An artificial intelligence (AI) application has been developed to help combat the spread of fake news, misinformation and political propaganda as political activities gradually build toward the 2027 general elections in Nigeria.

The app, known as BAT-BOT AI, was unveiled in Abuja by Mr. Gunu Usman, its founder, who said the platform is designed to assist the federal government in addressing the growing challenge of false information within nation’s digital space.

‎Mr Usman explained that the new platform was created to ensure that factual information circulates faster than falsehood.

He noted that the rapid spread of misinformation, disinformation, hate speech and manipulated narratives targeting the administration of Bola Tinubu, the ruling All Progressives Congress, and national institutions poses risks to democratic stability and public trust.

According to Mr. Usman, BAT-BOT AI was developed to support public access to verified information while countering misleading narratives online.

The Technology expert described the system as a sovereign AI-powered civic information and fact-verification platform designed to strengthen Nigeria’s digital information ecosystem ahead of the 2027 general election.

He added that the initiative aligns with the government’s policy direction under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, which seeks to promote transparency and encourage informed civic participation.

The founder further explained that the platform is currently accessible to Nigerians through multiple digital channels, enabling users to verify claims, seek clarification on government policies and obtain information on national development initiatives.

Mr.  Usman expressed optimism that the tool would help curb the spread of false information and contribute to a more credible digital environment as the country prepares for the next electoral cycle.

MTN Nigeria expanded its lead in Nigeria’s fixed broadband market after adding 13,433 subscribers to its fibre-to-the-home service in December 2025. The gains come as smaller providers struggle to retain users amid rising demand for high-speed internet.

Industry data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed sharp subscriber losses among smaller operators.

21st Century Technologies saw its subscriber base fall from 175 in December to 82 in January, a drop of more than 50 percent.

SWIFT Nigeria recorded an even larger decline.

The company lost 11,285 users, with total subscribers falling from 25,484 to 14,199, a 44.3 percent decrease.

The gap between large infrastructure providers and smaller operators is widening as broadband demand grows across Nigeria.

Companies with extensive fibre networks can offer faster speeds and wider coverage, while smaller competitors face higher costs and limited scale.

MTN has accelerated its investment in network infrastructure to maintain its lead.

The company spent ₦1 trillion, or about $715 million, in capital expenditure in 2025, more than double the ₦443.5 billion invested in 2024.

The investment followed a return to profitability, with profit after tax reaching ₦1.1 trillion after losses in 2024 linked to foreign-exchange pressures.

Spending focused on network modernization, 4G expansion, 5G rollout and deeper fibre deployment.

The operator expanded its fibre-to-the-home footprint to about 4 million households, concentrating deployments in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Ibadan as data traffic rose 34 percent.

Network vandalism remains a challenge. MTN recorded 9,218 fibre cuts in 2025, an average of 25 incidents per day, affecting 211 base stations.

Key Takeaways

Nigeria’s broadband market is entering a scale phase where infrastructure investment is becoming the main competitive advantage.

Telecom operators with strong balance sheets are deploying billions of naira into fibre networks to capture demand for high-speed connectivity driven by streaming, remote work, digital payments and cloud services.

Fibre infrastructure also strengthens mobile networks by connecting base stations and improving 4G and 5G performance.

However, the economics of building and maintaining fibre networks remain challenging in emerging markets. Infrastructure vandalism, power supply instability and high deployment costs increase operational risk.

These factors make it difficult for smaller internet service providers to compete with large telecom operators that can spread costs across millions of customers.

As demand for broadband continues to grow in Africa’s largest economy, the sector may see further consolidation, with dominant operators strengthening their market position while regulators face increasing pressure to maintain competition and affordable access to high-speed internet.

credit…. dabafinance.com

Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has introduced stricter Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolment and data access rules to prevent suspected fraudulent transactions, effective May 1, 2026.

This was disclosed in a statement issued over the weekend and titled “Addendum to the Revised Regulatory Framework for Bank Verification Number (BVN) Operations and Watchlist for the Nigerian Banking Industry 2021.”

The statement was signed by Musa Jimoh, director of the Payment System Policy Department.

The CBN said it introduced the ‘Revised Regulatory Framework for Bank Verification (BVN) and Watchlist for the Nigerian Banking Industry 2021’, to promote a stable financial system.

The apex bank reiterated that enrollment for the BVN be limited to individuals aged 18 and above, while amendments to phone numbers linked to a BVN will be restricted to a one-time change only.

Financial Institutions are mandated to establish and maintain a temporary watchlist for BVNs implicated in suspected fraudulent transactions reported by a financial institution.

“A BVN may remain on this temporary Watchlist for a maximum period of twenty-four (24) hours. During this period, the BVN owner shall be contacted to clarify the identified transaction(s).

Enrolment for BVN is restricted to individuals who have attained the age of eighteen (18) years and above. Amendments to phone numbers linked to a BVN shall be allowed only once,” the statement read.

The CBN insisted that it maintain an exclusive right to access BVN databases and to approve access to them by financial institutions.

“Access to the BVN databases shall be exclusively granted to Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed financial institutions. Notwithstanding this provision, the Central Bank of Nigeria (the Bank) reserves the right to approve access to the BVN databases in extenuating circumstances and in accordance with the provisions of extant laws,” the statement said.

The directive was part of the CBN’s recent regulatory amendments in combating fraudulent activities.

On Tuesday, the bank issued new regulations, “Baseline Standards for Automated Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Solution for Financial Institutions in Nigeria’, to all financial institutions, in a bid to automatically counter money laundering and terrorism financing.