Economy
Livestock Sub-Sector Contributes 5.8% to Nigeria’s GDP—FG
**Lauds Chi Farms, Zoetis on Veterinary Laboratory Project
By Dipo Olowookere
CHI Farms and Zoetis have been commended for the establishment of an ultra-modern veterinary diagnostic centre called City Laboratory, which was commissioned on Wednesday, September 12, 2018 in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Audu Ogbeh, disclosed that the commissioning of the diagnostic centre justifies the collaborative efforts of federal government and the private sector in providing essential tools needed for sustainable socio-economic growth in livestock development in Nigeria.
Mr Ogbeh, who spoke through the Director and Chief Veterinary Officer, Department of Veterinary and Pest Control Services, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr Olaniran Alabi, said further that the livestock sub-sector contributes 5.8 percent of nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provides livelihoods to over 30 percent of the Nigerian rural population.
He added that for livestock business in Nigeria to remain profitable and sustainable in the face of growing population and demand for protein, it was important that animal diseases and epidemics were well controlled and eradicated.
The Minister pointed out that the sub-sector was limited by a number of factors most important of which is the preponderance of a wide range of animal diseases such as Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP), Peste des Petits Ruminant (PPR), African Swine Fever (ASF), etc.
For Nigeria to ensure a profitable livestock business for farmers, proper, efficient and accurate animal disease diagnosis need to be carried out, he said.
“It is important to note that animal disease diagnosis is an important component of veterinary services and that Nigeria has quite a number of laboratories that carry out animal disease diagnosis. However, these laboratories operate below their optimal level thereby leading to huge gap in veterinary diagnosis services.
“The establishment and equipping of Chi Farms’ ultra-modern veterinary diagnostic laboratory being commissioned today in Ibadan could not have come at a better time than now that Nigeria is looking forward to diversification of its economy through agricultural and other non-oil sectors.
“Let me use this opportunity to appreciate Chi Farms and Zoetis-ALPHA for this laudable initiative and call on other foreign organizations to partner with Nigeria on animal health and veterinary services,” Mr Ogbeh said.
Also speaking at the event, National President of Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN), Mr Ezekiel Ibrahim, said the poultry industry in Nigeria has been confronted with many challenges especially losses as a result of diseases outbreak, which according to him has frustrated and crippled some farmers’ investments, leaving them dejected and hopeless.
He acknowledged the efforts of National Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI) in domesticating animal disease diagnosis but pointed out that emerging challenges and changing trend in clinical manifestation of diseases calls for a more aggressive intervention.
According to him, “Managing poultry disease is highly sensitive to the time the index case is identified in order to avoid, control and prevent production losses.
“This is where the quality of veterinary diagnostic laboratory intervention becomes a centre point in management decision on disease control. The industry requires a diagnostic laboratory facility that is reliable in sensitivity and specificity. This is the future of addressing challenges of disease in the poultry industry.”
“The poultry industry at this time requires availability, reliability, accessibility and affordability of diagnostic services for growth,” he added.
The association chief also commended CHI Farms and Zoetis for the precise intervention through the establishment of City Laboratory while adding that, the project has come at the right time to support the growth of the poultry industry and redirect the attention of the sub-sector to the importance of quality laboratory service in disease control.
In his opening remark, Managing Director of Chi Farms Limited, Mr Martin Middernacht, said the motive behind the establishment of City Laboratory in partnership with Zoetis is to assist livestock farmers raise healthy and profitable animals as well as conduct research and come up with vaccines based on tests conducted.
Also, the Regional Director Zoetis, Sub-Sahara Africa, Mr Gabriel Varga, stated that the partnership of his organization with Chi Farms Limited on the project is basically to assist poultry farmers in Nigeria realize their full potential.
Mr Varga further stated that similar laboratories will be opened in different parts of the country in subsequent phases of the A.L.P.H.A project.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s crude oil production slipped slightly to 1.422 million barrels per day in December 2025 from 1.436 million barrels per day in November, according to data from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
OPEC in its Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR), quoting primary sources, noted that the oil output was below the 1.5 million barrels per day quota for the nation.
The OPEC data indicate that Nigeria last met its production quota in July 2025, with output remaining below target from August through December.
Quarterly figures reveal a consistent decline across 2025; Q1: 1.468 million barrels per day, Q2: 1.481 million barrels per day, Q3: 1.444 million barrels per day, and 1.42 million barrels per day in Q4.
However, the cartel acknowledged that despite the gradual decrease in oil production, Nigeria’s non-oil sector grew in the second half of last year.
The organisation noted that “Nigeria’s economy showed resilience in 2H25, posting sound growth despite global challenges, as strength in the non-oil economy partly offset slower growth in the oil sector.”
According to the report, cooling inflation, a stronger Naira, lower refined fuel imports, and stronger remittance inflows are improving domestic and external conditions.
“A stronger naira, easing food prices due to the harvest, and a cooling in core inflation also point to gradually fading underlying pressures”, the report noted.
It forecast inflation to decelerate further on the back of past monetary tightening, currency strength, and seasonal harvest effects, though it noted that monetary policy remains restrictive.
“Seasonally adjusted real GDP growth at market prices moderated to stand at 3.9%, y-o-y, in 3Q25, down from 4.2% in 2Q25. Nonetheless, this is still a healthy and robust growth level, supported by strengthening non-oil activity, with growth in that segment rising by 0.3 percentage points to 3.9%, y-o-y. Inflation continued to decelerate in November, with headline CPI falling for an eighth straight month to 14.5%, y-o-y, following 16.1%, y-o-y, in October”.
OPEC, however, stated that while preserving recent disinflation gains is important, the persistently high policy rate – implying real interest rates of around 12% – risks weighing on aggregate demand in the near term.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday revealed that inflation rate for December 2025 stood at 15.15 per cent compared with the 14.45 per cent it put the previous month.
However, it recalculated the November 2025 inflation rate at 17.33 per cent after using a 12-month index reference period where the average consumer price index (CPI) for the 12 months of 2024 is equated to 100. This is a departure from the single-month index reference period, in which December 2024 was set to 100, which would have produced an artificial spike in the December 2025 year-on-year inflation rate.
The NBS had earlier informed stakeholders a few days ago that it was changing its methodology for inflation to reflect the economic reality. This is coming after the organisation changed the base year from 2009 to 2024 earlier in 2025.
In its report released today, the stats agency explained that this process was in line with international best practice as contained in the Consumer Price Index Inter-national Monetary Fund (IMF) Manual, specifically in Section 9.125 and the ECOWAS Harmonised CPI Manual, which address index reference period maximisation, following a rebasing exercise.
On a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in December 2025 was 0.54 per cent, lower than the 1.22 per cent recorded in November 2025.
The NBS also revealed that on a year-on-year basis, the urban inflation rate for last month stood at 14.85 per cent versus 37.29 per cent in December 2024, while on a month-on-month basis, it jumped to 0.99 per cent from 0.95 per cent in the preceding month.
As for the rural inflation rate in December 2025, it stood at 14.56 per cent on a year-on-year basis from 32.47 per cent in December 2024, and on a month-on-month basis, it declined to -0.55 per cent from 1.88 per cent in November 2025.
It was also disclosed that food inflation rate in December 2025 was 10.84 per cent on a year-on-year basis from 39.84 per cent in December 2024, while on a month-on-month basis, it declined to -0.36 per cent from 1.13 per cent in November 2025 (1.13%).
This was attributed to the rate of decrease in the average prices of tomatoes, garri, eggs, potatoes, carrots, millet, vegetables, plantain, beans, wheat grain, grounded pepper, fresh onions and others.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Companies operating in Lagos State have been reminded of their obligations to file their annual tax returns for the 2025 financial year on or before January 31, 2026.
This reminder was given by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) in a statement made available to Business Post on Thursday.
In the notice signed by the chairman of the tax agency, Mr Ayodele Subair, it was stressed that filing the tax returns is an obligation as stipulated in the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA) 2025.
He explained that employers are required to file detailed returns on emoluments and compensation paid to their employees, as well as payments made to their service providers, vendors and consultants, and to ensure that all applicable taxes due for the year 2025 are fully remitted.
Mr Subair emphasised that filing of annual returns is a mandatory legal obligation, and warned that failure to comply will result in statutory sanctions, including administrative penalties, as prescribed under the new tax law.
According to Section 14 of the NTAA, employers are required to file detailed annual returns of all emoluments paid to employees, including taxes deducted and remitted to relevant tax authorities. Such returns must be filed and submitted not later than January 31 each year.
“Employers must prioritise the timely filing of their annual income tax returns. Compliance should be part of our everyday business practice.
“Early and accurate filing not only ensures adherence to the law as required by the Nigerian Constitution, but also supports effective revenue tracking, which is important to Lagos State’s fiscal planning and sustainability,” he noted.
The LIRS chief disclosed that electronic filing via the organisation’s eTax platform remains the only approved and acceptable mode of filing, as manual submissions have been completely phased out. This measure, he said, is aimed at simplifying and standardising tax administration processes in the state.
Employers are therefore required to submit their annual tax returns exclusively through the LIRS eTax portal: https://etax.lirs.net.
Dr Subair described the channel as secure, user-friendly, accessible 24/7, and designed to provide employers with a convenient and efficient means of fulfilling their tax obligations, advising firms to ensure that the tax identification number (Tax ID) of all employees is correctly captured in their filings, noting that employees without a Tax ID must generate one promptly to avoid disruptions during the filing process.
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