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Nigeria Decries that Global Inequality is On the Rise, Many Countries Incapable of Meeting SDG 2030
Nigeria Decries that Global Inequality is On the Rise, Many Countries Incapable of Meeting SDG 2030
By: Michael Mike
Nigeria has decried that global inequality is on the rise leaving many countries incapable of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030.
Speaking on Thursday at the ongoing Nordic-African Business Summit in Oslo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassor Yusuf Tuggar while noting that the Summit is potentially an epoch-making event in the history of the relationship between Nordic Countries and Africa, said: “We gather at a time of weakening global economic performance, even if the Inflation Reduction Act has had a salutary effect on the largest economy on the planet- the US. Inequality is on the rise, as it becomes all the more apparent that we are unlikely to meet our Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”
Tuggar said: “More unsettling is the state of geopolitical affairs, as we made the transition after the Cold War from a bipolar order to a unipolar moment and then a multipolar system. Protectionism and trade barriers have made a comeback in what we thought had become an interconnected, globalised world. Now whether or not this is a result of the transition to a less stable multipolar system should not detain us here.
“What is clear is that it has become a less safer, scarier world and the businessmen and women in this room should become all the more concerned. Conflicts rage in Ukraine, Sudan and the Levant, each with the potential of spilling into a wider global conflict. That of the Levant has already become one, with Israel’s pre-emptive strikes at Iran drawing a response two days ago. In my region, the expanding Sahel has become a theatre for Unconstitutional Changes of Government, organised criminal gangs and banditry.
“Migration has been weaponised, with eco-fascists calling for border closures and the far-right becoming mainstream in some countries. The gratuitous use of migrant fear has forgotten the admonishment of Adam Smith- the father of Economics: Free Circulation of Labour is the Foundation of any Free Trade System. When the Covid-19 Pandemic went global in 2020, we witnessed the onset of vaccine apartheid, as wealthier countries pulled up the draw bridges, depriving others of the intellectual property to reproduce the vaccines, even if they had the capacity.”
The Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister insisted that: “Much of what is wrong today has been supercharged by the scary notion that we are living in a post-factual era that feeds on the pursuit of identity politics. Social media is making it increasingly difficult for us to relate to people who are not like us and has become a space for performed contempt. Being louder means being right.”
He however added that “having painted that gloomy picture, I am happy to say that we have an opportunity to do something very special here today between Nordic and African private and public sector. It was no less a businessman like you- Alfred Nobel- who deemed it fit to bestow the administering of the Peace Prize to a Norwegian Committee. He knows what he saw in Norway and Norwegians, even though he was not one. The entrepreneurs here have the unique opportunity to use their individual agency to take advantage of the enormous opportunities that exist on the African continent.
“Yes, Africa’s share of global trade is miniscule, but the growth opportunities for those who hitch on early are enormous. And the African Continental Free Trade Area is becoming a reality; presently, only 17% of Africa’s exports remain on the continent, compared to 69% for Europe and 59% for Asia. The AFCFTA is going to change this with tariff removals that will unleash a value of $50-70bn. We want to see clean energy-run Norwegian vessels ferrying goods from Lekkideep-sea port in Lagos to Zanzibar. Norway’s trade with the whole of Africa currently stands at a paltry $8.5bn. it is not enough.”
He posited that: “The mere fact that 70% of the 220 million Nigerians are under the age of 30 and that most have mobile phones and are getting fast speed internet, is proof that it will be key to future global economic growth. For additional proof that Nigeria is going to succeed in the future, I urge you to please meet a successful Nigerian entrepreneur and engage them in discussion. They are African latter-day Vikings who can succeed anywhere in the world. It is not a fluke. They are resilient problem solvers with an indefatigable can-do spirit.”
Nigeria Decries that Global Inequality is On the Rise, Many Countries Incapable of Meeting SDG 2030
NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books
By: Michael Mike
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have intercepted a shipment of cocaine concealed in 20 sets of religious books going to Saudi Arabia.
The spokesman of the anti-narcotics agency, Femi Babafemi in a statement on Sunday said the cocaine consignment consisting of 20 parcels with a total weight of 500 grammes and buried in the pages of the religious books was uncovered at a courier company in Lagos last Tuesday when NDLEA officers of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI) were searching through export cargos going to Saudi Arabia at the logistics firm.
Babafemi said at another courier company same day, NDLEA officers intercepted five parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 2.8 kilogrammes hidden in a carton coming from the United States of America.
In Kano, a 22-year-old alleged supplier of illicit substances to bandits, Muhammad Mohammed, has been arrested by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bichi – Kano road while heading to Katsina with 277 ampoules of pentazocine injection tied to his thigh and private part with Sellotape.
He was intercepted on Sunday 13th April, while another suspect, Mohammed Abdulrahman Abdulaziz, 43, was nabbed same day at Research Rimin Kebe area of Nasarawa, Kano with 68 blocks of skunk, a strain of cannabis, weighing 30 kilogrammes.
He said not less than 557.2 kilogrammes of skunk, 5.6 kilogrammes of methamphetamine and 29.8 grammes of heroin were recovered from a house along Major General Isaiah Alllison Street, Opolo, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state where four suspects were arrested when NDLEA operatives raided the premises last Wednesday
Babafemi said the four suspects arrested during the raid include: Sarimiye Suwa, 46; Roland Prosper, 34; Sarimiye Tare, 45; and Fidelis Ugbesla, 46, while a total of 1,100 kilogrammes of skunk were recovered from a delivery van with the driver, Ismail Abdullahi arrested in Surulere area of Lagos last Thursday.
In Kaduna, NDLEA operatives last Friday raided the hideout of a suspect, Ike Ani, 30, in Zaria, where no fewer than 31,950 pills of tramadol 225mg and diazepam were recovered, and in Kebbi, along Bagudo road on the same day a vehicle loaded with bags of charcoal coming from Malabil, Benin Republic was intercepted, when the vehicle was search, 97 kilogrammes of skunk concealed in the sacks of charcoal was recovered.
. Three suspects: Abubakar Ibrahim, 50; Mustapha Aliyu, 32; and Bashar Lawali, 28, were arrested in connection with the seizure.
A 48-year-old Okafor Marcel was nabbed with 11.5 kilogrammes skunk at Abatete, Anambra state while NDLEA operatives in Osogbo, Osun state last Tuesday arrested Ajala Mercy, 27, with 43 litres of skushi, a mixture of black currant, cannabis and opioids recovered from her room at Dada estate, Halleluyah area of the state capital.
Babafemi said two cannabis farms in Egbeta forest, Ovia North East LGA, Edo state were raided by NDLEA operatives who destroyed 3,717.8625 kilogrammes of the psychoactive plant on 1.487145 hectares and recovered 136.5 kilogrammes of processed cannabis.
At the Tincan seaport in Lagos, a suspect Basorun Kayode, 40, who has been at large for two years was arrested by NDLEA officers in connection with the seizure of 107 kilogrammes Loud imported from Canada in 2023, while another suspect, Dauda Yakubu who distributes illicit drugs within the seaport community was arrested by a team of operatives last Monday.
The spokesman said the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy activities by NDLEA commands equally continued across the country in the past week.
Meanwhile, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd) while commending the officers and men of DOGI, Kano, Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Zone 13, Edo and Tin-can commands of the agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, equally praised their counterparts in all the commands across the country for ensuring a fair balance between their drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts.
NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books
Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
A devastating fire broke out at the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) on April 19, 2025, destroying approximately one hundred thatch and makeshift houses.
Eye witnesses said that the fire started at around 1040hrs and rapidly spread across the settlement, burning household items, foodstuffs, and other valuable properties to ashes.
The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and the value of the property destroyed is still being assessed.
Humanitarian officials were immediately deployed to the scene to maintain crowd control and prevent looting, while firefighters, alongside camp residents, worked tirelessly to extinguish the flames.
Fortunately, no casualties or loss of life were reported.
Fire Guts Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, Borno
Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed assailants suspected to be members of ISWAP/Boko Haram attacked and snatched a vehicle in Monguno Local Government Area (LGA) on April 18, 2025, at about 1400hrs.
Saleh Haun, a resident of the Water Board IDP Camp in Monguno, reported that while he was at the Gumnari Bush Area in Monguno, four armed gunmen, riding on two motorcycles, accosted him.
The assailants, at gunpoint, seized his white Toyota Land Cruiser, before fleeing with the vehicle to an unknown location.
A Military Forward Operating Base (FOB) has been alerted, and efforts are underway to to track the assailant and recover the stolen vehicle.
Terrorists Snatch Vehicle in Monguno, Borno
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NDLEA intercepts cocaine in Saudi-bound religious books
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