Emir Sanusi Highlights Financial Exclusion in Nigeria's Poor

The 2026 Access to Financial Services in Nigeria (A2F) survey, released by Enhancing Financial Inclusion and Advancement (EFInA), indicates that 53% of adults in Nigeria's poorest wealth group are financially excluded, even as the national exclusion rate has decreased to 21%. The report highlights that nearly half of all financially excluded Nigerians belong to the poorest 20% of the population, contrasting with just 1% among the wealthiest.

During the report's launch in Abuja, Emir of Kano and former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, warned that financial inclusion must lead to increased earnings and poverty alleviation, stating, “Opening an account, moving money, is not the same as earning money.” Dr Agnes Martins, EFInA Board Chair, noted that the survey aims to assess not just access to financial services but also their impact on economic inclusion, urging stakeholders to focus on what financial inclusion enables Nigerians to achieve.