Nigeria is struggling to contain rising cases of kidnappings for ransom. Security experts say criminal elements are taking advantage of vacuums created in ungoverned spaces to profit from the kidnappings.
A woman who travelled solo from London to Lagos by road in under three months has been given a hero's welcome in the Nigerian state. The Lagos born, London raised travel influencer - Pelumi Nubi, 29 - began the adventure on January 24 with nothing but her trusted purple Peugeot 107, which she fondly named Lumi. Taking to her Instagram page, she documented the journey which took her across 17 countries including France, Spain, Morocco and Ghana.
Pelumi said she attempted the record-making journey in order to inspire 'solo black female travellers' and show them 'adventures like this are possible'.
Yesterday she arrived in Lagos to a grand homecoming lead by governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who awarded her a brand new house and car on behalf of the state.
In a video posted to her page, the content creator was close to tears as the governor presented her with a brand new ride.
In the same post, she informed fans that her efforts had been crowned with a tourism ambassador role, while the state has also offered to reimburse her travel costs.
She wrote: 'This is getting too much! Lagos my city. Lord how did we get here? Thank You Jesus. Meet the newest brand ambassador of tourism in Lagos state.
'Grateful to His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State Jide Sanwoolu, for the warm reception, generous gift of all expenses on my London to Lagos trip paid for, new car with my customised plate number, a beautiful home in Lagos!
'Truly, God’s blessings overflow! Congratulations to us guys!!!! Lumi now has a sister'.
Before embarking on the months-long journey to Nigeria's largest city Pelumi revealed that she had dyslexia, and that she was determined to see the trip through without having to rely on anyone.
Calling it a 'crazy idea', she shared her excitement at attempting the feat and hoped to show others that 'impossible is just a word'.
She wrote: 'For months, I’ve been chatting with folks who’ve tackled similar adventures. As far as I know, no black woman has made this journey before. But hey, this isn’t about breaking records.
'It’s about showing the world that “impossible” is just a word, especially when you’ve got enough grit and determination. I can’t fully describe my emotions right now but I am just so excited to finally put it out there - no matter the outcome!
Pelumi - who kitted her tiny Peugeot with a sleeping and kitchen space for the trip - has been brimming with emotion since beginning the voyage.
Speaking to CNN Travel shortly afterwards, she said: 'When I crossed into Morocco, I literally broke down crying. And it wasn’t sadness.
'It was just this overwhelming feeling of [realizing] wow, I overcomplicated this process in my head. I really thought it would be more difficult than it was. And it made me wonder what else in my life I was overthinking'.
Pelumi's trip was also spiked with adversity, including multiple breakdowns and a frightening car crash.
On March 26, the travel blogger took to her page to share the aftermath of what appeared to be a front-on collision.
Her beloved Lumi received massive damage to its front side while Pelumi filmed herself laying inside an ambulance and in a hospital bed receiving treatment.
She later explained that the crash occurred in Ivory Coast after a driver allegedly parked his truck in the middle of a highway.
Speaking on the crash she said: 'I am deeply thankful to be alive! This kind [of] incident comes with a deeper appreciation life.
'It also brought me a lot of joy that Lumi is getting fix[ed]. Thank you all once again for your kind wishes'.
Fans learned that she was forced to take time out to 'mend' before resuming the trip, inevitably delaying its completion date.
On another occasion and enroute to her second to last country, Pelumi's car broke down.
In the video, the purple car can be seen still in the middle of a busy major road before a few locals step in to help the influencer move the car.
'This is mad she just stopped working' she said. 'I'm not going to lie this is really stressful'.
She accompanied the post with an uplifting message to herself: 'One minute I am 30 mins away from crossing the borders into my second to final country, and the next, it feels like it might never happen.
'But as usual, giving up is never an option. We must keep pushing through for when we get knocked down 7 times, we rise the 8th'.
Also at the finish line were her parents, who she said were at first were reluctant to let their daughter explore the globe by road.
However she thanked them for their unwavering support. She gushed: 'Daddy! Mummy! I did it!!!! I solo drove from London to Lagos.
'I’ll never forget the look on mummy’s face when I first shared my crazy idea with her a year ago. Oh, the typical African mother reaction!
'Thank you, Lord, for blessing me with the most supportive parents and family. Your approval and encouragement meant everything to me, and I’m forever grateful.
'I’m proud to be your daughter, and I promise to keep making you proud. I love you both so much'.
Upon completing her journey across the continents, she wrote: 'It’s a wrap, everyone! We made it! London to Lagos is officially completed. I had a fantastic night’s sleep, no exaggeration.
'Huge thanks to everyone who came out yesterday. I genuinely appreciate your support and don’t take any of it for granted. Thank you, Lagos. Thank you, Nigeria!'
Nigeria's health regulator is recalling a batch of Johnson & Johnson children's cough syrup after finding an unacceptably high level of a potentially fatal toxic substance, it said on Wednesday.
Laboratory tests on Benylin Paediatric showed a high level of diethylene glycol, which has been linked to the deaths of dozens of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan and Cameroon since 2022 in one of the world's worst waves of poisoning from oral medication.
The syrup is used to treat cough and congestion-related symptoms, hay fever and other allergic reactions in children aged two to 12, Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control said in a notice on its website.
"Laboratory analysis conducted on the product showed that it contains an unacceptable high level of Diethylene glycol and was found to cause acute oral toxicity in laboratory animals," NAFDAC said.
Human consumption of the substance could cause symptoms like abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, headaches and acute kidney injury that may result in death, the regulator added.
J&J referred a request for comment to Kenvue, which now owns the Benylin brand after a spin-off last year. Kenvue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The batch being recalled was made in South Africa in May 2021 with an expiration date of April 2024. The regulator urged those with bottles from the batch to discontinue use or sale and submit them to its nearest office.
A sudden hike in electricity rates in Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, has sparked a backlash.
Until now, Jude Okafor has spent an average $25 on electricity to run a frozen fish and meat business that he started in 2021. But since last week, when the government announced a rate hike of nearly 300 percent for electricity, Okafor says running his business has been tough.
"There is no escape. Light has gone high, fuel has gone high. And for a businessman, there's no way we can cope with that,” Okafor said. “If there's no light or fuel to ice our fish, what are we going to do? Our business is running down. This is [a] first-class act of wickedness."
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced the price change last Wednesday and said only its bigger power consumers, about 15 percent overall, would be affected by the subsidy cut.
Authorities said consumers in that category enjoy up to 20 hours of electricity a day and that the rate hike was only fair to customers who receive fewer hours of light.
The decision to remove electricity subsidies is part of President Bola Tinubu's reform drives to ease pressure on the economy.
Authorities argue that state-controlled electricity rates are too low to attract new investors or allow distribution firms to recover their costs, leaving the sector with huge debts.
Economic analyst Ogho Okiti says the government’s move is a good one.
"The government is not able to pay those subsidies on time, and because they're not able to [pay] them on time, gas companies are withdrawing their gas supplies,” Okiti said. “The timing is right. I think the government had waited till April to do this because they expect power supply to improve from now because of [the] rainy season."
But the decision is being criticized by many, including businesses, manufacturers and workers' unions.
This week, the Abuja chapter of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture, or NACCIMA, said the decision would threaten the survival of many thousands of businesses already struggling to cope with soaring inflation.
"First of all, the timing is wrong,” said Dele Oye, national president of the NACCIMA. “We all know that electricity is underpriced, but to some extent, there must be some level of subsidy. There's nowhere in the world where there's no subsidy. We cannot compete if we have to pay everything at market value when we don’t see market value service from the government. We do our roads. We do our security as investors."
Nigeria last revised electricity rates four years ago. Authorities say the country could save up to $2.6 billion from the subsidy removal.
But a similar reform applied on petrol last year worsened a cost-of-living crisis for many Nigerians after the annual rate of inflation rose to more than 30 percent — its highest level in three decades.
Critics will be watching to see how this newest subsidy removal unfolds.
In a bid to alleviate the country's over-dependence on imports, which has contributed to the devaluation of the Naira against the U.S. dollar, the Nigerian government is championing the consumption of domestically produced goods. However, this initiative faces challenges, with the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria citing the closure of over 700 companies and distress among 300 others due to various hurdles.
