Economy
Fuel Subsidy May Continue Till 2023—NNPC GMD
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has disclosed fuel subsidy will likely not go away this year despite the signing into law the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by President Muhammadu Buhari some days ago.
It was initially thought that the PIA will automatically wipe out fuel subsidy from the petroleum sector but the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, said it may remain next year and possibly till 2023 when the new law should have been fully implemented.
A few days ago, President Buhari, who is expected to constitutionally vacate office on May 29, 2023, constituted a steering committee for the implementation of the PIA headed by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Mr Timipre Sylva. The team was given one year to carry out its assignment.
The Minister had said it would be very difficult to immediately remove petrol subsidy with the new law without putting in place a gradual plan for this, with stakeholders like the labour unions carried along.
Mr Kyari, while speaking on Wednesday at the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) 2022 to 2024 public hearing by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, stated that the country may not exit the fuel subsidy regime in 2022, but stressed that this might be done by 2023 when the Act might have been fully activated.
He also informed the lawmakers at the hearing chaired by Mr James Faleke that his agency was working to track fuel consumption by deploying technology to monitor fuel distribution across Nigeria in a bid to check the activities of smugglers.
He stated that with the electronic monitoring, every truck carrying fuel would be visible as they discharged their load and would see all the fuel stations as they discharged.
Mr Kyari said that the national fuel consumption per day may not be above 60 million litres as being speculated, adding however that anytime NNPC supply less than that, there would be a problem.
He also said that President Buhari had personally directed him to take steps that would curtail cross border smuggling, while also admitting the challenges posed by land borders, aiding activities of smugglers.
The GMD said that those who took crude oil across the border would not sell at the official price.
He said that the corporation was already engaging the Republic of Niger to establish a retail NNPC outlet in the country’s neighbour, a move that would curtail the activities of smugglers.
Speaking on the Dangote refinery, Mr Kyari said that the decision of the NNPC to be on the board of the refinery was a calculated attempt, adding that as of today, Nigeria does not have strategic storage.
“We are taking interest in Dangote Refinery and up till now, he does not want us to take 50 per cent equity and it was structured on the fact that he must buy 300,000 barrels of crude oil from us per day,” he stated.
He said that Dangote Refinery had a choice to buy crude oil from anywhere in the works but was charged to buy from the country, stressing that it was a good deal the NNPC was proud to enter into.
Mr Kyari said that contrary to insinuation, the NNPC has not abandoned the country’s refineries and it was not about taking a $500 million loan to repair them as speculated.
He added that none of the country’s refineries had undergone full-scale rehabilitation since 2000.
By Dipo Olowookere
The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited witnessed Santa Claus rally on Wednesday after it closed higher by 0.12 per cent.
Strong demand for Nigerian stocks lifted the All-Share Index (ASI) by 185.70 points during the pre-Christmas trading session to 153,539.83 points from 153,354.13 points.
In the same vein, the market capitalisation expanded at midweek by N118 billion to N97.890 trillion from the preceding day’s N97.772 trillion.
Investor sentiment on Customs Street remained bullish after closing with 36 appreciating equities and 22 depreciating equities, indicating a positive market breadth index.
Guinness Nigeria chalked up 9.98 per cent to trade at N318.60, Austin Laz improved by 9.97 per cent to N3.20, International Breweries expanded by 9.85 per cent to N14.50, Transcorp Hotels rose by 9.83 per cent to N170.90, and Aluminium Extrusion grew by 9.73 per cent to N16.35.
On the flip side, Legend Internet lost 9.26 per cent to close at N4.90, AXA Mansard shrank by 7.14 per cent to N13.00, Jaiz Bank declined by 5.45 per cent to N4.51, MTN Nigeria weakened by 5.21 per cent to N504.00, and NEM Insurance crashed by 4.74 per cent to N24.10.
Yesterday, a total of 1.8 billion shares valued at N30.1 billion exchanged hands in 19,372 deals versus the 677.4 billion shares worth N20.8 billion traded in 27,589 deals in the previous session, implying a slump in the number of deals by 29.78 per cent, and a surge in the trading volume and value by 165.72 per cent and 44.71 per cent apiece.
Abbey Mortgage Bank was the most active equity for the day after it sold 1.1 billion units worth N7.1 billion, Sterling Holdings traded 127.1 million units valued at N895.9 million, Custodian Investment exchanged 115.0 million units for N4.5 billion, First Holdco transacted 40.9 million units valued at N2.2 billion, and Access Holdings traded 38.2 million units worth N783.3 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigerian food and beverage company, Rite Foods Limited, has extended warm Yuletide greetings to Nigerians as families and communities worldwide come together to celebrate the Christmas season and usher in a new year filled with hope and renewed possibilities.
In a statement, Rite Foods encouraged consumers to savour these special occasions with its wide range of quality brands, including the 13 variants of Bigi Carbonated Soft Drinks, premium Bigi Table Water, Sosa Fruit Drink in its refreshing flavours, the Fearless Energy Drink, and its tasty sausage rolls — all produced in a world-class facility with modern technology and global best practices.
Speaking on the season, the Managing Director of Rite Foods Limited, Mr Seleem Adegunwa, said the company remains deeply committed to enriching the lives of consumers beyond refreshment. According to him, the Yuletide period underscores the values of generosity, unity, and gratitude, which resonate strongly with the company’s philosophy.
“Christmas is a season that reminds us of the importance of giving, togetherness, and gratitude. At Rite Foods, we are thankful for the continued trust of Nigerians in our brands. This season strengthens our resolve to consistently deliver quality products that bring joy to everyday moments while contributing positively to society,” Mr Adegunwa stated.
He noted that the company’s steady progress in brand acceptance, operational excellence, and responsible business practices reflects a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and responsiveness to consumer needs. These efforts, he said, have further strengthened Rite Foods’ position as a proudly Nigerian brand with growing relevance and impact across the country.
Mr Adegunwa reaffirmed that Rite Foods will continue to invest in research and development, efficient production processes, and initiatives that support communities, while maintaining quality standards across its product portfolio.
“As the year comes to a close, Rite Foods Limited wishes Nigerians a joyful Christmas celebration and a prosperous New Year filled with peace, progress, and shared success.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira closed the pre-Christmas trading day positive after it gained N6.61 or 0.46 per cent against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) on Wednesday, December 24, trading at N1,443.38/$1 compared with the previous day’s N1,449.99/$1.
Equally, the Naira appreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market segment by N1.30 to close at N1,949.57/£1 versus Tuesday’s closing price of N1,956.03/£1 and gained N2.94 on the Euro to finish at N1,701.31/€1 compared with the preceding day’s N1,707.65/€1.
At the parallel market, the local currency maintained stability against the greenback yesterday at N1,485/$1 and also traded flat at the GTBank forex counter at N1,465/$1.
Further support came as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) funded international payments with additional $150 million sales to banks and authorised dealers at the official window.
This helped eased pressure on the local currency, reflecting a steep increase in imports. Market participants saw a sequence of exchange rate swings amidst limited FX inflows.
Last week, the apex bank led the pack in terms of FX supply into the market as total inflows fell by about 50 per cent week on week from $1.46 billion in the previous week.
Foreign portfolio investors’ inflows ranked behind exporters and the CBN supply, but there was support from non-bank corporate Dollar volume.
As for the cryptocurrency market, it witnessed a slight recovery as tokens struggled to attract either risk-on enthusiasm or defensive flows.
The inertia follows a sharp reversal earlier in the quarter. A heavy selloff in October pulled Bitcoin and other coins down from record levels, leaving BTC roughly down by 30 per cent since that period and on track for its weakest quarterly performance since the second quarter of 2022. But on Wednesday, its value went up by 0.9 per cent to $87,727.35.
Further, Ripple (XRP) appreciated by 1.7 per cent to $1.87, Cardano (ADA) expanded by 1.2 per cent to $0.3602, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 1.1 per cent to $0.1282, Litecoin (LTC) also increased by 1.1 per cent to $76.57, Solana (SOL) soared by 1.0 per cent to $122.31, Binance Coin (BNB) rose by 0.6 per cent to $842.37, and Ethereum (ETH) added 0.3 per cent to finish at $2,938.83, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 each.
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