iDeemlawfulThe Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), has imposed a total ban on Neolife and the Faith Heroic Group (FHG), describing both as deceptive retail health and wellness marketing organisations.
In an official notice released by the university management and signed by the Registrar, C.O. Adeleye, the institution said the action followed mounting concerns about the groups’ activities and their effects on students.
According to the notice, the university became aware of the operations of the Faith Heroic Group, which authorities said had started causing unease within the campus community.
It explained that the group’s recruitment style and mode of operation created “serious discomfort, fear, unnecessary tension and unwarranted pressure,” noting that such conduct was undermining the calm academic atmosphere the institution seeks to preserve.
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The university added that the group was not registered with the school and that its activities did not align with the welfare or interests of students.
“All activities of the FHG and NEOLIFE are hereby proscribed with immediate effect,” the statement said, instructing students to avoid any form of association with the groups on campus.
The management also issued a strong caution, warning that disobedience to the directive would attract sanctions.
“Failure to comply with this directive will attract serious penalty in line with the extant regulations of the University.”
This development comes about a month after Emmanuel Alayande University of Education in Oyo State similarly warned students against engaging with Neolife.
In a memo dated January 7, the university management announced the ban of the organisation, stating that its activities were hindering students’ academic progress.
“The university management has been informed of the illegal activities of a group called NEOLIFE, which has been recruiting students to join their businesses,” wrote Wole Akinlabi, a media officer of the institution.
“Unfortunately, the conduct of the organisation, as alleged, is humiliating, as well as affecting the academic progress of students involved, and so many students who have joined and tried to opt out have faced harassment and torment from the so-called NEOLIFE.”
Neolife has recently drawn widespread public attention as former marketers and their relatives began sharing accounts of their experiences with the company.
The discussions largely highlighted how the marketing firm aggressively targeted schools to recruit students, often distracting them from their studies.
In 2022, an investigation by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism revealed how the firm attracted young people with appealing job offers, only for many to later realise they had fallen into a pyramid scheme driven by false promises.
A separate report by The Punch also detailed how individuals were misled into believing they could amass quick wealth and become millionaires within a short time.
The structure promoted the belief that participants could earn millions of naira monthly by recruiting others, a system that reportedly deepened desperation.
Some marketers reportedly fell into debt and prostitution. Young people are often seen on the streets selling health supplements, and in some cases, resorting to begging for food, transport fare to return home, or boarding vehicles without paying.