In Temidire, a village in Oyo State’s Ibarapa East, mobile phones offer little value beyond missed calls and undelivered texts. Network signals are weak, forcing residents to climb higher ground or wait patiently for service.
According to Nairametrics, buyers from across Oyo State regularly visit Temidire’s market, yet even city dwellers cannot rely on mobile payments there. Many must carry cash due to poor network coverage. For Alabi Oduwole, a local farmer, this challenge means storing money at home instead of traveling 25 kilometers to the nearest bank.
“If I can receive and send money on my phone, I will be glad. But for now, that is not possible. Only the Airtel network works here, and the service is not stable,” he said.
Nigeria’s mobile money boom, mobile banking growth, financial inclusion gap continues mostly in urban areas. NIBSS reports mobile money transactions reached ₦71.5 trillion in 2024, a 53.4% rise from 2023.
However, over 28 million Nigerians with National Identification Numbers remain financially excluded, largely due to poor connectivity. PalmPay’s CEO, Chika Nwosu, noted efforts to bridge this gap with USSD services for 2G areas.
Without stable networks, rural Nigerians remain locked out of digital finance opportunities.
Article updated 1 day ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
