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FG Mulls N5000 Cash Transfer to Nigerians through NIPOST
Federal government said it would soon commence the payment of N5000 to vulnerable poor Nigerians in three states, using the newly introduced financial services of the Nigeria Postal Services (NIPOST) for the cash transfer.
The government said the package is under the present administration’s social welfare programme to help the poor and the needy in the society.
Under the new contract, NIPOST is expected to dispense the N5,000 cash to the poor in three states including Nasarawa, Benue and Anambra.
Bisi Adegbuyi, postmaster general and chief executive officer of NIPOST, made the disclosure in Oyo town at the occasion of 2018 World Post Day celebration.
He said NIPOST was able to win the contract due to its innovative programme and use of technology to advance its services to the people across the country.
He said ” For instance, the National Cash Transfer Office which caters for the vulnerable, the poor in the society awarded NIPOST the job to transfer cash to the poor . They give them N5000, every month, and because NIPOST has transformed and leveraging on technology , we were awarded the cash disposal of N5000 in Benue, Nasarawa and Anambra . Who are we serving , we are serving the poor , the post is ready to deliver the goods to bring happiness .”
Present at the celebration are the Alaafin of Oyo , Oba Lamidi Adeyemi represented by the retired archbishop of Methodist Church Nigeria, Ayo Ladigbolu , the Postmaster of the Federation, Barrister Bisi Adegbuyi, the Managing Director of Wema Bank, Mr. Ademola Adebise , former Chairman of First Bank PLC, Rev. Akinboboye, NIPOST Zonal Manager , Mrs Ekeleme Kristie and Vice Chairman, Oyo East Local Government, Hon. Wahab Tajudeen .
Others included top security chiefs, school children, artisans and officials of Wema Bank and Keystone bank.
The Postmaster General in his speech informed the gathering that the present administration led by President Mohammadu Buhari has embarked on people oriented programme to improve the social welfare of the vulnerable poor in the country.
Speaking further on the 2018 World Post Day with the theme ” The Post: Delivering good to the world” , Adegbuyi said ” Its not just a question of NIPOST alone World Post Day is celebrated in 192 countries that belong to Universal Postal Union to bring to the fore the achievement of Post in the past year the agenda they have set for them in terms of renovation and all the likes.”
He further disclosed that NIPOST in its transformation drive has commenced financial services and e-banking to bring financial services to the rural people across the country.
” But why we are here today is to flag off our agency banking in partnership with We a bank and Keystone bank. What is agency banking? It is aimed at bringing basic financial services to the people in semi urban areas and rural area. The financially excluded, the un-banked , the under- bank . They have been estimated to be around 41 percent of adults in Nigeria .
” It is also in line with the sustainable development goals of the United Nations. Governance is not for the rich but for the poor who live in the rural areas. Our people, artisans, women, men, laborers and others should have access to basic financial banking services. We are here to demonstrate to Nigerians that NIPOST has moved beyond mere letter delivery. We are going to financial services, you members of the press have seen it when we demonstrated account opening procedure where you can paid in deposit, you can do withdraw, how you can pay utility bills, WAEC, NECO.
“We also demonstrated that our E-money is ready. We must leverage on technology that trendy everywhere, that is enabling Post Offices who are ready to subscribe to 21st century postal administration.
We are just flagging it off. This is the first location; we will move from one location to the other. Nigeria is a massive country with 180million people. It’s a gradual process,” he said.
Earlier, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi commended NIPOST for its giant strides in recent years, describing the event as very significant in the history of the agency.
Speaking through his representative, Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, Oba Adeyemi said NIPOST has remained the only agency that has continued to connect the people, facilitating communication and enabling the people to stay in touch.
” But it has gone beyond that limit, today your money is save if you send it through NIPOST. It is a great pleasure to continue to identify and relate with NIPOST,” the royal father said.
Southeast Asia cybercrime networks are expanding operations into Africa as crackdowns intensify in the subregion, according to a recent report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The massive, unintended geographic shift triggered by intense pressure from international task forces in Myanmar and Cambodia,have seen highly sophisticated criminal networks now establishing footholds in major tech hubs across Kenya and Nigeria, transforming local technical talent into accomplices for industrial-scale digital theft as reported by https://streamlinefeed.co.ke/
This strategic migration represents a critical evolution in the $17 billion crypto scam economy.
Transnational scam syndicates are organized criminal networks that run industrial-scale online fraud using trapped or trafficked labor.
The UNODC has documented this diversification, noting that African nations are increasingly targeted as operational bases due to robust internet infrastructure and a surplus of unemployed tech workers.
In response, local authorities are engaged in a frantic game of catch-up against well-funded foreign cartels.
Recall that in 2025, UNODC, described the shift as part of a broader trend in which crime “spreads like a cancer,” into regions with weaker enforcement and limited digital safeguards.
The report pointed to the rapid proliferation of online fraud operations, including cryptocurrency scams and phishing schemes, moving from countries like Myanmar and Cambodia into new footholds in Africa—particularly Nigeria.
A recent case publicized June 12, 2025 by the WeChat public account West Africa Chinese Voice illustrates the trend: Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested 177 Chinese nationals in Lagos and Abuja between December 2024 and January 2025.
The suspects were allegedly running scam centers under the guise of corporate offices, where local Nigerians were trained to carry out online investment frauds—many following the “pig-butchering” model, which builds trust with victims before luring them into fraudulent crypto investments.
Authorities seized hundreds of SIM cards, high-performance computers, and prewritten scam scripts during the raids
Ugochukwu Eze, a 47 year-old man, was on Thursday arraigned before a Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly hacking into the server of SunTrust Bank to steal a total of N800m.
Ugochukwu also known as Amazon, was arraigned before the court by the operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS).
DSS accused Ugochukwu of fraudulently hacking into the server of SunTrust Bank to remove and divert the sum of N800 million into several accounts in other financial institutions.
M. Bajela,prosecuting counsel, DSS, in the charges filed before the court alleged that the defendant and others now at large, between 2023 and 2026, conspired among themselves and unlawfully and seriously hindered the function of Suntrust Bank Plc’s computer system server and in the process fraudulently diverted over N800 million belonging to the bank.
Ugochukwu was also accused of concealing and transferring various sums of money traced to the unlawful cyber-attacks to some account in some financial institutions.
The offences alleged to have been committed by the defendant according to the prosecutor contravened sections 5; 6(1) and 8 of Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act, 2024. And Sections 10, 20 and 18(2)(D) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The defendant pleaded not guilty to the allegations.
Based on his plea of not guilty, the prosecutor asked the court for a trial date, and prayed the court to remand the defendant in the facility of the correctional services pending the time trial will commence.
However, E. Afrogha, defendant’s lawyer, told the court that she has filed her client’s bail application. adding that her client has been in the DSS custody for over a month.
But the prosecution counsel told the court that he has not been served with the bail application, not withstanding that his witnesses are available.
Based on the counsels’ submissions, Justice Friday Ogazi, presiding judge, adjourned the matter to August 24,2026 for hearing of the bail application.
The judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services (NCS) pending the hearing of the bail application.
One of the counts against the defendant reads: “That you UGOCHUKWU EZE (AKA AMAZON) (M) (47 YEARS) sometime between 2023 and 2026 in Lagos, and other places within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, unlawfully seriously hindered the function of SunTrust Bank Plc’s computer system, and in the process fraudulently diverted over N800, 000,000.00 (Eight Hundred Million Naira) belonging to the said SunTrust Bank thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 8 of the cybercrime (prohibition, prevention etc.) Act, 2024.”
Liquid Intelligent Technologies is using light-beam technology developed by Google spinout Taara to supply data centres and large enterprise networks in Lagos, addressing the high costs and delays of laying underground fibre in dense urban corridors.
The deployment includes nearly 12 live optical links serving banks, hotels, and utilities across commercial districts, proving optical technology can supplement traditional physical infrastructure where trenching cables is impractical.
High-capacity bandwidth is being distributed directly from points of presence at Africa Data Centres and other Lagos facilities to enterprises beyond the reach of fibre cables.
This reduces network downtime in areas where physical cable cuts take days to repair. The rollout follows a two-year deployment by Liquid to strengthen network resilience for local internet service providers.
Nigeria remains one of the largest economies on the continent, with Lagos acting as its primary commercial hub. Expanding network infrastructure across dense urban environments requires operators to blend multiple technologies.
Using focused beams of light transmitted through the air, the technology allows operators to establish links within days rather than weeks, complementing existing physical networks.
Liquid is now assessing expansion into Abuja, Ibadan, and Kano.
“For Liquid, deployment speed has been one of the most significant advantages,” said Eugene Uka, acting chief executive officer of Liquid Intelligent Technologies Nigeria.
He added: “Traditional fibre deployments are not always a possibility, especially across difficult terrains. Taara links can often be installed and activated within hours, allowing Liquid to fulfil its mission to create a digitally connected future that leaves no African behind.”
Bhavesh Mistry, regional lead for Taara in Africa, commented: “As demand for connectivity continues to grow, operators need more flexibility in how they expand and reinforce their networks.
“Fibre remains an essential part of modern communications infrastructure, and will for some time, but there are many situations where deploying fibre quickly or cost-effectively can be difficult. Wireless optical communication gives operators another tool to extend capacity, reach customers faster, and build more resilient networks without compromising performance.”
The Taara Lightbridge system delivers up to 20 gigabits per second of capacity across distances up to 20 kilometres using invisible light beams.
The platform avoids trenching, spectrum licensing, or extensive civil engineering work. Taara claims its system is active in more than 20 countries with telecommunications operators, including T-Mobile, Airtel, Digicel, Liquid, and SoftBank.
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