Cash-strapped Nigerians turn to YouTube for entertainment

It points to a shifting pattern as Nigerians grapple with one of the toughest economic crises in decades after President Bola Tinubu halted petrol subsidies that kept prices all round low and stopped support for the local currency.

Streaming platforms, cable TV and internet service providers are meanwhile on a price-hiking spree that has put off many clients.

Netflix increased monthly subscription fees twice last year to 7,000 naira ($4.50) from 4,400 naira for its premium package -- a substantial amount in a country where, according to the World Bank, over half of the 230 million people live in poverty.

Many people are slashing their entertainment budget, including cable and streaming subscriptions, according to Lagos-based think tank SBM Intelligence.

Nollywood, Nigeria's massive film industry, releases an average of 50 movies weekly, the second most prolific film industry in the world after India's Bollywood.

Health worker Adeleke Adesola, 31, from the southwestern city of Ibadan, has switched to watching movies on YouTube, driven not just by costs, but for its interactive nature.

"I feel good when I read a comment that speaks my thoughts about a scene or the movie. Also, because I don't have to pay monthly subscription to have access to YouTube movies," she told AFP.

Africa's pay TV giant MultiChoice reported losing nearly a quarter of a million subscribers between April and September 2024.

Production cuts

Despite an uptick in subscriptions last year, streaming juggernaut Netflix has cut back on commissioning new productions in Nigeria.

Prime Video has also adopted the same approach.

With movie tickets now considered a luxury by millions in the west African economic powerhouse, consumers and filmmakers are veering to YouTube and other cheaper alternatives.

Filmmaker and co-founder of iBAKATV YouTube Channel, Kazeem Adeoti, said the number of full-length movies on YouTube had grown tremendously.

Several top actors own YouTube channels to directly distribute their movies to consumers, he said.

YouTube movies 'cheaper'

Income from YouTube depends on factors such as watch time, audience engagement, copyright ownership and viewers' location.

"We see consistently high watch time... indicating strong audience interest in Nollywood content," Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, spokesman for Google West Africa, told AFP.

"This increased watch time not only benefits the creators but also results in higher ad revenue for YouTube."

Seun Oloketuyi, film producer and founder of the Best of Nollywood (BON) awards, said YouTube had become more appealing to filmmakers as there were no specifications on the types of cameras to be used, the quality of costumes or the language mixes.

"Movies shot for YouTube are significantly cheaper than those to be screened at cinemas or on the digital streaming platforms," Oloketuyi said.

"It seems like a win-win for filmmakers who can spend significantly less on production, maintain ownership rights of the movies and still make good money."

Netflix and Prime say they don't plan on exiting Nigeria, but the contract terms for Nigerian filmmakers have now changed.

Nigerian films to which Netflix has screen rights are restricted to African viewers, leaving YouTube as the major alternative for the diaspora.

AFP

Nigeria to launch e-visa, digital card

Festus Keyamo, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, says the federal government will launch an e-visa system and digital landing/exit cards to enhance national security.

He disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja when he received a delegation led by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

According to Mr Keyamo, the e-visa system will enable applicants to submit visa requests online and upload required documents electronically.

He added that the manual landing and exit cards would be digitalised, requiring visitors to pre-fill their information before travelling to Nigeria.

“What we are doing here today reflects this government’s commitment to cooperation between ministries with overlapping mandates.

“Today is another example of inter-ministerial collaboration. This specifically concerns the introduction of the e-visa system,” he said.

He said further details would be given by Mr Tunji-Ojo, and that relevant agencies such as Immigration, NCAA, and FAAN would fully support the initiative.


Mr Keyamo emphasised that there was no objection to the programme, which primarily falls under the Interior Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior stated the automation system will commence on 1 May.

He noted that the e-visa application will be free and is designed to simplify entry into Nigeria while boosting national security.

Mr Tunji-Ojo explained the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will manage landing and exit cards, which travellers must complete online before boarding.

“Coordinating and issuing regulations to airlines is naturally the NCAA’s responsibility,” Mr Tunji-Ojo said.

He revealed a central visa approval centre already exists at Immigration headquarters, with trained officers and integrated global criminal record checks.

“Better background checks will be conducted for travellers entering Nigeria. We aim to eliminate bottlenecks and ensure a transparent visa process.

“Our goal is to open Nigeria’s borders without compromising security. Both Interior and Aviation ministries have critical roles in this,” he said.

Premium Times

Nigeria battles growing money laundering menace

Nigeria's reputation as one of Africa's economic powerhouses is blighted somewhat by a surge in international and inter-state financial crimes, marked by high rates of money laundering, cybercrimes, currency counterfeiting and other financial infractions.

This paradox of economic growth – the World Bank projects Nigeria's economy to expand by 3.5% in 2025 despite global uncertainties – and a widening spectrum of financial fraud has triggered a surveillance overdrive across the West African nation over the past few months.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria's primary financial fraud watchdog, has already arraigned a suspect arrested in March at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, the country's economic hub.

According to court filings, the flyer allegedly failed to declare US $578,000 in cash, resulting in four charges, including money laundering and counterfeiting.

Shuaibu Idris Miqati, who heads the Lagos-based financial intelligence advisory firm Time-Line Consult Ltd, sees the trend as reflecting the inherent disadvantages of an almost open and interconnected global economic system.

"International air travellers being routinely intercepted with undeclared cash while leaving or arriving in Nigeria suggests that loopholes remain, although prevalence was higher in previous years," Miqati tells TRT Afrika.

"There are signs of exacerbating corruption and a crime network whose reach now extends beyond Nigerian shores."

Systemic factors

Nigeria's customs regulations prohibit cash carry-on exceeding $10,000, which means anyone wanting to breach the limit has to employ one or more of multiple illegal options.

Arrests, particularly at airports, frequently involve travellers attempting to move money from illegal activities such as human trafficking, drug smuggling and illegal mining.

Money laundering typically refers to the offence of concealing the origins of ill-gotten money, often through complex banking transfers or commercial transactions. These methods are not only illegal but also damaging to the economy.

"Transactions outside the purview of the banking system undermine the economy. When a significant portion of financial dealings goes unreported, economic indicators like GDP become skewed, affecting taxation, planning and economic policies," explains Miqati.

Laundering also enables kleptocracy or political looting and fuels organised crime, including racketeering, human and drug trafficking, cybercrime, tax evasion and terrorism.

Central Bank of Nigeria, the country's apex bank, has launched a campaign against currency smuggling while promoting financial inclusion.

Inflation hedging

So, why do individuals and even business entities risk smuggling hard currencies despite sophisticated airport surveillance systems?

Miqati points to Nigeria's prevailing inflationary crises, including erosion of household and business incomes, as a driving factor.

"There is an increasing tendency to 'invest' in foreign currencies, which some people see as a stable defence against domestic inflationary pressures," he tells TRT Afrika.

Money mules, who physically transport illicit money across borders, often employ both official and unofficial means to evade airport security.

At Lagos airport, EFCC personnel zeroed in on the suspect arrested last month when he declared only half of the $578,000 cash he was carrying from Johannesburg in South Africa. A search of his belongings revealed an equal amount in US dollars concealed in multiple packets.

Enhanced surveillance

In March, Nigerian border security and financial intelligence reported a breakthrough in the crackdown on money laundering when a traveller was intercepted with $1.154 million and 135,900 Saudi riyals in undeclared cash at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, the busiest in northern Nigeria. The undeclared cash was hidden inside packs of imported date palm.

The case has since been handed over to the EFCC for further investigation and legal proceedings.According to Nigerian financial law, the offender's conviction would likely lead to the forfeiture of the entire quantum of undeclared cash to the federal government.

Experts like Miqati believe Nigeria's financial system could face more daunting challenges from money laundering and other economic crimes as criminal networks get smarter and find newer ways to dodge surveillance.

By Mazhun Idris, TRT Global

Nigeria struggles to rein in a widespread meningitis outbreak that has killed at least 150

Nigerian health authorities are struggling to contain a rapidly spreading meningitis outbreak that has so far killed 151 people across the west African nation, mostly in remote parts of the northern region with children affected the most.

While cases first recorded in October have spread to 23 of Nigeria’s 36 states, nearly half of the deaths, 74, were reported this year, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control said this week, with local partners describing the recent rise in fatalities as “alarming.”

Most deaths from the disease have been mainly due to infected people not going to health facilities or arriving there late with severe complications, NCDC spokesperson Sani Datti told The Associated Press, a common problem in past outbreaks in the country.

The current outbreak has hit Africa’s most populous country as its health sector reels from U.S. aid cuts ordered by the Trump administration in February that have affected multiple countries. Nigeria relied heavily on such aid over the years to help fight similar outbreaks and support its underfunded healthcare systems.

Seasonal meningitis outbreaks are common during the dry season, especially in northern Nigeria. Almost all the worst-hit states are in the north, where health providers have warned the outbreak is rapidly spreading in hard-to-reach areas.

Meningitis, more common during the hot season in Nigeria, affects the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It’s a major public health challenge for a country already grappling with “the world’s highest burden of malaria,” according to the World Health Organization.

Last week, Nigeria received the first batch of more than 1 million vaccine doses from the global vaccine alliance Gavi, described by local officials as a crucial milestone in disease response.

The Nigeria CDC also said it is working with state authorities to scale up disease surveillance with a focus on tracking new cases, laboratory testing, and public sensitization campaigns to curb the outbreak.

Campaigns are also being rolled out, urging residents to take precautionary measures and seek immediate medical attention if they are experiencing symptoms such as high fever, stiff neck and severe headaches.

However, access to hospitals remains a huge problem, local partners say.

“We have seen hundreds of admissions and scores of deaths in just a few weeks. The high fatality rate is due to access (to) care, there are challenges with that and low vaccination coverage,” said Simba Tirima, Nigeria’s country representative for French medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF.

Tirima told the AP that the most vulnerable are residents in remote areas who often arrive late to MSF facilities.

“We know that meningitis progresses rapidly, and patients' (conditions) can deteriorate in 24 hours,” he said, calling for mass vaccination campaigns.

By Dyepkazah Shibayan, AP

Related story: Meningitis outbreak kills 20 students in northern Nigeria

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