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Economy

Quickly Settle Rift with Senate to Save Economy, LCCI Tells FG

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By Dipo Olowookere

The presidency has been charged to, as a matter of urgent public importance, resolve its issues with the Senate over the confirmation of members of some boards and agencies, including that of the Monetary Policy Council (MPC).

This Monday, the council could not meet to make decisions on monetary policies for the country, a thing observers said was dangerous to the economy.

Since this Monday, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has closed in the red zone, with some analysts attributing this to the gradual loss of investors’ confidence in the economy as a result of cancellation of the MPC meeting because the council lacked quorum to seat.

President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2017 sent names of people to fill the vacant positions in the council, but the Senate did not attend to the nominees because of its rift with the presidency.

The upper parliament wants Mr Ibrahim Magu removed as the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but the President has refused. His name was sent to the Senate two times, but was rejected by the red chamber.

At a press briefing on Wednesday on the state of the economy, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Babatunde Paul Ruwase, appealed to both parties to sheath their swords.

He said the crisis was already affecting the nation’s economy.

“The disagreement between the presidency and the Senate over the confirmation of nominees for heads of some agencies is beginning to take its toll on the economy.

“For instance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) suspended its first MPC meeting for this year scheduled for January 22 and 23 due to its inability to form a quorum as a result of non-confirmation of nominees by the Senate.

“The MPC has the mandate to review economic and financial conditions of the economy, make decisions on policies for the economy in the short and medium terms, review regularly the CBN monetary policy framework and adopt changes when necessary.

“The failure of the MPC to meet as scheduled has adverse effect on stakeholders in the financial sector and the economy in general.

“We call on the presidency and the Senate to quickly resolve their differences in the interest of public,” Mr Ruwase said at the event.

On the incessant scarcity of petrol in the country, the LCCI boss said, “We have concerns over the reluctance of government to liberalise the sector and open it up to private sector participation.

“The concentration of petroleum products supply in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation remains a major cause for concern. The arrangement is an inherent entrenchment of state monopoly in the NNPC to the detriment of private investors.

“The midstream and downstream petroleum sector currently suffers from regulatory regime which is negatively impacting growth, investment and job creation in the sector.

“The current model of managing the downstream petroleum sector is not sustainable. It is at variance with the present administration’s vision to diversify the economy and create jobs.

“It perpetuates the phenomenon of rent economy and is detrimental to economic competition. The truth is that the citizens are the ultimate beneficiaries of a competitive market environment.”

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

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Economy

Onne Area 11 Customs Command Surpasses 2024 Revenue Target by N16bn

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Onne Command 2024 Revenue Target

By Bon Peter

The Area 11 Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Onne, Rivers State surpassed its 2024 annual revenue target by N16 billion.

This information was revealed to newsmen by the Customs Area Controller of the Command, Mr Mohammed Babandede, at a news conference last week.

He also disclosed that the command recently intercepted 12 containers of illicit drugs worth over N20.30 billion concealed in various items.

According to him, the content of the seized container included 1,721,100 bottles of 100ml cough syrup codeine, 510,000 tablets of 50mg Really Extra Diclofenac, 7,100,000 tablets of 225mg Royal apple Tramadol and Tramaking, 3,461 pieces of sanitary ware fittings used for concealment, 840 pieces of Chilly cutter used for concealment, and 153 cartons of TVS rubber.

“Our vigilant officers and men have successfully intercepted and seized an additional 12 containers (40 feet) of illicit medicine.

“This is a testament to our unwavering commitment to safeguarding public health, ensuring security of our nation and compliance with Nigeria’s import regulations. This also justifies our commitment to trade facilitation, transparency, effective and efficient service,” he said.

He said last year, the command received the support of different stakeholders, thanking them for working with the agency to achieve success.

“We appreciate the continued support and collaboration of all stakeholders, including the media, in amplifying our message and efforts to combat smuggling,” he said.

Mr Babandede stated that, “It is worth noting that the morale and dedication of our officers have been significantly bolstered by the Comptroller-General of Customs’ award, recognizing Area 2 Command as the Best Command in Anti-Smuggling Operations.

“This honour has further strengthened our resolve, and I assure you that we will not relent in performing our duties to protect the lives and well-being of Nigerians.”

The customs chief said earlier last year, the command was given a revenue target of N618 billion but as of December 31, 2024, it generated N634 billion, higher than the N321 billion recorded in 2023, promising to do more in 2025.

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Economy

Stock Market Gains N248bn to Close at N63.166trn

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Nigerian market stocks

By Dipo Olowookere

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited appreciated by 0.39 per cent on Friday as the demand for local equities continued to increase.

During the final trading session of the week, the insurance maintained its upward trend with a growth of 7.81 per cent as the banking index appreciated by 1.08 per cent, the consumer goods sector rose by 0.52 per cent, and the industrial goods counter expanded by 0.33 per cent, while the energy space went down by 0.49 per cent.

At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) jumped by 406.19 points to 103,586.33 points from 103,180.14 points, and the market capitalisation increased by N248 billion to N63.166 trillion from N62.918 trillion.

The bourse recorded 67 appreciating shares and 11 depreciating shares, implying a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.

Chams, Omatek, NCR Nigeria, Learn Africa, and Regency Alliance topped the gainers’ table after they gained 10.00 per cent each to finish at N2.31, 88 Kobo, N6.05, N4.95, and 88 Kobo, respectively.

On the flip side, TotalEnergies lost 9.74 per cent to trade at N630.00, CWG depreciated by 6.04 per cent to close at N7.00, Thomas Wyatt went down by 5.26 per cent to N1.80, ABC Transport crumbled by 4.07 per cent to N1.18, and UAC Nigeria shed 3.19 per cent to N31.90.

Yesterday, investors traded 709.3 million stocks valued at N8.2 billion in 13,593 deals compared with the 829.8 million stocks worth N5.7 billion transacted in 11,752 deals on Thursday, representing a slowdown in the trading volume by 14.52 per cent and a rise in the trading value and number of deals by 43.86 per cent and 15.67 per cent, respectively.

At the close of business, Chams topped the activity log with 58.1 million equities sold for N133.8 million, Veritas Kapital traded 55.1 million shares valued at N89.2 million, Abbey Mortgage Bank exchanged 50.1 million stocks for N165.5 million, AIICO Insurance transacted 39.7 million equities worth N68.3 million, and NPF Microfinance Bank sold 34.3 million stocks valued at N64.0 million.

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Economy

NASD OTC Exchange Extends Good Start to New Trading Year

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Nigeria's Unlisted Securities Market Sheds 0.78%, NASD Shares up 8.31%

By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended its positive start to the year with a 0.08 per cent rise on Friday, January 3.

The market saw a gain of N840 million, with the value of the alternative bourse growing to N1.046 trillion from the N1.045 trillion it closed a day earlier as the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) made an addition of 2.43 points to wrap the session at 3,052.34 points compared with 3,049.91 points recorded at the previous session.

The appreciation posted yesterday at the NASD OTC exchange was caused by two price gainers led by Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc which jumped by 2 Kobo to end at 20 Kobo per share compared with the preceding session’s 18 Kobo per share and UBN Property Plc, which improved its value by 16 Kobo to close at N1.98 per unit, in contrast to Thursday’s closing price f N1.82 per unit.

The market posted a price loser, which was  FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc as it dropped 18 Kobo to finish at N39.76 share versus the previous day’s N39.94 per share.

There was an 856.6 per cent surge in the volume of securities traded in the session to 11.3 million units from the 1.2 million units traded in the preceding session.

Equally, there was a jump in the value of shares traded yesterday by 1,078.4 per cent to N56.8 million from the N4.8 million made previously, and the number of deals increased by 22.7 per cent to 27 deals from 22 deals.

FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc was the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 1.4 units worth N55.8 million, IGI Plc came next with 10.6 million units valued at N2.1 million, and 11 Plc was in third with 6,45 units sold for N1.4 million.

IGI Plc closed the day as the most active stock by volume (year-to-date) with 10.6 million units sold for N2.1 million, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc came next with 1.4 million units valued at N55.8 million, and UBN Property Plc followed with 275,740 units worth N545,965.

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