The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested a couple heading a cocaine trafficking cartel, Bolanle Lookman Dauda and Olayinka Toheebat Daudah in Lagos and Ogun states.

They were apprehended with multi-billion-naira worth of the illicit drug recovered in two major operations following the arrest of the kingpin and his queen in one of the intelligence-led raids.

In a statement released, the NDLEA spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, said the duo were arrested on Saturday 25th May 2024 by operatives of a special operation unit in NDLEA with the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration of the United States at Ibiye, along Lagos-Badagry expressway while attempting to cross the land border to deliver the consignment in Ghana. 

‘’At the point of their arrest, 42 blocks of the Class A drug weighing 47.5 kilograms were found on them. A swift follow-up operation in their residence at Plot 24/25 OPIC extension, Petedo road, Agbara, Ogun state, led to the recovery of an additional eight blocks of the same drug weighing 10kg, bringing the total weight of the cocaine seized from the couple to 57.5 kilograms. ‘’ Babafemi said.

He stated that in another raid by the special operation unit, no fewer than 1,100 ampoules of lethal synthetic opioid, fentanyl, weighing 6.48kg were recovered from a member of a drug trafficking syndicate, 34-year-old Ikeh Stanley Ifeanyi at the popular Idumota market in Lagos Island.

‘'No less than 790 ampoules of the dangerous opioid weighing 5.273kg were equally seized from another member of the fentanyl syndicate, 48-year-old Chieze Ogechukwu Benjamin who was also arrested at Idumota market. Fentanyl, a lethal synthetic opioid, which is 100 times more potent than heroin is currently responsible for over 70% of overdose deaths as well as a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the US.

Two other persons: Olayiwola Aremu Kazeem, 37, and Ogunfowora Taofik Ajibola, 35, were arrested on Lagos Island in a different raid by NDLEA officers with 432 grams of methamphetamine recovered from them.''

Babafemi added that at the Tincan port in Lagos, NDLEA operatives on Saturday 25th May intercepted 15 parcels of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis weighing 7.5kg concealed in the doors and body crevices of a Toyota Highlander SUV in a container marked MSMU 7294325. The container declared as containing three units of used vehicles including the Toyota Highlander originated from Toronto and shipped to Nigeria via Montreal, Canada.

He said a swift follow-up operation led to the arrest of two suspects: Sunday Sodade and Oriyomi Adesina, who were to receive the vehicle and the drug consignment. A bribe of six million naira offered to the NDLEA officers by the sender of the container based in Canada through his agent has also been registered as an exhibit for the prosecution of the case.

Reacting to the arrest of the drug kingpins and the seizure of the dangerous illicit drugs, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the officers and men of the special operation unit for their resilience in targeting and taking down drug cartels and barons. He equally praised the result-oriented collaboration between NDLEA and its local and international partners, urging all commands and formations of the Agency to remain unrelenting in their offensive action against the drug underworld.

Minister Of Agriculture and Food Security has blamed the rising cost of tomato products across Nigeria on an infestation of tomato farms known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner.

He disclosed this on Monday through his official social media account.

Kyari was reacting to the astronomical rise in the prices of tomatoes in Nigeria.

DAILY POST reports that the average price of one kilogram of tomato rose by 131.58 per cent yearly to N1,123.41 in April 2024 from N485.10 in April 2023.

However, Kyari said the infestation in tomato farms has reduced product availability and price hikes.

“Many of our tomato farms have been affected by a severe infestation known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner.

“This has drastically reduced the availability of tomatoes and contributed to rising costs.

“Our ministry is taking immediate action to combat this issue. We are deploying agricultural experts to affected areas to contain and eliminate the infestation.

“Additionally, we are supporting our farmers with the necessary resources and guidance to recover their crops as quickly as possible, just as we instituted the Ginger Blight Control Taskforce.

“We understand the impact this has on your daily lives and are working tirelessly to resolve the situation and restore the supply of affordable tomatoes”, he wrote.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s food inflation surged to a record high in April.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that food and headline inflation increased to 33.69 per cent and 40.53 per cent in April 2024, respectively.

Four teams from Nigeria have secured two grand prizes and two first prizes at the Huawei ICT Competition 2023-2024 Global Final held in Shenzhen, China, on May 26.

At the competition designed to help students enhance their ICT knowledge and practical skills, the Nigerian teams emerged as part of 19 teams from nine countries that won the Grand Prizes of the Practice and Innovation Competitions.

This 8th edition of the Huawei ICT Competition, themed “Connection, Glory and Future,” attracted more than 170,000 students from over 2,000 universities and colleges across more than 80 countries and regions, making it the largest offline competition since its launch.

More than 160 teams, consisting of over 470 contestants from 49 different countries and regions, made it through national and regional competitions to reach this year’s global final.

The Nigeria team, comprising four students from the University of Ibadan – Rufus Olusoji Adisa, Tolani Adekunle Adisa, Chibueze Emmanuel Ibekwe, and Lawrence Chukwuemeka, won the grand prize in the Computing Track category.

In the Cloud Track category, another Nigeria team also from the University of Ibadan won the grand prize. The students include Lukman Oyeniyi Abdulyekeen, Sodiq Babawale, and Temiloluwa Oloye.

Two teams from the Federal University of Technology, Minna, also won first prizes in the Network Track category. Students in Team 1 include Knimi Bakna Musa, Kaosar Salaudeen Ahmad, Taiye Ayantola, and Oluwagbemiga Victor Ogundele, while Team 2 consists of Justus Ilegieuno, Yusuf Olanrewaju Toye, and Jamiu Damilare Dahunsi.

The Nigerian students beat thousands of competitors at the national level competition, testing a range of practical and theoretical digital skills, and represented Nigeria at the regional level contest where they qualified for the finals in China.

Speaking at the event, the President of Huawei’s ICT Strategy and Business Development Department, Ritchie Peng, described ICT as the cornerstone of the intelligent world.

“ICT is the cornerstone of the intelligent world. Through the Huawei ICT Competition, we aim to provide students with a global platform to compete and exchange ideas.”

…says trial- and-error economic policies won’t work

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, has said President Ahmed Tinubu’s one year rule hasn’t produced tangible results because he unleashed reforms without an implementation plan.

Atiku said this in an article he made public on Tuesday. He recalled that “On May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu raised the hopes of Nigerians with his pledge to ‘remodel our economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and an end of extreme poverty.”

He explained that since making this pronouncement, Tinubu has also spoken about growing the economy at double-digit rates to US$1 trillion in six years, ending misery, and bringing immediate relief to Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis.

According to the former Vice President noted that on listening to this, Nigerians must have breathed a sigh of relief after their experience with ex-President Buhari’s 8 years of economic misadventure.

He, however, said, “Tinubu laid out no plans for the ‘remodeling’ of the economy but soon embarked on a cocktail of policies to achieve it.

“In May 2023, he eliminated PMS subsidies, and a month later, the CBN implemented a new foreign exchange policy that unified the multiple official FX windows into a single official market.

“More policies followed in rapid succession: the tightening of monetary policy to reduce Naira liquidity, a hike in monetary policy rates, the introduction of cost-reflective electricity tariff, and a cybersecurity tax.

“Predictably, 12 months on, Tinubu’s pledge of growing the economy and ending misery remains unfulfilled.

“His actions or inactions have significantly worsened Nigeria’s macroeconomic stability. Nigeria remains a struggling economy and is more fragile today than it was a year ago.

“Indeed, all the economic ills – joblessness, poverty, and misery – which defined the Buhari-led administration have only exacerbated.

“Africa’s leading economy has slipped to the 4th position lagging behind Algeria, Egypt, and South Africa. Citizens’ hopes have been dashed (and not renewed contrary to the propaganda of the administration) as Nigeria’s economic woes have multiplied.

Giving an analysis of how he thinks Nigeria got to this sorry state, Atiku said, “In my press statement on the state of our economy, earlier this year, I expressed my concerns about the downside risks of unleashing reforms without sequencing;

“…without any ideas on how to implement them; and without any regards to their potential and real devastating consequences. Implementing policies without proper planning and a clear destination is nothing other than trial-and-error economics.

“My concerns have not diminished. I will focus on just four areas to underscore those downside risks associated with Tinubu’s reform measures and their dire consequences on Nigeria’s medium to long-term growth and development.

“First, President Tinubu’s policies do not create prosperity. Instead, they pauperize the poor and bankrupt the rich.

“They spare no one. Nigerian citizens, the majority of whom are poor, are going through the worst cost-of-living crisis since the infamous structural adjustment programme of the 1980s.

“The annual inflation rate at 33.69% is the highest in nearly 3 decades. Food prices are unbearably higher than what ordinary citizens can afford as food inflation soared to 40.53% in April, the highest in more than 15 years.”

He further said, “Nigerian citizens have to pay 114% more for a bag of rice, 107% more for a bag of flour, and 150% more in transport fares relative to May 2023. Today, in some locations, motorists are paying 305% more for a litre of fuel.

“Yet, on a minimum wage of the equivalent of US$23 per month, Nigerian workers are among the lowest wage earners in the world. Tinubu had the ‘courage’ to remove subsidy on PMS;

“…and impose additional taxes on his people but lacks the compassion to raise the minimum wage or implement a social investment programme that would reduce the levels of vulnerability, and deprivation of workers and their families.

“Second, President Tinubu’s policies create a hostile environment for businesses, big or small. The private sector is overwhelmed by Tinubu’s dismal policies and overburdened by his failure to address the policy fallouts.

“The manufacturing sector, which holds the key to higher incomes, jobs, and economic growth, has been bogged down by rising input prices, higher energy and borrowing costs, and exchange rate complexities.

“For example, since 2023, the average price of diesel has doubled to N1,600 per litre. Electricity tariff has recently been increased by 250% from N68/Kwh to N206/Kwh.

“As reported by the Guardian (13 May 2024), in Q1 of 2024, energy prices were up by 70%, costing manufacturers N290 billion.

“Since May 2023, corporate Nigeria has lost more than a dozen enterprises to other countries. Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Sanofi-Aventi Nigeria, Bolt Food, Equinor, among others had exited Nigeria citing reasons including foreign exchange complexities, security concerns, and high operational costs.

“According to the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), nearly 20,000 jobs may have been lost due to the departure of 15 multinational companies from Nigeria.

“Those enterprises that remain are struggling to survive. Vanguard Newspaper (20 May, 2024) reported a significant rise – to nearly 30% – in unsold goods in the warehouses of manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods, occasioned by the rising cost of living and declining purchasing power of the citizens.

“According to the Guardian, manufacturers reported in Q1 a 10% drop in capacity utilization, a 10% drop in production, a 5% drop in investment, and more than 7% drop in sales.

“The Daily Trust (1 May, 2024) quoted Dangote lamenting that nearly 97% of manufacturing concerns in Nigeria will be unable to pay dividends this year.

“In an economy with high rates of unemployment, a declining manufacturing sector cannot be an option.

“Third, President Tinubu’s foreign exchange policies have not had any positive impact on Nigeria’s foreign trade balance, contrary to policy expectations.

“In particular, the free-float and the resulting devaluation of the Naira has not resulted in an appreciable improvement in Nigeria’s trade balance.

“Devaluation has not enhanced the competitiveness of local producers and has had no positive impact on exports of goods, primary or manufactured. In Q4 of 2023, for example, while imports surged 163.1%, exports rose at a slower 99.6%, indicating a huge foreign trade deficit.

“Similarly, in Q1 of 2024, Nigeria recorded a trade deficit of $7.5 billion, with exports value of $12.7 billion and import value of US$14 billion. Overall, the trade deficit as a percentage of GDP increased by 0.83% from 0.05% in May 2023 to 0.88% in May 2024.

“Fourth, President Tinubu’s policies have failed to attract foreign investments into the country despite all the posturing and media hype by the President’s men.

“Exchange rate unification and free float of the Naira have not led to higher capital inflows (whether Foreign Direct Investment or Foreign Portfolio Investments), again contrary to policy expectations.

“ Indeed, FDI inflows declined by 26.8%, from US5.33 billion in May 2023 to US$3.9 billion in May 2024. It is not difficult to understand why: FDI is about TRUST.

“It is about the investing world trusting the leadership of a country to act and deliver on promises made. Investors come when the right policies are designed and delivered timely and efficiently by public institutions.”

Popular singer Tiwa Savage recalled that when she returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom to pursue her musical career, she was prevented from performing at concerts because her outfits were considered “too risqué.”

She revealed that some of her earlier music videos were not aired due to being deemed indecent.

The ‘Koroba’ hitmaker disclosed this in a recent interview with BET.

Savage said, “When I first moved back, I would turn up at a show and they would say I can’t perform because my outfit was too risqué.

“It was a cultural issue. Even some of my first music videos were not played on the television because they were considered indecent. I wasn’t even wearing bikinis.

“Despite the setbacks, I was still stubborn. My dresses were getting more revealing. It was just getting worse. They were bashing me online.

“It was funny because the females were secretly falling in love with me and my style. They couldn’t deny it. My fanbase, my followers, was growing. So they had to put me on shows and play my music because there was a demand for it.”

Tiwa Salvage recently revealed the inspiration behind her newly unveiled movie, “Water & Garri”.

Salvage said she got the movie idea while she was drunk.

She stated this during the pre-launch press conference at Livespot Entertainment.

The award-winning Afrobeat superstar Tiwa Savage said, “I said this before, this is an idea I had in my head when I was drunk in my room and when I brought the idea to my amazing team, they didn’t make me feel stupid. They just said this is a brilliant idea.”

The Organised Labour has rejected a fresh minimum wage proposal by the Nigerian Government.

Channels Television reports that the Organised Labour, comprising the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, rejected the offer of the Federal Government to pay N60,000 as new minimum wage,.

It was also gathered that labour had shifted grounds from its N497,000 proposal to N494,000.

Channels Television said a prominent member of the Tripartite Committee for the negotiation of a new minimum wage for Nigerian workers revealed that the Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector side of the talks proposed a N60,000 monthly minimum wage as against the N57,000 they tabled last week when the committee resumed negotiations.

DAILY POST recalls that the government had initially proposed N48,000 and N54,000, which were also rejected by Organised Labour.

However, Labour had also presented N615,000 as the new minimum wage but saw reasons to drop their demand from to N497,000 last week and then to N494,000 on Tuesday.

The Tripartite Committee is yet to agree on a new minimum wage with three days to the May 31 deadline the labour unions gave to the government.

Nollywood actress, Regina Daniels and her husband, Senator Ned Nwoko, have marked their 5th wedding anniversary.
Taking to her Instagram page to celebrate their wedding anniversary, the actress noted that it has been a “remarkable 5 years of marital bliss with so much to show for it.”

She prayed God to grant them many more years to “celebrate in love, peace, care and respect.”

Sharing a cosy video of herself and her husband, she wrote, “Happy 5th anniversary my love. It had indeed been a remarkable 5 years of marital bliss with so much to show for it. We give all glory to God and pray for many more years to celebrate in love, peace, care and respect. 

“Our home is indeed blessed.”

Despite a significant age gap, Ned Nwoko tied the knot with Regina Daniels in May 2019 in Delta State.

The couple welcomed two children into the world between 2019 and 2023.

The Leader Of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, on Tuesday released fresh prophecies regarding the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Abdullahi Ganduje; the People Democratic Party, Umar Damagum; Labour Party, Julius Abur; and the New Nigerian Peoples Party.

Primate Ayodele disclosed that Ganduje will not be appreciated and will soon be replaced.

He warned that his time is up, adding that there will be a series of issues within the party’s secretariat.

In a statement by his media aide, Oluwatsin Osho, Ayodele said: “Ganduje will not be appreciated; there will be problems between him and other party members. He should watch his back, they want to stab him, somebody is about to take his place and let them be careful so that there won’t be any crisis or unexpected gunshot inside the secretariat. The time of Ganduje and his executives is up, someone is coming to take over.”

In the Labour Party, Primate Ayodele revealed that the factional leaders, Lamidi Apapa and Julius Abure, will fight and break the party if care is not taken.

He made it known that the party will face a serious political crisis that will cause division and that even Peter Obi will not be able to resolve it.

“Apapa is ready to fight Julius Abure to the last, and if care isn’t taken, they will both break the Labour Party and make it irrelevant in the next election. There will be so many crises that will make the party fail. The Labour Party should wake up so that they won’t create problems.

“The party will face an unusual and unexpected political crisis that will cause division in the party and even Peter Obi’s influence will not stop what is coming up in the Labour party. There will be various corruption issues among their party leaders, and they will be confused. The party’s image will be dent before 2027. There will be great division and if at all they change the chairman, there will be issues,” he said.

In NNPP, he warned the party of impending political issues that will threaten the existence of the party.

The prophet revealed that there will be an attempt to hijack the party from Rabiu Kwankwaso.

‘’NNPP issue will turn to something else, there will be so many political issues to contend with though the party may not spread, they will not be able to win other states but there will be multiple challenges. They will fight heavily among themselves. The party will have a series of divisions and there will be financial scandals in the party. There will be moves to hijack the party from Kwankwaso but it will be difficult,” he said.

In PDP, Primate Ayodele stated that the next chairman of the party will be an enemy if the leaders do not do the right thing.

“PDP leadership will be in shambles, the present chairman will be removed, and if care isn’t taken, the enemy of the party will become the next party chairman. If they are not doing the needful now, PDP will be in shambles. The party must put its house in order so as to face the task ahead,” he added.

The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has said that the Nigerian economy was experiencing a positive growth rate of 2.99 per cent, surpassing the 2.3 per cent growth seen in the first quarter of 2024.

Edun made this disclosure during the presentation of his ministry’s performance, one year into the administration of President Bola Tinubu in Abuja on Tuesday, May 27.

According to him, the improvement in economic growth highlights the effectiveness of President Bola Tinubu’s economic strategy.

“This growth in agriculture provides the monetary authority with the leverage needed to stabilize foreign exchange (FX) rates,” Edun explained. “By continuing on this path and intensifying our efforts, we are on track to lift many Nigerians out of poverty,” He said.

The minister, who said that revenue collection had also seen significant improvements, added that it has enabled the government to service its debts without resorting to the Central Bank’s Ways and Means advances, a practice that has previously been a cause for concern regarding fiscal discipline and inflation.

The finance minister emphasized that these positive economic indicators reflect the current administration’s commitment to sustainable economic growth and fiscal responsibility.

A group of lawyers from Northern Nigeria, known as the Northern Lawyers’ Forum, is demanding the reversal of Emir Muhammad Sanusi II’s reinstatement. They issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, calling the reinstatement “unconstitutional” and a violation of Kano Emirate traditions.

Barr Umar Sadiq Abubakar, Director General of the Forum, argued that Sanusi’s initial removal followed established laws and traditions. He further accused Governor Yusuf of disrespecting the judiciary by defying a Federal High Court order that restrained him from reinstating Sanusi. He claimed that the Kano State High Court injunction used to justify the reinstatement was an affront to the Federal High Court’s authority and a dangerous legal precedent.

“You will recall that prior to the reinstatement of deposed Muhammad Sanusi II as Emir of Kano, a Federal High Court granted an order restraining the Governor of Kano state and every other party concerned from reinstating Mohammed Sanusi ii as Emir of Kano, but the executive governor of the state, H.E Abba k. Yusuf, in breach of the court order went ahead to reinstate Mohammed Sanusi ii as Emir of Kano state.

“We know that the judiciary is conservative and therefore look up to the bar to speak for it. As an organization of young lawyers who are irrevocably dedicated to an independent and free judiciary whose injunctions, judgements and orders must be enforced and obeyed, we are perturbed that a sitting governor who swore to protect our laws and constitution will flagrantly disregard a valid court order and engage in illegal actions that are capable of desecrating the hallowed temple of justice.

“We will not allow this to happen unchallenged. The age-long principle of constitutionalism is very clear that no man is above the law. The governor of Kano state, irrespective of how highly placed, is not an exception.”