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Economy

Lawmaker Buoys Oyo Economy With N300m Cash Grants, Others

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Tolu Akande-Sadipe N300m Cash Grants

By Dipo Olowookere

A federal lawmaker from Oyo State, Ms Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, has contributed her own quota in improving the economy of the state by empowering some of her constituents.

The House of Representatives member over the weekend distributed cash grants and some items like vehicles, laptops, amongst others to about 300 small business owners in the Oluyole federal constituency.

The items were given to participants of a vocational training programme, which was concluded on Sunday, November 21, 2021, in Ibadan, the state capital.

Business Post gathered that Ms Akande-Sadipe, who is the House Committee Chairman of Diaspora, facilitated several vocational skills and economic enhancement schemes and shared no fewer than 15 cars, 35 laptops, 165 vocational equipment and cash grants worth N300 million to the beneficiaries.

The programs included indigenous fabric production (tie and dye) practical in Abeokuta; Aso Oke production in Oyo town and aquatic agriculture fish rearing with value-adding marketing options in Ibadan city.

She organised the week-long training in conjunction with the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research, the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons, the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD).

Speaking at the event, she disclosed that it was the 15th program of its kind since she was elected into the National Assembly in 2019, noting that, “My primary function is to make laws for my constituency, but because of the state of our nation, I have prioritized empowerment in my constituency as a key responsibility, still within my WWREEEP campaign promises.”

The lawmaker disclosed that “this empowerment programme is in fulfilment of my electoral promises during the 2019 general elections. I am poised to do more, as a lawmaker representing this constituency.”

“The present crop of leaders at the 9th Assembly is unrepentantly committed to our constituencies. We honestly are working on ways to lift the majority of Nigerians out of poverty and this is why we promulgate laws that will affect every stratum in Nigeria,” she further said.

She assured the people that, “I am still vehemently focused on facilitating the rehabilitation of key road construction projects.

“To mention a few, I have facilitated repairs on Odo-Ona Elewe Idi-Iroko Olugbemi Adewole (Liberty Academy) Road, Ayegun Oleyo-bare Abeokuta Road and Olomi Olojuoro-ita Egba-Ijebu Igbo Road and will continue to lobby the appropriate agencies, FERMA and the Ministry of Works and Housing on these roads.”

“I believe so much in empowerment, and this is why at every given opportunity, I collaborate with relevant agencies to empower my people in a bid to add more value to their socio-economic well-being,” she added.

Ms Akande-Sadipe implored the beneficiaries to ensure that the materials are used for income potential, urging them to use the items for long term economic gain and not to sell the empowerment items allotted but to use them and multiply wealth

While the lawmaker thanked all agencies who collaborated with her in ensuring her constituents are happy, she also eulogized party leaders for supporting her.

The Deputy Chairman, Oyo State All Progressive Congress (APC), Mr Adegboyega Adeyemo, in his remarks, said “this has been a good decision for the residents of Oluyole Constituency to give us a chance to represent them in 2019.”

According to him, the federal legislator has already surpassed all legislators in Oyo State, describing her as the “best I have seen.”

“Oyo APC will do everything to support Akande-Sadipe in 2023 because she has done more than enough to achieve this,” he assured.

One of the beneficiaries, Basiru Adewale, confessed that the empowerment programmes of Ms Akande-Sadipe have been “one of the best things the people of Oluyole Constituency have enjoyed. She is the best, no doubt. I advise other political leaders to emulate the woman’s virtue and values. We can all achieve more.”

One of the highlights of the event was a raffle draw, where a constituent won a 7-seater Opel car that can be used for both personal use and income generation.

Economy

NBA Demands Suspension of Controversial Tax Laws

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four tax reform bills

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.

In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.

A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.

To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”

“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.

It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”

“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.

“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.

“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.

“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.

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Economy

MRS Oil, Two Others Raise NASD Bourse Higher by 0.52%

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MRS Oil voluntary delisting

By Adedapo Adesanya

Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.

The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.

Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.

Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.

Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.

The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.

By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.

In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.

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Economy

NGX All-Share Index Soars to 153,354.13 points

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All-Share Index NGX

By Dipo Olowookere

It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.

The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.

Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.

Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.

At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.

This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.

VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.

In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.

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