Mention northern Nigeria and the first thing that may spring to mind is Boko Haram. Zainab Ashadu is hoping to change that — by selling designer handbags.

Earlier on, this year, we were beating our chest with pride. Our economy had been rebased and Nigeria had become the largest economy in Africa and the twenty-sixth in the world. Our GDP had been racing along at over seven per cent for several years, thanks to the price of crude oil which had been rising steadily since 1997 from $22 per barrel to over $110 for the past two years. There was no reason, or so thought our leaders, to expect there would ever be reversal so soon as to have the nation now wondering what to do and how to budget for 2015.

As controversy continues to trail Nigeria’s economy following the devaluation of the Naira by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), from the official exchange rate of N155 to N168 per dollar, entrepreneurs and investors doing business in the country have been advised to focus more on exploring new investment windows to boost economic growth, rather than causing panic in the system.

In its battle to curb the rising level of commercial piracy of Pay TV channels, the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC) in pursuant to a complaint from MultiChoice, Nigeria’s leading provider of premium pay entertainment, embarked on an audit of the copyright compliance level of 10 commercial viewing centers in Surulere, Lagos State.

As the festive period approaches, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Idiroko Command has rejiged its operations to prevent smuggling of arms and ammunition into the country through the border region. The Command introduced 24 hours border patrol with officers on alert to ensure that offensive items are not smuggled into Nigeria either through the forest or any unapproved route to the detriment of local industries.