Nigeria, Jan. 12 -- The Cross River State Government has defended the controversial N13,000 registration fee for a youth empowerment loan scheme, insisting that the charge is legitimate and covers statutory banking and business registration costs.

The defence followed public backlash after applicants were asked to pay the fee to access loans of up to N5 million under the Cross River State Youth Empowerment Scheme.

In a statement dated 9 January 2026 and signed by Owan Enoh, secretary to the Cross River State Government, the government said reports describing the fee as extortion were based on "misinformation in the public space".

"There has been some misinformation in the public space regarding the Federal Government loan to Cross Rive...