Business
NCS Set To Effect Ban On Codeine
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has said that plans have been finalised to executive the order by the federal government to stop the importation of codeine into the country.
The Assistant Comptroller-General, Area 1, Zone C, Port Harcourt, Umar Sanusi, gave the assurance in a chat with members of Maritime and Energy Media Practioners of Nigeria (MEMPoN) led by its president, Dr Raph John in Port Harcourt, recently.
He said that the NCS would collaborate with sister agencies like National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) in order to effectively carry out the ban.
Sanusi hinted that intelligence would also be used so as to beat the tactics of smugglers.
According to him, such order required a high powered intelligence crew who are determined to make a difference.
He further informed that a check system known as electronic manifest would also be deployed by the command in a bid to do a thorough job.
The customs boss pointed out that at times smugglers stock arms and other banned items into various containers of permitted goods, but have such spotted out through the electronic manifest system.
It would be recalled that the federal government recently announced the ban of codeine due to its negative effect on the people.
The Area 1, Zone C, Custom boss, who tasked MEMPoN members on professionalism, advised them not to shy away from reporting any negative thing about the system, as such has a way of encouraging an organisation.
He said that the NCS is open to all criticisms so as to enable it know when things are being done right or wrong.
Also speaking, the president, MEMPoN, Dr John Raph, said that the group was out to partner NCS and other maritime agencies in plans to bring sanity to the maritime industry.
He lauded the efforts of the Area 1, Zone C leader of NCS, over his determination to rid the system of all hindrances to the smooth operation of the sector.
Cornerstone of Financial Services
A survey of more than 1 000 global finance leaders undertaken by digital payment network Ripple shows that 72% of respondents believe they need to offer a digital asset solution to remain competitive.
According to Ripple, leaders from the banking, fintech, corporate and asset management sector have made it clear that the “digital asset revolution is happening now”.
“Digital assets are quickly becoming a cornerstone of financial services, underpinned by progressive regulation, growing interest from Tier-1 banks, a steady consumer shift from banks to fintech providers, and booming stablecoin adoption,” Ripple says.
The survey was conducted in early 2026 and the findings released in March.
Stablecoin Boon or Bane?
Ripple has experienced significant success in the stablecoin sector since launching its Ripple USD (RLUSD) stablecoin in 2024.
With a market cap of $1.56 billion, it is considered a major regulated player in the market.
No doubt the platform was pleased to learn through its own survey that financial leaders were most bullish about stablecoins.
Roughly three-quarters of respondents believed they could boost cash-flow efficiency and unlock trapped working capital.
Ripple noted that finance leaders were thinking about stablecoins as more than “just a new way to execute payments”; instead, they viewed them as effective tools for treasury management.
In March 2026, Ripple began testing a new trade finance model built around RLUSD in a bid to increase the speed of cross-border payments.
The pilot initiative, developed alongside supply chain finance company Unloq [https://unloq.com], is running on the XRP Ledger inside a testing framework developed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
The Asian city-state is one of the platform’s biggest growth markets.
The idea behind the project is to see whether stablecoin-based settlement can streamline trade finance, too often hampered by reliance on intermediaries and slow reconciliation.
The only potential drawback is that if the initiative takes off, the Ripple to USD price could be negatively affected.
Ripple has always championed its native XRP token as a bridge asset, the “middleman” in the process of a financial institution turning dollars in the US into pounds in the UK, for example.
Ripple converts dollars into XRP and then back into pounds.
If RLUSD can do exactly the same thing, questions will be asked about XRP’s relevance.
That is a bridge Ripple will have to cross if it gets to that point.
Tokenisation Partners
Another interesting finding from Ripple’s survey is that most banks and asset managers are seeking tokenisation partners to help execute their strategies.
Some 89% of respondents said digital asset storage and custody were top priority. “Token servicing/lifecycle management also ranks highly for banks at 82%, while asset managers place greater emphasis on primary distribution at 80%,” Ripple found.
The survey also revealed that just more than half of fintechs and financial institutions want an infrastructure provider that can offer a “one-stop-shop solution”. This rose to 71% among corporate financial leaders.
Ripple attributes this to institutions and firms wanting uncomplicated, cohesive systems.
Infrastructure Rules
In its final analysis, Ripple says companies across the board are looking for partners and solutions that are “secure, compliant, battle-tested and that enable growth and execution”.
“The message is clear: infrastructure decisions made today will shape competitive positioning tomorrow.”
No surprise that this is precisely where Ripple is placing much of its focus.
