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The Dauda Lawal of 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 can be viewed as someone who sees society from a micro perspective, who sees how people create reality, because of his previous role as a banker who reached the zenith of his profession
The post Gov Dauda Lawal@ 61: A functionalist in power, By Sulaiman Bala Idris appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Mr Shettima thanks his friends, supporters and well-wishers for the affection, loyalty and prayers they had shown him over the years.
The post What I want from my friends and supporters at 60 — VP Shettima appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
With the signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Miva Open University, the OPay N1.2bn 10-year scholarship programme now has 25 partner tertiary institutions
The post 10 Years, ₦1.2bn, 40+ Tertiary Institutions by 2026: OPay is here to stay appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
On Tuesday, the Akwa Ibom State Government’s Facebook page described Senate President Godswill Akpabio as “Acting President of Nigeria”. The post was later edited to remove the controversial description.
The post Akwa Ibom govt’s Facebook page describes Akpabio as ‘Acting President of Nigeria’ appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
He stated that Russia targeted the key airport with a drone laden with explosives, following a known pattern of “Russian hybrid operations.”
The post Germany accuses Russia of drone attack on Leipzig airport appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
By Uche Usim and Godwin Tsa, Abuja
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) generated N1.38 trillion in revenue in July and August 2026, as improved use of technology, better trade processes and stronger anti-smuggling operations boosted its collections.
The NCS National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, disclosed this on Tuesday at the joint security agencies’ spokespersons’ press briefing in Abuja.
Maiwada said the Service collected N784.66 billion in July and another N595.58 billion in August, bringing the total for the two months to N1.38 trillion.
He said the performance reflected efforts by Customs to make its operations more efficient while reducing revenue leakages.
“Revenue performance remained significant, with the Service generating N784,656,042,005.97 in July, and N595,581,420,186.23 in August, representing a combined revenue collection of N1.38 trillion over the period,” Maiwada said.
The Apapa Area Command was one of the major contributors to the improved performance.
According to Maiwada, the command generated a record N323 billion in July, its highest monthly collection since its establishment.
The command also broke its previous single-day revenue record on August 18, when it collected N28.1 billion in one day.
The new record surpassed the previous N20.1 billion daily collection achieved in September 2025.
The figures underline the importance of Nigeria’s major ports to government revenue, as Customs collects duties and other charges on goods brought into the country.
Beyond revenue collection, Maiwada said Customs processed 90,985 Single Goods Declarations in the two months.
Of the total, 55,731 were processed in July while 35,254 were handled in August.
The Service also processed 8,873 Pre-Arrival Assessment Reports during the period.
These processes are designed to help Customs assess goods before they are cleared, making it easier to identify irregularities and speed up legitimate trade.
The Customs spokesperson said the country’s export activities also recorded improvement.
He said the Lilypond Export Command recorded export goods worth $792.57 million in the second quarter of 2026, representing a 24.35 per cent increase from the $599.60 million recorded in the same period of the previous year.
Export container traffic also increased by 32.27 per cent to 5,510 containers.
Agricultural exports were valued at $422.09 million, while manufactured goods rose to $350.67 million, nearly three times the previous figure.
Collections under the Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme also increased by 9.52 per cent to N5.38 billion.
Maiwada added that between July and August, Customs processed 9,322 export containers carrying agricultural products, manufactured goods, solid minerals and other items.
The Service also reported major successes in its fight against smuggling and other forms of illegal trade.
Maiwada said Customs Area Commands and Federal Operations Units seized smuggled and prohibited goods with a combined Duty Paid Value of more than N61.3 billion during the period.
Among the seizures were 25,295 litres of Premium Motor Spirit, commonly known as petrol, cannabis and heavy machinery intercepted by the Adamawa/Taraba Command.
The goods, valued at N362.2 million, were allegedly being moved illegally towards Chad.
The Federal Operations Unit Zone A also broke up a smuggling operation valued at N3.24 billion and recovered N728.98 million in lost revenue. The unit additionally seized 1,439.9kg of synthetic cannabis, controlled tablets and 22 elephant tusks.
The Ogun I Command intercepted goods worth N3.57 billion, including rice, sugar and cannabis, while the Seme Command seized expired noodles, rice, cannabis and 310,000 sticks of cigarettes valued at N365.2 million.
Maiwada attributed the improved performance to stronger cooperation among security agencies and increased use of technology in Customs operations.
He said technology-driven enforcement was helping the Service detect illegal activities more quickly while making legitimate trade easier.
The latest revenue performance comes as the Federal Government continues to look to agencies such as Customs to increase internally generated revenue and reduce dependence on borrowing.
For businesses, however, the challenge remains finding the right balance between collecting more revenue and ensuring that importers and exporters can move their goods through Nigerian ports without unnecessary delays and additional costs.
Customs said its focus would remain on improving efficiency, blocking leakages, facilitating legitimate trade and strengthening border security.
Meanwhile, the NCS has scheduled physical screening and documentation for successful candidates in its ongoing recruitment exercise, with the exercise to hold at the Nigeria Customs Command and Staff College (NCCSC), Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The Service, in a statement issued Tuesday by its National Public Relations Officer, Deputy Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwada, directed all shortlisted candidates to appear on the dates assigned to their respective states and cadres.
It warned that candidates must report on their scheduled dates, as failure to attend could lead to disqualification from the recruitment process.
The NCS said candidates are required to bring both original copies and photocopies of their documents for verification.
The required documents include the National Identification Number (NIN), birth certificate or declaration of age, educational certificates from O’Level to degree level, where applicable, Certificate of State of Origin, two recent passport photographs, a completed Guarantor’s Form and NYSC Certificate, where applicable.
Candidates have also been instructed to appear in a white T-shirt, shorts and canvas shoes for the screening.
The Service said those who successfully complete the screening and documentation would receive information on the subsequent stages of the recruitment process.
Maiwada, speaking on behalf of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, reaffirmed the NCS’s commitment to a transparent, fair and merit-based recruitment process.
He urged candidates to obtain recruitment information only through official NCS channels and warned against relying on unofficial sources for updates.
The post Customs rakes in N1.38trn in 2 months appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
More than 150 essential oil and gas projects have stalled across Africa amid declining investment in the continent’s energy sector, Chairman of the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), Adegbite Falade, has disclosed.
Falade, states this at Africa Oil Week (AOW) 2026 in Accra, Ghana, yesterday.
He warned that the investment shortfall was occurring at a critical time when millions of Africans remain without reliable access to energy.
He said the stalled projects posed a threat to jobs, energy security and economic transformation, while depriving African economies of billions of dollars in potential revenue and industrialisation opportunities.
According to him, Africa attracted only about two per cent of global renewable energy investment last year, even as capital continues to elude its oil and gas industry.
Falade said the situation was particularly troubling given the continent’s vast hydrocarbon resources, with 125 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 620 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves.
“Africa is resource rich and energy poor. The continent has 125 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and 620 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas,” he said.
He also highlighted what he described as an imbalance in the global climate debate, noting that Africa accounts for approximately 18 per cent of the world’s population but less than four per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
“This capital retreat comes at a precarious moment for a continent faced with energy poverty despite accounting for less than three per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions,” Falade said.
The IPPG chairman called on African governments to urgently restore investor confidence by providing stable fiscal terms, de-risking projects and accelerating regulatory approvals to bring the stalled developments back on stream.
He also advocated greater participation by indigenous operators, citing Nigeria’s experience as evidence of what deliberate policies and access to capital could achieve.
He noted that three decades ago, indigenous operators in Nigeria had three per cent of participation in the country’s oil and gas industry and the significant growth achieved since then.
Falade urged African countries to pursue an energy transition that takes account of the continent’s development needs, arguing that cleaner energy deployment should not prevent countries from using their abundant natural gas resources to address energy poverty.
“We can pursue cleaner energy while still using our gas to power industries, homes, and businesses across the continent,” he said.
He therefore called for increased investment and faster development of Africa’s oil and gas resources, stressing that the continent must leverage its natural wealth to expand energy access, create jobs and drive economic transformation.
The post IPPG: 150 African oil, gas projects stalled as investments dry up appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
By Chinenye Anuforo
chinenyeanuforo@gmail.com
Nigerians’ appetite for digital connectivity grew in June, as active telecommunications subscriptions climbed to 192.23 million, just as more data was consumed during the month.
Latest industry statistics released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showed that active telecom subscriptions increased by 2.56 million from 189.68 million recorded in May.
The development pushed the country’s teledensity to 88.67 per cent, from the previous month’s figure, underscoring the growing dependence of Nigerians on mobile telecommunications for communication, business, banking, financial technology, education, entertainment and other digital services.
More significantly, data consumption accelerated during the period, with internet usage rising from 1,504,067.36 terabytes in May to 1,532,172.67TB in June.
The 28,105.31TB increase came despite a marginal decline in the number of internet subscriptions, which fell from 157.41 million in May to 156.86 million in June.
The figures suggest that while the number of internet users dipped slightly, existing users were consuming substantially more data, reflecting the increasing intensity of Nigerians’ online activities.
Broadband penetration also recorded growth, rising from 56.11 per cent in May to 56.79 per cent in June, as broadband subscriptions increased from 121.64 million to 123.11 million.
The steady rise in broadband access points to an expanding demand for faster and more reliable internet services, particularly as more economic and social activities migrate online.
On the mobile market, MTN Nigeria maintained its dominant position with 98.64 million active subscribers, representing 51.38 per cent of the market.
Airtel followed with 66.12 million subscribers and a 34.44 per cent market share, while Globacom recorded 23.68 million subscribers, accounting for 12.34 per cent.
T2 had 3.54 million subscribers, representing 1.84 per cent of the market.
The NCC data further showed that 4G remained the most widely used mobile technology, accounting for 54.31 per cent of total connections.
2G followed with 36.22 per cent, while 3G accounted for 4.86 per cent and 5G for 4.61 per cent.
The rising volume of data traffic is expected to further pressure telecommunications operators to expand network capacity and accelerate investments in infrastructure, including fibre, spectrum and newer mobile technologies.
The development is already being reflected in operators’ investment plans.
Speaking recently on the growing demand for connectivity and data services across Africa, Airtel Africa Group Chief Executive Officer, Sunil Taldar, said the company was increasing investment in network expansion and capacity to keep pace with data growth.
“Our data growth, volume growth is upwards of 50 per cent. To support this, one is coverage expansion,” Taldar said.
He added that Africa still had significant room for growth, noting that telecommunications and smartphone penetration remained relatively low across the continent.
The latest figures also highlighted the increasing economic importance of the telecommunications sector to Nigeria.
The sector contributed 9.19 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first quarter of 2026, reinforcing its role as a major enabler of economic activity.
Beyond providing voice and internet services, telecommunications infrastructure now supports critical segments of the economy, including banking, fintech, e-commerce, transportation, education, entertainment and other digital services.
Industry stakeholders have therefore continued to push for greater investment in broadband infrastructure, improved network quality and stronger protection of critical telecommunications infrastructure as Nigeria seeks to deepen digital connectivity and expand its digital economy.
The post Nigerians’ data consumption surges, subscriptions hit 192.2m appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.