Economy
Kaduna Seeks Lagos’ Support on Service Reforms

By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos State government, through the Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation (OTCI), has assured Kaduna State’s Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) delegation of its willingness to give necessary support and assistance in improving public service performance in Kaduna State.
Speaking while receiving the 9-man visiting team in Alausa recently, the Director General of OTCI, Mr Toba Otusanya, commended the decision to understudy Lagos reforms experience, saying it is a step in the right direction which more States should emulate, as this would encourage knowledge sharing and better service delivery to the people.
According to him, service reforms in Lagos State entails poverty eradication, sustainable economic growth through infrastructural renewal and development, adding that infrastructural renewal is not only physical infrastructure but also infrastructural renewal of the mind.
“Before any project is embarked on in Lagos, the question that is usually asked is how it will help with the policy thrust and achieve the set goals of the state. Also there is usually a clear policy link between all the initiatives going on in the State and the State Development Plan,” he said.
While highlighting some progress made in the areas of reforms to include the Independent Power Project (IPP); Agric-Yes Programme; Traffic Law; Procurement Law; Computerized Pay-Roll System; Introduction of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) Law; and the Public Service, Mr Otusanya noted that the State tailored its reforms towards development in specific sectors.
The Director-General explained further that the primary role of the Office of Transformation, Creativity and Innovation, is to fast track these Public Service Reforms and collaborate with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in ensuring that their sectorial objectives are achieved.
Responding, the Director-General, Kaduna State Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Mr Bashir Muhammad thanked the Lagos State Government for hosting them, saying that their quest for success in the area of reforms informed their decision to also visit countries like Malaysia and Singapore which have a very high success rate in reforms.
He emphasised that the choice of Lagos was largely informed by the giant strides recorded in the area of reforms as such it will not only be good to understudy them but to also share best practices with them.
The Kaduna team was taken through the history of OTCI and other reforms championed by the Office such as reforming and restructuring Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) in Lagos through Corporate Planning and Mandate reviews; transition from Personnel Management to Human Resources and Administration, the Lagos experience; Implementing the Service Charter initiative, key lessons and challenges; and Creativity and Innovation.
The two-day event was attended by representatives of the Kaduna State Bureau of Public Service Reforms(BPSR); Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuoke, DFID’s – Accountable, Responsive and Capable Governance (ARC) Technical Partner as well as members of staff of the OTCI.
Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) 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 traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
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