President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a six-month ban on the export of raw shea nuts.

Vice President Kashim Shettima, who announced the directive at a multi-stakeholder meeting in Abuja, said the temporary measure, subject to review, aims to boost the shea value chain and generate up to $300 million annually in the short term.

“This is not an anti-trade policy but a pro-value addition policy. The goal is to supply our factories with raw materials, run them at full capacity, and create jobs for our people. Nigeria produces nearly 40% of global shea, yet accounts for only 1% of the $6.5 billion market. That is unacceptable,” he said.

He said the initiative would transform Nigeria into a global supplier of refined shea butter, oil, and derivatives, while driving industrialisation, rural development, gender empowerment, and expanded trade opportunities.

“By 2027, we target a ten-fold increase in earnings,” he added, highlighting agreements with Brazil to fast-track market access for Nigerian shea products within three months.

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari, described the move as long overdue. He disclosed that despite producing 350,000 metric tonnes annually across 30 states, with potential to reach 900,000 tonnes, Nigeria’s processors operate at only 35–50% capacity.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has dismissed allegations by businessman, Abdullahi Bashir Haske, son-in-law to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, that his rights were violated while in the agency’s custody.

Haske had claimed in an interview with The Africa Report that he collapsed during interrogation at the EFCC and was hospitalised. He has since filed a lawsuit against the anti-graft agency over the alleged violation.

Reacting to the report on Tuesday, the EFCC’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, said the commission had not received any court processes regarding Haske’s claims.

“The EFCC has not been served the court proceedings. There is nothing to react on,” Oyewale stated.

He further dismissed Haske’s allegations, saying, “Our facility is one of the best in the world. That is why some even ask the court to remand them in our custody rather than in prisons. His allegations are untenable. EFCC custody is not a death centre.”

The EFCC also accused Haske, founder of AA & R Investment Group, of criminal conspiracy and money laundering.

According to the commission, Haske was declared wanted after breaching the terms of his administrative bail and failing to honour further invitations.

In a notice signed by Oyewale, the EFCC urged anyone with information on Haske’s whereabouts to report to the nearest police station or EFCC office. The notice also listed his last known addresses in Ikoyi and Victoria Island, Lagos.

Haske’s firm, AA & R Investment Group, which has interests in energy, agribusiness, logistics, and ICT, has previously been linked to investigations into alleged multimillion-dollar transfers from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

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The Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau, Braima Camara, was on Tuesday rushed to hospital in neighbouring Senegal after collapsing during an official ceremony.

It was reports that Camara, 57, who was appointed prime minister in early August, slumped while President Umaro Sissoco Embalo was delivering a speech at the presidential palace.

According to eyewitnesses who spoke with AFP on the incident, the prime minister initially stood up before suddenly collapsing, prompting immediate medical intervention.

“At the end of the ceremony, he felt unwell and fainted,” a source close to his office told AFP.

Camara was evacuated aboard a Senegalese army plane and admitted to a hospital in Dakar for urgent treatment, the source added.

Authorities in Guinea-Bissau have yet to issue a formal statement on the prime minister’s health.

However, a member of his entourage assured that Camara’s condition has stabilised.

“The prime minister is out of danger. He received very quick and effective care even before his evacuation,” the source said.

In other news, President Bola Tinubu has ordered a temporary ban on the export of raw shea nuts, with immediate effect.

It was reports that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Vice President Kashim Shettima presided over the implementation meeting with critical stakeholders on the Presidential directive.

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