Economy
IFC Backs SEC in Boosting Market Integrity
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
International Finance Corporation (IFC), which is a member of World Bank Group, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of Nigeria, are helping to strengthen market integrity with a standardized corporate governance scorecard for public companies.
The scorecard will identify strong performers through enhanced disclosure, strengthen investor confidence and encourage foreign investments in the country.
In 2014, IFC and SEC partnered to develop the Nigerian Corporate Governance Scorecard which was launched in November 2015.
Following the launch, both institutions have jointly trained various stakeholders to prepare for implementation.
These stakeholders include Chief Finance Officers, Company Secretaries, Audit Committee and Board Chairpersons.
The training sessions generated awareness for the new disclosure requirements of SEC.
These disclosures will be used annually to assess corporate governance practices of listed companies in the country.
Corporate governance scorecards are quantitative tools used to measure the level of observance of a code or standard of corporate governance.
The scorecard was developed using indicators from the SEC code of corporate governance and will assess individual, sectorial and market-wide level of compliance with standards of best practices.
Director General of SEC, Mr Mounir Gwarzo, commented that, “A key focus of the SEC is to provide regulatory oversight to ensure public companies comply with best practices in corporate governance and boost their performance.
“Having built considerable market awareness for the scorecard with IFC’s support, we hope that as companies comply, they will improve their performance and contribute to growth in the nation’s economy.”
Also, IFC Country Manager for Nigeria, Eme Essien Lore, disclosed that, “IFC works with firms to attract and retain investment by promoting the adoption of good corporate governance practices and standards.
“We have partnered with SEC over the last two years, developing the CG Scorecard and sensitizing stakeholders. We hope that as implementation begins in January 2017, the trained officials would translate progress made into ongoing processes that boost performance, attract investments and help the economy grow.”
“Corporate governance refers to the structures and processes by which companies are directed and controlled. Companies become more accountable and transparent to investors, which encourages new investments, boosts economic growth, and provides employment opportunities.
“IFC’s Africa Corporate Governance program is funded by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), Switzerland. IFC is the implementing partner for the program.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is seeking a reduction in import duty exemptions, which rose to N34 trillion, limiting its ability to increase its revenue generation threshold.
The Comptroller-General of the Customs Service, Mr Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed that the value of import duty exemption certificate approvals increased to that level in 2025, describing the policy as one of the major factors restricting its revenue generation.
At an investigative session of the Senate Committee on Finance with revenue-generating agencies in Abuja on Monday, Mr Adeniyi explained that government fiscal policies have continued to impact the revenue-generating capacity of the Customs Service, both positively and negatively.
“The NCS would have generated significantly higher revenue over the years if not for government-approved import duty waivers and other external factors affecting collections,” he said.
He added that the Import Duty Exemption Certificate scheme, introduced in March 2020, accounted for about N34 trillion in approvals in 2025, with nearly 60 per cent covering duty-free importation of military hardware due to Nigeria’s prevailing security challenges.
Other government-backed duty waivers, he noted, covered the importation of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), electric and hybrid vehicles, healthcare equipment and medical supplies, industrial machinery and manufacturing inputs, as well as food import intervention programmes.
While acknowledging the impact of the waivers on Customs revenue, Mr Adeniyi argued that fiscal policy should not be assessed solely on the basis of revenue generation but also on its broader economic and social objectives.
He, however, urged the federal government to establish stronger monitoring mechanisms to ensure beneficiaries of duty waivers deliver the intended economic outcomes, including lower consumer prices, increased local production and improved healthcare access.
The committee also expressed displeasure over the absence of several heads of government agencies invited to the hearing, including the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), and the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Mr Sani Musa, warned that the affected chief executives must appear at the committee’s next sitting or face severe sanctions under the Senate’s rules.
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By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange rose by 0.40 per cent on Monday, July 13, buoyed by buying interest in 11 Plc, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and UBN Property Plc, which offset the profit-taking in Food Concepts Plc, the parent company of Chicken Republic.
11 Plc gained N20.69 to end at N227.64 per share compared with last Friday’s price of N206.95 per share, CSCS Plc grew by N1.83 to N91.48 per unit from N89.65 per unit, and UBN Property Plc added 1 Kobo to sell at N1.81 per share versus N1.80 per share.
On the flip side, Food Concepts Plc depreciated by 24 Kobo to close at N2.45 per unit, in contrast to the preceding session’s N2.69 per unit.
As a result, the market capitalisation increased by N9.2 billion to N2.587 trillion from N2.578 trillion, and the NASD Security Index (NSI) improved by 15.33 points to 4,311.67 points from 4,296.34 points.
Yesterday, the volume of securities traded by investors surged by 615.9 per cent to 9.1 million units from the previous 1.3 million units, and the value of securities rose by 997.1 per cent to N320.4 million from the preceding session’s N29.2 million, while the number of deals decreased by 12.5 per cent to 28 deals from last Friday’s 32 deals.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most active stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc with 2.3 billion units worth N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units exchanged for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million.
