Economy

FG Pledges 5,000 Housing Units in Each State

Published

9 years ago

23/02/2017

Modupe Gbadeyanka

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Federal Government has assured public workers in Nigeria of adequate and informed plans for the provision of affordable houses as a panacea to the challenges of housing shortage in the country with an ambitious and unprecedented National Housing Programme aimed at constructing 5,000 units of houses in every state, over the next three years.

This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mr Mustapha Baba Shehuri, during the commissioning of a 202-Unit Ministerial Pilot Housing Scheme being financed by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and built by a Private Developer, Black Afrik (Nig) Limited, in Jalingo, Taraba State.

Mr Baba Shehuri stated that “National Housing Models have been designed for each geo-political zone, taking into cognizance our cultural diversities and climate conditions and, most importantly, in line with the present Administration’s vision of standardizing building materials to boost local content by encouraging indigenous Artisans and Craftsmen, as well as the creation of employment for Nigeria’s teaming youth”.

The Minister congratulated the Management and Staff of FMBN for the success recorded with the completion of the Estate and its peers in other states of the Federation scheduled for commissioning between now and early March, 2017, while re-affirming the resolve of the present Administration to recapitalize the Bank to the tune of N500billion to enable it adequately and efficiently carry out its Mandate under the National Housing Programme.

In his address at the occasion, the Executive Governor of Taraba State, represented by the Deputy Governor, Mr Haruna Manu, described the delivery of the estate as a delightful relief to the housing gap in the state which is constantly being widen by population explosion and exigencies incidental to the displacement of people due to insurgency within the North-East zone.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Acting Managing Director of FMBN, Mr Richard Esin, informed the gathering that the two-phased Estate consists of 88, 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 90, 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 24, 1-bedroom terraces, adding that “concessionary terms of the National Housing Fund (NHF) Mortgage loans are in conformity with the Bank’s mandate of proving Nigerians with access to mortgage finance at affordable rates” to enable them transit from tenants to proud home owners.

Delivering a goodwill message at the Commissioning Ceremony, the President-General, Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, lauded the initiative, while appealing to the Taraba State government to aid workers key into the window opportunity by subsidizing the cost of the houses. At a courtesy call on the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Mr Darius Ishaku Dickson, the Minister intimated his host that the Federal Government has already paid mobilization fees to contractors for the construction of houses in all the 36 states of Nigeria plus the FCT, being the first set under the National Housing Programme and will soon award the contract for the rehabilitation of Numan-Jalingo Road traversing Adamawa and Taraba States.

In his response, the Governor praised the National Housing Programme as the solution to Nigeria’s housing needs, while urging the Ministry to expedite action on the procurement process for the 3,050MW Mambila Hydro Project, also promising the Ministry that additional land will be allocated for affordable housing developments in the state.

Economy

NRS Launches Unified Tax ID System

Published

4 hours ago

19/05/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) has unveiled a unified Taxpayer Identification (Tax ID) system for all taxable persons across the country as part of efforts to strengthen tax administration and improve transparency.

The agency announced the development in a public notice issued jointly with the Joint Revenue Board (JRB) on Monday.

According to the notice, the initiative is backed by Sections 6, 7, and 8 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, 2025, which mandate every taxable person in Nigeria to obtain a Tax ID, in a wider move to expand the country’s tax base.

The NRS said the new framework is designed to create a centralised and harmonised taxpayer database that would enhance interactions between taxpayers and revenue authorities at both federal and sub-national levels.

“The Tax ID will serve as a single, unified identity for all taxpayers, enabling seamless interaction with tax authorities at both federal and sub-national levels. It is designed to consolidate taxpayer records, eliminate duplication, and ensure more efficient management of tax-related information,” the agency stated.

The revenue agency explained that the new system would simplify tax compliance procedures, including taxpayer registration, filing of returns, and payment processes.

According to the NRS, the framework is also expected to improve accountability and reduce leakages in tax collection by creating better visibility and tracking of taxpayer information nationwide.

“The initiative will simplify tax compliance processes, including registration, tax filing, and payment procedures. The system will improve transparency by enabling better visibility and tracking of taxpayer records while reducing leakages and improving accountability in tax collection. The framework will also harmonise taxpayer information across all levels of government,” the notice added.

The agency further disclosed that the new Tax ID system would replace the existing Tax Identification Number (TIN) Validation API currently used by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), financial institutions, and other organisations for taxpayer verification.

Economy

OTC Securities Exchange Falls 1.31% as Key Stocks Decline

Published

7 hours ago

19/05/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

Three bellwether stocks weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.31 per cent on Monday, May 18.

This brought the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) by 54.71 points to 4,133.70 points from 4,188.41 points, and shrank the market capitalisation by N32.73 billion to N2.473 trillion from N2.506 trillion.

Yesterday, FrieslandCampina Wamco Plc contracted by N12.45 to sell at N146.55 per share compared with last Friday’s closing price of N159.00 per share, Central Securities and Clearing System (CSCS) Plc declined by N2.34 to N70.00 per unit from N72.34 per unit, and NASD Plc lost 50 Kobo to trade at N34.50 per share versus N35.00 per share.

The trio overpowered the N5.56 gained Newrest Asl Plc. This stock ended the trading session at N61.15 per unit, in contrast to the previous session’s N55.59 per unit.

During the trading day, the volume of securities traded by investors slid by 56.1 per cent to 514,142 units from 1.2 million units, and the value of securities dropped 29.8 per cent to close at N17.4 million versus N29.8 million, while the number of deals jumped 12.5 per cent to 27 deals from 24 deals.

Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 60.8 million units exchanged for N4.1 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.9 million units traded for N1.9 billion.

GNI Plc also ended the day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units transacted for N1.2 billion.

Economy

FX Pressure Pushes Naira Lower to N1,373/$1 at Official Market

Published

7 hours ago

19/05/2026

Adedapo Adesanya

By Adedapo Adesanya

It was a horrible day for the Nigerian Naira in the different segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market on Monday, May 15, as its value further weakened against the United States Dollar.

In the black market window, the Naira lost N5 against the Dollar yesterday to sell for N1,390/$1 compared with the previous value of N1,385/$1, but at the GTBank forex counter, it remained unchanged at N1,383/$1.

In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), the Nigerian currency depreciated against the greenback by N2.66 or 0.19 per cent to sell for N1,373.70/$1 compared to last Friday’s rate of N1,371.04/$1.

Equally, it fell against the Pound Sterling in the same market segment by N9.05 to trade at N1,839.66/£1 versus N1,830.61/£1, and lost N5.42 on the Euro to close at N1,600.49/€1 versus N1,595.07/€1.

The performance of the local currency during the session indicates early worries despite all signals pointing to stability, amid improved Dollar sales by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with steady, higher oil receipts to bolster the nation’s reserves.

Activity at the market showed that turnover rose 57.3 per cent to $76.29 million on Monday from $48.49 million posted on Friday.

Over the weekend, S&P raised Nigeria’s credit ratings for the first time since 2012 and highlighted improved FX market liquidity and $10 billion turnover recorded in April 2026 as one of the major gains of the CBN-led FX reforms.

The agency said the liberalisation of the exchange rate has bolstered access to foreign currency and enabled a market-driven exchange-rate environment while supporting investor and consumer confidence.

Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market was bullish on Monday as investors monitored developments in the Iran conflict and weighed the impact of surging oil prices on inflation and US interest-rate expectations.

Ethereum (ETH) gained 0.7 per cent to trade at $2,134.10, Cardano (ADA) rose by 0.6 per cent to $0.2515, Solana (SOL) expanded by 0.3 per cent to $85.11, Binance Coin (BNB) jumped 0.2 per cent to $643.29, TRON (TRX) increased by 0.03 per cent to $0.3565, and Bitcoin (BTC) advanced by 0.02 per cent to $76,912.12.

On the flip side, Dogecoin (DOGE) slid by 1.5 per cent to $0.1044, and Ripple (XRP) decreased by 0.5 per cent to $1.38, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 apiece.