Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar outlined the country’s foreign policy priorities and efforts to deepen regional and global engagement.
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Nigeria urges value-driven growth as Davos Forum concludes
Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar outlined the country’s foreign policy priorities and efforts to deepen regional and global engagement.
PayPal Goes Live In Nigeria Through Paga, Enabling Global Payments And Local Withdrawals
Paga, Nigeria’s pioneering fintech company, and PayPal, the global payments and commerce platform, today announced the availability of live account linking for customers in Nigeria. The integration enables users to access PayPal-supported cross-border payments directly through Paga’s digital wallet, allowing them to receive international payments and withdraw funds locally in Naira.
With this integration, users in Nigeria can link their PayPal accounts directly to their Paga wallets to receive cross-border payments from PayPal supported markets, shop with global PayPal merchants, and access their funds locally. The service also enables Nigerian merchants and entrepreneurs to reach PayPal’s global network of over 400 million users worldwide, and grow their businesses internationally.
Through Paga, users can easily access their PayPal balances and withdraw funds across everyday financial needs, including spending via card, transferring to local bank accounts, or paying bills and merchants within the Paga ecosystem, providing a seamless bridge between global earnings and local use. The collaboration strengthens Nigeria’s financial services ecosystem by promoting cross-border commerce, empowering merchants and small business growth, and supporting the country’s digital economic infrastructure.
“We are proud to make this integration live and available to users across Nigeria,” said Tayo Oviosu, Founder and Group CEO of Paga. “Whether you’re a freelancer receiving international payments, a business selling online, or a consumer shopping globally, this collaboration makes it easier to access and use global funds locally, in a way that’s simple, secure, and built for our markets.”
“We’ve been intentional about partnering with local innovators like Paga and developing solutions that help Nigerians earn, spend, and grow,” said Otto Williams, Senior Vice President, Regional Head and General Manager of PayPal Middle East and Africa. “This collaboration helps strengthen the broader payments ecosystem by supporting local innovation, expanding financial inclusion, and enabling more consumers and businesses to participate confidently in the digital economy.”
Nigeria’s digital payments market continues to expand rapidly, with transaction values reaching ₦657.8 trillion in 2023 and more than 30 million active mobile wallet users (Novatia Consulting, 2024). With over 21 million users and a fast-growing API infrastructure, Paga is uniquely positioned to scale PayPal’s services to both consumers and businesses across the country, leveraging its local settlement network, digital wallet, and Visa card integrations positioning it as a secure and trusted local partner for cross-border digital payments.
To access PayPal services through Paga, users can log in to the Paga app or www.paga.com, link their PayPal account, and start receiving international payments into their Paga wallet and use those funds to pay bills, transfer to bank accounts, or shop online.
With this integration, users in Nigeria can link their PayPal accounts directly to their Paga wallets to receive cross-border payments from PayPal supported markets, shop with global PayPal merchants, and access their funds locally. The service also enables Nigerian merchants and entrepreneurs to reach PayPal’s global network of over 400 million users worldwide, and grow their businesses internationally.
Through Paga, users can easily access their PayPal balances and withdraw funds across everyday financial needs, including spending via card, transferring to local bank accounts, or paying bills and merchants within the Paga ecosystem, providing a seamless bridge between global earnings and local use. The collaboration strengthens Nigeria’s financial services ecosystem by promoting cross-border commerce, empowering merchants and small business growth, and supporting the country’s digital economic infrastructure.
“We are proud to make this integration live and available to users across Nigeria,” said Tayo Oviosu, Founder and Group CEO of Paga. “Whether you’re a freelancer receiving international payments, a business selling online, or a consumer shopping globally, this collaboration makes it easier to access and use global funds locally, in a way that’s simple, secure, and built for our markets.”
“We’ve been intentional about partnering with local innovators like Paga and developing solutions that help Nigerians earn, spend, and grow,” said Otto Williams, Senior Vice President, Regional Head and General Manager of PayPal Middle East and Africa. “This collaboration helps strengthen the broader payments ecosystem by supporting local innovation, expanding financial inclusion, and enabling more consumers and businesses to participate confidently in the digital economy.”
Nigeria’s digital payments market continues to expand rapidly, with transaction values reaching ₦657.8 trillion in 2023 and more than 30 million active mobile wallet users (Novatia Consulting, 2024). With over 21 million users and a fast-growing API infrastructure, Paga is uniquely positioned to scale PayPal’s services to both consumers and businesses across the country, leveraging its local settlement network, digital wallet, and Visa card integrations positioning it as a secure and trusted local partner for cross-border digital payments.
To access PayPal services through Paga, users can log in to the Paga app or www.paga.com, link their PayPal account, and start receiving international payments into their Paga wallet and use those funds to pay bills, transfer to bank accounts, or shop online.
By Grace Ashiru, Tech In Africa
Nigerian military officers to face trial over alleged coup plot
A group of Nigerian military officers are set to face trial for allegedly plotting to overthrow the West African nation’s government.
The Nigeria Defence Headquarters confirmed the news on Monday, citing an investigative panel’s findings.
At least 16 officers were initially arrested in October over what military authorities termed “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations”.
The arrests, alongside local media reports of a failed coup, had already fuelled regional tensions amid a spate of military takeovers across West Africa.
The investigation into the officers' conduct has now concluded, revealing a coup plot against President Bola Tinubu's administration, Nigerian military spokesman Samaila Uba said on Monday.
“The findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government which is inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards required of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” Mr Uba said.
The officers found culpable will be arraigned before a military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with military procedures, he added.
It was not clear how many of the 16 officers who were arrested will face trial and authorities did not provide their names.
Further measures were also being taken to preserve order, discipline and the effectiveness of the military, Mr Uba said.
The coup plot comes on the heels of a surge in coups and attempted coups in West and Central Africa.
The latest took place in Benin and Guinea-Bissau late in 2025.
The military takeovers follow a pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises and youth discontent, experts said.
Nigeria became independent from the United Kingdom in 1960 and was ruled by a military government from 1966, following which five military coups took place.
The most recent coup occurred in 1993 and multi-party democracy was restored in 1999.
Concerns have grown recently over worsening hardship, due in part to the government's austerity measures.
By Dyepkazah Shibayan, Independent
The Nigeria Defence Headquarters confirmed the news on Monday, citing an investigative panel’s findings.
At least 16 officers were initially arrested in October over what military authorities termed “acts of indiscipline and breaches of service regulations”.
The arrests, alongside local media reports of a failed coup, had already fuelled regional tensions amid a spate of military takeovers across West Africa.
The investigation into the officers' conduct has now concluded, revealing a coup plot against President Bola Tinubu's administration, Nigerian military spokesman Samaila Uba said on Monday.
“The findings have identified a number of the officers with allegations of plotting to overthrow the government which is inconsistent with the ethics, values and professional standards required of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” Mr Uba said.
The officers found culpable will be arraigned before a military judicial panel to face trial in accordance with military procedures, he added.
It was not clear how many of the 16 officers who were arrested will face trial and authorities did not provide their names.
Further measures were also being taken to preserve order, discipline and the effectiveness of the military, Mr Uba said.
The coup plot comes on the heels of a surge in coups and attempted coups in West and Central Africa.
The latest took place in Benin and Guinea-Bissau late in 2025.
The military takeovers follow a pattern of disputed elections, constitutional upheaval, security crises and youth discontent, experts said.
Nigeria became independent from the United Kingdom in 1960 and was ruled by a military government from 1966, following which five military coups took place.
The most recent coup occurred in 1993 and multi-party democracy was restored in 1999.
Concerns have grown recently over worsening hardship, due in part to the government's austerity measures.
Monday, January 26, 2026
Nigeria moves to address income tax imbalance
Nigeria is implementing significant personal income tax reforms aimed at correcting a system that has long placed a heavier burden on low-income earners. The new rules are designed to broaden the tax base, shift more responsibility to wealthier individuals, and create a fairer taxation system.
US to step up coordination with Nigeria to pursue Islamic State group militants
The US military is increasing materiel deliveries and intelligence sharing with Nigeria, Africom's deputy commander said, as part of a broader American push to work with African militaries to go after Islamic State group-linked militants.
The Pentagon has also kept open lines of communication with militaries in the junta-led Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, Lieutenant General John Brennan said.
The increased cooperation with Abuja follows Washington's diplomatic pressure on Nigeria over jihadist violence in the country, but also as the US military is becoming "more aggressive" in pursuing IS group-linked targets on the continent.
Under the Trump administration, "we've gotten a lot more aggressive and (are) working with partners to target, kinetically, the threats, mainly ISIS," Brennan said in an interview on the sidelines of a US-Nigeria security meeting in the Nigerian capital last week.
"From Somalia to Nigeria, the problem set is connected. So we're trying to take it apart and then provide partners with the information they need," he added.
"It's been about more enabling partners and then providing them equipment and capabilities with less restrictions so that they can be more successful."
Last week's inaugural US-Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting came roughly a month after the US announced surprise Christmas Day strikes on IS group-linked targets in northwest Nigeria.
The Pentagon has also kept open lines of communication with militaries in the junta-led Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, Lieutenant General John Brennan said.
The increased cooperation with Abuja follows Washington's diplomatic pressure on Nigeria over jihadist violence in the country, but also as the US military is becoming "more aggressive" in pursuing IS group-linked targets on the continent.
Under the Trump administration, "we've gotten a lot more aggressive and (are) working with partners to target, kinetically, the threats, mainly ISIS," Brennan said in an interview on the sidelines of a US-Nigeria security meeting in the Nigerian capital last week.
"From Somalia to Nigeria, the problem set is connected. So we're trying to take it apart and then provide partners with the information they need," he added.
"It's been about more enabling partners and then providing them equipment and capabilities with less restrictions so that they can be more successful."
Last week's inaugural US-Nigeria Joint Working Group meeting came roughly a month after the US announced surprise Christmas Day strikes on IS group-linked targets in northwest Nigeria.
Diplomatic clash
Though both militaries seem keen on increased cooperation after the joint strikes, hanging over it all is diplomatic pressure by Washington over what Trump claims is the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Abuja and independent analysts reject that framing of Nigeria's myriad, overlapping conflicts, which has long been used by the US religious right.
Charged politics were on display at the Joint Working Group meeting in Abuja, where Allison Hooker, the number three at the State Department, pushed the Nigerian government "to protect Christians" in a speech that did not mention Muslim victims of armed groups.
Africa's most populous country is roughly evenly split between a mostly Muslim north and mostly Christian south. Though millions live peacefully side by side, religious and ethnic identity remains a sensitive topic in a country that has seen sectarian violence throughout its history.
Brennan said that US intelligence would not be limited to protecting Christians.
He also said that following the US strikes in northwestern Sokoto state, American support going forward would focus on intelligence sharing to aid Nigerian air strikes there, as well as the northeast, where a jihadist insurgency by Boko Haram and rival breakaway ISWAP has raged since 2009.
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is "our most concerning group", he said.
Analysts have been tracking US intelligence flights over the country in recent months, though some have questioned whether air support alone can push back armed groups that thrive amid widespread poverty and state collapse in rural areas.
Though both militaries seem keen on increased cooperation after the joint strikes, hanging over it all is diplomatic pressure by Washington over what Trump claims is the mass killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Abuja and independent analysts reject that framing of Nigeria's myriad, overlapping conflicts, which has long been used by the US religious right.
Charged politics were on display at the Joint Working Group meeting in Abuja, where Allison Hooker, the number three at the State Department, pushed the Nigerian government "to protect Christians" in a speech that did not mention Muslim victims of armed groups.
Africa's most populous country is roughly evenly split between a mostly Muslim north and mostly Christian south. Though millions live peacefully side by side, religious and ethnic identity remains a sensitive topic in a country that has seen sectarian violence throughout its history.
Brennan said that US intelligence would not be limited to protecting Christians.
He also said that following the US strikes in northwestern Sokoto state, American support going forward would focus on intelligence sharing to aid Nigerian air strikes there, as well as the northeast, where a jihadist insurgency by Boko Haram and rival breakaway ISWAP has raged since 2009.
Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) is "our most concerning group", he said.
Analysts have been tracking US intelligence flights over the country in recent months, though some have questioned whether air support alone can push back armed groups that thrive amid widespread poverty and state collapse in rural areas.
'Still collaborate' with AES militaries
US-Nigerian cooperation going forward will involve "the whole gamut of intel sharing, sharing... tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as enabling them to procure more equipment," Brennan said.
The initial strikes targeted militants linked to the Islamic State Sahel Province group, typically active in neighbouring Niger, Brennan said.
Analysts have voiced concerns about ISSP's spread from the Sahel into coastal west African countries like Nigeria.
The impact of those strikes so far has been unclear, however, with local and international journalists unable to confirm militant casualties.
Asked about their effectiveness, Nigerian information minister Mohammed Idris said last week it was "still a work in progress".
In the Sahel more widely, Brennan said "we still collaborate" with the junta-led governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which have broken away from their west African neighbours and largely shunned the West.
Security cooperation has been curtailed since coups toppled civilian governments across the three countries from 2020 to 2023.
"We have actually shared information with some of them to attack key terrorist targets," he said. "We still talk to our military partners across the Sahelian states, even though it's not official."
Brennan also said the US is not seeking to replace its bases in Niger after its troops were pushed out by the ruling junta.
"We're not in the market to create a drone base anywhere," he said, referencing the shuttered US drone operations in Agadez.
"We are much more focused on getting capability to the right place at the right time and then leaving. We don't seek long-term basing in any of the western African countries."
US-Nigerian cooperation going forward will involve "the whole gamut of intel sharing, sharing... tactics, techniques, and procedures, as well as enabling them to procure more equipment," Brennan said.
The initial strikes targeted militants linked to the Islamic State Sahel Province group, typically active in neighbouring Niger, Brennan said.
Analysts have voiced concerns about ISSP's spread from the Sahel into coastal west African countries like Nigeria.
The impact of those strikes so far has been unclear, however, with local and international journalists unable to confirm militant casualties.
Asked about their effectiveness, Nigerian information minister Mohammed Idris said last week it was "still a work in progress".
In the Sahel more widely, Brennan said "we still collaborate" with the junta-led governments in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, which have broken away from their west African neighbours and largely shunned the West.
Security cooperation has been curtailed since coups toppled civilian governments across the three countries from 2020 to 2023.
"We have actually shared information with some of them to attack key terrorist targets," he said. "We still talk to our military partners across the Sahelian states, even though it's not official."
Brennan also said the US is not seeking to replace its bases in Niger after its troops were pushed out by the ruling junta.
"We're not in the market to create a drone base anywhere," he said, referencing the shuttered US drone operations in Agadez.
"We are much more focused on getting capability to the right place at the right time and then leaving. We don't seek long-term basing in any of the western African countries."
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