Digital Pay Disparity: Nigeria Content Creators Earn 50 Cents of $30 in US, Says Natasha

Digital pay disparity of the Nigerian content creators compared, the Senate’s financial reform debate took a critical turn recently, as Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (Kogi Central) drew urgent attention to what she termed the “quiet exploitation” of millions of Nigerian youths participating in the global digital economy. The Senator highlighted the severe Digital Pay Gap Nigeria faces, arguing that regulatory action must extend beyond banking risks to protect the country’s booming online workforce.

Speaking during the second reading of the pivotal Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) Amendment Bill, 2025 (SB 959), Natasha revealed a stark disparity in global revenue sharing:

“Our youths are earning 50 cents for content that fetches $10 to $30 per 1,000 views in the U.S.”

She emphasized that social media has evolved into a “very critical source of income” for young Nigerians, yet the unequal earning structures imposed by global tech companies distort the nation’s digital economy and fundamentally undermine financial inclusion efforts.

Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan strongly urged policymakers to factor the realities of the digital content economy into the ongoing financial reforms. Her core demands focused on legislative measures to ensure:

1. Fairer Revenue Practices: Establishing equitable earning structures for Nigerian creators.
2. Transparency: Mandating clarity on how revenue is generated and shared by global platforms.
3. Stronger Engagement: Instituting direct regulatory oversight with global tech companies operating within the Nigerian space.

Her intervention expanded the scope of the debate, insisting that any financial law overhaul must safeguard the economic future of this rapidly growing sector.

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Context of Legislative Reform

The primary focus of the BOFIA Amendment Bill, sponsored by Senator Tokunbo Abiru (Lagos East), is to modernize the financial system. The bill seeks to empower the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with sweeping powers to designate large fintechs and mobile-money operators as Systemically Important Institutions (SIIs), placing them under tighter scrutiny akin to traditional banks. This move aims to mitigate national financial risk, establish a national beneficial ownership registry for transparency, and strengthen consumer data sovereignty, addressing regulatory gaps highlighted by previous CBN crackdowns.

By tying the issue of the digital pay gap to the BOFIA amendment, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan ensured that the vulnerability and exploitation faced by digital content creators, a major source of youth income, now stands as a central pillar of the critical financial regulatory conversation at the National Assembly. The bill has since been referred to the relevant Senate committee for further detailed deliberation. For more information, I recommend Songbux.