Economy
Lagos Partners Farmers on Maize Production
By Sodeinde Temidayo David
The Lagos State Government has announced the plan to partner with the Maize Farmers’ Association of Nigeria (MAAN) in a bid to explore the possibilities of maize production.
This was revealed over the weekend by the Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, when she received members of the group.
Ms Olusanya explained that the meeting was convened to explore the opportunities available for the sourcing of silage from the partnership.
“Silage is a very cheap and affordable source of feed for livestock in the State, particularly cows, and there is a need for collaboration with the Maize Farmers Association of Nigeria, which is coming on the heels of my visit to the Igbodu Feedlot in Epe,’ the Commissioner said.
According to her, in this year’s farming season, MAAN would be planting about 167,000 hectares of maize across Nigeria with an average crop output of five metric tonnes per hectare.
As stated by the Commissioner, the collaboration with the association will help the state grow its own maize and would serve as a major source of production for cattle feed.
“I am particularly delighted about this initiative because it is in line with the State’s Five-Year Agricultural Roadmap, particularly the reform of the red meat value chain,” she said.
The senior government official further noted that there is a potential for about 835,000 metric tonnes of silage, which could be available for the Feedlots in the State.
Lagos’s partnership with MAAN is aimed at establishing feedlots and fattening centres that will help with the traceability and hygiene of the cattle before they are slaughtered for consumption.
In a different development, the Lagos state government has restated the vow to intensify raids on clubs, bars and lounges, over noise pollution in the state.
The alarm was made yesterday as the state government read the riot act to nightclubs, bars and lounges, especially those in the Lekki axis, to desist from noise pollution. Following this, any club that fails to adhere to the act will risk being shut.
Also, apart from putting such clubs or bars under lock and key, the owners of the relaxation points would also be prosecuted according to the dictates of the law.
A statement signed by the Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello, said enforcement raids were carried out on some nightclubs in Lekki following repeated complaints by residents of the area and environs.
According to him, a visit by enforcement officers of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) to a club at Lekki, following complaints of flagrant noise pollution, revealed the use of different giant speakers and musical instruments for stage plays and shows, necessitating its closure.
The Commissioner also noted that many residents especially elderly citizens, have always come to his office with petitions and complaints about the adverse effects of noise pollution on their health every night until the early hours of the next day.
It was also noted that the exercise will be a continuous one, and all clubs that engage in noise pollution are advised to retrace their steps.
Mr Bello stated that no one organisation would be treated as a sacred cow in the latest campaign, pointing out that research has also shown noise pollution as one of the causative factors for reduced lifespan.
The campaign is attributed to the second pillar of the six-point Development Agenda of the present administration is Health and Environment, as it includes combating noise pollution.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Four securities weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.95 per cent on Friday, erasing N41.17 billion from the bourse, which had its market capitalisation at N2.567 trillion compared with the previous session’s N2.618 trillion.
In the same vein, the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) decreased at the close of business by 85.28 points to 4,277.07 points from 4,362.32 points.
The price decliners were led by 11 Plc, which gave up N20.50 to sell at N200.50 per share compared with the preceding day’s N221.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc dropped N16.94 to close at N155.20 per unit versus Thursday’s closing price of N172.14 per unit, Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc went down by N2.11 to N84.68 per share from N86.79 per share, and Afriland Properties Plc lost 11 Kobo to end at N16.74 per unit, in contrast to the N16.85 per unit it closed a day earlier.
During the trading day, the value of transactions jumped by 172.1 per cent to N29.9 million from the preceding session’s N10.9 million, and the volume of trades soared by 136.5 per cent to 955,096 units from the previous 403,901 units, while the number of deals went down by 11.4 per cent to 31 deals from 35 deals.
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 68.6 million units sold for N4.7 billion.
GNI Plc also ended the session as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units exchanged for N8.4 billion, trailed 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.
By Dipo Olowookere
The last trading session of this week on the floor of the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited ended on a negative note, with a 0.66 per cent loss on Friday.
This was influenced by sustained selling pressure and cautious trading, which forced investors into profit-taking.
Data obtained by Business Post showed that the energy sector fell by 4.66 per cent, the insurance counter dipped by 2.23 per cent, the consumer goods index depreciated by 0.96 per cent, and the banking segment shed 0.28 per cent, while the industrial goods space remained unchanged.
At the close of business, the All-Share Index (ASI) of Nigeria’s stock exchange went down by 1,531.81 points to 232,049.02 points from 233,580.83 points, and the market capitalisation dropped N983 billion to settle at N148.905 trillion compared with Thursday’s N149.888 trillion.
Aradel was the worst-performing equity after it lost 10.00 per cent to close at N1,417.50. International Energy Insurance slipped by 9.95 per cent to N5.79, Trans-Nationwide Express depreciated by 9.89 per cent to N3.28, eTranzact crashed by 9.79 per cent to N14.75, and UPDC slumped by 9.72 per cent to N28.12.
The best-performing equity for the day was Universal Insurance, which gained 6.32 per cent to close at N1.01, McNichols grew by 5.52 per cent to N8.60, Linkage Assurance expanded by 4.67 per cent to N1.57, NGX Group appreciated by 4.35 per cent to N120.00, and Transcorp increased by 3.62 per cent to N41.50.
As look at the activity level indicated that investors traded 388.7 million stocks worth N18.4 billion in 44,631 deals compared with the 393.7 million stocks valued at N19.2 billion executed in 45,813 deals a day earlier, representing a decline in the trading volume, value, and number of deals by 1.27 per cent, 4.17 per cent, and 2.58 per cent, respectively.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira recorded a loss of 82 Kobo or 0.06 per cent against the United States Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Friday, June 26, exchanging at N1,380.93/$1, in contrast to the previous day’s rate of N1,380.11/$1.
Equally, the domestic currency further weakened against the Pound Sterling in the official FX market yesterday by N6.06 to settle at N1,824.90/£1 versus the preceding session’s N1,818.84/£1, and lost N10.74 on the Euro to sell at N1,577 .58/€1 versus N1,566.84/€1.
At the GTBank forex counter, the Naira depreciated against the greenback during the session by N4 to close at N1,387/$1, in contrast to Thursday’s value of N1,383/$1, and at the parallel market, it was unchanged at N1,395/$1.
Interbank FX activity among financial institutions has fluctuated amid a sharp slowdown in forex market interventions by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), as it allows demand and supply to move the market.
Also, a stronger greenback has generally put significant pressure on emerging-market currencies.
Nigeria has accessed the first tranche of a proposed $5 billion derivatives financing arrangement with First Abu Dhabi Bank PJSC, the largest lender in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The $5 billion facility, approved by the National Assembly earlier this year, is part of the federal government’s plan to diversify external financing sources and reduce borrowing costs. Structured as a Total Return Swap with First Abu Dhabi Bank, proceeds are earmarked for refinancing debt and supporting infrastructure financing.
If the proceeds are brought into the country through the official FX market, the transaction will increase the currency reserves or Dollar liquidity.
At the cryptocurrency market, Solana (SOL) grew by 2.2 per cent to $71.92, Cardano (ADA) gained 1.1 per cent to trade at $0.1474, Ripple (XRP) also appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $1.05, Dogecoin (DOGE) expanded by 0.9 per cent to $0.0755, and Ethereum (ETH) improved by 0.4 per cent to $1,578.84.
On the flip side, TRON (TRX) slid 0.6 per cent to $0.3203, Binance Coin (BNB) slumped by 0.3 per cent to $564.33, and Bitcoin fell by 0.2 per cent to $60,219.37, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 each.
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