The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has temporarily suspended its recently announced 4% levy on import values, seeking more time for stakeholder consultation.

The suspension, announced Tuesday by Assistant Comptroller Abdullahi Maiwasa, comes just days after the initial February 5 announcement of the Free-on-Board (FOB) value charge. The decision follows discussions with Wale Edun, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

According to Maiwasa, the timing coincides with the expiration of contracts with service providers, including Webb Fontaine, which were previously funded through the 1% Comprehensive Import Supervision Scheme (CISS). "This presents an opportunity to review our revenue framework holistically," he explained.

The new charge structure stems from the Nigeria Customs Service Act (NCSA) 2023, which aims to streamline previous funding arrangements. The Act consolidates funding streams to address operational inefficiencies and modernization needs, establishing a minimum 4% FOB value charge on imports.

Maiwasa highlighted the Act's focus on technological advancement, noting several digital initiatives already underway. These include the recently launched B'Odogwu clearance system, which has improved processing times and transparency. The legislation also authorizes various technological improvements such as:

- Single Window implementation

- Enhanced risk management systems

- Non-intrusive inspection equipment

- Electronic data exchange facilities

The suspension period will allow Customs to refine implementation strategies and engage more thoroughly with stakeholders before proceeding with the new levy structure.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced the elimination of the three free monthly ATM withdrawals that customers previously enjoyed when using other banks' machines. The new policy takes effect March 1, 2025, as outlined in a circular dated February 10, 2025, signed by John S. Onojah, Acting Director of Financial Policy and Regulation Department.

Under the new guidelines, customers will pay fees for every withdrawal at other banks' ATMs. While transactions at your own bank's ATM remain free, withdrawals at other banks will incur the following charges:

- On-site ATMs (within bank premises): N100 per N20,000 withdrawal

- Off-site ATMs (outside bank premises): N100 per N20,000 withdrawal plus N500 surcharge

The CBN mandates that ATM operators must disclose any surcharges to customers before withdrawal. For international ATM transactions, fees will reflect the exact amount charged by international acquirers.

This policy change comes amid shifting trends in Nigerian banking. ATM usage has declined, with active machines dropping 3.82 percent from 17,377 in late 2023 to 16,714 in mid-2024. Meanwhile, Point of Sale (PoS) terminals have seen explosive growth, increasing 127.07 percent to reach 5.56 million terminals by the end of 2024.

The CBN cited rising operational costs and the need to improve ATM efficiency as key factors behind the policy change. The bank expects these new charges to encourage financial institutions to deploy more ATMs and implement appropriate fee structures for their services.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A new report from the Middle East Forum, a U.S. think tank, alleges that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided millions of dollars in funding to organizations with ties to extremist groups.

According to the report published February 4, the think tank's multi-year study identified $164 million in approved grants to what it describes as radical organizations, with at least $122 million allegedly going to groups aligned with designated terrorist organizations and their supporters.

The report specifically highlights several cases, including:

- A reported $900,000 grant to Bayader Association for Environment and Development, a Gaza-based organization that the report claims operates in coordination with Hamas authorities.

- A $12.5 million grant approval to the American Near East Refugee Agency, which the report describes as a "long-standing partner" of Bayader.

- A $125,000 payment that allegedly reached the Islamic Relief Agency (ISRA) in 2015, despite ISRA being designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. Treasury in 2004.

The funds to ISRA were reportedly channeled through World Vision, an evangelical charity working on water access in Sudan. When contacted about the allegations, a World Vision representative stated that they suspended the grant upon learning of ISRA's potential banned status and emphasized their commitment to compliance with U.S. regulations.

Sam Westrop, director of the Middle East Forum's counter-extremism project, Islamist Watch, described the findings as "horrifying" in a social media post highlighting various examples from the report.

USAID, established in 1961 under President Kennedy, operates as an independent agency working closely with the State Department to manage civilian foreign aid. The agency's oversight of grant recipients and vetting procedures are likely to face increased scrutiny following these allegations.

Netanyahu says Israel will end Gaza ceasefire if hostages not returned on Saturday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared on Tuesday the ceasefire in Gaza would end and the military would resume fighting Hamas until it was defeated if the Palestinian militant group did not release hostages by midday Saturday.

Following Netanyahu's ultimatum, Hamas issued a statement renewing its commitment to the ceasefire and accusing Israel of jeopardizing the ceasefire.

The Israeli announcement came after Netanyahu met with several key ministers, including defence, foreign affairs and national security, who he said gave the ultimatum their full support.

After nearly 16 months of war, Hamas has gradually been releasing hostages since the first phase of a ceasefire began on January 19, but on Monday said it would not free any more until further notice over accusations Israel was violating the deal.

"If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon - the ceasefire will end and the IDF (military) will return to intense fighting until Hamas is finally defeated," Netanyahu said.

It was not immediately clear if Netanyahu meant Hamas should release all hostages held in Gaza or just the three who had been expected to be released on Saturday under the ceasefire.

His office did not immediately respond to a Reuters request seeking comment on the prime minister's remarks.

U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Israel, has said that Hamas should release all of the hostages by Saturday.

The prime minister also said he had ordered the military to gather forces inside and around Gaza, with the military announcing shortly after it was deploying additional forces to Israel's south including the mobilization of reservists.

A Hamas official earlier said that Israeli hostages could only be brought home if the ceasefire was respected, dismissing the "language of threats" after Trump said he would "let hell break out" if they were not freed.

"Trump must remember there is an agreement that must be respected by both parties, and this is the only way to bring back the (Israeli) prisoners," senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.

Hamas has said Israel has violated the ceasefire with several deadly shootings as well as by holding up some aid deliveries and impeding the return of Gazans to the strip's north.

Israel denies holding back aid and says it has fired on people who disregarded warnings not to approach Israeli troops.

So far, 16 of 33 hostages have been freed as part of the ceasefire deal's first phase due to last 42 days. Five Thai hostages were also let go in an unscheduled release.

In exchange, Israel has released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, including prisoners serving life sentences for deadly attacks and others detained during the war and held without charge.

An Israeli group representing families of hostages urged Netanyahu to stick to the ceasefire agreement.

"We must not go backwards. We cannot allow the hostages to waste away in captivity," the hostages forum said.

There are 76 hostages still held in Gaza, more than 35 of them believed to be dead, according to Israeli media.

TRUMP'S PLAN FOR GAZA

Gaza, one of the world's most densely populated areas, has been devastated by Israel's military offensive. The enclave is short of food, water and shelter, and in need of billions of dollars in foreign aid.

More than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, the Gaza health ministry says, and nearly all of Gaza's pre-war population of 2.3 million has been internally displaced by the conflict.

Some 1,200 people were killed in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities and about 250 were taken to Gaza as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Trump said last week the U.S. should take over Gaza and move out more than 2 million Palestinian residents so the enclave can be developed into the "Riviera of the Middle East". Netanyahu praised the plan and said on Tuesday the security cabinet endorsed it.

Trump's plan has enraged Palestinians and Arab leaders and upended decades of U.S. policy that endorsed a two-state solution in which Israel and a Palestinian state would coexist.

The forcible displacement of a population under military occupation is a war crime banned by the 1949 Geneva conventions.

Trump restated his position as he met Jordan's King Abdullah on Tuesday at the White House amid widespread opposition to his plan among Washington's Arab allies, including Jordan.

Trump said on Tuesday that he believed there would be a parcel of land in Jordan, Egypt and someplace else where Palestinians can be resettled.

Egypt rejected any proposal to allocate land to Gaza residents, the state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV reported on Tuesday, citing Egyptian sources.

North Korean state media on Wednesday denounced Trump's Gaza proposal and accused Washington of extortion.

"The world is now boiling like a porridge pot over the U.S.' bombshell declaration," KCNA said.

Palestinians fear a repeat of what they call the Nakba, or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were driven out during the 1948 war that accompanied Israel's creation. Israel denies they were forced out.

For Jordan, Trump's talk of resettlement comes dangerously close to its nightmare of a mass expulsion of Palestinians from both Gaza and the West Bank, echoing an idea long promoted by ultra-nationalist Israelis of Jordan becoming an alternative Palestinian home.

Gazans interviewed by Reuters criticised Trump for saying he would be prepared for "hell" to break out if all the Israeli hostages were not released by noon on Saturday.

"Hell worse than what we have already? Hell worse than killing? The destruction, all the practices and human crimes that have occurred in the Gaza Strip have not happened anywhere else in the world," said Jomaa Abu Kosh, a Palestinian from Rafah in southern Gaza, standing beside demolished homes.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia's missile attack on Kyiv kills one, sparks fires, Ukraine says

Russia's early morning missile attack on Kyiv killed at least one civilian and sparked several fires throughout the city, Ukrainian officials said.

"Russia carried out a missile strike on Kyiv and the Kyiv region," Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

"This is how (Vladimir) wants the war to end."

U.S. President Donald Trump, who had vowed to end the conflict in Ukraine, said over the weekend that he has been in contact with Kyiv and Putin and was "making progress" in negotiations to end the war that Russia launched on Ukraine nearly three years ago.

Kyiv's Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram that at least one person was killed as a result of the attack and emergency services were called to at least four districts of the Ukrainian capital.

The military administration said that fires broke out at several residential and non-residential buildings.

Air raid alerts were imposed only at the start of the attack at around 0227 GMT. It was not immediately clear what missiles were used, but the late launch of air raid alerts suggests they were difficult to detect by radar.

Reuters' witnesses reported hearing a series of explosions in what sounded like air defence systems in operation.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Moscow confirms strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure

Russia has carried out a wave of strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure that supports the country’s military-industrial effort, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has confirmed.

In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said that its forces had conducted a “group strike using long-range high-precision land,- air- and sea-based weapons as well as attack drones”on targets in Kiev-controlled territory. According to officials, the strikes were aimed at “gas and energy facilities supporting Ukraine’s defense industry, military airfield infrastructure, and sites for storage and preparation of attack drones.”

“The objectives of the strikes have been achieved,” the statement read.

Ukrainian officials have also confirmed the attacks, acknowledging that temporary localized blackouts had to be imposed to minimize the impact on the power grid. The Energy Ministry clarified, however, that the restrictions would not affect residential consumers, critical infrastructure, or businesses importing more than 60% of their electricity.

Naftogaz, Ukraine’s state-owned gas company, reported damage to production facilities in northern Poltava Region, adding that there were no casualties. Local officials also confirmed that nine settlements in the Mirgorod district were left without gas supply following the strikes.

In Kharkov Region, Russian drones damaged power lines and transformers, leading to localized blackouts, Strana.ua reported, while the local prosecutor’s office confirmed that critical infrastructure, residential buildings, and businesses had sustained damaged, but no injuries occurred.

Moscow has for months launched long-range strikes on Ukrainian military installations and energy infrastructure linked to defense operations, stating that these attacks never target civilians. Meanwhile, Russia has frequently accused Ukraine of conducting strikes on its civilian infrastructure, including residential areas as well as on oil processing plants across the country.

Reuters/RT

Renee Onque

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, there has been a steady increase in the number of healthcare workers quitting their jobs. And though the industry is focused on hiring, the burden on the remaining doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals is still a heavy one.

“We have fewer and fewer people in healthcare. We saw a huge attrition of doctors and nurses post-Covid, and our patients and our community’s getting older,” says Nishit Patel, the vice president and chief medical informatics officer at Tampa General Hospital.

“The math doesn’t work unless you have something that can augment and turbo-charge our physicians or nurses and others to be even more accurate, even more efficient [and] drive costs down.”

Patel and other healthcare professionals believe that aid can come in the form of generative artificial intelligence, AI that turns user inputs into new content. At TGH, generative AI is already supporting nearly 300 physicians and providers, he told CNBC Make It in October.

Here are two uses of AI that physicians say are helping to lighten the load on healthcare workers and patients.

2 uses of AI that help reduce the burden on doctors, nurses and patients

1. To catch cases of sepsis early on

Sepsis is “the body’s extreme response to an infection,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The life-threatening condition is “the number one reason that someone might not come out of a hospital after they’re admitted,” Patel said.

By using generative AI, doctors at TGH have been able to spot early signs of sepsis more quickly, and create a step-by-step process that is easy to track for them to deliver “antibiotics within a certain time, the hanging of fluids, and all these things,” more effectively. It better supports healthcare workers and patients because “if something’s falling out of that one-hour timeline, we have a whole process to manage it,” he says.

Patel and his team have been able to “reduce our mortality rate in sepsis using these generative AI technologies by over 30%,” he told CNBC Make It late last year.

“If we can manage that type of transformation of care delivery, we are going to make healthcare far safer for every one of our patients.”

2. To transcribe patient notes in real time

Using ambient AI, which takes audio recordings and quickly transcribes them then structures the notes, can make charting easier for doctors, Patel said.

The service is basically a scribe that gives doctors the opportunity to “walk out with not a transcript, but an actual thoughtful, structured note shell that then I can tweak and edit around,” immediately after appointments, he said. This gives doctors more time with their patients, and cuts the time they spend charting.

LaTasha Seliby Perkins, a family physician at Georgetown University, was training to use generative AI for support with her charting when she spoke to Make It in October.

She expected some of her patients to be skeptical about the technology.

“I take care of baby boomers and the underserved,” Seliby Perkins said. “There is some mistrust in the medical system, as it should be for a lot of Black and brown patients, right? And so when you introduce something new, you have to definitely be mindful of that.”

Heading into the change, she decided that she would support any patient’s decision to opt out of having their appointments recorded using the service. “It’s okay to say no, that that’s not how you want your medical information managed,” Seliby Perkins said. “Express that.”

AI can be used by doctors ‘even in a fun way’

Dr. Nathaniel DeNicola didn’t use ambient AI in his practice when we spoke to him last year. The board-certified OB-GYN, who runs his own practice in southern California, hadn’t found a generative AI service for transcription that fit what his team was looking for, he said.

But when DeNicola and his wife were expecting their first baby last year, they were struggling to land on the perfect name for their daughter.

“We went through, I mean, hundreds of names through baby books, from social media influencers, from family, friends. We spent a lot of time thinking about it,” he said.

“At a visit with our OB, she was curious what the name was going to be. And she said, ‘Well, let’s see what ChatGPT says about it.’”

Their OB-GYN added parameters into the AI service based on the qualities the couple wanted in a name, and “ChatGPT came up with five names that were all high on our list, and were all pretty close to what we were looking at.”

AI can be used by doctors “even in a fun way,” to connect with patients, DeNicola said.

CNBC

Africa's largest oil refinery is set to achieve full operational capacity within a month, according to senior management. The Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which can process 650,000 barrels of crude oil daily, is currently running at 85% capacity, Head of Refinery Edwin Devakumar announced Monday.

The Lagos-based facility, owned by Nigerian industrialist Aliko Dangote, has gradually ramped up operations since beginning crude processing in January 2023. While initially focusing on diesel, naphtha, and jet fuel production, the refinery expanded to petrol manufacturing in September.

Despite having an agreement with the federal government to purchase crude oil using local currency, the refinery has had to rely on imported crude due to domestic supply constraints. Nevertheless, the facility is actively pursuing market expansion, with Dangote recently revealing successful jet fuel shipments to Saudi Aramco.

The refinery's imminent full-scale operation positions it as a significant competitor to European refineries, though securing adequate local crude supplies remains a challenge. "We are actively exploring all available markets to expand our reach," Devakumar said.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), in collaboration with APM Terminals, has officially launched freight services to transport cargo from Apapa Port in Lagos to the NRC’s Moniya freight yard in Ibadan, Oyo State. The initiative, which began with a flag-off ceremony on Monday in Apapa, Lagos, marks a significant step in improving logistics efficiency and reducing congestion at the Apapa port.

During the event, NRC Managing Director Kayode Opeifa emphasized the corporation’s commitment to strengthening the rail system, stating that no effort would be spared to ensure its success. He highlighted the partnership’s goals, which include increasing rail transport capacity, providing a more sustainable and cost-effective solution for cargo movement, and alleviating pressure on the Apapa port.

The freight service will operate three times weekly—on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays—with each trip capable of carrying 35 wagons. These wagons can accommodate either 35 by 40ft containers, 70 by 20ft containers, or a combination of both. Opeifa noted that the collaboration builds on a long-standing relationship between NRC and APM Terminals, which has previously focused on narrow-gauge rail services to destinations like Kaduna and Kano.

The standard-gauge rail service for container movement between APM Terminals and the Moniya freight yard in Ibadan began in September 2023, with companies such as Bueno Logistics and Transco Africa Logistics among the early adopters. Opeifa also revealed that two additional rail lines within the APMT standard-gauge corridor are nearing completion, which will expand the total number of lines to three, further enhancing operational capacity.

This initiative is expected to significantly improve cargo transportation efficiency, reduce road congestion, and support economic growth by providing a reliable and sustainable rail freight solution.

Trump says ceasefire should be canceled if hostages aren't released by Saturday: 'Let all hell break out'

President Donald Trump said if Hamas does not return all hostages by noon on Saturday, he will call for the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip to be canceled and "let all hell break out." 

Trump made the comments after signing executive orders in the Oval Office Monday evening. 

When asked if he felt the ceasefire deal should be canceled, the president said that is "Israel’s decision." 

"If all the Gaza hostages aren't returned by Saturday at 12 p.m., I would say cancel the ceasefire," Trump said in the Oval Office. "Let all hell break out; Israel can override it." 

Trump stressed that Hamas needs to release "all of them—not in drips and drabs." 

"Saturday at 12pm and after that, I would say, all hell is going to break out," Trump said.  

A Hamas spokesperson said Monday that the terrorist group will delay the next planned release of hostages in the Gaza Strip after accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement.

"Over the past three weeks, the resistance leadership has monitored the enemy's violations and failure to fulfill its obligations under the agreement; including the delay in allowing the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, targeting them with direct shelling and gunfire in various areas across Gaza, and denying relief supplies of all kinds to enter as agreed, while the resistance has implemented all its obligations," Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas’ military wing, said. 

"Therefore, the release of the Zionist prisoners next Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, will be postponed until further notice, and until the occupation commits to and provides compensation for the entitlements of the past weeks retroactively," he said. "We reaffirm our commitment to the terms of the agreement, as long as the occupation remains committed to them."

Israel and Hamas are in the midst of a six-week ceasefire, during which Hamas has committed to releasing 33 hostages captured in its Oct. 7, 2023 attack in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners.

The sides have carried out five swaps since the ceasefire went into effect last month, freeing 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners. The next exchange, scheduled for next Saturday, calls for three more Israeli hostages to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
"Hamas’ announcement to stop the release of Israeli hostages is a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement and the hostage release deal," Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Monday. "I have instructed the [Israeli Defense Forces] IDF to maintain the highest level of readiness for any possible scenario in Gaza and to fortify the defense of Israeli communities. We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7."

Hamas released three gaunt, frail-looking Israeli hostages – civilians Eli Sharabi, 52; Or Levy, 34, and Ohad Ben Ami, 56 – on Saturday after forcing them to speak at a handover ceremony. Israel in turn freed 183 Palestinian prisoners that day. 

On Sunday, Trump commented on the conditions of the released Israeli hostages, saying they "looked like Holocaust survivors" and "like they haven’t had a meal in a month."

"I don’t know how much longer we can take that," Trump said, referring to the treatment of the hostages, adding, "You know, at some point, we’re gonna lose our patience."

Fox News

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia launches drone attacks on Kyiv, Sumy, Ukrainian officials say

Overnight Russian drone attacks sparked a fire in Kyiv and injured a woman and damaged several houses in the northeastern city of Sumy, Ukrainian officials said on Monday.

The Ukrainian military said on Monday that it had shot down 61 out of 83 drones with 22 more likely downed by electronic warfare.

No injuries were reported in the attack that sparked a fire at a non-residential building in Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

But a 38-year-old woman was hospitalised after Russia launched drones at Sumy, which is the administrative centre of the broader Sumy region, Ihor Kalchenko, governor of the region said on Telegram.

Five houses were also damaged, he added.

The photos posted by the emergency services from the site showed cars engulfed in flames next to a high-rise building with damaged windows.

The emergency services said the attack knocked out more than 300 windows and prompted evacuation of 65 residents from the damaged homes. There was no comment from Russia.

Both sides deny targeting civilians in the full-scale invasion Russia launched in February 2022. But thousands of civilians have died in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russian forces pound Ukrainian military airfields over past day — top brass

Russian forces struck Ukrainian military airfields over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday.

"Operational/tactical aircraft, attack unmanned aerial vehicles, missile troops and artillery of the Russian groups of forces struck the infrastructure of military airfields and amassed enemy manpower and equipment in 142 areas," the ministry said in a statement.

Reuters/Tass