The European Commission has fined Apple €1.8 billion ($2 billion) for unfair competitive practices involving its music streaming service, Apple Music, following a complaint by Spotify.

Apple device users in the European Union “were not able to make a free choice as to where, how and at what prices to buy music streaming subscriptions,” EU competition chief Margarethe Vestager said at a news conference.

The fine relates to Apple’s practice of charging companies a 30 per cent fee for sales made through apps running on Apple’s iOS operating system for iPhones and iPads.

Companies that wanted to avoid the fee and, in turn, offer lower prices had to handle sales outside the app.

But Apple also forbade them from using the iOS app to inform users about prices or to provide a link to a sign-up page, the commission said.

“For example, Spotify sells subscriptions through its website but not through the Spotify app for devices running Apple’s iOS operating system.

“Users can sign up to Apple’s own music streaming service, Apple Music, through the “Music” app that comes with iOS.

“The commission found that Apple applied restrictions on app developers, preventing them from informing iOS users about alternative and cheaper music subscription services available outside of the app.

“This is illegal under EU antitrust rules.

“From now on, Apple would have to allow music streaming developers to communicate freely with their own users,” including within iOS apps,” the EU competition chief said.

The Vice President, Kashim Shettima will on Tuesday declare open the Expanded National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Business Clinics in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The Vice President will embark on a one-day visit to Ogun State on Tuesday. The event will be held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.

The Expanded National MSMEs Business Clinic is an initiative of the Federal Government executed in collaboration with state governments.

It is geared towards providing lasting solutions to the challenges hindering the development of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), help MSMEs have access to capital, formalize their businesses, and also exhibit their products among others.

The Clinic would allow small business owners to meet regulatory bodies like the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and others as well as feature grant presentations to qualified MSMEs.

The Vice President would also inaugurate the Fashion Hub project at the Old OGTV auditorium where over 150 state-of-the-art tailoring equipment have been provided for stakeholders in the fashion industry as well as the Adire shared facility at Asero, Abeokuta.

Participants are expected to register preferably before the day of the event using the programme’s barcode or register via

https://forms.gle/BAhogfGarYa5tLWA9

The Nigerian House of Representatives has summoned Binance CEO over alleged terrorism financing and money laundering.

Ginger Onwusibe, the chairman of the House Committee on Financial Crimes at a panel on Friday, issued a seven-day ultimatum to the firm’s management to appear before it on or before March 4, 2024.

Onwusibe warned that if Mr Teng fails to show up for the summons, it would be forced to invoke the constitutional powers vested in the committee to take appropriate measures, as he decried his failure to appear for previous invitations.

“We also have to protect and defend the country’s finances, especially now that the country is nose-diving into recession. The allegations of terrorism financing, money laundering and tax evasion, amongst others, levelled against Binance are damning enough.

“At this material time, we need all the tax dollars to block the leaks and channels to financing terror.

“It is also our duty to do everything in our power to protect Nigerian investors from predatory firms, and no distraction and manipulation can stop us.

“You cannot run a company with over 10 million Nigerians on your platform without paying tax and having a physical office where Nigerians can lodge their complaints when they experience any challenge with your service. The era of exploitation is over, and all culprits must be held accountable,” he added.

The Development comes amid the continued clampdown on Binance by the Nigerian Government over the Naira crisis.

The government reportedly arrested two executives of Binance last week following its restriction on Nigerian cyberspace.

On Friday, the federal government said it plans to impose a $10 billion fine on Binance.

Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria governor revealed that more than $26 billion was funnelled through the cryptocurrency platform, Binance in the last one year.

Meanwhile, Naira appreciated to N1,548.25 per USD, according to FMDQ data on Friday.

The US Dollar supply turnover at the close of trading at the official foreign exchange market surged to $296.00 million on Friday as Naira appreciated.

FMDQ data showed that FX Turnover increased to $296.00 million on Friday from $217.14 million on Thursday.

This represents a 26 per cent surge in USD supply turnover from $217.1 million recorded on Thursday.

The development had led to a continued Naira appreciation, which stood at N1,548.25 per USD at the close of trading on Friday.

Meanwhile, at the parallel market, the average rate of Naira per USD stood at N1,550 on Friday.

The development comes amid the Central Bank of Nigeria revoking 4,173 Bureau De Change Operators licenses.

The Lagos State Government on Wednesday sealed a Jumia outlet located in Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, over an alleged Illegal discharge of their raw sewage directly into the environment.

Disclosing this in a statement on his official X handle on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Health and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the state Wastewater Management Office under his ministry conducted the exercise.

The statement read, “The Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Wastewater Management Office (LSWMO) @lswmomedia saddled with the responsibility of managing all wastewater activities in the state under the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources @LasgMOE today (Wednesday) sealed the Jumia outlet in Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba for illegal discharge of Sewage into the environment.

“The Jumia facility engaged the use of a submersible pumping machine to pump raw sewage from its sewage holding tanks directly into the environment on adjoining drainage outlets and road setbacks,” he explained.

The commissioner vowed that the owners of the property “will be prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the Lagos State Environmental Management Protection Law, 2017.”

Joseph Kaltungo, an agronomist, has urged the government at all levels to invest massively in agriculture to overcome the economic crisis the country is facing.

Mr Kaltungo stated this in an interview in Gombe on Wednesday.

He said all stakeholders should make conscious efforts to ensure increased agricultural investment to avert a major food crisis in the country.

Mr Kaltungo, the former acting programme manager of the Gombe State Agricultural Development Programme, urged the federal government to devise means of ensuring that state governments go into farming.

“The federal government should find a way of ensuring that state governments invest in farming, especially dry season farming, to cultivate the vast arable land in the country.

“In the old Bauchi state, there were 350 hectares in Garin Tafida, owned by the then state government, which was used to cultivate food for the state. That could be replicated in all the states.

“At least, each state government should cultivate 500 hectares of farmland, especially during the dry season through irrigation, and we will feel the economic impact. The government should focus on agriculture. It is one of the solutions to Nigeria’s present economic quagmire,” he said.

Mr Kaltungo decried the politicisation of the agriculture sector, stressing that such had made it difficult for the country to get good returns from the sector.

He said the Anchor Borrowers Programme of then-President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime was done with political considerations where fake farmers were given funds.

“More than half of ABP money went into private pockets. With the kind of huge investment that we saw with the ABP, if half of the money was given to genuine farmers, we would not be where we find ourselves,” he said.

He also urged the federal government to address the issue of insecurity, invest more in dry-season farming and check the activities of food merchants who smuggle foods out of the country.

He said the above recommendations, if considered, would boost food security and increase the agriculture sector’s contribution to the country’s gross domestic product.

Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, has disclosed that more than $26bn was channelled through a cryptocurrency platform, Binance, in the last four years.

Cardoso disclosed this on Tuesday at a press briefing after the 293rd meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee in Abuja.

The Binance exchange is a leading cryptocurrency exchange founded in 2017.

It features a strong focus on altcoin trading.

Binance offers crypto-to-crypto trading in more than 350 cryptocurrencies and virtual tokens, including bitcoin, ether, litecoin, dogecoin, and its own coin, BNB.

While answering questions from journalists on the recent restriction on Binance and other cryptocurrency platforms, the CBN boss said, “In the last four years, more than $26 billion have been funnelled through Binance without trace.”

He added that the CBN is moving to a very aggressive regulatory environment.

“Tolerance for people who will not abide by the regulations that are coming out is zero.

“People will have to comply with our regulations or face the consequences for not doing so,” he said.

The Naira began to appreciate against the USD amid the restrictions on Binance and other crypto platforms in Nigeria’s cyberspace.

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria may raise the Monetary Policy Rate, otherwise known as the benchmark interest rate at the end of the meeting on Tuesday, according to finance and economic analysts.

The MPC began its two-day meeting on Monday, a few days after the National Assembly screened and okay new members of the MPC.

MPC meeting this week became the first meeting since the new CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, assumed the leadership of the apex bank.

There had been concerns over the failure of the MPC to meet. With rising inflation and the naira experiencing volatility against the United States dollar, there are reports the MPC may raise the benchmark interest rate.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Monday arraigned three men accused of hoarding foreign currencies.

The trio appeared at an Iyaganku Chief Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, Oyo State, for allegedly hoarding foreign currencies and selling the same at exorbitant prices illegally.

The suspects – Thomas Olatokunbo, 62, Dauda Ismail, 32, and Bello Muhammed 29 – all residents of Sabo area, Mokola in Ibadan, are facing a five-count bordering on conspiracy.

They are also accused of unlawfully procuring a licence or certificate for buying and selling of foreign currencies, and disobeying the executive order of the President.

The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The Chief Magistrate, M. Mudasiru, granted the defendants bail in the sum of N1 million each, with two sureties in like sum.

Mr Mudasiru adjourned the matter until June 4, for hearing. According to the Police Prosecutor, Amos Adewale, the defendants, with others now at large, on February 21, at Sabo area, Mokola, Ibadan, allegedly conspired to commit the offences.

Mr Adewale said the trio allegedly obtained registration by false pretence in disobedience to lawful order.

“The defendants, wilfully and unlawfully, procured for themselves registrations, licences or certificates for buying and selling of foreign currencies without lawful authority. Without lawful excuse, Olatokunbo, Ismail and Muhammed allegedly disobeyed the executive order of the President proscribing the buying and selling of foreign currencies. The defendants allegedly conducted themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by hoarding foreign currencies and selling the same at high prices,” the charges further read.

He said the offences contravened sections 203, 249 (d) 422, 425 and 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.

The Naira continued to appreciate against the US Dollar at the foreign market on Monday amid the Central Bank of Nigeria Monetary Policy Committee meeting.

Data from FMDQ showed that the Naira appreciated significantly to N1,582.94 per USD on Monday from N1,665.50 on Friday.

This represents N72.56 or 3.4 per cent appreciation compared to the N1,665.50 recorded at the close of trading on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Naira was exchanged for N1,600 per USD on Monday at the parallel market from an average of N1,500 on Sunday.

Naira recorded a massive gain at the parallel foreign exchange market at the weekend.

The development showed that the gap between the official and unofficial exchange markets is almost closing.

However, the turnover of USD at the FMDQ market stood at $154.16 million on Monday.

The development comes as CBN governor, Olayemi Cardoso and other members of MPC meet in Abuja.

Despite EFCC’s nationwide raid on bureau de change operators and the federal government’s ban on Binance and another cryptocurrency platform in Nigeria, the naira steadied at N1,900 per the U.S. dollar on Friday.

The naira plunged into a swift freefall in the past few days until Nigerian authorities stepped in to halt its dramatic fall. But in the last couple of days the currency steadied at N1,900 to a dollar amid concerns it would crumble to N2,000 per dollar by the weekend.

With EFCC’s nationwide raid on BDC operators and ban on Binance and another cryptocurrency exchange platform, the naira made some gains on Wednesday, trading for N1,600 to a dollar due to panic selling in the market.

But less than 24 hours later, the naira dipped back to N1,900 to a dollar on Thursday.

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency trade platform, confirmed the blockage of its website and other cryptocurrency exchange platforms to Nigerian users.

The blocking of the Binance website by the Nigerian authorities, though not officially announced, was mooted by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday, while many pro-Tinubu X users celebrated the ban, claiming it is already helping the naira recover its lost value.

Though the naira had been on a downward trend against the dollar before Mr Tinubu assumed office last May, the naira’s freefall accelerated following the floating of the currency.

In September, the naira exchanged at N1,000 to one dollar at the parallel market.

This historic dip spotlighted the weakness of Mr Tinubu’s efforts to manage the national currency amid runaway inflation.

In July, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) complained that floating the nation’s currency had caused a drop in vehicle importation in the nation’s ports.

The currency fell to N1,520.123 to a dollar on January 31, according to Naira Rates.

This is against the currency’s depreciation to N1,482.75 per dollar recorded in the official foreign exchange market on January 30, amounting to a N38 depreciation for the naira under 24 hours.

The fall made it the first time after the COVID-19 pandemic that the official exchange rate was higher than the parallel market exchange rate, which traded at N1,470 per dollar from N1,425 on January 29.

The monetary policy of President Bola Tinubu’s government played a huge role in the further downward slide of the naira after he floated the currency.

Mr Tinubu’s petrol subsidy removal and collapsing of multiple foreign exchange windows into the single Importer and Exporter, or I&E window, drastically depreciated the naira’s value by 98 per cent, a report by the Price Water Coopers stated.

The top global business advisory audit firm said in its report ‘Nigeria’s Economic Outlook: Seven Trends That Will Shape Nigerian Economy in 2024’ that Mr Tinubu implemented policies that had the domino effect of devaluing the naira by nearly 100 per cent but appealed to foreign investors as the move was projected to improve the economy in 2024.

On September 26, the naira witnessed an unprecedented historical low, dipping to N1000 against the U.S. dollar. Since then, the currency has lost 17 per cent of its value.

The persistent decline of the naira is a source of concern and a spotlight on the challenges associated with President Bola Tinubu’s fiscal policies.

Despite the far-reaching consequences, including inflation and diminished economic purchasing power, Mr Tinubu has undertaken what his cabinet refers to as strategic moves, such as the petrol subsidy removal, which was met with resistance and scepticism but reflects an attempt to reduce the government’s financial burden and promote a more market-driven economy as well as the decision to adopt a clean float foreign exchange management.

The Federal government has halted cooking gas exportation in a bid to lower the price of the commodity in the country.

Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo, broke the news to reporters at the ‘Internal Stakeholders’ Workshop’ in Abuja.

The theme of the workshop is ‘Harnessing Nigeria’s Proven Gas Reserves for Economic Growth and Development’.

He said the country will no longer, for the time being export Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), commonly referred to as cooking gas, in a bid to alleviate the scarcity and steep price surge within the country.

“We are interacting with critical stakeholders to ensure that there is no exportation of LPG.

“All LPG produced within the country will have to be domesticated. And when this is done, the volume will increase and of course, the price will automatically crash.

“I am in contact with the regulation, NMDPRA, we hold meetings almost on daily basis, and the producers such as Mobil, Chevron, and Shell. So there is that hope that things will turn around. We don’t need to make noise about it,” the minister said.

Multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos has sold another 14 million Amazon shares, worth around $2.4bn (£1.9bn).

The latest sale brings the total number of shares he has sold in the firm over the last nine trading days to about 50 million, with a value of around $8.5bn.

The tech giant had previously said Mr Bezos would sell up to 50 million shares by the end of January 2025.

His sales of Amazon stock comes after they have risen by more than 76% in the past year.

Mr Bezos, who is the firm’s founder and executive chair, had previously last sold Amazon shares in 2021.

He has also given away shares in Amazon as part of his philanthropy, most recently in 2022.

As Mr Bezos moved to Miami in Florida from Seattle in Washington last year, he will save almost $600m in tax on the $8.5bn worth of stock he has sold.

Gains above $250,000 from the sale of shares or other long term investments, are taxed at 7% in Washington state. Florida does not have state taxes on incomes or capital gains.

However, he will still be liable to federal taxes as a result of selling the shares.

When Mr Bezos announced his move to Florida it prompted speculation over whether it was because of a potential tax bill he would have faced in Washington after the state approved a new tax on large stock sales.

Mr Bezos said in November that his parents had recently moved back to Miami where he spent some of his childhood and that he wanted to be close to them and to his Blue Origin space project, which was “increasingly shifting to Cape Canaveral”.

“Lauren and I love Miami,” he wrote on Instagram, referring to his fiancée Lauren Sánchez.

“For all that, I’m planning to return to Miami, leaving the Pacific Northwest,” he added.

Mr Bezos remains Amazon’s biggest shareholder and is one of the richest people in the world, with an estimated fortune of more than $190bn.

World’s biggest cryptocurrency trading platform, Binance, has confirmed collaborating with President Bola Tinubu’s administration to block Nigerians from dollar-naira trade on its platform.

Binance disclosed this in an announcement on its “commitment to P2P users in Nigeria” on Tuesday, warning that “users behaving in a manipulative way will be removed from the platform.”

“As industry leaders,” Binance said, “We are working hand in hand with local authorities, lawmakers, and regulators to ensure we act on non-compliance.’’

The crypto exchange platform further said it is “setting an upper limit for ads, filtering and removing bad ads, requiring and raising deposits for merchants posting ads as well as processes for actioning against any market manipulators.”

On Tuesday, Binance disabled sell option for its Nigerian users, blocking them from selling fiat currency, USDT, on the platform. It also capped the buy option to $1802 for Nigerian users.

It also disabled purchase of cryptocurrencies via P2P for its Nigerian users, leaving those who might want to sell their crypto assets such as Bitcoin, BNB, Ethereum via P2P stuck.

This comes as another desperate move by the Tinubu-led government to stem naira freefall against the dollar. The naira continues to decline even after the Economic Financial Crimes Commission raided perceived currency speculators at a popular Abuja Bureau De Change hub on Monday.

Earlier on Tuesday, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, directed law enforcement agencies to take firm measures against anyone engaged in foreign exchange market speculation.

“In a concerted effort to safeguard Nigeria’s foreign exchange market and combat speculative activities, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Central Bank of Nigeria are joining forces to address challenges impacting the nation’s economic stability,” a statement issued by Mr Ribadu’s office read.

It added, “The CBN’s proactive measures to stabilise the foreign exchange market and stimulate economic activities have been commendable.

However, the effectiveness of these initiatives is being undermined by the activities of speculators, both domestic and international, operating through various channels, thereby exacerbating the depreciation of the Nigerian naira and contributing to inflation and economic instability.”

The naira hit its all time low, trading for N1902 to a dollar on Tuesday before Binance blocked its Nigerian user from selling USDT on the platform.

Mr Tinubu’s government collaborating with Binance to block Nigerians from dollar-naira trading mirrors his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari’s ban on cryptocurrency trading in the country in 2021.

The CBN under Mr Tinubu’s watch in December 2023 lifted the ban on cryptocurrency.

Some Nigerian Binance users have criticised Binance on its latest move, threatening to migrate to other platforms for their dollar-naira trading.

An x user, @MikaelBernard, on Tuesday, dismissed Binance’s decision against Nigerian users as “absolutely ridiculous,” adding that “If this is how they plan to save the naira, I’m sorry but it’s going to fail woefully.”

“You can no longer sell your own tokens for above 1802/$. I don’t know what they aim to achieve, but traders are now on telegram, selling at 1850/$ and above. Binance was only a medium. If you block Binance, people will find new ways,” @MikaelBernard tweeted.

Another X user, MiracleOkeke said, “So, let me understand, you literally decided to put a peg or control a somewhat person to person transaction that should normally be determined by whatever price they wish? As an open market? Jokes on you, we will move to other platforms.”

With “more than half of its adult population” trading cryptocurrency “monthly,” according Binance, Nigeria ranks among countries with the largest population of crypto traders in the world.

Recent restrictions on domiciliary accounts in Nigeria by the Tinubu-led government could have also increased the number of Nigerians using the exchange to save their money or facilitate receipt of funds from abroad.

Lagos, the Federal Capital Territory and Rivers have emerged as states with the highest foreign investments in the fourth quarter of 2023.

The National Bureau of Statistics disclosed this in the latest Nigeria Capital Importation Q4 2023 report.

While the total foreign investment rose by 66.77 percent on a month-to-month basis to $1,060.73, Lagos State received the highest of $771.68 million, accounting for 65.38 percent of total capital importation.

This is followed by Abuja (FCT) with $370.80 million representing, 34.07 percent and Rivers State with US$6.00 million 0.55 per cent.

The three states recorded similar feats in Q3 2023.

The development showed that foreign investors’ confidence was boosted during the review period.

The National Bureau of Statistics says the United Kingdom, Mauritius and the Netherlands had the highest capital investments in Nigeria in the fourth quarter of 2023.

NBS disclosed this in its latest Nigeria Capital Importation in Q4 2023.

According to the report, the United Kingdom, with US$267.24 million, recorded a 24.55 percent share during the reference period.

Mauritius followed the UK with US$226.18 million 20.78 per cent and the Netherlands with US$149.93 million (13.77 per cent).

The development comes as Nigeria’s total foreign investment increased by 66.77 per cent monthly to $1,060.73 in Q4 2023.

Mr Tinubu’s economic policy scrapping fuel subsidy and collapsing multiple foreign exchange windows into the single Importer and Exporter, or I&E window, drastically depreciated the naira’s value by 98 per cent, a report by the Price Water Coopers stated.

The top global business advisory audit firm said in its report ‘Nigeria’s Economic Outlook: Seven Trends That Will Shape Nigerian Economy in 2024’ that Mr Tinubu implemented policies that had the domino effect of devaluing the naira by nearly 100 per cent but appealed to foreign investors as the move was projected to improve the economy in 2024.

On September 26, the naira witnessed an unprecedented historical low, dipping to N1000 against the U.S. dollar. Since then, the currency lost 17 per cent of its value.

The persistent decline of the naira is a source of concern and a spotlight on the challenges associated with President Bola Tinubu’s fiscal policies.

Despite the far-reaching consequences, including inflation and diminished economic purchasing power, Mr Tinubu has undertaken what his cabinet refers to as strategic moves, such as the petrol subsidy removal, which was met with resistance and scepticism but reflects an attempt to reduce the government’s financial burden and promote a more market-driven economy as well as the decision to adopt a clean float foreign exchange management.

Cement buyers in Benue State have decried the sudden increase in the price of the product from N5,500 to N8,000.

They made their feelings known during an interview on Wednesday in Makurdi.

According to James Toryila, the increase in the price of cement is not genuine, stressing that sellers of the product only want to take advantage of the vulnerable economy to make huge profit.

“You cannot tell me that between last week and this week, the cost of producing cement increased to warrant this high price. What is happening to our economy is worrisome. The Nigerian economy has not been this bad,” Mr Toryila said.

Also, Simon Adzende condemned the sharp increase in the price of the product, describing it as shocking.

Mr Adzende said it would discourage low-income earners from embarking on any building project.

He called for the urgent intervention of the government to save the country’s economy from total collapse.

Oche Onah, who said that he bought the product on Monday at the rate of N7,500, expressed shock that cement had gone up to N8,000 on Wednesday.

A cement trader, Ternenge Shima, however, said that the increase was gradual and not sudden as most buyers were claiming.

The Lagos State Government, on Wednesday, flagged off the Lagos Market Trader Money Initiative to give N50,000 cash to each of 15, 000 traders in the state to boost their businesses.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, while unveiling the programme at LTV8, Agidingbi, Ikeja, said the beneficiaries were selected through a methodical process.

The governor said 200 of the beneficiaries were selected from markets in each of the 57 local government areas and local council development areas.

He said 50 beneficiaries were selected by the Iyaloja/Babaloja General in each LGA/LCDA making a total of 14,250 traders.

“750 beneficiaries were identified from markets within the barracks and military formations across the state in collaboration with their respective Iyaloja/Babaloja.

This brings the total number of beneficiaries to 15,000.

“To ensure fairness in the selection process while demonstrating the spirit of Lagos as being home to all, the beneficiaries were drawn from across all the geopolitical zones of the nation with 11,039 from the South-West, 914 from the South-East, 868 from the South-South, 1,710 from North-Central, 373 from the North-West and 107 from the North-East,” Sanwo-Olu said.

He added that 74 per cent of the beneficiaries were women while the remaining 26 per cent were men.

He said 33.7 per cent of them are below 40 years while 66.3 per cent are above 40 years.

The Commissioner for Agriculture, Abisola Olusanya, explained that: “This initiative is part of the government’s efforts towards ensuring sustainable livelihoods and wealth creation for traders across the state.”

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it arrested four suspected internet fraudsters in Maiduguri, Borno State.

This is contained in a statement by the EFCC Head, Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, on Tuesday in Maiduguri.

He said operatives of the commission arrested the suspects at the former Trafalgar Hotel, Bolori area of Maiduguri, following actionable intelligence on their criminal activities.

Mr Oyewale said the operatives recovered four smartphones, three HP laptops and power banks from the suspects.

He said the suspects would soon be charged to court.

The Board of Directors of Access Holdings Plc has appointed Ms Bolaji Agbede as the Acting Group Chief Executive Officer of the company.

The company’s Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi, stated this in a notification to the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) on Tuesday in Lagos.

Mr Ekwochi said the decision followed the demise of the firm’s former Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Herbert Wigwe on Friday.

Mr Wigwe, Group Chief Executive Officer, Access Holdings, his wife, son and Abimbola Ogunbanjo, former Chairman of NGX Group died on Friday in a helicopter crash in Southern California, U.S.

The company’s secretary said that the appointment was subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

He said until Ms Agbede’s appointment, she was the company’s most senior founding Executive Director in charge of Business Support.

According to him, Ms Agbede has nearly three decades of professional experience cutting across banking and business consultancy services.

She commenced her professional career in 1992 at Guaranty Trust Bank and served in various capacities within the commercial banking and operations functions rising to the position of a manager in 2001.

The acting group CEO subsequently served as the chief executive officer of JKS Ltd., a business consulting outfit in 2003.

Ms Agbede joined Access Bank Plc in 2003 as an assistant general manager and was responsible for managing the bank’s portfolio of chemical trading companies.

She served as the bank’s head group human resources between 2010 and 2022 and was appointed the company’s founding executive director, business support in 2022.

Ms Agbede has a track record in successful people integration in business combination and culture transformation.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Lagos in 1990 and a Masters of Business Administration degree from Cranfield University, UK in 2002.

The acting group CEO is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management, UK and the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria.

Ms Agbede has attended several renowned leadership and professional development programmes including the High Performance Leadership Programme organised by IMD and the Strategic Talent Management Programme organised by the London Business School.

Commenting, Chairman, Access Holdings, Abubakar Jimoh, said that the appointment of Mr Agbede was in alignment with the firm’s robust succession planning practices.

Mr Jimoh said, “We are strongly convinced that Agbede, being the company’s most senior executive with exceptionally rich, professional and leadership experience and understanding of the Access culture, will provide the much-needed leadership to steer the company.

This is towards the attainment of our strategic vision of building a globally connected community and ecosystem, inspired by Alice for the world.”