Economy
EFCC Unveils Guidelines for Sale of Forfeited Luxury Apartments, Others in Lagos, Abuja
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nigerians interested in purchasing any of the forfeited properties to be auctioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have been given some steps to actualise this.
In a statement on Wednesday, the commission said the forfeited luxury apartments are located in Lagos, Abuja, and others, with bids accepted till 12:00 noon on Monday, January 9, 2023.
The auction is open to members of the public with the exception of individuals/corporate entities who have been / or are being prosecuted by the EFCC, Directors of such companies, and employees of the EFCC.
A competitive bidding process is being adopted for the disposal of the properties. The bid forms, which can be downloaded from the EFCC website, must be submitted alongside 10 per cent of the bid amount in Certified Bank Drafts payable to EFCC.
If the sum exceeds N10 million, multiple Certified Bank Drafts must be provided; drafts of unsuccessful bidders will be returned once the bidding process is concluded.
A successful bidder will be required to pay the 90% outstanding balance of the bid price within 15 working days of the bid submission deadline, failing which the 10% deposit becomes non-refundable, and the properties can be offered to other buyers. Payments shall be made to EFCC through the Remita platform.
Individuals occupying any of the properties listed may be given the Right of First Refusal provided they have a valid tenancy agreement, have paid rent up to date and must complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) Form, which can be downloaded from the EFCC website.
Bids for properties must be sealed and submitted in the designated box at the following address: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Plot 301/302 Institutions and Research District, Jabi, Abuja.
All bidders and their representatives are welcome to be present at the bid opening, which will take place at the Convocation Ground, the National Open University of Nigeria, opposite Economic and Financial Crimes Headquarters, Jabi, Abuja, from Monday, January 9, 2023, to Friday, January 13, 2023.
The highest bid for each property will emerge as the winner, subject to the highest bid being equal to or above the reserve price.
In the event of a tied bid at the bid opening or where none of the bids matches or exceeds the reserve price, bidders will be required to submit fresh bids at the opening. The outcome of the fresh bid submissions will be announced at the bid opening.
Business Post gathered that the properties for sale include 61 units of luxury apartments, plots of land and apartments across the country. They are being offered for sale in accordance with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004, the Public Procurement Act, 2007 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, 2022.
They are 24 units of a luxurious block of flats at Banana Island, Lagos; 21 units of luxury terrace and block of flats at Thornburn, Yaba, Lagos; 16 units of 4 bedrooms Terrace Duplex at Heritage Court Estate, Port Harcourt;
Others are apartments and plots of land in Lagos State; apartments and plots of land within Abuja Metropolis; plots of land and apartment in Anambra, Ebonyi and Gombe States; apartments and plots of land in Kaduna, Delta and Edo States; Hotel, plaza and apartments in Kwara State and apartments and plots of land in Cross River, Osun and Oyo States.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange extended its stay in the south for the fourth consecutive session after it shed 1.18 per cent on Friday, March 13.
The unlisted securities market recorded a loss despite closing without a price decliner, and ending with two price gainers led by Geo Fluids Plc, which gained 1o Kobo to sell at N3.10 per share compared with the previous day’s N3.00 per share. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc appreciated during the session by 2 Kobo to trade at 54 Kobo per unit versus Thursday’s closing price of 52 Kobo per unit.
When the market closed for the day, the market capitalisation lost N29.83 billion to close at N2.489 trillion compared with the N2.519 trillion it finished a day earlier, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) crashed by 49.84 points to 4,160.46 points from 4,210.31 points.
Market activity improved yesterday, as the volume of transactions rose 179.5 per cent to 10.4 million units from 3.7 million units, but the value of trades declined by 68.4 per cent to N29.9 million from N95.0 million, while the number of deals weakened by 11.5 per cent to 46 deals from 52 deals.
Central Securities Clearing Systems (CSCS) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis with 38.4 million units worth N2.4 billion, Okitipupa Plc followed with 6.4 million units traded at N1.1 billion, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc transacted 6.3 million units for N584.3 million.
Resourcery Plc ended the trading session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.6 million, trailed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 130.8 million units valued at N504.5 million, and CSCS Plc with 38.4 million units worth N2.4 billion.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira continued to claw back some gains against the Dollar in the different segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market, as its value was strengthened on Friday.
In the black market, it gained N10 against the United States Dollar yesterday to close at N1,400/$1 compared with the preceding day’s rate of N1,410/$1, and at the GTBank forex counter, it chalked up N6 to close at N1,385/$1, in contrast to the N1,391/$1 it was traded a day earlier.
Similarly, in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it appreciated against the greenback during the session by N5.28 or 0.38 per cent to quote at N1,366.23/$1 versus Thursday’s closing price of N1,371.51/$1.
It also improved its value against the Pound Sterling in the official market on Friday by N21.81 to settle at N1,812.99/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,834.80/£1, and gained N13.86 against the Euro to sell at N1,568.03/€1 versus N1,581.89/€1.
Pressure eased further on the FX market as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continued interventionist operations this week, selling Dollars to banks to boost liquidity after a $500 million boost last week.
This was complemented by inflows from foreign investors, exporters and non-bank corporates, among others, while Nigeria’s gross external reserves remained above $50 billion, the highest since 2009.
The Governor of the apex bank, Mr Yemi Cardoso, also eased fears of a Naira devaluation, saying the country’s financial system has been strengthened by reforms.
Regardless, external pressure looms as the US Dollar strengthened globally due to its war with Iran, now ongoing for three weeks.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market was largely down as traders and investors continue to align with current realities.
The market is adapting to the conflict in real time. Early in the war, every headline produced an outsized reaction because nobody could price the tail risk. Now, traders have a framework where strikes happen, oil spikes and bitcoin dips only to recover again.
Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 3.8 per cent to $0.2623, Dogecoin (DOGE) lost 1.7 per cent to finish at $0.0948, Ripple (XRP) slumped 1.5 per cent to $1.39, Solana (SOL) dropped 1.4 per cent to sell for $87.33, Binance Coin (BNB) went down by 1.3 per cent to $653.58, Bitcoin (BTC) declined by 1.1 per cent to $70,670.63, and Ethereum (ETH) decreased by 0.9 per cent to $2,078.78.
However, TRON (TRX) appreciated by 1.7 per cent to $0.2941, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) remained unchanged at $1.00 apiece.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The price of the major crude oil grade, Brent crude oil, closed above $100 on Friday for the second consecutive session, as the Iran war heads toward its third week, with oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz still effectively at a standstill.
It gained 2.67 per cent or $2.68 during the trading day to close at $103.14 per barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil grade appreciated by 3.11 per cent or $2.98 to settle at $98.71 per barrel.
Brent futures were up about 10 per cent for the week following the 27 per cent rise seen last week, which marked the biggest weekly gain in oil prices since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. WTI futures, which saw their best week since 1983 last week, ended the week more than 8 per cent higher.
US President Donald Trump said American forces launched a major bombing raid on Iran’s strategic Kharg Island, targeting military facilities on the key Persian Gulf outpost while warning Iran that its vital oil infrastructure could be destroyed if shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is disrupted.
The terminal accounts for roughly 90 per cent of Iranian crude shipments, loading millions of barrels per day onto tankers bound largely for Asian markets.
The US and Israel’s strikes in the conflict have largely targeted Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. Oil facilities elsewhere in Iran have been hit, but Kharg’s massive storage tanks, jetties, and pipelines had remained untouched until the latest strike.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowed to keep fighting in a message delivered via state television.
There have been a number of attacks on foreign ships in or near the Strait, feeding into concerns that a prolonged war could translate to a global economic shock.
Prices are rising despite the US and its allies rolling out some measures to keep a lid on energy costs.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has agreed to release 400 million stockpiled barrels, the largest such action in history.
The US has issued a 30-day waiver for India to purchase sanctioned oil from Russia. President Donald Trump is considering loosening rules under the Jones Act that require American ships to transport goods between domestic ports, including oil and gas, in an effort to lower costs.
Traders are continuing to monitor developments in the Middle East.
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