President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Thursday, August 14, for a two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil.

A statement by the presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga stated that the President will stop over in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, before proceeding to Japan.

According to the statement, in Japan, President Tinubu will attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in the City of Yokohama from August 20 to 22.

With the theme “Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa,” TICAD9 will focus on Africa’s economic transformation and improvements in the business environment and institutions through private investment and innovation.

In addition to attending plenary sessions on themes linked to the conference, the Nigerian President will hold bilateral meetings and meet the chief executive officers of some Japanese companies with investments in Nigeria.

Initiated in 1993 by the Japanese government and co-hosted by the United Nations, UNDP, the African Union Commission, and the World Bank, TICAD is a triennial conference held alternately in Japan and Africa. The last one took place in August 2022 in Tunisia.

The forum fosters high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners.

At the end of the TICAD9, President Tinubu will leave for Brasilia, the capital of the Federative Republic of Brazil, on a two-day state visit from Sunday, August 24, to Monday, August 25.

This follows an invitation by the Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

While in Brazil, President Tinubu will hold a bilateral meeting with his host and attend a business forum with Brazilian investors.

His delegation—comprising key ministers and senior officials — will explore opportunities to strengthen cooperation and sign agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Brazilian government.

From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Two persons, a tricycle driver and his passenger (woman) were killed in a fatal road accident, along the Glory Drive roundabout, Etegwe, Yenagoa in Bayelsa State.

The multiple road crash, involving a Mack truck, a Silver colour salon car and a commercial tricycle popularly known as Keke Napep, which occurred Wednesday around 2.

According to eyewitnesses, the truck was at high speed when the driver lost control and rammed into the tricycle causing multiple crashes.

“The driver was moving too fast, and by the time he tried to swerve, it was already too late. The Keke had no chance,” said a trader, who witnessed the crash.

“The Keke driver and his passenger died on the spot, while others in the saloon car sustained injuries.

“The violent impact left the tricycle badly mangled. Good Samaritans rushed to the scene, pulling survivors from the wreckage and transporting the injured to the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa.

The bodies of the deceased were later evacuated and deposited at the morgue of the FMC while the truck driver is in police custody.

A Senior Officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Bayelsa, who spoke anonymously confirmed the accident.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said it arrested 40,887 drug offenders, including 45 barons, and seized over 5.5 million kilograms of illicit substances in two years.

NDLEA Chairman, retired Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, disclosed this in his welcome address during the inauguration of 48 new vehicles for strategic commands and formations on Wednesday in Abuja.

He said that in two years of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the NDLEA had recorded remarkable successes across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

 “We have arrested 40,887 drug offenders, including 45 barons, leading to the seizure of more than 5.5 million kilogrammes of assorted illicit substances.

“These were recovered from our streets, communities, warehouses, border routes, and ports nationwide, with 704.445 hectares of cannabis farms, hidden deep in forests, destroyed,” Marwa said.

He said the agency secured the conviction of 8,682 traffickers and kingpins, with assets forfeited to the Federal Government, sending a clear message that drug crimes attract legal consequences.

Marwa said 24,173 drug users had been treated and rehabilitated in 30 rehabilitation centres located across the country within the same period.

He added that 8,698 War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) sensitisation activities were held in schools, worship centres, workplaces, motor parks, and communities to prevent substance abuse.

“These clearly created a fair balance between our drug supply reduction and drug demand reduction efforts,” he stated.

Marwa said the agency’s achievements reflected both the resilience of its personnel and its growing operational capacity nationwide.

He noted that the fight against illicit drugs was far from over, with the illicit drug economy exploiting vulnerable youths, porous borders, and sometimes complicit actors.

“To remain effective, our response must evolve with sharper intelligence, stronger community engagement, and improved mobility and logistics,” he said.

Marwa stressed that tackling substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking was crucial to national security, as they fuel several violent crimes in the country.

 “The link is undeniable: kidnapping, armed robbery, insurgency, and cult violence are all fuelled by illicit substances.

 “Drug trafficking emboldens perpetrators, strips moral restraint, and replaces hope with recklessness,” he said.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, commended President Tinubu for enabling NDLEA’s recorded successes under Marwa’s leadership in the last two years.

He noted the close connection between drug trafficking and other crimes, adding that illicit drugs embolden criminals, who appear ordinary once the influence wears off.

“That is why attention ought to be given to this fight. When I follow NDLEA activities, I am always very pleased,” Fagbemi said.

Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, lauded NDLEA’s courage, professionalism, and resilience in tackling threats posed by drugs in challenging conditions.

Musa said the new operational vehicles would significantly enhance the agency’s capacity and effectiveness in the fight against drug trafficking and substance abuse nationwide.

Director-General of the Bureau of Public Procurement, Dr Adebowale Adedokun, congratulated President Tinubu for appointing competent leaders like Marwa to key national agencies.

Adedokun said the vehicles were procured through due process and met the required standards, commending NDLEA as a model for other government agencies.

No fewer than 15 newly promoted Commanders of Narcotics were decorated with their new rank of Assistant Commander General.