Economy
Brent Slumps Below $80 Per Barrel Amid Economic Uncertainty
By Adedapo Adesanya
Brent crude fell below the $80 mark after it dropped 4 per cent or $3.33 to $79.35 per barrel on Tuesday as investors fled the volatile oil market in an uncertain economy.
Also, the United States West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures depreciated by 3.5 per cent or $2.68 to settle at $74.25 per barrel yesterday.
Prices have dropped by more than 1 per cent for three straight sessions, giving up most of their gains for the year as a string of bearish news has unnerved investors despite an ongoing war in Ukraine and one of the worst energy crises in recent decades.
To spur the outcome was unimpressive data out of China which showed that Service-sector activity in the world’s second-largest economy had hit a six-month low.
China’s services activity shrank to six-month lows in November as widening COVID containment measures weighed on demand and operations, a private-sector business survey showed on Monday, pointing to a further hit to economic growth.
The Caixin/S&P Global services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 46.7 from 48.4, marking the third monthly contraction in a row. The 50-point index mark separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis.
Also, European economies have slowed due to the high cost of energy and rising interest rates.
The oil market has also largely overlooked threats to supply, such as the one from a G7 price cap of $60 on Russian seaborne crude oil exports, which is likely to make the country cut its oil output.
Russia, in response, has said it will not sell oil to anyone who signs up for the price cap.
In China, more cities are easing COVID-19-related curbs, prompting expectations of increased demand in the world’s top oil importer, although that has not been enough to stop the bleed in oil futures.
Chinese authorities have been loosening some of the world’s toughest COVID curbs to varying degrees and softening their tone on the threat of the virus, in what many hope could herald a more pronounced shift towards normalcy three years into the pandemic.
The loosening of the rules comes after a string of protests last month that marked the biggest show of public discontent in mainland China since President Xi Jinping took power in 2012.
Market analysts warn that oil will likely stay volatile in the near term, driven by COVID headlines in China and central bank policies in the US and Europe.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The operating licence of a capital market operator, Kensington Agro Trading Limited, has been revoked by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The capital market regulator, in a circular dated February 09, 2026, disclosed that the action “pursuant to the powers of the commission under Section 61(6) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, and Rule 34(1) of the SEC Rules and Regulations 2013, as amended.”
The disclosure noted that the revocation of the licence of the company was “with immediate effect.”
The reason for withdrawing the operating licence of Kensington Agro Trading Limited was not stated in the notice.
“The Securities and Exchange Commission hereby notifies the general public of the revocation of the registration of Kensington Agro Trading Limited as a capital market operator (Commodity Broker/Dealer and Collateral Manager) with immediate effect.
“The revocation of the company’s registration is invoked pursuant to the powers of the Commission under Section 61(6) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, and Rule 34(1) of the SEC Rules and Regulations 2013, as amended.
“Accordingly, Commodity Exchanges, the investing public, commodity traders, and all Capital Market Stakeholders are advised to discontinue capital market-related dealings with the company,” the circular signed by the management noted.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The latest off-cycle data released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revealed that Nigeria’s revenue from the oil and gas industry dipped by 25.04 per cent to N877.176 billion in December 2025, compared with N1.17 trillion received from energy firms in November 2025
In its presentation to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) on receipts and expenditures for December 2025, the CBN disclosed that the amount earned from the oil and gas industry in the month under review represented 95.65 per cent of the sector’s budgeted revenue of N917.064 billion for the month.
In comparison, revenue from the petroleum industry in November 2025 accounted for 96.38 per cent of the N1.474 trillion budgeted for the sector in November 2025.
Providing a breakdown of revenue from the industry in December 2025, the CBN stated that the country earned N772.727 million from crude oil sales, dropping by 97.92 per cent from N37.134 billion recorded in November 2025; while the it recorded revenue of N9.019 billion from gas sales, rising by 24.14 per cent from N7.265 billion recorded in November.
Furthermore, the financial sector apex regulator noted that revenue from crude oil royalties dipped by 12.52 per cent to N514.288 billion in the month under review, from N587.865 billion recorded in the previous month; while receipts from miscellaneous oil revenue grew by 97.5 per cent to N2.678 billion in December 2025, from N1.356 billion in the previous month.
It also stated that royalties from gas appreciated by 124.91 per cent to N21.153 billion in December, from N9.405 billion in November 2025; revenue from gas flared penalties stood at N48.858 billion, down by 5.76 per cent from N51.842 billion in November, while revenue from Companies’ Income Tax (CIT) from upstream oil industry operations stood at N73.066 billion, as against N106.106 billion in the previous month.
The CBN further revealed that revenue from Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) stood at N79.247 billion; rentals – N1.5 billion; while taxes stood at N126.594 billion, compared with N301.471 billion. N775.162 million, and N67.242 billion, respectively, in November 2025.
In addition, the CBN reported that from the country’s oil and gas revenue in December 2025, N18.163 billion was deducted for 13 per cent refund on subsidy, priority projects and Police Trust Fund from 1999 to 2021; while N8.761 billion was deducted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), in respect of its 13 per cent management fee and frontier exploration fund.
It added that N23.724 billion was deducted and collected by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in December 2025, being four per cent of the cost of collection; while N46.903 billion was transferred to the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund from gas flared penalties in the same month.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
On Saturday, February 28, 2026, the Implementation Committee for Executive Order 9 held its inaugural meeting, headed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun.
The panel, at the gathering, reaffirmed the directive of President Bola Tinubu that revenues accruing to the federation from petroleum operations must be handled in a manner that upholds constitutional principles, protects revenues accruable to the nation, and supports the fiscal stability of all three tiers of government.
It approved the establishment of a technical subcommittee to develop the detailed guidelines for the transition to direct remittance within three weeks, and commence a review of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to address structural and fiscal anomalies that weaken Federation revenues.
It was agreed that the subcommittee would be led by the Special Adviser to the President on Energy, and will include the Solicitor-General of the Federation and Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Justice, the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, and the Chairman of the Forum of Commissioners of Finance, representatives of the Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Oil, with secretarial support from the Budget Office of the Federation.
The committee promised to provide coordinated guidance and timely updates as implementation progresses. It commended the cooperation of all stakeholders in advancing the President’s efforts to ensure that Nigeria’s petroleum resources deliver tangible, measurable benefits to citizens across the Federation.
Under the new order, Mr Tinubu directed that NNPC Limited shall cease, with immediate effect, the collection of the 30 per cent management fee and the 30 per cent frontier exploration fund deductions from profit oil and profit gas under Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs).
Additionally, all remittances of gas flare penalties into the Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund (MDGIF) are suspended with immediate effect, in line with the Executive Order.
With respect to Section 2, Sub-section 3 of the Executive Order on direct payments by contractors into the Federation Account, the panel agreed that this transition must be implemented in a manner that respects existing contractual and financing arrangements, and maintains investor confidence.
For this reason, the committee approved a defined transition period for the operationalisation of direct payments by contractors of profit oil, royalty oil, and tax oil into the Federation Account.
Until the Committee issues detailed guidelines, contractors will continue to remit under the current process. During the transition period, the Committee will issue clear, standardised guidance to ensure an orderly changeover.
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