Dapo Abiodun Woos Foreign Investors to Ogun 

By Adedapo Adesanya The prices of oil benchmarks jumped by 2 per cent on Tuesday on the fresh possibility that the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) will extend or deepen supply cuts. Data showed that Brent crude futures gained $1.70 or 2.1 per cent to close at $81.68 a barrel and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude increased by $1.55 or 2.1 per cent to $76.41 per barrel after a drop in Kazakh oil output and a weaker US Dollar. OPEC+ is due to hold an online ministerial meeting on Thursday to discuss 2024

By Adedapo Adesanya The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Mr Dele Alake, has assured foreign investors of low production costs as they consider investing in the country’s mining sector. Speaking at the Mines and Money Conference in London, Mr Alake said President Bola Tinubu has embarked on reforms to boost investment by streamlining procedures and reducing hurdles to attract foreign investors. “The country’s geological bounty encompasses over 44 distinct mineral types, found in exploitable quantities across more than 500 locations,” the Minister said, according to a statement by his aide, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan. “Recently, recognizing the evolving global landscape and

By Adedapo Adesanya The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange recorded yet another positive week-on-week performance after stretching its gains by 1.44 per cent in Week 47. This expanded the portfolios of NASD investors by N17 billion in the week to N1.162 trillion from the N1.145 trillion recorded in Week 46, as the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) increased by 12.16 points to 857.29 points from 845.13 points in the previous week. The trading week was with three price gainers and three losers, with Aradel Holdings Plc on top of the advancers’ chart after it grew by 10 per cent to finish

By Dipo Olowookere The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited posted a 0.25 per cent growth at the close of trading activities on Friday, influenced by persistent bargain-hunting. Business Post reports that the market breadth index was positive yesterday after 33 stocks closed on the gainers’ chart and 21 equities ended on the losers’ table, indicating a strong investor. Secure Electronic Technology was the best-performing stock for the trading session as its value rose by 10.00 per cent to 55 Kobo, followed by MeCure, which gained 9.90 per cent to close at N9.21, Neimeth appreciated by 9.85 per cent to N2.23, Multiverse

By Adedapo Adesanya The federal government has reiterated its commitment to effective environmental sustainability. This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office (EPO), Mr Shehu Ibrahim, on Thursday at an interactive session in Abuja. Mr Ibrahim said that the EPO was resolute in driving the Federal Government’s policy on ecological intervention and sustainability. ”It is our hope that as funding improves, we will be able to respond more in mitigating the ecological challenges affecting communities across the country,” he said. The permanent secretary, who assumed office in October, commiserated with Nigerians on the recent devastating flooding that led

By Dipo Olowookere Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Imohimi Edgal, has received report of an investigative panel set up to look into allegations of corruption and sèxual harassment levelled against some officials of anti-kidnapping unit of the command from its Chairman, ACP Olatunji Disu in his office. Receiving the report, the police chief explained that the essence of investigating officers was not to witch-hunt anyone but institute a culture of respect for the rights of every Lagosians and ensure that they get quality service. He noted that the command would not tolerate corruption and unethical conduct from officers

By Adedapo Adesanya African learning technology platform, uLesson has secured a $7.5 million Series A round led by Owl Ventures, with inclusion from existing investors, TLcom Capital and Founder Collective, and participation from new investor LocalGlobe. This will allow the education startup’s push to deliver affordable, high-quality, and accessible education across Africa using technology. The move will also see Mr Tory Patterson, Managing Director of Owl Ventures, joining the uLesson board. It was announced that the funding will be deployed to power uLesson’s expansion into Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as secure new talent, and build its product development

By Dipo Olowookere The release of additional 82 Chibok girls abducted over three years ago on Saturday has been commended by the Senate President, Mr Bukola Saraki. Mr Saraki, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, applauded efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, security operatives, and the international Red Cross on the release. He said the prayers and well-wishes of Nigerians and the global community had led to the return of “more of our daughters.” According to him, “As a father, I can’t help but feel delighted and excited at the

By Adedapo Adesanya Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement (NDLEA) have seized 4.1 kilogrammes of cocaine wrapped in tea bags, arresting four suspected drug traffickers at the Lagos and Abuja airports. The spokesman of the agency, Mr Femi Babafemi, said in a statement issued on Sunday that the cocaine was intercepted from a Brazil-based cartel. “At least, four traffickers involved in the attempts to import and export illicit drugs through the country in the last week are now in the custody of the agency,” the statement read. “One of them is 33-year-old Pascal Ekene Okolo, an indigene of Ihe

Introduction Wedding planning can be a thrilling field, especially if you have an undying passion for the beauty of romance and luxurious weddings. Who knows, you might even have planned your wedding! However, a solid business plan is crucial if you plan on venturing out into the wedding planning field and want your ordeal to blossom into a successful business. Following are a few steps that you can follow to make your business dream turn into reality: Learn the art of the business Learning the mechanisms of the business while you are working under someone else can be a great

By Dipo Olowookere In the coming weeks, Dangote Cement Plc will commission its factory in Okpella, Edo State, the company has confirmed. Recall that earlier, Dangote Cement had said work was underway to increase its total cement production capacity in Nigeria by 4.5Mt/year before September 2021. In a press statement issued at the weekend, the cement maker said when the new Okpella plant comes on stream, it would make the product readily available to consumers. Ahead of this, the firm has acquired more trucks to aid the distribution of cement and fertilisers across the country. “The newly acquired trucks are

By Dipo Olowookere The ley trading indices of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) were in the red territory on Tuesday, which was the first trading day of the new month, November. Business Post reports that local stocks depreciated by 0.21 per cent during the session, shrinking the year-to-date gain to 2.41 per cent at the close of transactions. Data showed that the All-Share Index (ASI) went down by 93.35 points to 43,745.73 points from 43,839.08 points as the market capitalisation depleted by N51 billion to close at N23.827 trillion, in contrast to the previous day’s N23.878 trillion. A total of 172.9