General News
CRD Seeks Public Support to Rid Sector of Illegal Operators
Courier Regulatory Department (CRD), the regulatory arm of the Nigeria Postal Service (NIPOST), has called on the general public to be weary of patronizing illegal operators.
Dr. Simon Emeje, senior assistant postmaster general of the Federation and head of CRD, told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that aside seeking legislative backup, CRD believes that members of the public are critical stakeholders in sanitizing the industry currently truncated by the operations of unlicensed operators.
According to Emeje, the illegal operators are economic saboteurs who deserve no customer patronage.
The Head of CRD made the remarks while announcing the revocation of operating licences of Ambassador Express Limited; Coop Courier & Cargo Services Limited; De Jetmil Courier Limited; Express General Logistics Limited; OPL Express Limited; Proservince Limited (PSI); UK Air Courier Limited and Focus Express.
He said that CRD team has clamped down on “Up I Swear God” courier services for operating illegally.
Emeje, said that by this revocation of eight operators licences, the number of courier operators in the country as at November 2015 has reduced to two hundred and sixty-seven (267).
Speaking further, Emeje sought Government’s intervention, especially the 8th National Assembly by way of legislating on Independent Postal Regulatory Authority.
The Bill, the Senior Assistant Postmaster General said, was attempted to be passed by both the 6th and 7th Assembly but failed.
He said that other Bills sent since 2004 alongside the Postal Reform Bill have since received accelerated passage.
“The backing we need from the Federal Government is to legislate on this Bill to give CRD more biting teeth. We cannot allow illegal operators to be cruising while the legal operators are there. So, the best approach is to pass the Bill which the 6th and 7th Assembly attempted to pass. It will inject live and vigour to the system,” he said.
Emeje, however debunked the claims by some operators that the licensing and renewal fees were too much and unachievable by the present economic indices.
To this claim, he said, “No courier firm should make such claim that the fees are too much, because NIPOST has been magnanimous enough to them. For over 12 years, NIPOST was the only Government Agency to maintain the same renewal fee for the operators under its supervision. Both the domestic and international operators paid N250,000.
“When the review was done in done in 2013, the domestic operators were meant to pay N750,00; they complained and the amount was reduced to N500,000. Yet, they felt it was not economically viable for them, NIPOST listened and reduced it to N350,000, per annum. Now, the international operators were supposed to pay N2million, but was reduced to N1.5million. Looking at this, one can agree that NIPOST has been a listening Body. So, nobody is expected to cite the renewal fees as reasons for not doing the needful. How about those that refuse to keep to the industry standards? This industry must be sanitized for the good of everybody.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has detained Tunde Ayeni, former chairman of defunct Skye Bank Plc, for alleged fraud involving N36.5 billion and $30 million.
Tunde Ayeni, former chairman of defunct Skye Bank Plc,
This follows the probe of alleged diversion of N36.5 billion and $30 million secured as loans from Polaris Bank Plc through companies linked to Ayeni.
He was arrested by EFCC operatives in Abuja on April 23, 2026, and is still been held in custody as at the time of filling the report.
Dele Oyewale, spokesperson, EFCC, confirmed the arrest on Friday but declined to provide further details.
Ayeni is under investigation for diverting funds obtained for marine security, electricity distribution, and real estate projects into other unknown projects.
Investigators allege the loans were instead channelled into telecom investments tied to NITEL/MTEL assets via a NATCOM account.
About 12 firms believed to be connected to Ayeni are also under investigation for their role in securing the loans.
The EFCC is expected to file charges once the investigation is concluded.
Summit Household Solutions Limited has opened its ultra-modern manufacturing facility in Ota, Ogun State, as part of its efforts to scale production of home and personal care products in Nigeria.
The plant, which started operations in April 2025, produces items such as dishwashing liquids, handwash, sanitisers and multipurpose liquid soaps, with an annual capacity estimated at 7,000 tonnes.
Commissioning the facility on behalf of Governor Dapo Abiodun, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Investment, Mr Kehinde Akintomide, said the investment reflects growing confidence in Ogun State’s business environment.
He noted that the state hosts over 6,000 manufacturing firms and described the development as consistent with ongoing efforts to promote industrialisation, attract investment and reduce reliance on imports under the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope initiative.
Akintomide disclosed that the factory has already employed more than 50 Nigerians, with projections to exceed 250 jobs as operations expand.
In his remarks, the General Manager of the company, Mr Sadiq Ali, said the facility represents a major step in Summit’s growth plans, adding that its flagship brand, 2Sure, currently leads production at the plant.
He also revealed that the company is preparing to introduce new home and personal care products later this year.
Summit Household Solutions manufactures the 2Sure brand and has expanded into the personal care segment with Lewar, a premium beauty soap line positioned for quality and affordability.
Among dignitaries present were the Onikotun of Otun, Ota, Oba Abdulakeem Odunaro, representing the Olota of Ota, Prof. Adeyemi Abdulkabir Obalanlege; the Agba Akin of Ota, Chief Dada Olusola; Director of Investment, Ms Yemisi Folarin; Director of Industrial Promotion, Mr Femi Adeboye; former Managing Director of 7Up Bottling Company, Mr Ziad Maalouf; and the Chief Executive Officer of OmniRetail, Mr Deepanker Rustagi.
Speaking at the event, Maalouf, who conceived the 2Sure brand during his time at 7Up Bottling Company, expressed satisfaction with its growth and commended Summit Solutions Limited for advancing the brand.
The special guests were conducted around the facility, and the programme was concluded with a luncheon.
The administration of Donald Trump has frozen $344 million in cryptocurrency allegedly linked to Iran, marking a sharp escalation in financial pressure on Tehran.
The move comes amid stalled diplomatic efforts and a fragile ceasefire in the region.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed that authorities are sanctioning multiple crypto wallets tied to Iran. “We will follow the money that Tehran is desperately attempting to move outside of the country and target all financial lifelines tied to the regime,” he said.
Tether, which facilitated the transactions, said it worked with U.S. authorities to freeze the funds across two wallet addresses after receiving intelligence linked to unlawful activity.
A U.S. official said blockchain analysis revealed “material links” to the Iranian regime, including transactions routed through intermediary addresses connected to wallets associated with the Central Bank of Iran.
Responding to the development, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the company does not tolerate illicit use of its stablecoin. “USD₮ is not a safe haven for illegal activity. When there is credible linkage to sanctioned entities or criminal networks, we act immediately,” he stated.
The crackdown underscores the growing reliance of sanctioned states on digital assets to bypass traditional banking restrictions. Data from Chainalysis shows Iran’s cryptocurrency holdings reached $7.8 billion in 2025, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reportedly controlling about half.
Analysts say while the freeze is significant, Iran has historically adapted to sanctions. Daniel Tannebaum of the Atlantic Council noted that targeting third-party actors enabling such transactions may be key to increasing pressure.
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