Economy
CSCS CEO Haruna Jalo-Waziri’s New Year Message
Esteemed Stakeholders,
What a year! A year like no other – 2020 was definitively historic and unprecedented. It defied science, challenged rationality, and confronted social norms. COVID-19 shook the world powers, tipped many economies – including our dear Nigeria – into the worst recession in decades, shattered social engagements and affected every facet of life as we knew it.
Like a mystery, only to be told in a fiction, oil traded at negative prices, factories shut globally for weeks, and airlines grounded for months.
Excitingly, the Nigerian capital market, like a few global peers, remained active through the crisis; many thanks to the concerted efforts and resilience of critical stakeholders, whose swift ingenuity and collaboration kept the market afloat, sailing through the tide with incredible captains – like you.
For us at CSCS, just as I believe with many peers, we cannot afford the lessons of this crisis to go to waste. If none other, one pertinent lesson COVID-19 has taught us is the significance of our togetherness – the unimaginable strength of our collective resources and sincere collaboration for the stability and growth of the Nigerian capital market.
If COVID-19 is a living enemy, I am sure it has suffered defeat in the most shameful battle with Nigerian capital market, as the seamless operation of the market amidst the odds of the pandemic won great admiration, even from critics.
As your market infrastructure, we are proud to be a part of this success and we do not take it for granted. In fact, we owe and dedicate it to you.
Dear esteemed participants, I would like to thank you immensely for your continued patronage of CSCS’ services through the challenging year that past – 2020. Together, we have done what would have seemed impossible.
Beyond sustaining (and indeed increasing) market activity, we executed the regulatory directive on investor account update, partly integrated our technologies with the account opening portal, leveraged RegConnect for enhanced data exchange for registrars’ services, and a host of other initiatives we jointly executed for the ultimate goal of developing and deepening the market.
As we have pooled resources to effectively navigate the odds of one of the most challenging times in history, I would like to seek your continued collaboration in consolidating on our gains and advancing our mutual course of deepening the Nigerian capital market, through innovation, and more importantly, togetherness.
We are super-excited at the prospect of this New Year, banking on your continued patronage, and a renewed commitment to the collaboration that has brought us this far – a partnership of over two decades that has birthed mutual greatness and respect for our market and respective businesses; a life partnership that is so dear to our existence and which we will continue to jealously nurture and invest in. Together, we can do more… and together, we must achieve greater greatness.
In closing, I would like to inform you that my colleagues and I are dedicating our renewed strategic focus to you – listening and executing diligently and exigently on your needs.
In this New Year and beyond, our pledge is to meet your anticipated needs exceed your expectations. Our dedication is a reinforcement of the value we place on you, as your infrastructure for the Nigerian capital market. You are at the core of our essence, and more than ever, I am confident in the insuperable prowess of our collective resources and capabilities in surmounting any impediments to achieving our respective and mutual goals.
Notwithstanding concerns of the second wave of the COVID-19 infection, I remain optimistic that this pandemic shall pass in no distant time, and we will once again reopen our physical operations and hobnob with you, in expectation of sharing great memories.
As we wind down the celebration of the festive season and kick-off business with renewed optimism, I implore us to take utmost care and responsibility in protecting ourselves and our communities. Happy New Year and cheers to a great beginning of an exciting decade!
Please stay safe and keep well.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.
In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.
To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”
“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.
It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”
“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.
“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.
“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.
“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.
The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.
Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.
Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.
Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.
The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.
By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.
In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.
The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.
Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.
Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.
At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.
This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.
VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.
In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.
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