General News
PRB Passage, Economic Policies Limit Courier Sector Growth- Oladapo

Mr. Siyanbola Oladapo, president, Association of Courier Operators of Nigeria (ANCO) has decried the delay in the passage of the Postal Reform Bill (PRB), and said that political, social and economic factors are to blame for the recent challenges faced by operators.
He said that the passage of the bill; and right economic decisions by the government will help restore investors’ confidence.
Oladapo who is also the MD/CEO of Bowill Errands Limited, told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, that “The courier industry is not immune to the present economic challenges in the country. The economy has witnessed recession. About a year and plus ago when the new government came in, it was politicking; they had to settle and have cabinet in place because the new government is an infusion of many political parties needing to satisfy different groups and party faithful.
“Almost at the same time they came in the price of crude oil was falling and so it has been difficult for them to fulfill their promises. And, Nigeria as a mono-product economy there was a huge challenge. In other words, before they could get their acts together the economy has slid to recession. There are security challenges compounding issues for the country too.
“The implication to the courier is that in places like the North-East it was difficult to do business. Businesses were shutting down. It was difficult for us (the country) to get things together and move forward at the pace the citizens envisioned.
“Also, the advent of e-commerce which is supposed to be a plus, but then most buyers lost the purchasing power; skyrocketing unemployment with companies folding up, these events impacted the courier negatively. The capital market also has its own challenges. Most of our members are key players in the market. Likewise, the cost of doing business was going high. Companies are looking for means to reduce cost. Therefore, in the last one year, all those things made the courier industry to face the challenges as inherent in the economy. In fact, it has not been easy for the players in this industry.
“Those who even want to import are not having it easy because there is shortage of foreign exchange. So, we cannot even assist them to ship things in. At that point people/companies were agitated and were kind of stayed aloof to reassess the capacity of the government to redeem the situation.
“Again, the cost of replacing machinery was there. We have the challenge of buying equipments to replace or rehabilitate damaged ones. Most infrastructure have failed too. The roads are bad. With State Governments owing months of salaries, people are trying to make a living. This has also led to the increased activities of touts who pose as local government officials making lives miserable for dispatch men out there in the street.
“The supposed officials resort to jungle justice; taking laws into their hands and extorting money from operators. When you call to lodge in complaints, nobody will be there to listen, because they have not earned their salaries too. All this has dire effect on the operators. The social, economic and political challenges impacted the industry too”.
Expectations this Year
Speaking further, Oladapo said that the present realities also present the industry players with opportunity to think-out-of-the-box and synergy on how to utilize available resources.
He said, “In times like this (recession) people get smarter; you think outside the box. So, companies will be concerned on how to reduce costs. This is when the concept of synergy will play better. Although, the synergy has its pros and cons. Trust and capacity are required to maintain such relationship in business. Having said that we believe 2017 will be a better one.
“First, the Postal Reform Bill (PRB) is receiving a better attention at the National Assembly. The Postmaster General, we believe, will leverage his political afflictions to get things moved in that direction. It was due to clash of interest in the past that has actually delayed the Bill. The post PMGs seemed foot-dragging on the matter, probably, for personal reasons. But the new PMG has a mandate to change the situation and he would want to score the point. The industry expects that intruders will be shown way out of the industry.
“As government is seeking for new ways to mitigate the forex impasse we expect things we get better; companies should be able to either import or export goods. As the price of crude is coming up Nigeria will have enough dollar (foreign exchange) to back up people’s demands. The courier sector will bounce back also”.
He added that boom in e-commerce space, “once people’s purchasing power is back”, will help the industry blossom to live again.
General News
Court Remands Akujobi, Ex Access over alleged Theft of N294.5m

Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.

Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.
As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.
In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.
Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.
General News
NSIB Faults Runway Identification, Reveals Cockpit Disagreement in Asaba Jet Incident

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.

The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.
The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.
According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.
The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.
NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.
“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.
However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.
According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.
He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.
The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.
NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.
The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.
The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.
General News
EU warns Meta over addictive Facebook, Instagram designs, threatens fines

European Union has warned Meta Platforms Inc. that it could face a significant financial penalty unless it changes what regulators describe as the “addictive design” features of Facebook and Instagram.

The European Commission issued the warning in preliminary findings released on Friday, saying Meta had failed to sufficiently address risks posed by its platforms, particularly to children and vulnerable users.
The Commission said features such as infinite scrolling, personalised content recommendations and automatic video playback were designed in ways that encouraged excessive engagement with the platforms.
EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said protecting the physical and mental well-being of European citizens should be a priority for social media companies.
The Commission said Meta should consider introducing design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, providing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation systems to reduce the focus on maximising user engagement.
The findings were issued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets obligations for major online platforms to address risks associated with their services.
Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s conclusions, saying it disagreed with the findings but would continue engaging with European regulators.
The company said it had already implemented measures aimed at protecting younger users, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to manage screen time limits and restrict access during night hours.
The EU said its investigation, which began in 2024, found that existing time-management tools on Facebook and Instagram could easily be bypassed, while parental controls required technical knowledge that limited their effectiveness.
Regulators also expressed concerns over children’s nighttime use of the platforms and the possibility that features such as Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive behaviour.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to six per cent of its annual global revenue under the DSA.
The warning comes as the EU steps up efforts to strengthen online safety measures for children, with an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to present recommendations on protecting minors online.
Several EU member states, including France, have also supported discussions on restricting social media access for children, following Australia’s decision to ban users under 16 from accessing social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Commission is continuing a separate investigation into whether Meta’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by directing users towards increasingly extreme content.
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