list critical factors limiting Nigerian businesses.
They are power, security, corruption and access to finance.
In addition, other factors identified from the studies include roads, water, multiple taxes and smuggling, that also make doing business difficult in Nigeria.
These are the key findings from the Business Leaders Perception Survey conducted by NOIPolls in collaboration with the DFID Nigeria Programme- Enhancing Nigerian Advocacy for a Better Business Environment (ENABLE).
NOIPolls is the number one for country-specific polling services in the West African region, which works in technical partnership with the Gallup Organisation (USA), to conduct periodic opinion polls and studies on various socio-economic and political issues in Nigeria.
NOIPolls recalled that in World Bank “Doing Business Report” 2013 Nigeria ranks 131st on the list of 185 countries in terms of ease of doing business.
The report explains the ranking of economies on the basis of how easy it is to undertake business activities, from 1 – 183. A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is more conducive to start and operate a local business.
This index averages the country’s percentile rankings on 10 topics, made up of a variety of indicators, giving equal weight to each topic.
The rankings for all economies are then benchmarked to the previous year1. The indicators used in ranking the economies include: ease of starting a business, dealing with permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, paying taxes and protecting investors amongst others.
The Nigerian business environment has been associated with several factors limiting business operations and hindering the ability of businesses to thrive compared to their counterparts in other business environments.
While it is common knowledge that improvements in the enabling environment can lead to higher investments, wealth generation, job creation and ultimately poverty reduction; however, improving the business environment is not always an easy endeavour.
It requires cooperation and dialogue between the public and private sector. To make the biggest impact, government and the organised private sector need to work together in order to understand and prioritise the factors limiting business success in the economy.
In view of this, NOIPolls in collaboration with DFID/ENABLE has been conducting a series of Business Leaders Perception Survey over the past few years in order to gauge the perceptions of Nigerian business leaders on the business environment with the aim of understanding the factors that are important to the success of business and those that make business difficult in the country.
In order to explore the factors that affect the business environment and make business difficult, respondents were asked to indicate the factors that make doing business “very difficult”, “somewhat difficult”, “had room for improvement” or “was not a problem at all”.
These were then scored as follows: 1 – not a problem; 2 – could be improved; 3 – makes doing business somewhat difficult; and 4 – makes doing business very difficult.
Findings revealed that the major factor that makes business difficult in Nigeria is Power. This was consistent for all three years, however, the level of difficulty that power imposed on business decreased from 3.7 in 2009 to 3.4 in 2010 and increased to 3.5 in 2012. Corruption which was another factor that was identified for imposing difficulty on businesses continued to rise as the years progressed. The level of difficulty it imposed on business increased greatly from 1.1 in 2009 to 2.6 in 2010 and to 3.2 in 2012.
Furthermore security and access to finance are other factors that make business difficult as identified by the respondents. While security increased from 2.4 in 2009 to 2.6 in 2010 and 3.2 in 2012, access to finance also increased from 2.5 in 2009 to 2.7 in 2010 to 3.1 in 2012.
Road was another factor that was identified as factor that impose difficulty in business. The level of difficulty it imposed in business decreased in 2009 from 2.8 to 2.6 in 2010 and increased to 3.1 in 2012. Generally all the factors identified experienced varying level of deterioration from 2009 to 2012.
Subsequently respondents were asked to rank the identified factors that make business difficult in order of priority.
Ranking the factors that make business difficult in Nigeria revealed that power which topped the chart as the major factor that causes difficulty in 2009 and 2010 was ranked third in 2012.
Road which was ranked second in 2009 became of less importance in the preceding years as it was ranked sixth in 2010 and 2012 .
In addition corruption which was ranked third in 2009 became second in 2010 and became of priority in 2012 as it topped the chart. In addition, finance which was perceived to impose less difficulty in 2009 rose to third place in 2012.
All factors with the same colour code on the graph were ranked equally in the respective years the survey was conducted.
Federal High Court in Abuja has adjourned the Federal Government’s alleged tax evasion case against Binance Holdings Ltd. cryptocurrency exchange, until September 24, 2026, to allow both parties more time to pursue an out-of-court settlement.
Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the new date on Thursday after Moses Ideho, counsel to the Federal Government, informed the court that discussions aimed at resolving the dispute amicably were still ongoing.
Ideho, a deputy director of Legal and Prosecution at the Nigeria Revenue Service (formerly the Federal Inland Revenue Service), told the court that the matter, which had been scheduled for a report on settlement or continuation of trial, could not proceed.
According to him, one reason for the delay was the reported elevation of Justice Nwite to the Court of Appeal, while the second was the continued reconciliation efforts between the parties.
“The parties are still exploring settlement in the charge that led to this case,” Ideho told the court.
Sunday Agaji, counsel to Binance, did not oppose the application for adjournment, following which Justice Nwite postponed proceedings until September 24 for either a report on the settlement discussions or continuation of trial.
The case was previously adjourned on May 12 after both the Federal Government and Binance informed the court that negotiations were underway to settle the matter outside the courtroom.
Binance had first indicated its willingness to pursue an amicable resolution on March 24.
The cryptocurrency company was re-arraigned on July 12, 2024, on a four-count charge bordering on alleged tax evasion.
Ayodele Omotilewa, Nigerian representative, pleaded not guilty on behalf of the company.
The re-arraignment followed the removal of Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan and his colleague, Nadeem Anjarwalla, from the charge after the Federal Government amended the case to make Binance Holdings Ltd the sole defendant.
Justice Nwite had, on June 14, 2024, discharged and struck out the names of Gambaryan and Anjarwalla after the prosecution filed the amended charge.
Binance is also facing a separate criminal prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accuses the company of laundering about $35.4m.
In addition, the Nigeria Revenue Service is pursuing a separate civil suit against Binance before another judge of the Federal High Court, seeking approximately $79.5bn in alleged economic losses linked to the company’s operations in Nigeria.
Oodua Youth Coalition (OYC), a Yoruba socio-cultural group, has issued a notice to stage peaceful picketing at MTN Nigeria offices nationwide.
This action stems from the company’s alleged failure to publicly condemn recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa.
This is coming despite statement by Karl Toriola, chief executive officer, MTN Nigeria, who recently said that MTN may have originated from South Africa, he explained, but MTN Nigeria is a Nigerian publicly quoted company, managed by Nigerians and with a Nigerian board.
However, in a statement jointly signed Olatunji Adejuwon and Olaoye Abolaji,vice president and national secretary respectively of OYC, described MTN Nigeria’s silence as unacceptable, given the company’s South African roots and the patronage it enjoys from Nigerians
The coalition said it would proceed with a peaceful protest if the telecommunications company continued to ignore its demands, stressing that the action was intended to draw attention to the need for corporate responsibility and moral leadership in condemning xenophobic attacks against fellow Africans.
“Consequently, the Oodua Youth Coalition hereby gives notice that we shall, without hesitation, commence a peaceful picketing of MTN Nigeria’s offices if the company continues to ignore our legitimate demands.
“Our action is intended to draw attention to the need for corporate responsibility and moral leadership in condemning acts of xenophobia against fellow Africans,” the statement said.
The group renewed its call on MTN Nigeria to immediately convene a press conference, with representatives of the coalition in attendance, to unequivocally condemn the xenophobic attacks and reaffirm its commitment to the safety, dignity and unity of all Africans.
It maintained that the proposed protest would be peaceful, orderly and in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to the coalition, relevant security agencies have been notified of the planned action, while appropriate communications have also been sent to the South African diplomatic mission in Nigeria.
“We once again call on MTN Nigeria to immediately convene a press conference, with representatives of the Oodua Youth Coalition in attendance, to unequivocally condemn the xenophobic attacks and reaffirm its commitment to the safety, dignity and unity of all Africans.
“We emphasise that our proposed action shall remain peaceful, orderly and in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Relevant security agencies have been duly notified, and appropriate communications have also been sent to the South African diplomatic mission in Nigeria.”
Reaffirming its commitment to defending the rights and dignity of Nigerians, the coalition vowed not to relent until its concerns received the desired attention.
“The Oodua Youth Coalition remains committed to defending the dignity of Nigerians and promoting African solidarity. We will not relent until our concerns receive the attention they deserve,” the statement added.
Responding to the controversy, Toriola further condemned all forms of xenophobia and violence against Africans living in South Africa, insisting that MTN Nigeria is a Nigerian company with substantial local ownership.
“We unequivocally condemn any form of xenophobia, violence or attacks against any community in the world. We’re a Nigerian company, through and through. We’re listed on the stock exchange with over 201,000 retail investors, and 11 million people hold shares through their pension funds in MTN Nigeria.
“We provide the digital backbone of the economy, and we have a completely Nigerian entity.
“Yes, MTN was founded in South Africa, and the parent company that is the majority shareholder is South African. But let’s also look at it objectively. The shareholding of MTN Holding South Africa is only 50 per cent African.
“The remaining 50 per cent is from across the world — 27 per cent from the United States, with the rest from the United Kingdom, Europe, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region,” Toriola said.
By Bidemi Oke
Every civilisation has been built on one invisible infrastructure. The Romans built roads. The Industrial Revolution built electricity. The Internet built information. The next economy may be built on something far less tangible.
Trust
That sounds counterintuitive because we have spent centuries believing that money is the foundation of every economy. It isn’t. Money has never been the foundation; it has simply been the mechanism through which trust is exchanged. Every major financial innovation, from coins and paper notes to credit cards, online banking and blockchain, has been humanity’s attempt to solve the same problem: “how do we help strangers trust one another without ever meeting?”
Seen through that lens, today’s financial revolution looks very different.
Most discussions about digital finance revolve around whether cash will disappear. We debate mobile wallets, central bank digital currencies, cryptocurrency, real-time payments and digital banking. Yet these conversations often mistake the visible change for the actual transformation.
The real shift is not that money is becoming digital. The real shift is that trust is becoming programmable. That single idea explains why the financial landscape is changing faster than many people realize.
For decades, finance has depended on institutions to create confidence. Banks verified identities, governments authenticated currencies, contracts relied on lawyers, payment networks validated transactions and every exchange involved an intermediary whose primary role was to reassure two parties that the system could be trusted.
Technology is quietly rewriting that arrangement
Today, identities can be verified digitally. Transactions can be authenticated within seconds, smart contracts can execute agreements automatically once predefined conditions are met, and artificial intelligence can detect suspicious activity before humans notice it. Increasingly, confidence is being built into the infrastructure itself rather than added afterwards.
This is why I believe we need a new way to think about the evolution of finance, not as a journey from cash to digital payments, but as “three generations of financial trust”.
The first generation was Physical Trust. Trust was tied to tangible assets like gold, paper currency, handwritten signatures and face-to-face interactions. Confidence came from what people could physically see and hold.
The second generation was Institutional Trust. As economies expanded, institutions became the guarantors of financial confidence. Banks, regulators, payment networks and financial intermediaries enabled transactions at a scale impossible through personal relationships alone. Trust shifted from physical objects to established organisations.
We are now entering the third generation: Programmable Trust.
Here, trust is embedded directly into technology. Verification happens automatically. Payments settle in real time, financial services become integrated into everyday experiences instead of existing as separate destinations. Increasingly, people interact with trusted systems rather than trusted institutions alone. That distinction is more profound than it first appears.
Many organisations still measure digital transformation by counting how many services have moved online, but digitising an existing process is not the same as redesigning how trust flows through an economy. Converting paperwork into an application does not automatically create a digital financial ecosystem.
This explains why some economies process millions of digital transactions every day yet continue to face friction, inefficiency and limited financial inclusion. The missing ingredient is rarely another payment platform. More often, it is interoperable infrastructure, trusted digital identity, consistent regulation and systems capable of working together seamlessly.
In other words, the future of finance will not be determined by who builds the fastest application. It will be determined by who builds the most trusted ecosystem.
This has significant implications for Africa. The continent has rightly earned global recognition for accelerating digital financial adoption. Yet the next opportunity extends beyond increasing transaction volumes. The greater challenge is designing financial infrastructure where payments, identity, data, compliance and commerce interact intelligently rather than operating in isolation.
That is where long-term competitive advantage will emerge. Perhaps the greatest irony of all is that the more advanced finance becomes, the less visible it will appear.
People rarely think about the internet protocols that power a video call or the cloud infrastructure supporting an online purchase. Likewise, future generations may hardly think about payment rails, settlement networks or blockchain architecture. Financial experiences will simply happen securely, instantly and almost invisibly.
History suggests that successful technologies eventually disappear from our attention not because they become less important, but because they become so reliable that we stop noticing them altogether.
So, are we entering a fully digital financial economy? Perhaps that is no longer the right question.
A more useful question is whether we are entering an economy where trust itself becomes digital infrastructure because if that is true, then the organisations shaping the future of finance are not merely moving money more efficiently.
They are redesigning how entire economies create confidence at scale and that may prove to be the most valuable innovation of all.
Bidemi Oke is the Chief Executive Officer of FlashChange, a fintech platform focused on secure digital asset exchange. He is an entrepreneur and vibrant leader, recognized for driving innovation and redefining access in the financial technology industry.
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