The Murtala Muhammed Airport Command of the Nigeria Customs Service has said it intercepted hard drugs, and military and police hardware at the cargo section of the airport. Addressing journalists at the command in Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, the Customs Area Controller, Sambo Dangaladima, said 162 cartons of banned tramadol hydrochloride 225 and 250mg, military and police hardware were intercepted at the Skyway Aviation Handling Company.   Explaining further, he said the drugs originated from India and Pakistan and were routed through Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia.   Dangaladima said the drugs had an estimated duty-paid value of N13.8bn.   He said, “These milligrams (225 and 250mg) are above allowable thresholds as contained in extant laws. The hard drugs originated from India and Pakistan and they were routed through Addis-Ababa to Lagos.   “In summary, we have a total of 162 cartons, 92,387 packs, 929,970 sachets, and 9,299,700 tablets of tramadol hydrochloride with a value of N13.8bn.”   He noted that the command would hand over the seized drugs to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.     The customs boss said 309 pieces of military helmets, 106 pieces of military armless jackets, 352 pieces of ballistic body armoured pads, and 119 pieces of police badges were also intercepted by the command.   Others are five pieces of bullet-proof jackets, 33 pieces of body side ballistic pads, and 105 pieces of ballistic chest plates.   “The suspect connected to this importation could not provide the end user certificate which is the lawful prerequisite for such importation. We have detained the suspects and the military wares, while investigation is ongoing.   “We are very mindful of the fact that 2023 is an election year in Nigeria; the inflow of traffic of these hard drugs that induce our youths to do extraordinary things (when taken) are bound to increase,” he added.   Meanwhile, the command stated that it generated N69bn between January and December 2022.

  Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) says the population of Nigeria is critical for Britain. Nigeria has an estimated population of about 200 million people. In an interview published by Sky News on Tuesday, Obi described the high population of Nigeria as “a huge market” for Britain. Obi said it is time for necessary changes to occur in the country. “We’re trying to say, and everybody can see, especially the youth, that something’s wrong and everyone can see that the country cannot continue on this trajectory leading to nowhere,” he said. “We have 200 million people, which is a huge market for Britain. And it’s critical for Britain – as they leave the European Union they need Commonwealth members.” The LP candidate was in the UK on Monday, where he spoke at the Chatham House on his plans for the country if elected in the forthcoming elections.   Obi is one of the leading candidates for the coming presidential election alongside Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The former Anambra governor enjoys huge popularity on social media courtesy of a massive support base known as the ‘Obidients’. The elections are less than eight weeks away. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the presidential and national assembly elections will hold on February 25. The governorship and state house of assembly polls will take place on March 11.

  The Federal Government says four million metres will be distributed in the second phase of the ongoing National Mass Metering Programme.   Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure, Ahmad Zakari, who made a live appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Wednesday, added that one million units were deployed in the first phase of the programme.   “President [Muhammadu] Buhari actually withheld some funding that was available from the World Bank for a short period of time to allow us to restructure the Discos and we have a World Bank facility that will fund another 1.25 million metres.   “So, what I would say is we know the gap when we started was about 9.8 million metres. One million has been done by the first phase of the National Mass Metering Programme.   “Another four million will be done by the second phase, which should commence shortly. Then another one million – funding has been secured and procurement will commence [later],” he said.   Asked when the second phase would begin, he said, “It should start this first quarter… before March.”     Zakari alluded to the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) overseeing more than 20 new local manufacturing companies onboarded to assemble the procured metres.   “Prior to the National Mass Metering Programme, there was no scalable programme on metering in the country. The first phase of the metering programme has distributed one million metres.   “We’ve subsequently concluded the process for another four million metres that are all going to local manufacturers,” he said.

  The Vice President of Gambia, Badara Joof has reportedly died in India. Gambia’s President, Adama Barrow, disclosed the death of the country’s number two man in a tweet thus: “Fellow #Gambians, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing away of my #VicePresident, His Excellency, Badara Alieu Joof. The sad event took place in India after a short illness. May Allah grant him Jannahtul Firdawsi,” President Barrow tweeted.   The late Vice President Mr Joof, previously served as Gambia’s Minister of Higher Education, Research, Science and Technology from 2017 to 2022.   Details later…

  The Federal Government has said it sometimes borrows funds to buy petrol as the country continues to incur rising fuel subsidy bills.   The government also confirmed that there was a possibility of global economic recession this year, but stressed that Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves were healthy enough to withstand the shocks.   The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, disclosed this on Tuesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, while speaking during an interview with Arise TV.   In the interview, monitored by our correspondent in Abuja, the minister also stated that the Federal Government at some point had to borrow funds to buy Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, despite the huge subsidy spending on the commodity.   Ahmed again insisted on ending the fuel subsidy regime, while adding that would be done gradually from the second quarter of this year by the current government.   She said the government would be able to increase the revenue performance on the 2022 figure, as well as reduce the debt service to revenue ratio.   “We also have to exit fuel subsidy, because that is also a very significant contributory factor. You can look at it in two ways – it is revenue that would have come to the government but it doesn’t because it has been spent on fuel subsidy,” she said.     The minister added, “But also, where there is nothing for the government to buy the refined petroleum products, we have to borrow to buy the petroleum products. So if you take that out, that’s about N3.25tn, that is a significant relief.”   Explaining why the fuel subsidy was not removed in June 2022 despite the plan of the government to halt it at the time, Ahmed said it was a decision that was taken by the government due to the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and heightened inflation.   “Removal of fuel subsidy at that time would have increased the burden on the citizens, and the President does not want to contemplate a situation where measures are taken that further burdens the citizenry,” she stated.   Ahmed added, “So the decision was to extend the period from June 2022 to 18 months, beginning from January 2022. So in June 2023, we should be able to exit. The good thing is that we hear a consistent message that everybody is saying this thing needs to go and that it is not serving the majority of Nigerians.   “I listened to some of the new leaders campaigning for the next round of leadership in the country and they are saying they will get rid of it very quickly.”   Asked whether it would be possible to halt the fuel subsidy regime in June this year, Ahmed replied, “What will be safer is for the current administration, maybe at the beginning of the second quarter, to start removing the fuel subsidy.”   This, she said, was because the gradual removal of subsidy would not be so harsh, as when removed at once.     “The idea for us in the budget is that the cost of subsidy should not exceed that N3.23tn. So whether it is done completely by June or July or whatever is the process, the cost is capped,” Ahmed stated.   Recession this year   She further stated that the ambitious N10tn revenue target of the Federal Government, as projected in the 2023 budget, would be met, based on various measures that had been put in place.   Commenting on the possibility of a global economic recession, she said, “Clearly there is going to be a decline in growth. And why we are having this decline in growth because of the sustained economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.   “We’ve seen the resurgence of COVID-19 in some developed economies, especially China, and also the effect of the Russia-Ukraine war that is having a global impact.   “The quantitative easing that is being implemented by central banks across the world also contributes to the high cost of interest, resulting in the high inflation rate, and which means people’s spending power is weakened. So these are all indications that there will be a global recession.”   The minister was made to understand that in 2008 when there was a global recession, Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves were in excess of $60bn and the country was able to withstand the impact of that recession.     Asked if the country would be able to withstand another recession this year, going by its current reserves, Ahmed replied in the affirmative.   She said, “It is true that’s our reserves during the first global recession. Our reserves are now down to $34bn, and that is still a healthy level. It means we are able to meet at least six months of imports and other expenses into the country.   “It means we can withstand another global shock if we are able to carry through a coordinated response between the monetary, fiscal as well as trade authorities. We have learnt a lot from the experience that we went through during the COVID and it shows that when we plan well we can actually withstand the shocks.   “You’ll recall that Nigeria’s economy did go into recession during the COVID but it was a short-lived one because of that coordinated response, which had not just government, but also the private sector contributing to the effort.”   She added, “Also, at that time we were able to scale back on some categories of government spending to enable us to invest more in the healthcare sector. So with the right policies we can weather another global recession.”   N10tn revenue projection   Reacting to concerns that the Federal Government’s revenue projection of over N10tn for 2023 was too optimistic, Ahmed stated that a lot of measures were on the ground to realise this target.     She said, “I will say that if you look

  Members of the Peoples Democratic Party trooped out to receive the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, for a campaign rally on Tuesday. Earlier in the day, commercial vehicles and motorbikes had been off the roads leaving inter and state commuters stranded. Although the PDP members alleged that the transporters did not work in a bid to frustrate those who might want to attend the rally, the commercial transport operators said their action followed statewide prayers observed by their associations. This was as a former governor of the state, Ayodele Fayose; former governorship candidate, Bisi Kolawole; acting PDP State Chairman, Lanre Omolase; seven of the nine PDP National Assembly candidates and 20 of 26 House of Assembly candidates shunned the presidential rally. The PDP candidates, who had earlier rejected the inclusion of Social Democratic Party members in the Presidential Campaign Council for the state on the condition that it could hurt their elections, said all entreaties to meet with Atiku over the development were shunned by the presidential candidate. Atiku, in his address to the rally, assured that if elected in the February 25 election, his administration would deploy all resources to attract socio-economic development, adding that he would be deliberate in the construction of roads leading to Ekiti State beginning with the Ado-Akure Road. The PDP presidential candidate said, “I am highly impressed with the huge crowd we are seeing here today despite antics of the APC government to cripple and sabotage the rally with artificial fuel scarcity and stoppage of drivers from Ekiti roads; let me assure you that we will make you happy for making us happy today. “Ekiti is a state of intellectual prowess and we will tap into this in our government to develop and transform the nation,” Atiku said. PDP Vice Presidential candidate and Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, said, “With what we have seen here today, we are sure that the people of Ekiti State will vote for Atiku” as he urged the electorate in the state to “use your PVC to send APC out of Nigeria.” Earlier, PDP National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, handed over flags to the Ekiti South Senatorial candidate, Biodun Olujimi; and House of Representative’s candidate for (Ekiti South 1), Henrich Akomolafe.

  Tears flowed on Tuesday when a Lagos-based lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, who was allegedly shot dead by a policeman, Drambi Vandi, last Christmas, was committed to mother earth.   Dressed mostly in black attire, family, friends and colleagues of the late lawyer gathered at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, for her funeral service.   Around 10am, pallbearers dressed in white shirts and black suits, led by family members, brought in the coffin of the legal practitioner.   While they walked in, the church choir sang worship songs and sang praises to God.   The family members occupied the front seats as the coffin was placed in front of the church with a ‘Mum’ tag beside it.   Prayers were later offered for the deceased’s husband, Gbenga, and her daughter, Semilore.   Representatives of the Nigeria Bar Association, her former office and neighbours paid tributes to her.     The officiating cleric, Okechukwu Enelamah, a former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, urged family members and friends not to cry “but rather be glad because she’s in a better place.”   He noted that Bolanle’s death would breed social justice and judicial reforms in the country.   After the service, the body was taken to the Vaults and Garden, Ikoyi, for a private burial.   Vandi was arraigned on Monday before Justice Ibironke Harrison of the Lagos State High Court at Tafawa Balewa Square on one count of murder.

  Three vessels laden with 98.8 million litres (98,814 metric tons) of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS berthed at the Lagos Port Complex over the weekend, statistics provided by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA known as the Shipping Position has shown.   The Shipping position identified the three vessels as Antares1 which arrived Lagos port on Friday with 36,000 metric tons of PMS, Ocean Nirvana which came in with 36,932 metric tons of PMS on Friday and Zonda which came in with 25,882 metric tons of PMS on Thursday last week.   Another vessel laden with 4,750 metric tons of PMS is expected at the Lagos port on Monday 23, 2023.   Similarly, M/T Montago is expected to have berthed with 25,000/5,000 metric tons of Automated Gas Oil, AGO (diesel), and JET A1 fuel (aviation fuel) on Friday while M/T Berners should have berthed with 14,500 metric tons of JET A1 and AGO Saturday 14, 2023.   Also, 5,500 metric tons of Base Oil is expected to arrive at Lagos port shipped in by M/T Swan on Wednesday 18, 2023.   The NPA Shipping Position also shows that two vessels are also expected to arrive on Sunday 15, 2023 with Bulk Gas shipped in by M/T Alfred Temile and M/T Sapet Gas laden with 8,000 and 4,000 metric tons respectively.