Economy
Compliance with Corporate Governance Code Very Low in Nigeria—SEC
By Dipo Olowookere
Acting Director General of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms Mary Uduk, has lamented the low level of compliance with corporate governance code in Nigeria.
Speaking at a function in Lagos on Thursday, the SEC boss said some companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) lacked understanding of the SEC Code 2011, which talked about code of corporate governance for public companies in the country.
According to SEC Code 2011, the rules were not intended to be rigid, but to “be viewed and understood as a guide to facilitate sound corporate practices and behaviour.”
The code stipulated that the Board is accountable and responsible for the performance and affairs of the company and should define its strategic goals and ensure that its human and financial resources are effectively deployed towards attaining those goals.
Also, the board was mandated to ensure that the company was properly managed, overseeing the effective performance of the management in order to protect and enhance shareholder value and to meet the company’s obligations to its employees and other stakeholders.
But Ms Uduk said some boards were not performing these and other roles expected of them by the corporate governance code.
“We observed that most of the issues covered in the SEC Code 2011 have remained difficult for some entities to observe in terms of fairness, independence, accountability and transparency requirements by their boards.
“The Code of corporate governance talks about how companies are run and managed.
“Looking at the scorecard as a follow up to the code, we have been able to see areas of weaknesses and strength across companies and these areas are very germane to having strong corporate governance.
“For example, the Boards are expected to have a deep understanding of the business and the environment to which the business is run.
“They are supposed to understand the blueprint, they are supposed to speak out, they are supposed to be innovative and they are supposed to have a little bit of financial experience so they could be able to interpret financial statements,” Ms Uduk said at the Alliance Law Firm’s Maiden Lecture Series, Luncheon and Book Presentation.
At the lecture themed ‘Contemporary Corporate Governance Issues in Nigeria,’ the SEC DG, who was represented by a Director at the agency, Mr Edward Okolo, pointed out that access to critical indices by which companies’ compliance with the SEC Code could be measured remained difficult.
She stressed that experiences globally have demonstrated that enterprises with commitment to corporate governance principles perform better and have continued to enjoy investors and other stakeholders’ confidence in building their brands.
Ms Uduk urged publicly listed companies to do more to strengthen their boards so as to have better corporate governance system.
Business Post reports that the SEC Code 2011 stipulates that The CEO/MD should be knowledgeable in relevant areas of the company’s activities. He should demonstrate industry, credibility and integrity and should have the confidence of the Board and management.
Also, executive directors should be involved in the day-to-day operations and management of the company. In particular, they should be responsible for the departments they head and should be answerable to the Board through the CEO/MD.
Furthermore, non-executive directors are expected to be key members of the Board. They should bring independent judgment as well as necessary scrutiny to the proposals and actions of the management and executive directors especially on issues of strategy, performance evaluation and key appointments.
For independent directors, they should have no significant contractual relationship with the company or group and must be free from any business or other relationship which could materially interfere with their capacity to act in an independent manner and “every public company should have a minimum of one independent director on its Board.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The United Kingdom via the British High Commission in Abuja has launched two flagship economic reform programmes – the Nigeria Economic Stability & Transformation (NEST) programme and the Nigeria Public Finance Facility (NPFF) -as part of efforts to support Nigeria’s economic reform and growth agenda.
Backed by a £12.4 million UK investment, NEST and NPFF sit at the centre of the UK-Nigeria mutual growth partnership and support Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen macroeconomic stability, improve fiscal resilience, and create a more competitive environment for investment and private-sector growth.
Speaking at the launch, Cynthia Rowe, Head of Development Cooperation at the British High Commission in Abuja, said, “These two programmes sit at the heart of our economic development cooperation with Nigeria. They reflect a shared commitment to strengthening the fundamentals that matter most for our stability, confidence, and long-term growth.”
The launch followed the inaugural meeting of the Joint UK-Nigeria Steering Committee, which endorsed the approach of both programmes and confirmed strong alignment between the UK and Nigeria on priority areas for delivery.
Representing the Government of Nigeria, Special Adviser to the President of Nigeria on Finance and the Economy, Mrs Sanyade Okoli, welcomed the collaboration, touting it as crucial to current, critical reforms.
“We welcome the United Kingdom’s support through these new programmes as a strong demonstration of our shared commitment to Nigeria’s economic stability and long-term prosperity. At a time when we are implementing critical reforms to strengthen fiscal resilience, improve macroeconomic stability, and unlock inclusive growth, this partnership will provide valuable technical support. Together, we are laying the foundation for a more resilient economy that delivers sustainable development and improved livelihoods for all Nigerians.”
On his part, Mr Jonny Baxter, British Deputy High Commissioner in Lagos, highlighted the significance of the programmes within the wider UK-Nigeria mutual growth partnership.
“NEST and NPFF are central to our shared approach to strengthening the foundations that underpin long-term economic prosperity. They sit firmly within the UK-Nigeria mutual growth partnership.”
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A strategic partnership aimed at accelerating the growth, digital capacity, and sustainability of Nigeria’s 40 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) has been signed by MTN Nigeria and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).
The collaboration will feature joint initiatives focused on digital inclusion, financial access, capacity building, and providing verified information for MSMEs.
With millions of small businesses depending on accurate guidance and easy-to-access support, MTN and SMEDAN say their shared platform will address gaps in communication, misinformation, and access to opportunities.
At the formal signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday, November 27, 2025, in Lagos, the stage was set for the immediate roll-out of tools, content, and resources that will support MSMEs nationwide.
The chief operating officer of MTN Nigeria, Mr Ayham Moussa, reiterated the company’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s economic development, stating that MSMEs are the lifeline of Nigeria’s economy.
“SMEs are the backbone of the economy and the backbone of employment in Nigeria. We are delighted to power SMEDAN’s platform and provide tools that help MSMEs reach customers, obtain funding, and access wider markets. This collaboration serves both our business and social development objectives,” he stated.
Also, the Chief Enterprise Business Officer of MTN Nigeria, Ms Lynda Saint-Nwafor, described the MoU as a tool to “meet SMEs at the point of their needs,” noting that nano, micro, small, and medium businesses each require different resources to scale.
“Some SMEs need guidance, some need resources; others need opportunities or workforce support. This platform allows them to access whatever they need. We are committed to identifying opportunities across financial inclusion, digital inclusion, and capacity building that help SMEs to scale,” she noted.
Also commenting, the Director General of SMEDAN, Mr Charles Odii, emphasised the significance of the collaboration, noting that the agency cannot meet its mandate without leveraging technology and private-sector expertise.
“We have approximately 40 million MSMEs in Nigeria, and only about 400 SMEDAN staff. We cannot fulfil our mandate without technology, data, and strong partners.
“MTN already has the infrastructure and tools to support MSMEs from payments to identity, hosting, learning, and more. With this partnership, we are confident we can achieve in a short time what would have taken years,” he disclosed.
Mr Odii highlighted that the SMEDAN-MTN collaboration would support businesses across their growth needs, guided by their four-point GROW model – Guidance, Resources, Opportunities, and Workforce Development.
He added that SMEDAN has already created over 100,000 jobs within its two-year administration and expects the partnership to significantly boost job creation, business expansion, and nationwide enterprise modernisation.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited is seeking review of the controversial Capital Gains Tax increase, fearing it will chase away foreign investors from the country’s capital market.
Nigeria’s new tax regime, which takes effect from January 1, 2026, represents one of the most significant changes to Nigeria’s tax system in recent years.
Under the new rules, the flat 10 per cent Capital Gains Tax rate has been replaced by progressive income tax rates ranging from zero to 30 per cent, depending on an investor’s overall income or profit level while large corporate investors will see the top rate reduced to 25 per cent as part of a wider corporate tax reform.
The chief executive of NGX, Mr Jude Chiemeka, said in a Bloomberg interview in Kigali, Rwanda that there should be a “removal of the capital gains tax completely, or perhaps deferring it for five years.”
According to him, Nigeria, having a higher Capital Gains Tax, will make investors redirect asset allocation to frontier markets and “countries that have less tax.”
“From a capital flow perspective, we should be concerned because all these international portfolio managers that invest across frontier markets will certainly go to where the cost of investing is not so burdensome,” the CEO said, as per Bloomberg. “That is really the angle one will look at it from.”
Meanwhile, the policy has been defended by the chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, who noted that the new tax will make investing in the capital market more attractive by reducing risks, promoting fairness, and simplifying compliance.
He noted that the framework allows investors to deduct legitimate costs such as brokerage fees, regulatory charges, realised capital losses, margin interest, and foreign exchange losses directly tied to investments, thereby ensuring that they are not taxed when operating at a loss.
Mr Oyedele also said the reforms introduced a more inclusive approach to taxation by exempting several categories of investors and transactions.
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