Politics
Senate Passes Amended Tax Reform Bill After Months of Deadlock
Nigeria's upper chamber passed the long-stalled tax reform legislation Thursday, paving the way for changes that economists say could reshape how businesses are taxed.
InvestigationsBy People's News Editorial Team
How Nigeria's Ports Became a Smugglers' Market: A Six-Month Investigation
A six-month investigation by People's News found that counterfeit goods worth an estimated 180 billion naira entered Nigeria through Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in 2025, aided by compromised customs officials and a paper-based clearance system that has not been modernized in a decade.
Every week, containers arrive at Apapa Port in Lagos carrying goods their documentation does not describe. Cargo manifests list kitchen appliances. Inside the containers: substandard pharmaceuticals, counterfeit electronics, and in at least four cases documented by People's News, unregistered pesticides banned in their countries of origin.
Over six months, People's News reviewed more than 400 pages of customs records, interviewed 17 current and former Nigerian Customs Service officers, and analyzed shipping data from three major freight forwarders. What we found points to a system under sustained, organized pressure.
The Nigeria Customs Service disputes our findings and says its modernization program is on track. We published their response in full.
This is the first installment of a three-part investigation. Parts two and three will be published over the next two weeks.
Continue reading
Business
Naira Gains Ground Against Dollar as Oil Output Climbs
The naira strengthened to 1,540 per dollar on Thursday as Nigeria's oil production hit a six-month high, easing pressure on the central bank's foreign exchange reserves.