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Using Courier Networks to Convey Drugs
Courier industry plays a very important role in the nation’s economy. The contribution of this industry towards economic growth and prosperity through improved productivity, provision of employment, trade facilitation, increase in investment capital and revenue to the nation cannot be overlooked. However in spite of the positive contributions , there are ways of how not to do the business which some unscrupulous individuals tend to exploit due mostly to the speedy nature of the express service .
Recent revelations from countries’ authorities in charge of illicit drug business point to the fact that drug barons are using the channel to send hard drugs across to their accomplices scattered around the world.
Otunba Lanre Ipinmisho , director general /secretary National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) had sometime emphasized that the use of courier services as a legitimate business structure for drug trafficking is one of the specialized areas utilized by organized criminal groups around the world today. He said that this strategy is to cover the tracks of the criminal group by hiding under the anonymity of postal services to ship their merchandize of death even as he revealed that most illegal drugs that are sent by post use fictitious names, post office boxes and private mail boxes thereby making investigations difficult.
Further, Ipinmisho stated that beyond anonymity, these harbingers of death make use of the speedy nature of courier services.” Beyond anonymity, speedy delivery of goods is another advantage drug traffickers exploit in the use of courier services. As it is the trend in the advanced world, after they conclude their deals by buying and selling drugs on the internet, traffickers resort to the courier houses for speedy deliveries. By so doing, the burden of proof of possession shifts from the trafficker, while there is also minimal risk of law enforcement detection or interdiction”, he said .
Drug business is a dangerous business and combining it with the express business is a more dangerous development. Osadolor Eboigbodin, general manager EMS/Speedpost in a recent lecture disclosed that the post worldwide is experiencing attempts by individuals and business people to use the postal network to send, receive and trade on scam and narcotic drug items such as heroin and cocaine and that in response to this EMS is effectively collaborating with security agencies to check and the menace and people involved.
The growing trend in using the courier companies in drug business is also occasioned by developments in information and communication technologies. The marketplace for all items and products including the lawful and illegal ones is no longer limited by space. Everything can now be sold and bought online including life and death.
Drug traffickers are very creative in their modes of concealment of hard drugs. Some of the ways are through hard cover books including the bible and qu’ran, picture frames, photo albums, sculptures/artifacts, computer components/electronics, spare parts, textile materials, foot wears, baby toys, can foods among others.
The challenge is not peculiar to Nigeria alone as other countries have their own stories to tell. One good thing is that law enforcement officers all over the world are working round the clock to ensure that this illegal practice is seriously checked.

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Telecom
Telcos Warn of Nationwide Telecom Blackout over Diesel Shortage

Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), has raised the alarm over a diesel supply crisis caused by an ongoing strike by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Mr Tony Emoekpere, president, ATCON in a statement said that the fuel supply disruption is critically affecting telecom base stations, pushing them to the brink of a shutdown and threatening millions of mobile and internet users in the region.
“This strike, which stems from the persistent harassment of tanker and petroleum product drivers by police officers in Lagos State, has effectively halted all truck loading operations and fuel movements,” Emoekpere stated.
He explained that diesel supply to telecom infrastructure has been severely impacted, leaving critical sites with dangerously low fuel levels.
According to him, if urgent measures are not taken, the situation could escalate into a full-blown network blackout, disrupting essential services, including mobile and internet access, business operations, emergency response systems, and daily communications.
ATCON has called on the governors of Lagos and Ogun states to intervene immediately by facilitating the release of diesel from depots to telecom operators to prevent further deterioration of the situation.
“This is not just a telecom issue—it is a national emergency that could cripple economic activities and compromise public safety,” Emoekpere stressed.
The association also appealed to security agencies and petroleum unions to resolve the crisis swiftly to safeguard Nigeria’s connectivity and economic stability.
ATCON emphasised that a prolonged disruption in fuel supply to telecom infrastructure could have far-reaching consequences for both businesses and individuals who rely on stable communication networks for daily operations.
Telecom
Nigerians Spend N5.3 Trillion on Telecom Services

In 2023, Nigerians spent a total of about ₦5.3 trillion on telecommunications services, which includes calls, data, SMS, and other telecom services, according to the Leadership.
Specifically for voice calls, Nigerians made approximately 408.5 billion minutes of local calls, generating around ₦3.28 trillion from outgoing calls and ₦3.23 trillion from incoming calls, totaling about ₦6.51 trillion in call-related revenue according to projections based on 2023 call volumes and tariff data.
However, the ₦5.3 trillion figure represents the overall telecom sector revenue, with voice calls being a major component but also including data and other services.
For individual spending, MTN subscribers spent an average of ₦2,508 monthly on voice calls in 2023, showing a 14.4% increase from 2022, while Airtel customers spent about ₦1,694 monthly on voice calls.
Total telecom spending (calls, data, SMS, etc.): ₦5.3 trillion in 2023
Estimated revenue from voice calls alone: around ₦6.5 trillion based on call minutes and tariffs
Average monthly spending on calls per subscriber: ₦1,694 to ₦2,508 depending on the network
Broadcasting
Canal+ Buyout Of South Africa’s MultiChoice one Step Closer

South Africa’s competition authority announced Wednesday it had approved the buyout of Africa’s largest pay TV enterprise MultiChoice by France’s Canal+, which wants to expand its footprint on the continent.
The merger, which has been in the works for nearly a year, needs the final go-ahead from the commission’s Competition Tribunal, it said in a statement.
Canal+ holds around 45 percent of MultiChoice’s shares and offered last year to acquire the remainder for 125 rand (6.16 euro) per share.
Canal+ is present in 25 African countries through 16 subsidiaries and has eight million subscribers, according to the French group.
MultiChoice operates in 50 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and has 19.3 million subscribers, it said.
It includes Africa’s premier sports broadcaster, SuperSport, and the DStv satellite television service.
“This is a major step forward in our ambition to create a global media and entertainment company with Africa at its heart,” Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada said in a statement.
The commission said its approval of the merger was subject to public-interest conditions worth about 26 billion rand over three years, including increasing the shareholding of people disadvantaged under South Africa’s white-minority apartheid regime.
It will also maintain the MultiChoice headquarters in South Africa.
A date for the Tribunal’s decision on the merger has not been announced but Canal+ said it was aiming for the deal to be completed by early October.
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