Starvation looms as baking industry moves to shut down over high cost of production – Newstrends
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Starvation looms as baking industry moves to shut down over high cost of production

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Baking industry producing bread, a major staple food in Nigeria is currently shutting down operation in some parts of starvation looms as baking industry moves to shut down over high cost of productionhe country following the high cost of essential ingredients including flour, sugar and other items.

DAILY POST observed that some bakeries in the Federal Capital Territory had already shut down since May 2021 and resorted to other businesses following constant surge in bags of flour and sugar.

Price of bread in some parts of the country had previously witnessed increments despite decrease in quality and quantity by bakers who complained of running at losses due to the surge in materials.

Our correspondent gathered that a loaf hitherto sold at N400 is currently been marketed between N600 and N700, worsening the hardship imposed on Nigerians following the economic and security crisis bedeviling the entire nation at the moment.

DAILY POST’s finding also reveals that a bag of flour which was sold between N11,000 to N12,000 in January this year, has skyrocketed to N23,000 and above triggering the decision of the bakers to suspend operations pending when normalcy returns.

Similarly, a bag of sugar which was sold at the rate of N13,000 in late 2020 is currently sold for N25,000 and above in many parts of the country.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Chief Executive Officer of a popular bakery in Delta State, Mandela Makinde said he has shut down his company till further notice, stressing that he had been running at a loss for the past seven months.

According to him, the price of flour increases on a weekly basis, stressing that he lost over N300,000 in September while trying to keep the business afloat.

He hinted on alleged moves by some bakery owners in the state to resort to substandard way of producing breads by using harmful ingredients in a bid to continue the business.

According to him, “We have basically ran at a loss for the past 7 months, been keeping it open with personal funds just so my workers would have a job while I thought there would be change, but at this moment we have no other choice than to shut down.

“I am currently at the bakery and nothing is going on. We have suspended all activities here pending when the price of flour reduces.

“The price of flour and other ingredients have consistently continued to rise since the beginning of this year. As a CEO, I don’t have a single flour now because the last time I went to the market, the price they gave me was too high and I couldn’t afford it.

Asked if there is a plan to further increase the price of bread, he said “it is an individual business, so you cannot actually fix the price of bread because it is a competitive market. If your price is higher than every other person’s own, customers will go for the cheaper ones.

Speaking on reasons for the constant increments, the CEO said “since wheat importers started to source their Fx from the black market, the price of flour has continued to rise”.

He called on the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to investigate some bakeries, alleging that some of them use ‘Bromate and Sacarine’, products considered to be harmful to health.

“Many have played with volume in order to keep the price steady, some are beginning to add dangerous items such as ‘Bromate and Sacarine’ to keep their prices low”.

Similarly, Mr Adebayo Ayomide, a bakery owner in Bwari Area Council, FTC Abuja told DAILY POST that he has converted the bakery to a mini poultry due to the constant surge in price of flour.

He said, “Before I shut down the bakery recently, I was already indebted. What I usually do was to go to the market and get the flour from the seller then pay him after selling the bread but unfortunately, I was no longer making even the capital not to talk of profit. I had to stop and look for alternative.

“The country is so hard right now that relatively, nothing is working. Even this poultry, the chicken feed is very expensive and that is why you see that the price of egg is always increasing”.

Speaking with DAILY POST in Abuja, a bread consumer, Miss Jennifer lamented the level of hardship currently bedeviling the masses saying no food is presently affordable to the poor.

“Gone are the days when some food items like garri, bread were seen as poor man’s food. Now, both the rich and the poor are struggling for the items.

“The money is not there, common bread that you can just eat with soft drinks to quench hunger is no longer there, garri is not affordable, rice is never a poor man’s food so what do we do?

“The moment you begin to think that things will get better, you will just hear something worse. How did we get here? And the major problem in this country is that nothing goes up and comes down.

DAILY POST reports that the development may worsen the economy as many employees of the bakeries shutting down across the country would be pushed to the streets as jobless people.

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AKAMARA host retracts “ihram for fetish claims”, says conversations staged

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AKAMARA host retracts “ihram for fetish claims”, says conversations staged

 

… as Muslim scholars warn against anti-Islamic contents

 

* It’s unfortunate, example of disinformation: Media expert

 

A veteran broadcaster and anchor of the controversial radio programme AKAMARA, Mr. Ibrahim Adesola (popularly known as Akamara), has retracted all the allegations made regarding the use of ihram (pilgrims garment) allegedly for rituals or diabolical means, saying that all the purported phone calls during the conversations were STAGED!

 

Akamara made the retractions in a video recorded during an urgent meeting convened by the Wakeelul Muslimeen of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta, Sheikh Iskeel Lawal Sugar, on Saturday, 26th April to address the topic which has sparked uproar among the Nigerian Muslim community.

 

Held in his office, the meeting was attended by stakeholders from Yewa Land, Owode Idiroko as well as journalists and lawyers.

 

Also in attendance was a representative of the President of League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State, The Chief Imam of Owode Yewa, The Ad-hoc Chairman of Ogun State Muslims Pilgrims Board, Sheikh Ishaq Olorungbebe, Sheikh Fasasi Akeukanwo among others.

 

In a statement issued on Sunday, 27th April 2025 by Alhaji Lawal Abu Mordiyah, the Administrative Officer at the Office of Wakeelul Muslimeen of Yorubaland, the scholars warned bloggers like the host of Akamara who are attempting to use Islam or Islamic content to trend on social media for quick money to desist or be ready to face prosecution and risk going to jail.

 

The stakeholders, however, urged Muslims across the world to overlook and forgive the misdemeanor of Mr Ibrahim Adesola and continue to be good Muslims that they are.

 

The Beginning

 

Muslim News Nigeria gathered that a man, who identified himself as Najeem Ajisafe appeared on the radio programme alleging that one Alhaji Lukman Owokomago from Owode Onirin was sponsoring people of the area to Hajj only to collect their Ihram (hajj garment) after returning from hajj, supposedly for ritual.

 

The man, in a recorded viral audio, especially on Tiktok, claimed that when it was the turn of his father, Sulaiman Ajisafe, who went for the 2024 hajj under the sponsorship of Alhaji Owokomago, he decided to buy another cloth to give him instead of the one he allegedly used for hajj.

 

“To my father’s surprise, Alhaji Owokomago was able to tell that it wasn’t the original cloth and insisted that he wanted the original cloth used to perform hajj”, the man narrated the incident to the host of Akamara, promising him to release the suspect’s phone number to hear his own side of the story.

 

Follow-up story

 

In a bid to confirm the authenticity of the claim, the Akamara host brought the accused person Alhaji Owokomago to his programme, allegedly through a phone conversation, who confirmed the story, adding that the demand for Ihram was part of their agreement before the trip and it was his right to collect it.

 

“I have a right to demand the Ihram from them. In fact, it was part of the agreement before I sponsored them for Hajj. ₦10m per person isn’t small money. I sponsored five people. I must collect the Ihram. If I didn’t collect it before the next hajj, one soul will give up for another”, Alhaji Owokomago threatened the host of Akamara during their heated conversation.

 

Investigation leads to the truth

 

The audio clip has since sparked uproar on social media with many Islamophobes attacking Islam and hajj institutions, questioning the intentions of many philanthropists who sponsor underprivileged Nigerians to hajj.

 

But as the news got to the Office of Wakeelul Muslimeen of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta, he invited the host of Akamara to his office on Saturday, 26th April 2025 where it was revealed that the whole episode was STAGED!

 

Mr Adesola fondly called Akamara told the leadership of the community who attended the meeting that the story was a hoax, and a fiction, saying all the people involved in the audio recordings, including Owokomago and Ajisafe with his son, Najeem, do not exist in reality. It was all engineered and stage-managed by the host of Akamara himself.

 

In a recorded video shared on the official social media handle of the Wakeelul Muslimeen of Yorubaland, Edo and Delta, the host of Akamara has been mandated to do a two-minute retraction audio to explain what really happened. He was also mandated to dedicate his next radio programme to admit the story was STAGED, which he agreed to.

 

Despite the widespread backlash, the scholars urged Muslims worldwide to forgive the veteran broadcaster for his actions and continue to practice Islam with integrity and righteousness.

 

It’s unfortunate, example of disinformation: Media expert

 

The controversy surrounding Akamara’s staged broadcast drew sharp criticism from notable Nigerians, including Dr. Jamiu Folarin, a varsity lecturer, journalist and fact-checker.

 

Dr. Folarin described the incident as a prime example of disinformation, calling out content creators who prioritize monetary gain over ethical reporting.

 

“It is one thing to make a mistake, but it is entirely another to deliberately fabricate a story for financial profit,” said Dr. Folarin.

 

“What Ibrahim Adesola did – scripting a live broadcast involving false characters and events – is a high level of unprofessionalism. In a more regulated environment, such broadcasters would likely face severe penalties, including having their licenses revoked.”

 

Dr. Folarin also reiterated the urgent need for better regulation of content creation, especially concerning social media and the growing trend of skits, pranks, and satire that often mislead the public. “We must implement proper training for content creators, label satirical content clearly, and invest in media literacy programmes to prevent the spread of disinformation,” he emphasized.

 

The AKAMARA incident highlights the growing need for ethical conduct in media, especially at a time when misinformation and disinformation can easily spread across platforms.

 

As for Akamara, he has been given a chance to make amends and restore his credibility by publicly admitting his mistake and re-aligning his future broadcasts with the values of truth and responsibility.

 

AKAMARA host retracts “ihram for fetish claims”, says conversations staged

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Police arrest 16-year-old boy with gun in Lagos

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Police arrest 16-year-old boy with gun in Lagos

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 16-year-old boy, Solomon Ibiwoye, after he was found in possession of a firearm in the Ebute-Ero area of the state.

Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, announced the arrest in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, praising alert residents for their role in the incident.

“Kudos to observant Lagosians who noticed 16-year-old Solomon Ibiwoye with a firearm and discreetly alerted Ebute-Ero Police Division,” Hundeyin wrote.

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According to Hundeyin, a subsequent search of the teenager’s home led to the recovery of a locally made firearm and an unexpended cartridge.

“One more firearm off the streets,” he added, assuring that investigations into the case are ongoing.

Hundeyin further emphasized the importance of community vigilance in helping to curb crime, urging residents, “See something, say something!”

While the police spokesperson did not reveal how the teenager came into possession of the weapon or whether he is connected to any criminal gang, he assured the public that a thorough investigation is underway.

 

Police arrest 16-year-old boy with gun in Lagos

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Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

Former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Professor Usman Yusuf, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of weaponising the EFCC to silence him, alleging he was treated like a criminal for criticising the government.

Speaking in an interview with Arise Television on Sunday, Yusuf alleged that his recent detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was part of a deliberate attempt to silence him. “This government deliberately denied me bail to shake me up… all to try and silence me. But I am not someone who can be silenced,” he said.

In February, the EFCC arraigned Yusuf before the Federal Capital Territory High Court on a five-count charge of alleged fraud. He pleaded not guilty.

Recounting the events that led to his detention, Yusuf said EFCC operatives stormed his home on 29 January without presenting an arrest warrant. “They walked into the house and said they wanted to see me, claiming I was expecting them. They only later showed their badges,” he said.

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He described how the operatives prevented him from changing clothes and blocked his wife from providing him with alternative clothing. Yusuf also recounted how, during transport, officers treated him “as if they had captured a notorious criminal like Kachalla Bello Turji,” a notorious bandit leader.

Yusuf spent six days in EFCC custody before his arraignment and was subsequently denied bail, a move he said was unconstitutional. “Bail is a constitutionally guaranteed right for any accused person, except in cases of capital offences or terrorism, and my case was neither,” he said.

The denial of bail forced Yusuf to spend an additional 24 days at Kuje Prison. He characterised his imprisonment as a period of “retreat for rest, prayers, and reflection,” insisting it only strengthened his spirit.

“The whole purpose was for the government of President Bola Tinubu to try to silence any form of dissent,” Yusuf said. “This is coming from a president who himself was once a NADECO activist — someone who fought against the military dictatorship.”

He warned that the current administration is attempting to stifle democratic criticism and create a “one-party dictatorial state.”

Yusuf was appointed executive secretary of the NHIS in 2016 by former President Muhammadu Buhari. He was suspended in 2017 and again in 2018 by the health minister and the NHIS board over allegations of corruption, and was eventually removed from office in 2019.

Tinubu tried to silence me with EFCC – Ex-NHIS boss Yusuf

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