Coach Attah, Victoria Island, Lagos (2026)

03/10/2026

The rehabilitation of the Amuwo 132/33kV Transmission Substation in Lagos is stalled. The reason: equipment is being manufactured in China.

The TRANSMISSION COMPANY OF NIGERIA disclosed this during a fact-finding tour by the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The remaining work cannot continue until the equipment arrives.

What this tells us.

First, Nigeria's power infrastructure depends on imports. Even basic substation equipment—transformers, switchgear, cables comes from abroad. That creates delays. Currency fluctuations. Supply chain risks.

Second, the Amuwo substation is critical. It serves Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub. Every day of delay means continued strain on an already fragile grid.

Third, this is a systemic problem, not a one-off. If the TCN is waiting on China for this project, how many other projects are waiting on imports? How many substations, transmission lines, and distribution networks are stalled because equipment is sitting on a ship or in a factory halfway around the world?

What this means for you.

If you're a business owner in Lagos, power reliability affects you directly. Delayed infrastructure means more generator dependence. Higher costs. Unpredictable operations.

If you're in manufacturing or logistics, you know the pain. You can't run production efficiently when the grid is unreliable.

My take.

China is not the problem. The problem is that Nigeria doesn't manufacture its own power equipment. We import almost everything—from transformers to turbines. That leaves us vulnerable to global supply chains, currency movements, and geopolitical shifts.

Until we build local capacity to manufacture critical infrastructure components, we'll keep having this conversation. Substations will keep waiting for ships. Power will keep flickering.

What's your monthly generator budget?

01/10/2026

The CBN wants banks and fintechs to host their data in Nigeria by January 2027. And according to the CEO of Open Access Data Centres, this could make Nigeria Africa's data hub.

Ayotunde Coker believes Nigeria has the infrastructure, connectivity, and gas resources to scale data centre capacity significantly and position the country as a hub capable of exporting computing services.

What's happening.

Since the directive was issued, Open Access Data Centres (OADC) has seen a step change in interest. Fintechs and core banking platforms are in discussions to take more colocation capacity. Cloud partners are expanding functionality to meet demand.

Mr Coker says this will drive employment, investment, and capacity growth. Local cloud companies will need to expand. Support chains will grow.

The concerns and the answers.

Critics worry about security, resilience, and power. Mr Coker addresses these concerns.

- On security: "Wouldn't you feel rather that your data is safe in the country where you operate?" Nigerian data centres comply with ISO 27001, PCI DSS, and uptime certifications. These are global standards, not backroom server rooms.

- On resilience: OADC has 100% uptime, over 45 carriers, and multiple connectivity options to all subsea cable systems. Mr Coker says this is "more resilient than some of the international data centres where people are hosted."

- On power: OADC has direct connectivity to the utility provider in Lekki and plans to link into gas pipelines for up to 50 megawatts of on-site gas-powered capacity. Nigeria's gas advantage is real.

What this means for you.

If you're a bank or fintech, the deadline is January 2027. Start planning now. Mr Coker's advice: assess your data, evaluate capacity, build a roadmap, and don't be passive. Also, don't put all your eggs in one basket; use multiple providers.

If you're a business owner, this is about more than banks. Data localisation signals that Nigeria can provide the cloud services enterprises need. That's infrastructure for the entire digital economy.

If you're in tech or cloud services, demand is about to surge.

My take.

Nigeria has gas. Nigeria has subsea connectivity. Nigeria has the demand. The CBN directive is creating the market. The question is whether we can execute at scale.

Mr Coker says we can. And he's building the largest data centre campus in West Africa to prove it.

Do you think Nigeria can become Africa's data hub?

What's the biggest obstacle?

30/09/2026

After about 2 years away from my YouTube channel, i'm back with a brand new series - Grow with Coach Attah‼️

In this video i talk about how to build a business that can disrupt your industry

Link 🔗 in the comment section

25/09/2026

Nigeria's Tax Ombud just issued a warning that every business owner should hear: pursuing collection targets without building taxpayer trust will undermine the entire system.

Dr. John Nwabueze, Nigeria's first Tax Ombudsman, said this at the FICAN conference in Lagos. And he's right.

Here's the problem he identified.

Nigeria's tax-to-GDP ratio was 8.2% in 2023. Comparable African economies average around 16%. The gap is significant. But Dr Nwabueze argues the problem isn't just enforcement, it's trust.

He told a story that captures it perfectly.

A market trader in Ilorin asked how tax reform benefits her when she still faces multiple informal levies from different officials, despite having already paid.

That's the trust deficit. You can legislate compliance. You can enforce collection. But if taxpayers don't see what they're paying for, the system remains fragile.

What this tells us.

First, revenue-first thinking has limits. You can only squeeze so much before resistance grows.

Second, digital infrastructure alone isn't enough. Dr Nwabueze noted that with 67 million BVN holders in the tax net, technology can improve efficiency, but it must make the system simpler and more responsive, not just more efficient at extraction.

Third, trust is built through conduct, not promises. The Office of the Tax Ombud has received over 20 genuine complaints in three months. Most involve state-level revenue disputes. That's a signal.

What's already happening.

Sixteen of Nigeria's 36 states have adopted a harmonised Taxes and Levies framework aimed at eliminating multiple taxation. The Tax Ombud has launched a digital case management portal, website, and toll-free call centre. These are real steps.

What this means for you.

If you're a business owner, you have recourse. The Tax Ombud exists to resolve legitimate disputes. Use it.

If you're sceptical about tax compliance, you're not alone. But here's the shift: the system is being built to address the trust gap. The question is whether it delivers.

My take on this.

Revenue growth and taxpayer confidence are not opposing goals. Properly administered, they reinforce each other. But you can't build a sustainable system by focusing only on what people must pay, you must also focus on why they should trust the system.

Dr Nwabueze said it best: "Trust is not treated by promise alone. It is built through institutional conduct and demonstrable efforts."

Do you trust Nigeria's tax system? Have you used the Tax Ombud?

24/09/2026

Cash outside banks rose to N4.87 trillion in August. That's a reversal after three consecutive months of decline.

Currency outside banks increased from N4.80 trillion in July to N4.87 trillion in August. A rise of N70.9 billion. That's 1.48% in one month. Could this be linked to the upcoming elections?

The case for the election link.

We've all seen the videos. Politicians handing out bundles of physical cash. Campaigns ramping up. Political spending typically involves cash—not transfers, not cheques. And when cash moves for political purposes, it often stays outside the banking system.

It's plausible. But I want to be careful here. Correlation is not causation.

What the data actually shows.

Three consecutive months of decline. June: N4.92 trillion. July: N4.80 trillion. August: N4.87 trillion. The decline was N391.8 billion over three months. The August increase was N70.9 billion. It's a partial reversal, not a surge.

And here's the longer view: cash outside banks is still N381.3 billion below the N5.25 trillion recorded in January.

What else could explain this?

The CBN has been pursuing a shift to digital payments. But old habits die hard. Cash remains king in large parts of the informal economy. And with inflation still at 15.91%, people may be holding more cash to meet rising daily expenses.

Also, broad money supply rose to N139.38 trillion in August, up 16.4% year-on-year. More money in the system overall means more cash outside banks too.

My take.

The election link is plausible but unproven. The CBN's data doesn't say why cash is rising. It just shows that it is.

What's clear: the CBN wants to reduce cash outside banks to below 40% of currency in circulation. Nigeria is a long way from that target. And election season doesn't help.

Are you seeing more cash transactions in your business this season? What's your read on the election connection?

22/09/2026

Nigeria received $11.12 billion in personal transfers in the first half of 2026. This is worth paying attention to..

The inflows increased from $5.30 billion in Q1 to $5.82 billion in Q2. That's a 9.8% quarterly rise. Not dramatic. But steady.

And it's happening alongside something bigger: Nigeria's current account surplus (the country earns more than it spends on imports) rose 67.9% to $7.54 billion in Q2, up from $4.49 billion in Q1.

These are indicators of
- Stronger exports.
- Higher remittances.
- A healthier external position.

But here's the context that makes this remarkable.

In 2024, Nigeria received close to $20 billion in remittances. Africa as a whole attracted nearly $100 billion.

Remittances are not aid. They're family income. They pay school fees. They fund businesses. They support households through economic shocks. And they're more stable than foreign direct investment, which can flee on a whim.

What's changed.

The CBN has been working to bring more remittances through formal channels. In Q1 2026, International Money Transfer Operator inflows hit a record $1.29 billion, up 45% from the same period in 2025.

The CBN's target: $1 billion in monthly diaspora remittances by the end of 2026. Current levels are reportedly above $600 million monthly, so they might actually hit that target.

What this means for you.

If you're a business owner, remittances are consumer spending. That money flows into rent, food, school fees, retail, and services. It supports demand in the real economy.

If you're in fintech, remittances are a massive opportunity. The CBN wants formal flows. The infrastructure is being built.

My take.

Remittances are a quiet superpower. They don't get the attention of oil or foreign investment. But they're consistent, resilient, and deeply embedded in Nigerian household economics.

Do you receive or send remittances?

How have the recent FX changes affected you?

22/09/2026

Farm produce inflation hit 21.99% in August 2026. That's the highest it's been all year. And it's almost double what it was in January.

Let me put that in perspective.

In January, farm produce inflation was 10.93%. By August, it had climbed to 21.99%. The farm produce index rose from 120.8 to 151.4 — a 25.3% increase in eight months.

Now, headline inflation is dropping. That's the story everyone's been celebrating. But farm produce is moving in the opposite direction.

Headline inflation is an average. It includes things like transport, housing, and services, some of which are stabilizing. But food is not an average. Food is what every Nigerian household buys every single day.

And right now, 36.3 million Nigerians are facing Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity. That's the highest number among the 17 African countries monitored by AGRA.

What's driving this?

- Higher input costs.
- Insecurity in farming regions.
- Post-harvest losses.
- Storage and infrastructure gaps.

And here's the structural problem: agriculture employs over 25 million Nigerians — 30.1% of the workforce. Yet the sector attracted only $167.25 million in capital importation in 2025. That's a fraction of what it needs.

What this means for you.

If you're a household, food is taking a larger share of your budget. Again.

If you're a business owner, your staff are under pressure. Their food costs are rising faster than their wages. That affects productivity, retention, and morale.

If you're an entrepreneur in agribusiness, food processing, or logistics — the gap is the opportunity. Production costs, storage, and distribution are all broken. Someone has to fix them.

My take.

The headline inflation story is positive. But food is the most regressive cost in Nigeria. When farm produce inflation rises to 21.99%, it doesn't hit everyone equally. It hits the poorest hardest.

The question isn't whether the CBN can control headline inflation. It's whether anyone can fix food prices. That requires security, infrastructure, and investment — not monetary policy.

Are you feeling the pressure of rising food prices?

What's changed in your household or business this year?

21/09/2026

How many months of work will it take you to afford the iPhone 18 Pro Max?

The iPhone 18 Pro Max costs $1,299. At N1,328/$1, that's roughly ₦1.72 million. This price is a much lower estimate based on currency conversion minus shipping.

Let's assume 100% of your income goes to savings, no rent, no food, no transport, no data. Just the phone.

Here's the math.

If you earn ₦100,000 monthly: 17.2 months.
If you earn ₦200,000 monthly: 8.6 months.
If you earn ₦500,000 monthly: 3.4 months.
If you earn ₦1,000,000 monthly: 1.7 months.

What this tells us.

This post is a purchasing power exercise. It's not really about the phone. It's about how many months of your labour a single consumer item costs.

In the US, a median worker can afford this phone in roughly one week of work. In Nigeria, for many people, it's over a year of income if they saved everything.

That's the gap. Not in dollars. In labour.

What this means for you.

If you're an entrepreneur, this is a reminder of what your customers can actually afford. Pricing decisions must account for real purchasing power, not aspiration.

If you're an employee, this is a useful benchmark. Not to feel bad, but to understand the real value of your labour relative to global prices.

My take.

The question isn't whether the phone is worth it. It's whether the math makes sense for you.

If buying it requires 12 months of full savings, it's not a purchase; it's a sacrifice. And no phone is worth a year of your life.

I'm not saying don't buy nice things. I'm saying buy them with eyes open.

How many months of work would it take you? Let's talk in the comments.

14/09/2026

Before you put your money into an investment, business, loan, or financial opportunity, ask questions:

- What exactly am I paying for?
- How does this make money?
- What are the risks?
- Can I afford to lose this money?
- And most importantly, do I actually understand what I'm getting into?

Not every opportunity that promises high returns is a good opportunity. Sometimes, the smartest financial decision is to pause, do your research, seek advice, and walk away when the numbers don't make sense or look too good to be true.

Most financial losses don't come from bad luck. They come from decisions made without enough information. Someone promised 40% returns in 30 days. Someone said "your money doubles in a year."

And in the moment, it looked like an opportunity.

But here's the test: if you can't explain how the money is made, you don't understand the investment. And if you don't understand it, you can't evaluate the risk.

Where Zidwell.com comes in.

One of the reasons people fall for bad opportunities is that they don't know their own numbers. When your finances are a mess, anything that promises a shortcut looks attractive.

Zidwell helps you stay grounded in reality.
- Track your income.
- Monitor your expenses.
- Understand your real financial position.

When you know your numbers, you make better financial decisions.

Clarity protects capital. That's what Zidwell is - simple clarity for your finances.

14/09/2026

If you are a business owner and haven’t taken my business finance course you’re missing out. This course teaches you the ABCs of how money works in a business and how to manage your business better. All in simple to understand layman language.

Get it here - https://selar.com/financecourse

Feel free to ask any questions you might have in the comment section

Coach Attah

03/10/2026

01/10/2026

30/09/2026

25/09/2026

24/09/2026

22/09/2026

22/09/2026

21/09/2026

14/09/2026

14/09/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category

Listing takedown request