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Economy

I Fully Agree Oil Has Been a Curse to Nigeria—Moghalu

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By Aduragbemi Omiyale

A former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Kingsley Moghalu, has said oil has been a curse to Nigeria.

He said this in reaction to the discovery of oil in the northern part of the country.

On Tuesday, President Muhammadu Buhari flagged off the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi, and he said the country attracted $3 billion investment in fossil energy from the project at a time when the oil and gas sector was becoming less attractive.

“It is, therefore, to the credit of this administration that at a time when there is near zero appetites for investment in fossil energy, coupled with the location challenges, we are able to attract investment of over $3 billion to this project,” Mr Buhari said.

The Kolmani Integrated Development Project is a fully integrated in-situ development project comprising upstream production, oil refining, power generation and fertilizer.

The Kolmani River field has huge commercial deposits of hydrocarbons, which the President said is “over one billion barrels of oil reserves and 500 billion cubic feet of gas.”

But Mr Moghalu, who contested to be the President of Nigeria in 2019 under the Young Progressives Party (YPP), believes that the country has not gained anything meaningful from being an oil-producing nation.

Nigeria is one of the leading producers of crude oil in Africa. Most of the foreign exchange (FX) earnings come from the sale of the commodity. However, oil theft and corruption have subjected its citizens to abject poverty, with the government resorting to borrowing to fund its budgets.

“I fully agree with those who say oil has been a curse to Nigeria. Many of them question the ultimate value of the reported Kolmani oil find in Northern Nigeria.

“But I am also practical enough to know three things. First, some countries like Saudi Arabia, Gulf States, and Norway were smart enough to use oil to build their economies but diversified into other means of wealth creation and also built-up savings (reserves/Sovereign Wealth Funds) for the rainy day that have served them well.

“Secondly, the real secret of the wealth of nations does NOT lie in natural resources. It lies in economic complexity – the ability to prioritize technological innovation and use it to manufacture complex products that are value-added and competitively produced and then exported to dominate the world trading system. Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Switzerland and many other of the world’s wealthiest countries have NOTHING of value under their soil but have used this principle to create wealth for their citizens. That’s why they are rich, but we in Nigeria and most other African countries, with our so-called blessing of natural resources, are in a poverty trap.

“We in fact have the resource curse. 70% of the world’s strategic minerals are in Africa, but the continent’s share of world trade is just 3% in 2022.

“The third thing I am practical enough to know is that, as Nigeria is currently led and configured, the dominant mentality of its political leadership is still fixated on natural resources and resource rents. They simply do not share in, & do not care, about the secret of the wealth of nations.

“Their minds still haven’t evolved to that knowledge or, more accurately, the political will to de-emphasize natural resource thinking and shift to real wealth creation,” the respected economist said in a series of tweets via his verified Twitter handle, @MoghaluKingsley.

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Economy

How Remote Workers Are Using OneDosh to Get Paid and Spend Globally 

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One Dosh

The Covid-19 pandemic brought a different work mode globally that promised freedom: remote work. This new work approach brought along technological innovations that aided the conveniences that accompanied it: the ability to work from anywhere, collaborate across time zones, and build a career without borders. But the one problem nobody warned us about was that getting paid and using that money shouldn’t require a finance degree.

Remote workers in Nigeria sought various avenues to navigate international payments, and one of the solutions that was provided was OneDosh, which has now become the bridge between earning globally and spending locally. Built by global fintech leaders, OneDosh developed solutions to solve these problems.

We will be focusing on how real people are using the platform to simplify their financial lives in this article.

The Payment Waiting Game Nobody Talks About – Chioma’s Story 

Chioma works as a social media manager for two U.S. companies and a UK-based startup. Her biggest frustration isn’t the work itself or managing clients across time zones. It’s the anxiety that comes every payment cycle when she wonders if her domiciliary account will receive the wire transfer, or if this will be the month her bank flags the transaction for “verification” that takes weeks to resolve.

She’s had months where a $2,000 payment got stuck in banking limbo for three weeks while her landlord sent messages about rent. The experience taught her that having multiple international clients doesn’t guarantee financial stability when you can’t reliably access your earnings.

OneDosh changed her approach entirely. Now when clients pay her in stablecoins, the money arrives within minutes and she can decide immediately what to do with it, whether to convert to naira for immediate expenses, keep in USD for savings, or split between both. The control matters more than the speed, though the speed helps when bills are due.

When Your Card Works Until It Doesn’t – Tunde’s Story 

Tunde learned the hard way that Nigerian debit cards have spending limits that make international subscriptions a constant negotiation. His Adobe Creative Cloud subscription failed three months in a row despite having money in his account. Customer support would apologize, he’d try a different card, and the cycle would repeat until he eventually had to ask a friend abroad to pay for it while he reimbursed them.

The OneDosh visa card solved this specific problem, but more importantly, it eliminated the unpredictability. He uses it for all his international subscriptions now like software tools, cloud storage, freelancing platform fees, without wondering if this will be the month his bank decides the transaction looks suspicious. The card works consistently, which sounds basic until you’ve experienced the alternative.

Naira Volatility and the Dollar Earning Advantage – Blessing’s Experience 

For remote workers earning in dollars, the mathematics of currency conversion has become a monthly calculation that affects every financial decision. Blessing, a freelance writer, watches exchange rates the way other people check weather forecasts. A project that pays $500 means something very different in naira depending on when and how she converts it.

Her previous system involved converting everything to naira immediately at the offered rate, rather than exploring other options but felt safer than alternatives she didn’t fully understand. With OneDosh, she keeps her dollar earnings in the Onedosh wallet until she needs them; converting smaller amounts as needed rather than converting everything at once. This helps her manage timing and stay mindful of exchange rates and fees.

The Family Support Reality – Emeka the Tech Bro 

Remote work success in Nigeria often means becoming the family member others turn to when emergencies arise. Emeka earns well working for a Canadian tech company, which means he’s frequently sending money to siblings for school fees, parents for medical bills, or extended family for various urgent needs.

Sending support shouldn’t feel complicated or time-consuming. With OneDosh, he can transfer funds seamlessly from wherever he is, with a simple and straightforward process. This flexibility is especially valuable when someone needs access to funds at a critical moment, allowing him to respond quickly and confidently.

“Although he believes this hasn’t made him richer, it certainly has made helping family significantly less stressful and time-consuming, which matters when you’re trying to balance work deadlines with family obligations.”

The Nigerian remote worker experience involves navigating payment systems that weren’t built for how we work now. Blocked transactions, unclear fees, conversion rate losses, spending limits etc are barriers that make earning internationally harder than it needs to be.

OneDosh doesn’t eliminate every challenge remote workers face, but it addresses several major ones directly. The platform works with the reality of Nigerian remote workers rather than pretending those realities don’t exist.


If you’re managing international payments, download the OneDosh app, It is designed to help you handle things more smoothly.

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Economy

Unlisted OTC Securities Slide Further by 0.35%

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By Adedapo Adesanya

The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange further dropped 0.35 per cent on Tuesday, March 17, with the market capitalisation down by N8.80 billion to N2.471 trillion from the preceding day’s N2.480 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) dipping by 14.71 points to 4,130.89 points from 4,145.60 points.

The loss recorded during the session was influenced by three securities, which overpowered the gains recorded by four stocks.

Okitipupa Plc lost N15.00 to sell at N215.00 per unit compared with the previous day’s N230.00 per unit, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc depreciated by N1.23 to trade at N122.32 per share versus Monday’s closing price of N123.55 per share, and Afriland Plc declined by 90 Kobo to quote at N17.05 per unit versus N17.95 per unit.

On the flip side, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) gained 36 Kobo to close at N75.43 per share versus the preceding session’s N75.07 per share, Geo-Fluids Plc added 6 Kobo to trade at N3.11 per unit compared with the previous day’s N3.05 per unit, Lighthouse Financial Service Plc improved by 5 Kobo to 60 Kobo per share from 55 Kobo per share, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc rose by 1 Kobo to 55 Kobo per unit from 54 Kobo per unit.

Yesterday, the volume of securities surged by 97.5 per cent to 921,265 units from 265,610 units, the value of securities advanced by 64.6 per cent to N54.7 million from N33.2 million, and the number of deals went up by 46.2 per cent to 38 deals from 26 deals.

The most active stock by value (year-to-date) was CSCS Plc with 38.7 million units worth N2.4 billion, trailed by Okitipupa Plc with 6.4 million units valued at N1.2 billion, and FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc traded 6.8 million units for N649.1 million.

The most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) was Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.6 million, followed by Geo-Fluids Plc with 130.9 million units exchanged for N505.1 million, and CSCS Plc with 38.6 million units worth N2.4 billion.

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Economy

Nigeria’s Stock Market Now N130trn After 0.54% Surge

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By Dipo Olowookere

A 0.54 per cent surge was witnessed by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Tuesday as a result of strong investor demand and broad-based gains in the banking and industrial goods sectors.

According to data from the bourse, the industrial goods space expanded by 4.44 per cent, and the banking index chalked up 4.30 per cent, offsetting the losses recorded by the three other indices due to profit-taking.

Business Post reports that the consumer goods sector depreciated by 1.30 per cent, the insurance counter shrank by 0.41 per cent, and the energy landscape lost 0.13 per cent.

At the close of business, the market capitalisation soared by N696 billion to N130.026 trillion from N129.330 trillion, and the All-Share Index (ASI) surged by 1,084.52 points to 202,559.41 points from 201,474.89 points.

BUA Cement ended the day as the best-performing equity after it jumped 10.00 per cent to N326.70, Premier Paints appreciated by 9.86 per cent to N23.40, Zenith Bank expanded by 7.91 per cent to N111.15, NAHCO moved up by 7.14 per cent to N175.60, and RT Briscoe grew by 6.67 per cent to N11.20.

Conversely, Presco was the worst-performing equity, with a decline of 10.00 per cent to quote at N1,875.60. Caverton dropped 8.70 per cent to N6.30, Secure Electronic Technology lost 7.69 per cent to trade at N1.20, Guinea Insurance shed 6.43 per cent to quote at N1.31, and International Breweries crashed by 6.35 per cent to N14.00.

During the session, 1.8 billion shares worth N88.1 billion exchanged hands in 62,654 deals compared with the 948.2 million shares valued at N49.2 billion traded in 72,735 deals a day earlier, implying a contraction in the number of deals by 13.72 per cent, and an expansion in the trading volume and value by 89.83 per cent and 79.07 per cent, respectively.

Dominating the activity chart was FCMB with a turnover of 516.2 million equities valued at N6.6 billion, Wema Bank transacted 213.4 million shares for N5.6 billion, Zenith Bank traded 163.1 million stocks worth N18.1 billion, Access Holdings sold 123.9 million equities valued at N3.2 billion, and GTCO exchanged 100.0 million shares worth N12.4 billion.

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