Economy
Nigerian Stocks Recover 1.63% After CBN Forbearance Scare
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited regained 1.63 per cent on Wednesday as banks began to update the investing community on their plans to exit the forbearance regime of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
A few days ago, the banking sector regulator suspended the payment of dividend to shareholders, issuance of bonuses to directors and investment in foreign subsidiaries until affected financial institutions cleaned up their balance sheet.
The prospect of not receiving dividends triggered sell-offs in banking equities and other Nigerian stocks on Monday and Tuesday, but after banks began to assure shareholders of exiting the regime this year, tension started to calm.
Business Post observed that apart from the consumer goods index, which depreciated by 0.16 per cent, every other sector closed higher at midweek.
The energy space grew by 7.49 per cent, the commodity counter appreciated by 5.63 per cent, the banking sector rose by 3.25 per cent, the insurance industry went up by 2.02 per cent, and the industrial goods space improved by 0.09 per cent.
As a result, the All-Share Index (ASI) gained 1,876.71 points to settle at 116,786.87 points compared with Tuesday’s 114,910.16 points and the market capitalisation soared by N1.184 trillion to N73.681 trillion from N72.497 trillion.
A total of 640.1 million shares valued at N26.0 billion exchanged hands in 19,727 deals during the session versus the 721.8 million shares worth N22.0 billion transacted in 22,100 deals a day earlier, indicating a decline in the trading volume and number of deals by 11.32 per cent and 10.74 per cent, respectively, and a rise in the trading value by 18.18 per cent.
Zenith Bank topped the activity chart on Wednesday with 149.9 million stocks sold for N7.2 billion, Access Holdings traded 48.6 million equities worth N1.0 billion, UBA transacted 43.0 million shares valued at N1.5 billion, Nigerian Breweries exchanged 37.7 million stocks for N2.2 billion, and Fidelity Bank traded 30.8 million equities worth N568.5 million.
The biggest price gainer for the day was NEM Insurance with a 10.00 per cent growth to sell for N16.50, Beta Glass firmed up by 9.99 per cent to N250.95, Seplat Energy appreciated by 9.78 per cent to N5,450.00, Thomas Wyatt grew by 9.73 per cent to N2.03, and Linkage Assurance increased by 9.56 per cent to N1.49.
Eterna suffered the heaviest loss after it crumbled by 10.00 per cent to N38.70, Secure Electronic Technology dropped 9.68 per cent to trade at 56 Kobo, Legend Internet lost 9.66 per cent to quote at N6.55, FTN Cocoa declined by 6.07 per cent to N2.63, and Guinea Insurance slipped by 5.00 per cent to 76 Kobo.
At the close of transactions, Customs Street recorded 38 price gainers and 30 price losers, implying a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The board of Geregu Power Plc has acknowledged the concerns raised by shareholders, stakeholders, as well as regulators over the inability of the company to pay bondholders for their investment in its N40 billion bond sale.
There were reports that the power-generating organisation defaulted in repaying investors who bought its debt instrument.
In 2022, the company issued a seven-year paper to investors at a coupon of 14.5 per cent to be paid semi-annually. The note is expected to mature in July 2029. But data from the FMDQ Securities Exchange showed that there have been defaults in the 8th coupon payment and the 4th bullet principal repayment.
Reacting to the issue on Thursday, Geregu said it is actively having talks with advisers and others on ways to iron things out.
“Geregu remains actively engaged with relevant stakeholders and advisers regarding the resolution of the various challenges and is committed to achieving an orderly and mutually beneficial outcome.
“Discussions and engagements are ongoing, and the Company will continue to act in good faith in fulfilling its responsibilities,” part of the statement signed by its scribe, The Structure HQ, stated.
The firm explained that since assuming responsibility for its affairs, the current board and management have undertaken a comprehensive review and reconciliation of its transactions, liabilities, operational commitments, financing arrangements, financial obligations and related corporate documentation.
It stressed that this action was to ensure transparency, accuracy and prudent financial management, adding that it remains committed to transparency, responsible corporate governance and constructive engagement with all stakeholders.
The majority stake of Geregu Power was controlled by Mr Femi Otedola. He divested his stake in the energy firm in 2025, with the sale of 95 per cent of his shares in Amperion to MA”AM Energy.
Earlier in 2023, he sold N399 million shares of Geregu to another investor. Before then, he sold his stake in Forte Oil to invest in Geregu Power, which now has the former Governor of Zamfara State, Mr Abdulaziz Yari, as its chairman.
By Adedapo Adesanya
A former Commissioner for Insurance of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Mr Mohamed Kari, has warned the federal government to reduce its intervention in the sector’s post-recapitalisation process.
He charged the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, to ignore calls for regulatory concessions in the just-concluded insurance industry recapitalisation exercise in the country.
The call, he said, was critical, especially when the companies clamouring for such concessions were chronic defaulters whose failure or strict regulatory discipline poses absolutely zero systemic risk to the Nigerian financial system or the broader economy.
Recall that NAICOM had requested insurance companies, as part of the recapitalisation process, to transfer their entire recapitalisation funds into an escrow account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). However, NICON Insurance and Nigeria Re, in a recent petition, had petitioned NAICOM over what they described as unlawful fees and regulatory demands arising from the implementation of the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
Mr Kari, who was also a former chief executive of NICON Insurance and Nigeria Re, said it was globally accepted that a government may occasionally intervene to rescue or support a consequential player in the financial sector, strictly where its distress poses a genuine ‘too big to fail’ systemic risk whose collapse would trigger a wider economic catastrophe.
“However, one must examine the reality of the two institutions in question today. These are no longer the market giants they once were decades ago,” he said.
He warned that having suffered years of steep decline, loss of market share, and severe operational shrinkage, their current market footprint is virtually insignificant.
“Their failure or strict regulatory discipline poses absolutely zero systemic risk to the Nigerian financial system or the broader economy. Why then should government intervene to shield operators whose distress carries no systemic consequence whatsoever?
“Rescuing or granting regulatory concessions to insignificant, chronic defaulters cannot be justified under any sound macroeconomic policy,” he added.
“When political intervention steps in to shield such non-systemic entities from standard regulatory checks, the equilibrium of the market breaks down as it creates unfair advantage.
“Operators that meet compliance targets carry the full cost of regulatory fidelity, while non-compliant firms that secure political exemptions operate with an artificial cost advantage.
“It disincentivises real capacity building: When political lobbying becomes an alternative to recapitalisation, companies are discouraged from making the hard structural choices necessary to refine their balance sheets and operations.”
He noted that if such a concession is granted to both insurance industry players in the defunct, it “distorts investor confidence: Both domestic and international investors look for predictable, transparent environments. A playing field where rules can be bent for select players frightens away patient capital. It weakens policyholder protection.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
Aradel Holdings Plc is set to commence production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at its modular refinery in 2027, following the removal of fuel subsidies and the deregulation of the downstream petroleum market.
According to Aradel’s general manager of refinery, Mr Temitayo Ogunbanjo, the removal of government control over fuel prices had created an opportunity for the company to begin manufacturing petrol.
Speaking on the sidelines of a conference in Abuja, Mr Ogunbanjo told Bloomberg that the company’s 11,000 barrels-per-day modular refinery currently already produces kerosene, diesel, gas oil and naphtha.
He noted that the deregulation of the downstream petroleum market has now created a pathway for Aradel to commence gasoline production at its refinery.
He added that Aradel is also considering an expansion of the refinery, with the company assessing potential crude supply sources and export logistics as part of its plans.
The company’s integrated operations across crude oil production, refining and distribution have benefited from recent volatility in global oil markets triggered by the US-Iran war, he told the publication.
Mr Ogunbanjo also disclosed that Aradel is considering investments in aviation fuel production, as the product has emerged as an important export to the European market.
The planned petrol production is expected to further expand Aradel’s refining operations as Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector adjusts to the post-subsidy regime and increased private-sector participation.
It could also mean competition for other dominant refiners and importers, particularly the 700,000 barrels per day Dangote Refinery. Data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that Dangote supplied 87.55 per cent of Nigeria’s petrol demand in May 2026.
