Economy
Cardoso Must Clear FX Backlog, Create Autonomous Forex Window—CPPE
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has called on the newly appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, to clear the backlog of foreign exchange as well as guarantee another recapitalisation in the banking sector.
“The clearance of the backlog of forex obligations should be accorded high priority to restore the confidence of domestic and foreign investors,” the Managing Director of CPPE, Mr Muda Yusuf said in a press statement titled Ten Point Agenda For The CBN Governor, released over the weekend.
Mr Cardoso and four new deputies on Friday took over the helm of affairs at the apex bank in an acting capacity ahead of his possible confirmation by the Senate this week.
Mr Yusuf tasked Mr Cardoso with the implementation of policies to deepen stakeholder engagement and strengthen the efficiency of the financial system.
He suggested that the newly appointed CBN management team should, in addition to the existing Investor and Exporter (I&E) FX exchange window, “create an autonomous window in the banking system where the currency can trade freely without any encumbrances,” to help reduce dependency on alternative FX windows.
Mr Yusuf also called for the new CBN governor to ensure the recapitalisation of banks, more than 20 years since the last exercise happened.
“During the banking consolidation exercise of 2004, the minimum capital requirements for banks were raised from N2 billion to N25 billion. The revised capital requirement was an equivalent of $187 million.
“Today, the same N25 billion is equivalent to just $32.5 million. This is a clear indication of the phenomenal erosion of the capital base of the banks.
“Recapitalisation of the banks has, therefore, become imperative. It is important to ensure that the capital base of banks can support their current exposures in the interest of the financial system’s stability.”
According to Mr Yusuf, another issue before the new CBN leadership is deepening the financial intermediation role of the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), which is their primary role in an economy.
“This responsibility entails the mobilisation of financial resources from the surplus end of the economy to the deficit segment of the economy. Financial conditions remain very tight for the private sector amid challenges of access and cost of credit.
“Banking system credit to the private sector in Nigeria, as of 2022, was a mere 20.6 per cent of the nation’s GDP, as sub-Saharan average of 28 per cent and global average of 145 per cent.
“Besides, small businesses, which account for an estimated 50 per cent of the GDP, have access to just about one per cent of the credit in the banking system. The implication is that the banking system is still largely disconnected from the investing community, especially the small businesses in the economy.
“The financing gap in the small business space has been estimated at over N600 billion. This anomaly needs to be corrected. All these underscore the need to deepen synergy and complementarity between the banking system and the economic players, especially the MSMEs.”
He proposed that the new CBN leadership should address the efficiency of the financial system, particularly the high spread between deposit and lending rates in the Nigerian banking system, which indicates significant efficiency problems.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Those interested in buying or selling the shares of Aluminium Extrusion Plc on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited will not be able to do so for now.
This is because trading activities on the company’s securities on the Nigerian bourse have been suspended by the NGX Regulation Limited.
The reason for this is that the organisation has failed to submit its financial statements as required by the listing rules for the perusal of the investing community.
After being given grace periods to file the results, the board of the firm has not done the needful, necessitating the wielding of the stick on the entity.
A notice from Customs Street disclosed that the suspension became effective last Wednesday. It will be lifted when the financial results are submitted.
“In accordance with the default filing rules, the suspension of trading in the shares of the company shall be lifted upon the submission of the relevant financial statements,” a part of the notice said.
Business Post reports that Aluminium Extrusion has not filed its financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, more than three months after it was required to submit its financial performance for the last fiscal year.
“Trading license holders and the investing public are hereby notified that pursuant to Rule 3.1, Rules for Filing of Accounts and Treatment of Default Filing, (Default Filing Rules), which provides that if an issuer fails to file the relevant accounts by the expiration of the cure period1, the exchange will: a) send to the issuer a second filing deficiency notification within two business days after the end of the cure period; b) suspend trading in the issuer’s securities; and c) notify the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the market within 24 hours of the suspension.
“Trading in the shares of Aluminium Extrusion Plc has been suspended from the facilities of Nigerian Exchange Limited effective Wednesday, July 22, 2026, for not filing its Audited Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2025,” the disclosure stated.
Shares of Aluminium Extrusion last traded on the domestic stock exchange at N9.90 per unit.
By Dipo Olowookere
Last week on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, 57 equities appreciated, higher than 44 equities in the previous week, while 38 equities shed weight versus 35 equities in the preceding week, with 51 equities closing flat versus the 67 equities recorded a week earlier.
UPDC REIT chalked up 33.33 per cent to trade at N14.20, First Holdco gained 25.59 per cent to finish at N120.50, Unilever Nigeria rose by 19.31 per cent to N147.95, Cadbury Nigeria improved by 18.42 per cent to N67.50, and AXA Mansard expanded by 17.86 per cent to N13.20.
On the flip side, Mecure lost 26.97 per cent to N62.40, Royal Exchange shrank by 12.84 per cent to N1.29, Tripple Gee slumped by 12.34 per cent to N3.41, SUNU Assurances crumbled by 10.00 per cent to N3.60, and BUA Foods dropped 10.00 per cent to close at N845.10.
In the week, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up 1.60 per cent to 247,357.40 points, and the market capitalisation appreciated by 1.61 per cent to N159.588 trillion.
Similarly, all other indices finished higher with the exception of the consumer goods, Lotus II, growth, sovereign bond and commodity indices, which fell by 3.76 per cent, 1.55 per cent, 20.24 per cent, 0.14 per cent, and 1.25 per cent respectively.
As for the trading data, 4.433 billion shares worth N306.143 billion in 255,589 deals were transacted in five days versus the 2.819 billion shares valued at N182.499 billion traded in 226,729 deals in the previous week.
The financial services segment led the activity chart with 3.422 billion shares valued at N207.206 billion traded in 117,545 deals, contributing 77.18 per cent and 67.68 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
The consumer goods sector traded 201.978 million shares worth N17.171 billion in 28,666 deals, and the ICT industry posted a turnover of 169.481 million shares worth N21.194 billion in 23,107 deals.
First Holdco, Access Holdings, and GTCO accounted for 2.151 billion shares worth N170.793 billion in 44,768 deals, contributing 48.51 per cent and 55.79 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s crude oil exports to the United States rebounded strongly in May as shipments rose by nearly 150 per cent month-on-month as American refiners increased purchases of overseas crude.
Latest data from the US Census Bureau showed that crude imports from Nigeria climbed to 2.36 million barrels in May, compared with 946,000 barrels recorded in April.
This indicated renewed demand for Nigeria’s premium light sweet grades amid shifting global patterns and higher international oil prices as the Middle East disruption weighed on trade.
The value of the imports also rose sharply to $279.8 million, up from $85.2 million in the previous month, reflecting both the higher volume of purchases and stronger crude oil prices during the period.
The rebound coincided with a broader increase in crude oil imports by the US.
According to the latest US International Trade in Goods and Services Report, total US crude imports increased by $1.5 billion in May, making crude oil one of the largest contributors to the $12.3 billion rise in overall goods imports during the month.
The report also showed that imports of industrial supplies and materials increased by $3.1 billion, with crude oil accounting for nearly half of the increase.
The recovery marks a significant turnaround after two consecutive months of declining Nigerian crude shipments to the US market. Export volumes had fallen from 4.64 million barrels in February to 1.54 million barrels in March, before dropping further to 946,000 barrels in April.
Despite the fluctuations, cumulative exports between January and May 2026 reached 11.15 million barrels, valued at approximately $926.6 million, reaffirming Nigeria’s strategic position as a key supplier of premium low-sulphur crude grades to the world’s largest economy.
Concerns surrounding crude shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s busiest oil transit routes, are encouraging refiners to increase purchases from Atlantic Basin producers such as Nigeria, whose crude grades offer lower geopolitical shipping risks than some Middle Eastern supplies.
Nigeria’s flagship crude grades, including Bonny Light, Qua Iboe and Escravos, remain highly sought after by US Gulf Coast refiners because of their low sulphur content and high yields of premium petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.
Although the US has emerged as one of the world’s largest crude oil producers following the shale revolution, many American refineries continue to import light sweet crude to complement domestic production and optimise refining operations.
The rebound in exports also comes as Nigeria gradually restores crude production following improved security operations in the Niger Delta and intensified efforts by government agencies and operators to curb crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism and illegal refining.
