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As Putin Visits Tehran, Iran Strengthens Umbilical Cord Into the Heart of Europe

By
Ndubuisi Ekekwe
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2
TEHRAN, IRAN - JULY 19: (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin leaves his presidential plane during the welcoming ceremony at the airport, on July 19, 2022 in Tehran Iran. Russian President Putin and his Turkish counterpart Erdogan arrived in Iran for the summit. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Iran on Tuesday, creating a major dislocation in geopolitics. In this trip, he will meet (or has met) with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei is also included. Simply, Russia and Iran are now one and only one.

“We are strengthening our cooperation on international security issues, making a significant contribution to the settlement of the Syrian conflict, ” Putin said in Tehran. The US dollar is also on the table: ‘He [Khamenei] said Putin had ensured Russia “maintained its independence” from the United States and expressed support for countries to start using their own national currencies when trading goods. “The U.S. dollar should be gradually taken off global trade, and this can be done gradually,” Khamenei said.’

This trip has a huge implication. Though the agenda will be on Syria, the implication is massive for the conflict in Ukraine. Largely, in Europe’s heartland, Iran now has an umbilical cord via Russia. If you are European Union, which one do you prefer? The Russia of old that was closer to Brussels or the emerging Russia with kindreds from Iran and China, in your homeland? A catalytic shift in the world order – and I boldly write that “things have indeed fallen apart”. 

That fall will affect Africa in many ways: for the next ten years, Europe will focus on rebuilding Ukraine and stabilizing it. Typically, after these wars, weapons morph into bad hands, causing problems for neighbours. As they confront those issues, Africa will likely be forgotten. So, if we want to take care of business, the continent needs to #plan now.

Russia’s relationship with Iran has alerted Western officials as he prepares to ramp up ground offensives in eastern Ukraine following his troops’ capture of the Luhansk region.

Recently declassified US intelligence indicates that Iran is expected to supply Russia with “hundreds” of drones — including weapons-capable drones — for use in the war in Ukraine, with Iran preparing to begin training Russian forces on how to operate them as early as late July, according to White House officials.

“Russia turning to Iran for the help speaks volumes about the degree to which both nations, for their actions into different areas of the world, have been increasingly isolated by the international community,” the National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told CNN last week.

Feedback on Social Media Feed

Comment: As you say “Africa will suffer this”, the first scenario that came to mind were the series of tuition free scholarships Africans enjoy every year in UK and European universities.

August 2nd, Chevening will open application, September Commonwealth will commence, DAAD and others will follow suite, I just imagined all these cancelled out for a moment. And this is just education.

My Response: Those scholarships are immaterial for geopolitics. All scholarships Europe gives African students may not exceed $10m in a year. In Ukraine, they could be spending $2 billion per month to keep it running. (Nigeria wastes $10 BILLION yearly on fuel subsidy) Leave the scholarship and focus on important elements.

Amazon Goes After E-Commerce Mongers: 10,000 Facebook Users Face Litigation for Fake Reviews

By
Tiamiyu Ismail
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0

Fictitious product reviews is becoming a wild social menace in the e-commerce ecosystem as unsuspecting brands face serious condemnation on questions of integrity by hundreds of thousands of their customers and clients. Amazon has recently decried the activities of some social media influencers and third party product pushers who are encouraging and making a killing from fictitious reviews of products listed on its platform. The US e-commerce giant also says it has been the target of these mongers for over five years now and it will be taking drastic legal actions against them.

According to a cyber-security news report on the technology express, Amazon has said it would be suing the admins of more than 10,000 Facebook groups, alleging that they encourage fraudulent evaluations of products on its website by offering cash or free goods in return for favourable comments.

The companies are reportedly in charge of posting false reviews on Amazon’s website in the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Japan. Over 43000 people purportedly belonged to only one of these groups, ‘’Amazon Product Reviews’’ the report shows.

It’s reported that although Amazon had earlier issued an official ban on incentivised reviews on its websites in October 2016, four years later in 2020, a Financial Times investigation found that as many as nine out of ten reviewers on its platform in the Uk were engaged in suspicious activity. The company says it has over 12,000 employees worldwide working to prevent fraud and abuse on its platform which includes fake reviews, and it’s reported over 10,000 fake reviews group to facebook owner Meta since 2020.

Amazon declares its position with adopting comprehensive methods including AI, data forensic and the criminal justice system to tackle the problem. The company says it uses a combination of advanced technology, expert investigators and continuous monitoring to detect fake reviews on its service, and over the past years it’s kicked hundreds of sellers off its platform for violating its policies including popular brands like RavPower and Aukey. It also adds it’s proactively stopped over 200 million suspected fake reviews in 2020.

‘’Our team stop million of suspicious reviews before they are ever seen by customers, and this law suit goes a step further to uncover perpetrators operating on social media’’ the Vice President of Amazon’s Selling Partners Services, Dharmesh Mehta reveals. He also says proactive legal action targeting bad actions is one of many ways Amazon protect its customers by holding bad actors accountable.

In Compliance With The New EU Rules, Google Will Allow App Developers Use Rival Payment System, Also Reducing Its Fee

By
Ojukwu Emmanuel
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0

American multinational technology company, Google has disclosed plan to slash its fees to 12% from 15%, and also allow developers of non-gaming apps on the Google play store to provide alternative billing systems as it moves to comply with the new EU Tech rules.

The company through its slash in fee, disclosed that such will only apply to European consumers, while the freedom to use another payment system will eventually be expanded to gaming apps as well.

Recall that earlier this year, European lawmakers agreed on new rules which will curb the dominance of big tech companies. These rules were created by the EU citing the fact that major tech firms have for long used their market dominance to squeeze out competition.

The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), required that tech giants such as Facebook, Apple, and Google will be forced to open their services and platforms to other businesses.

What the EU seeks to achieve is to create a fair market, as big tech platforms have been proven to prevent businesses and consumers from the benefit of competitive digital markets.

Under the proposed Digital Markets Act (DMA), American multinational company that specializes in consumer electronics and software, Apple, will be forced to open up its app store to third-party payment options, instead of users being forced to use Apple’s payment system.

This Digital Market Act (DMA) will force Apple to loosen its grip on the iPhone, where users can be allowed to uninstall the company’s safari web browser as well as other company-imposed apps that users cannot delete.

Google on the other hand will be mandated to offer people who use smartphones that run on the company’s Android operating system, alternatives to its search engine, the Google maps app, or its Chrome browser.

The EU rules will be subtle for this year as their implementation will come into full force next year, requiring tech giants to allow app developers to use rival payment platforms for app sales.

The EU has disclosed that any tech giant that violates this rule, risk fine of 10% of their global turnover. Apple and Google have been disclosed as tech giants that will be the most affected.

Also, there has been strong criticism about fees charged by Apple and Google as critics disclosed that their mobile app stores are needlessly high which costs developers billions of dollars yearly.

Both companies have been described as exercising monopoly power. Despite complying with the EU rules, Google has cited a few challenges concerning the rule.

The company disclosed that while it supports the new rule, they are worried that some of these rules could reduce innovation and the choice available to Europeans.

Although, not everyone is positive that these new EU laws will effectively diminish the dominance of these big tech companies, as critics argue that some of these tech giants will not mind violating these rules because they can easily afford the fines for DMA violations.

Setting up a Courier/Logistics business in Nigeria – Available Licenses, Requirements and; Regulatory Framework

By
Emmanuel Ifeanyi Ogbuka
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0

Modern day commercial activities cannot be complete without solving the timeless problem of LOGISTICS which involves the gap-bridging activity of getting goods from the manufacturer or vendor to the end-user/customer. 

The need for logistics services increased to an even more problematic level during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 that saw international and national commercial activities heavily dependent on physical or in-person contact and interactions grind to a near-halt, especially in places like Lagos in Nigeria with a humongous population of at least 20million people by conservative estimates who have daily personal, utility and business needs from food and medicines to retail and wholesale goods purchases. 

The pandemic also gave rise to a previously overlooked subsector of the Logistics Industry – Courier services heavily dependent on intra-city, inter-city and inter-state speedy deliveries in heavily populated areas with typical traffic problems, creating a demand gap left by the top-level Industry players like DHL which began to be filled by SMEs using smaller delivery platforms like pick-up trucks, tricycles (otherwise called “Keke” in Nigeria) and Motorbikes, some of them operating via Digital business models. 

This led to the agency in charge of regulating this industry, The Nigerian Postal Service(NIPOST), through the  Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, released a set of revised Guidelines known as the Courier & Logistics Services Operations Regulations 2020 to govern the licensing and operation of Courier and Logistics companies in Nigeria. 

As a result, this article aims to let you know:- 

– The legal definitions of Courier and Logistics services in Nigeria under the Regulations; 

– The available categories of licenses under the Regulations and their licensing and renewal requirements; 

– Any further Regulatory Compliance requirements existing under laws other than the regulations and the NIPOST Act. 

What are “Courier” and “Logistics” services under the Regulations? 

The Regulations define Courier services as “Door-to-Door” time- sensitive logistics services which include the delivery of documents, parcels, merchandise and/or cargo with a total weight of not less than 0.5kg and not more than 50kg. 

The Regulations go further to define Logistics as “delivery services which include haulage, conveyance & dispatch/delivery of items or goods weighing not less than 50kg. 

What are the available Licence categories and their licensing application and renewal requirements? 

Under the Regulations, the following license categories are currently available in Nigeria :- 

  1. 1. An International Courier license :- This is for logistics companies that wish to engage in rendering logistics services across International borders.
  1. 2. A National Courier license :- This licence is for companies that wish to carry out logistics services Nationwide.
  1. 3. A Regional Courier license :- This licence is for companies that wish to engage in logistics services within a Geo-Political zone.
  1. 4. State/Special SME license :- This licence category is for companies seeking to render logistics services within a State, city or having not more than 5 motorcycles.

The licensing requirements for the above categories include :- 

– An application from your lawyer to the Postmaster-General of NIPOST; 

– The Certificate of Incorporation and Memorandum/Articles of Association of the applicant company; 

– The Business plan, Company profile and Operations manual of the company (the operations manual in particular must involve consulting a lawyer to advise you fully on the provisions of the Regulations); 

– A Goods-in-Transit policy of the applicant company; 

– A Tax clearance certificate; 

– Evidence/Proof of Share Capital being allotted and subscribed to; 

– A filled application form P306 along with a non-refundable licence application fee of 20,000Naira payable to the Treasury Single Account (TSA); 

– Evidence of storage and warehousing facilities on inspection; 

– Office location details; 

– Evidence of Compliance regarding Expatriate quota Regulations where Non-Nigerians are to be hired by the applicant company; 

– Evidence of payment of licensing fees for a particular category. 

The applicable license and renewal fees for each category are as follows:- 

– International Courier license 

License fee – 20 Million Naira.

Licence renewal fee- 1,875,000.00 Naira. 

– National Courier license 

License fee – 3 Million Naira

Licence renewal fee-625,000.00 Naira 

– Regional Courier license 

Licence fee – 2 Million Naira 

Licence renewal fee- 437,000.00 Naira 

– State/ Special SME license 

Licence fee – 250,000.00 Naira 

Licence renewal fee-100,000.00 Naira 

How long do License applications take to be determined? 

License applications take at least 30 days from the date of receiving the application to be determined. 

For how long are licences under the Regulations valid until renewal? 

Licences granted under the Regulations are valid for 1(One) year and are to be renewed not later than 3months to the expiration date of a license. 

Are there penalties for failing to renew a license? 

Yes there are. A licence renewal default attracts a penalty of 50% of the renewal fee in addition to paying the main renewal fee as well as possible license revocation. 

Can a License application be rejected and if yes, on what grounds? 

Yes, a License application can be rejected on the basis of unsuitability or on grounds of public policy/the public interest. 

What are the complete ethical compliance requirements of the Regulations? 

You will have to consult your lawyer on this as the requirements are quite numerous and need to be explained in-depth. 

What is the name of the actual agency in charge of regulating Courier services in Nigeria? 

The agencies in charge of regulating Courier services in Nigeria are the Nigerian Postal Service and The Federal Ministry of Communications & Digital Economy through the Courier Regulatory Department(CRD). 

Are there further laws and/or regulations that are to be complied with by existing or intending Courier companies at the Federal or State level? 

Yes there are. At the state level especially in Lagos State, there’s a Transport Sector Reform Law (TSRL 2018) that also has to be complied with. 

I would like to brand all my courier vehicles with my company logo and other trademarks as a form of advertisement for my business. Can i do this freely? 

No, you cannot. In states like Lagos branded cars and vehicles along with billboards and public/outdoor advertisement or signage platforms are governed by the Lagos State Structure for Signage & Advertisement Agency (LASAA) which issues permits in response to applications for the purpose of engaging in the activities mentioned above. 

Branding in this case can either be Semi-branding (with just the name, address and phone numbers of the company being displayed) or Full branding (involving the additional display of images representing the company, product, service or any other Trademark. 

It should be noted that for Courier companies an application for a LASAA permit should also be made specifically for a Mobile Advert permit allowing for the use of branding on Courier vehicles for the purpose of advertisement. 

What are the requirements for a LASAA/Mobile Advert Permit? 

The requirements for this type of permit (renewable annually) include the following :- 

– A completed Mobile Advert Form; 

– A photograph of the vehicle and its registration details; 

– A copy of the license of the vehicle; 

– Permit fee payment proof. 

The fees for securing a Mobile advertisement permit are :- 

–Truck/Trailers 

Semi-branding – 9,900.00 Naira

Full branding – 49,900.00 Naira 

– Coaster Buses 

Semi-branding – 9,900.00 Naira

Full branding – 49,900.00 Naira 

– Jeeps 

Semi-branding – 7,900.00 Naira

Full branding – 39,900.00 Naira 

– Cars 

Semi-branding – 3,900.00 Naira

Full branding – 19,900.00 Naira 

– Motorcycles (Okada) 

Semi-branding- 1,900.00 Naira

Full branding – 19,000.00 Naira 

– Tricycles (Keke) 

Semi-branding – 1,900.00 Naira

Full branding – 19,000.00 Naira 

– Bicycles 

Semi-branding – 1,900.00 Naira

Full branding – 19,000.00 Naira 

–Pushcarts (Can apply to Wheelbarrows)

 Semi-branding- 1,900.00 Naira

Full branding – 19,000.00 Naira 

Conclusion :- It can be seen from the above write-up that the Regulatory Framework governing Courier/Logistics services in Nigeria is quite detailed and open to constant evolution, albeit with somewhat strict penalties for default put in place . Going into this lucrative field with the right planning requires that you have the right professional guidance to enable you make better-informed decisions and ensure a better Compliance record from the Pre-licensing stage to the post-licensing, operation and licence renewal stages going forward.

Aviation Workers In Nigeria Stand In Solidarity With ASUU, Vows To Shut Down Operation If Demands Are Unmet

By
Ojukwu Emmanuel
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0

As ASUU strike enters the 155th day over unmet demands from the federal government, the association of Nigeria aviation professionals (ANAP), has declared its intention to stand in solidarity with ASUU by vowing to shut down operations across the country.

The association, infuriated by ASUU’s unmet demand has called on the federal government to do the needful immediately, so that the strike can be called off, otherwise, they will be forced to shut down the aviation sector in solidarity with ASUU.

ANAP added that the continuous stay at home by University students has greatly contributed to the social vices in the country, as these students due to idleness have now engaged in some mischievous activities in the society, capable of destroying their future.

The association further stated that the over four months of unending strike action by ASUU has ridiculed the country’s educational system, making it a laughing stock before the world.

It noted that Education remains the bedrock of any nation aspiring for greatness, noting that ASUU strike will eventually lead to a regrettable situation in the future if not properly handled.

ANAP warned that the future of Education will be bleak as little or no attention was focused on the system, as most of the children of the politicians school abroad.

The union stated that its members will align with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) position in protest against the unfortunate situation in the tertiary education sector.

This incessant strike action by ASUU is not strange at all, as this is always a recurring action across all federal universities in the country. The union continues to embark on strike due to the apparent failure of the federal government to sign a negotiated 2009 agreement it had with the union.

This habitual failure of the government to respect agreement with the union has been the root cause of most of these strike actions. The government has always been in the habit of promising to meet their demands urging them to call off the strike, and when ASUU adheres to their plea, they default in payment of the agreement.

This time around, members of ASUU have had enough of their gimmick, as they would not call off the strike until their demands are met. No doubt, this incessant strike action has greatly contributed to the social vices in the country.

Some University students rather than utilize the strike period to learn a skill to develop themselves, they rather engage in despicable acts like robbery, prostitution, Fraud, Internet scam, and the likes.

It is disheartening that the federal government of Nigeria fails to understand that quality education is one of the most important factors in the development of a country. A close observation of developed countries, one will observe that they place so much value on the educational sector, providing adequate support.

It has been proven that a country’s development is primarily based on its people. However, for the people to play an active role in shaping the country, education is responsible for that.

Therefore, education remains the backbone of any country. If the literacy rate of a country is high, it will lead to a low unemployment rate and greater GDP growth.

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