Economy
Dangote Flour Board Postpones 2019 AGM
By Dipo Olowookere
The board of Dangote Flour Mills Plc has announced the postponement of the company’s 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) earlier slated for this month.
In a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) the flour miller said though it has no specific date this gathering of shareholders would take place, it was optimistic it should occur before December 21, 2019.
Explaining the rationale behind the cancellation of the AGM, the board said it was because of the Court-Ordered Meeting (COM) scheduled to hold on October 14, 2019 in Lagos.
“Based on the forthcoming Court Ordered Meeting, the board is of the opinion that it will not be practical nor effective to convene an AGM shortly before the Court Ordered Meeting and has therefore, sought and obtained the approval of the Corporate Affairs Commission to hold the AGM no later than December 21, 2019,’ the board explained.
“In view of the fact that the outcome of the Court Ordered Meeting is unknown, the board is unable to propose a specific date for the AGM at this time,” it added.
Dangote Flour is planning to get approval of shareholders to sell the entire issued shares of the company not currently held by Olam through its subsidiary, Crown Flour Mills Limited, by way of a scheme of arrangement.
Business Post reports that on Monday, August 5, 2019, the board of Dangote Flour said in a notice to the NSE that it has received a revised offer from Crown Flour with a final consideration of N120 billion for the acquisition of the company’s 5 billion shares at the rate of N24 each. It explained that the lowering of the valuation followed some adjustments.
It was stated that shareholders of Dangote Flour, excluding Crown Flour, would be paid this amount in accordance with the terms of the scheme document to be considered and approved by the shareholders at a court ordered meeting to be convened for that purpose.
At next Monday’s COM, shareholders would be expected to confirm that, “The Scheme of Arrangement as contained in the Scheme Document dated Thursday, 29 August, 2019, with or subject to such modification, addition or condition agreed at the Meeting and/or approved or imposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or the Court, a print of which has been submitted at the Meeting and, for purposes of identification, endorsed by the Chairman, be and is hereby approved;
“That as consideration for the transfer of the Scheme Shares, each holder of the Scheme Shares shall receive N24.00 per share;
“That as a result of the Scheme, the legal and beneficial ownership of 100% of the shareholding of the Company, (not currently held by Crown Flour Mills Limited or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates), be transferred to Crown Flour Mills Limited and any other nominees of Crown Flour Mills Limited;
“That the Board of Directors of the Company be and are hereby authorised to take all actions deemed necessary to give effect to the aforementioned resolutions of the Company or as may become necessary to put the Scheme of Arrangement into effect and to consent to any modification of the Scheme that the Court or the relevant regulatory authorities shall deem fit to impose or approve.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Debt Management Office (DMO) on Monday allotted bonds worth N929.3 billion to investors from the N1.7 trillion bids it received from subscribers.
The exercise, which took place on Monday, July 20, 2026, was oversubscribed by market participants, reflecting the confidence investors have in the government’s ability to redeem the debt instrument on maturity.
On offer for sale for the July auction was N1.2 trillion worth of the FGN bonds, but the DMO allotted below this, despite receiving bids above the offer.
The papers were offered in 10-year, 15-year, and 20-year tenors, at N400 billion each.
For the decade-old note, investors staked N444.47 billion, but the debt office sold N245.73 billion at an 18.34 per cent coupon rate. For the one and a half-decade-old paper, bids valued at N518.00 billion were received by the DMO, with a non-competitive bid of N50.00 billion, with N302.13 billion allotted to investors at 18.40 per cent, and for the two-decade paper, the DMO got competitive bids of N665.19 billion and N381.46 billion was sold to bondholders at 18.35 per cent.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, disclosed that Nigeria’s external reserves had risen to $52.5 billion, enough to finance about nine months of imports.
He disclosed this on Tuesday at the end of the 306th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held in Abuja, where the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) retained the benchmark interest rate at 26.50 per cent as well as the standing facilities corridor at +50/-450 basis points around the MPR.
Similarly, the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) was maintained at 45 per cent for Deposit Money Banks, 16 per cent for Merchant Banks, and 75 per cent for non-Treasury Single Account (TSA) public sector deposits.
Speaking on FX developments, the central banker said at the $52 billion level, the country’s external reserves were significantly above the internationally recommended threshold of three months of import cover.
On the Naira exchange rate, Mr Cardoso said the foreign exchange market had deepened and was now operating on a transparent willing-buyer, willing-seller basis.
He said the apex bank remained committed to maintaining a liquid and functional foreign exchange market, adding that daily market turnover sometimes exceeded $1 billion.
According to him, the long-term stability of the naira would depend on key economic fundamentals, including increased oil exports, foreign direct investment, and improved domestic productivity to reduce dependence on imports.
He also added that the MPC welcomed the federal government’s renewed commitment to stronger policy coordination, particularly collaboration between fiscal and monetary authorities, which he said had helped reduce the impact of the Middle East crisis on the Nigerian economy.
Mr Cardoso said members of the committee also commended efforts to improve crude oil production and urged relevant agencies to intensify reforms in other sectors, including solid minerals, to boost government revenue.
On the regulatory forbearance granted to banks during the COVID-19 period, he reiterated that this had been discontinued because it had served its purpose.
According to him, the policy had “outlived its time” and was no longer necessary in assessing the health of the banking sector.
“Forbearance, we felt, had outlived its time. Many of you will recall this is something that came as a result of COVID. And now we are in 2026; we did not see the reason why that should continue to form part of the analysis of the banking system,” he said.
Mr Cardoso explained that banks had begun recalibrating their portfolios following the end of the policy, leading to a temporary reduction in outstanding risk assets.
He, however, assured that the development was part of a transition towards a stronger and more sustainable credit environment.
“It reflects a transition to a more sustainable and better quality credit environment, which is what we all want. We don’t want unanticipated shocks that come in a boom-and-bust fashion,” he said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended its recent positive run by 1.17 per cent on Tuesday, July 21, triggered by appreciation seen in four bellwethers.
Leading the pack was FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, which added N12.00 to its value to close at N153.15 per share compared with the previous day’s N141.15 per share. NASD Plc appreciated by N1.90 to N36.00 per unit from N34.10 per unit, Food Concepts Plc improved by 23 Kobo to N2.48 per share from N2.25 per share, and Afriland Properties Plc grew by a marginal 1 Kobo to N15.01 per unit from N15.00 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation of the bourse increased by N30.40 billion to N2.637 trillion from Monday’s N2.606 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) gained 50.70 points to finish at 4,393.97 points, in contrast to the 4,343.27 points it ended a day earlier.
The unlisted securities exchange recorded a price loser yesterday, and it was Geo-Fluids Plc, which shed 1 Kobo to settle at N2.30 per share versus N2.31 per share.
During the trading day, the volume of securities traded by market participants on Tuesday dropped 99.4 per cent to 322,147 units from the previous day’s 52.6 million units, the value of securities dipped by 89.8 per cent to N19.4 million from the preceding session’s N191.2 million, and the number of deals contracted by 3.6 per cent to 27 deals from 28 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc ended the day as the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units traded for N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units transacted for N6.5 billion, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc with 75.4 million units exchanged for N5.3 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million.
