Economy
Businesses Can’t Survive 25-30% Interest Rate Regime—Saraki
By Dipo Olowookere
Senate President, Mr Bukola Saraki, has disclosed that the 25-30 percent interest rate being charged by banks on loans to business owners was making it difficult for genuine businesses to survive in the country.
The number three citizen of the country described the 25-30 percent interest rate regime as a “yoke too hard to bear for any real sector business.”
“Our businesses need a breather. I am a firm believer that unless we are ready to think outside of the box and task ourselves to make sacrifices and take hard decisions with a view to the future we will not make much progress,” he posited.
The Senate President, in his speech at the stakeholders roundtable organised by the Senate to address increasing interest rates in Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday, noted that unless a solution was found to this issue, the economy will continue to suffer.
At the summit, which took place at the Senate Conference Room 022, Senate New Building, Mr Saraki expressed satisfaction with the turnout, saying stakeholders align with vision of the Senate of a “more sustainable interest rate regime that enables our people to do business, create wealth and be empowered to follow their dreams.”
According to him, the 8th National Assembly has made efforts in creating great opportunities for private sector to grow especially with the passage of several bills to back the economy.
He listed these as “the Nigerian Railway Bill, the Public Procurement Act Amendment Bill, the Nigerian Ports & Harbour Bill, the National Road Funds Bill, the National Transport Commission Bill, and the National Inland Waterways Bill.”
Others, according to the Senate President, include the Federal Roads Bill, the Competition and Consumer Protection Bill, the Investment & Securities Act Amendment, the Companies and Allied Matters Act Amendment, the Secure Transactions in Movable Assets Bill, the Independent Warehouse Regulatory Bill, the Bankruptcy & Insolvency Act (Repeal & re-enactment) Bill, the Electronic Transactions Bill and the Nigerian Postal Commission Bill.
Mr Saraki noted that, “All these legislative actions we are taking is rooted in our believe that if we are to attract more investments, add more jobs in the market, promote business development and widen the range of possibilities and opportunities for our teeming youthful population, a demographic advantage we are yet to fully explore, we must create the right legal regulatory and institutional frameworks that is enabling in a free market.”
However, he lamented that despite these efforts, the 25-30 percent interest rate regime in the country was frustrating efforts of the legislative arm of government.
Mr Saraki queried, “How can an investor anywhere survive on these rates? How can they create jobs and make returns? But this is the situation our businesses currently live with.”
“The Senate fully appreciates the economic complexities that determine interest rate regimes. It fully recognizes that high inflation times call for interest rate hikes and such other arguments. But unless businesses are able to survive, inflation and all other market conditions alone will not make the difference,” he noted.
The Senate President warned that, “We must as a matter of deliberate policy frame our monetary policy regime towards support for businesses otherwise, our economy rescue mission may not be attained.
“It will be profoundly improbable to genuine businesses like agriculture, production and solid minerals to survive on interest rate regime of 30 percent.”
“Let’s give a chance to our poultry and cassava farmers, welders, builders, our fashion designers, filmmakers, shoemakers, furniture companies and our other numerous small and medium sized industries a chance to stay alive and make a living for their families,” he appealed.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rallied by 1.41 per cent on Wednesday, March 25, with the market capitalisation adding N35.04 billion to close at N2.512 trillion versus the previous session’s N2.477 trillion, and the Unlisted Security Index (NSI) expanding by 58.55 points to 4,198.85 points from 4,140.30 points.
The growth came amid a weak investor sentiment, as the OTC securities exchange recorded two price gainers and three price losers.
The advancers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which chalked up N25 to sell at N275.00 per share compared with the previous day’s N250.00 per share, and Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc grew by N7.43 to N86.37 per unit from N78.94 per unit.
On the flip side, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc lost N7.04 to sell at N101.13 per share versus Tuesday’s closing price of N108.73 per share, Geo-Fluids Plc went down by 9 Kobo to N2.89 per unit from N2.98 per unit, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc dipped 3 Kobo to 50 Kobo per share from 53 Kobo per share.
Yesterday, the volume of securities rose by 135.6 per cent to 2.2 million units from 933,125 units, the value of securities increased by 2.4 per cent to N46.7 million from N45.6 million, and the number of deals grew by 27.6 per cent to 37 deals from 29 deals.
The most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis was CSCS Plc with 39.1 million units exchanged for N2.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units valued at N1.2 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 6.5 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
The most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis was Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units worth N415.7 million, followed by Infrastructure Credit Plc with 400 million units sold for N1.2 billion, and Geo-Fluids Plc with 132.9 million units transacted for N510.7 million.
By Adedap0 Adesanya
The value of the Naira fell against the Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Wednesday, March 25, by N4.07 or 0.29 to N1,386.70/$1 compared with Tuesday’s closing price of N1,382.63/$1.
This was due to forex demand pressure without substantial supply from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other sources. Lately, the central bank has not conducted any FX sales to eligible financial institutions, where Bureaux de Change (BDC) operators are allowed to access $150,000 weekly.
Also, in the official market, the Nigerian Naira depreciated against the Pound Sterling at midweek by N7.52 to close at N1,856.38/£1 versus the previous day’s N1,848.86/£1, and retreated against the Euro by N5.82 to trade at N1,605.80/€1 versus N1,599.98/€1.
The domestic currency further lost N3 against the greenback at the GTBank FX desk yesterday to sell for N1,391/$1, in contrast to the preceding session’s N1,388/$1, and at the black market, it depreciated by N5 to quote at N1,405/$1 compared with the N1,400/$1 it was exchanged a day earlier.
The prolonged conflict in the Middle East continues to heighten risk aversion, reducing appetite for emerging-market assets despite Nigeria’s attractive yield environment, which could help sustain offshore inflows and support the local currency in the near term, though structural challenges remain.
The country is making efforts that could help shield it further, including reviewing timelines for approval of resuscitation of moribund oil wells and boosting production, which accounts for over 60 per cent of FX earnings.
As for the cryptocurrency market, it was under pressure on Wednesday, as implied volatility and weakening suggest geopolitical risk concerns remain as macro headlines remain in focus.
Dogecoin (DOGE) depleted by 3.8 per cent to $0.0937, Solana (SOL) depreciated by 3.5 per cent to $89.10, Cardano (ADA) dipped 2.4 per cent to $0.2621, Ethereum (ETH) went down by 2.2 per cent to $2,117.47, Ripple (XRP) slumped 1.9 per cent to $1.38, Bitcoin shrank by 1.5 per cent to $70,012.58, and Binance Coin (BNB) dropped 1.4 per cent to sell for $634.82.
However, TRON (TRX) appreciated by 2.3 per cent to $0.3144, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 apiece.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The oil market slid about 2 per cent on Wednesday after paring deeper losses earlier in the trading session, as Iran reviewed a proposal by the United States to end the war that has disrupted global energy flows.
Brent futures fell $2.27 or 2.2 per cent to settle at $102.22 a barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures lost $2.03 or 2.2 per cent to trade at $90.32 per barrel.
It was reported that Iran was still reviewing a US proposal to end the war in the Gulf, despite an initial response that was negative, indicating that it had so far stopped short of rejecting it outright.
Pakistan delivered the 15-point proposal on behalf of the US government, and the consideration appeared to signal that at least some figures in Iran may be considering it.
Meanwhile, the White House Press Secretary, Mrs Karoline Leavitt, said President Donald Trump would hit Iran harder if it fails to accept that the Middle East country has been “defeated militarily”.
Currently, the market is facing the biggest-ever oil supply disruption as the US-Israel war has halted shipments of oil and liquefied natural gas through the Strait of Hormuz, which typically carries about 20 per cent of the world’s LNG and crude supply.
Market analysts noted that this has resulted in around 20 million barrels of crude losses daily, or some 500 million barrels, or five full days of global supply, since the war began on February 28. Countries have started rationing fuel use.
India, one of the world’s largest oil consumers, has bought its first cargo of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas in years after the US temporarily removed sanctions.
Meanwhile, Japan has called on the International Energy Agency (IEA) for an additional coordinated release of oil stockpiles, as it seeks to shield consumers from higher energy prices.
In Venezuela, oil production, including condensate and gas liquids, reached 1.1 million barrels per day in March.
Amid these developments, Russia’s major export terminals suspended crude oil and oil products loadings after massive Ukrainian drone attacks sparked blazes. At least 40 per cent of Russia’s oil export capacity has been halted following Ukrainian drone attacks on its energy infrastructure.
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said energy firms added 6.9 million barrels of crude into stockpiles during the week ended March 20.
That was higher than the build of 2.4 million barrels reported by the American Petroleum Institute (API) on Tuesday.
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