Economy
N40b Debt: MRS Oil, AMCON Agree Out-of-Court Settlement
In a bid to settle out of court the debt of N40billion,Asset management Corporation of Nigeria AMCON and MRS Holding limited has filed terms of settlement before a Federal High court in Lagos south west Nigeria.
MRS Oil and Gas Company limited and its subsidiaries are primary obligors under a syndicated loan facility in the sum of $40 million availed to them by a consortium of Nigerian banks pursuant to a bridge facility agreement dated November 18, 2008 and a supplemental bridge facility agreement dated September 18, 2009.
The syndicated loan facility was for the purpose of acquiring Chevron Texaco downstream operations in West Africa.
The security package for the syndicated loan facility included a personal guarantee from the Chairman of MRS Oil and Gas company Mr Sayyu Dantata, as well as a corporate guarantee and indemnity from each of Corlay Global S. A., Ovals Trading S. A. and Societe Nationale D’Operations Petrolieres de Cote D’Ivoire.
The syndicated loan facility was subsequently classified as non-performing loan and acquired by AMCON pursuant to the provisions of the AMCON Act.
In a bid to recover the debt AMCON instituted a suit AMCON versus Petroci and another,. MRS subsequently applied to be joined as a party to the action and filed a counter -claim against Petroci.
In that suit, AMCON and Petroci executed Terms of Settlement on June 16, 2015 in the sum of $90 million, the terms were subsequently entered as the consent judgement on June 29, 2015.
In relation to the proportion of the debt that remains outstanding AMCON commenced suit (winding Up Proceedings) on July 4, 2016 against MRS as the respondent on the ground of MRS inability to pay its debt.
The winding up proceedings seeks an order of the court winding up MRS for being insolvent company.
AMCON also commenced suit number FHC/L/BK/04/2016(the bankruptcy Proceedings against Mr Sayyu Dantata, Chairman of MRS, on the basis of a personal guarantee dated September 17, 2008 to repay the sum of N350 million in the event of a default by MRS to repay the syndicated loan facility.
The parties now agreed to settle fully and finally the dispute concerning the debts
Now it is hereby agreed that:
- MRS shall pay to AMCON, the sum of N42 billion in full and final settlement of all sums due and owing to AMCON by MRS pursuant to the syndicated loan facility extended to MRS, and AMCON shall hereby release and forever discharge all claims against MRS, its parent, subsidiaries, assigns, transfees, representatives, principals, agents, officers, and directors subject to the following terms and conditions:
MRS shall between the 1st day of February 2018 and 10th day of April 2018 pay over to AMCON the sum of N2 billion of which the sum of N1 billion is acknowledged as having been paid.
(b)MRS shall pay the balance of N40 billion over a period of four years at an interest rate of 9% per annum on a quarterly basis.
(c)The sum of N2.5 billion plus accrued interest shall be paid by MRS on a quarterly basis, commencing ninety days from the effective date being 1st February 2018.
(d)MRS shall provide an acceptable unconditional bank guarantee with four year tenor from a reputable bank to back up the quarterly payment envisaged under this Terms of Settlement. A maximum period of ninety days shall be afforded to MRS to procure and provide the bank guarantees envisaged under this Terms of Settlement.
(e)MRS agrees to be bounded by the terms and conditions contained in the offer letter dated March 22, 2018 to which a breach of any of these terms would automatically become enforceable.
(f)AMCON shall accept lump sum prepayment without penalty.
2 AMCON shall be entitled to call in the bank Guarantee in the event of a default in making the quarterly payments, without the requirement to give notice.
AMCON shall be entitled to cancel all the concessions granted under this terms of settlement and call in the total balance outstanding in the event of default of any of the terms and conditions undertaken by MRS under the terms of Settlement
- Upon full payment of the total sum of N42 billion in full and final settlement of all sums due and owing to AMCON, AMCON agrees to release and discharge MRS, its parent, agents and Directors from liability and obligation to it in connection with the debts.
- It is expressly agreed between parties that the terms of settlement herein compromises all prior and existing judgement obtained against MRS and its directors.
- Upon execution of this agreement and payment of the sum of N2 billion, as contained in clause 1(a) above, AMCON shall immediately discontinue and withdraw all pending court case between parties in relation to the debt subject mystery of this settlement agreement, the winding up proceeding and the Bankruptcy proceedings and filed and adopt these terms as a consent judgement in the winding up proceedings.
- These terms of settlement are expressly without prejudice to MRS’s ability to maintain and pursue the MRS’s Counter Claims in the Petroci Proceedings and/or purse the MRS’s counter claims against Petroci in arbitration or otherwise.
- AMCON agrees, on behalf of itself and on behalf of its parent and agents or Directors, not to sue, commence, voluntarily aid in any way prosecute against MRS or it agents or Directors any action or proceedings concerning the release claims, in this jurisdiction or any other
- Parties to bear their respective litigation cost.
The terms of Settlement was endorsed on behalf of AMCON by: their counsel Adeniyi Adegbomire SAN, Head, Energy group, Sulaiman Abdul Majeed, Group Head, Credict Joshua Ikioda, and a Director, Secretary, and a lawyer Oladapo Ajayi on behalf of MRS Holding limited.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The chief executive of HBM Nigeria Plc (formerly Lafarge Africa), Mr Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, said the cement producer is expected to add 4.5 million tonnes to its production capacity by January 2027.
HBM Nigeria Plc is positioning itself for stronger long-term competitiveness, market leadership and job creation as it accelerates expansion projects.
The transition to HBM Nigeria marks a new phase of growth, driven by operational excellence, sustainability, innovation, and infrastructure development, while maintaining its long-standing commitment to Nigeria’s construction sector.
Mr Alade-Akinyemi, speaking recently in Lagos, said the ongoing expansion of the company’s Ashaka and Sagamu plants would significantly boost local production, create employment opportunities, and support businesses across its value chain.
“We recently announced the expansion of the Sagamu plant in Ogun State and the Ashaka plant in Gombe State. Hopefully, in January 2027, we will commission both plants, adding 4.5 million tonnes to our capacity. Traditionally, building a new plant takes about three years, but this is one of the benefits of belonging to the Huaxin Group,” he said.
According to him, the projects will generate employment, create opportunities for young people and women, strengthen local suppliers and contractors, and contribute further to Nigeria’s economic growth.
“There are many vacancies we are trying to fill in Sagamu and Ashaka. Beyond direct employment, we are creating opportunities for small businesses, developing suppliers and supporting local contractors. This is an exciting period because it will deliver significant benefits to Nigeria,” he said.
Mr Alade-Akinyemi noted that while the company’s corporate identity had changed following its acquisition by Huaxin Building Materials Group, its core values and commitment to customers, host communities, employees and shareholders remain unchanged.
He said HBM Nigeria traces its roots to 1959 as West African Portland Cement Company (WAPCO), with its first cement plant commencing operations in Ewekoro, Ogun State, in 1961.
Since then, he said, the company has grown into one of Nigeria’s leading building solutions providers with integrated plants in Ewekoro, Sagamu, Ashaka and Mfamosing.
He added that the company, which became publicly listed in 1979, has continued to expand through acquisitions and transformation while maintaining high product quality, innovation and responsible operations.
Highlighting the strengths of its parent company, Alade-Akinyemi described Huaxin Building Materials as a globally recognised building materials manufacturer founded in 1907 and headquartered in Wuhan, China, with operations across 16 regions in China and 14 countries worldwide.
He said Huaxin’s engineering expertise and focus on research and development would strengthen HBM Nigeria’s operations and help close engineering skills gaps in the country.
“As HBM Nigeria, we are strategically positioned for long-term competitiveness and stronger market leadership while reinforcing our commitment to supporting Nigeria’s infrastructure development and economic progress after more than six decades of industry leadership,” he said.
He also said sustainability would remain central to the company’s operations, noting that it had introduced lower-carbon products and continued to invest in environmentally friendly production processes.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) distributed about N2.550 trillion from the revenue generated by the nation in June 2026 to the three tiers of government after its July meeting in Abuja.
A statement signed by the Director of Press in the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Bawa Mokwa, “The N2.550 trillion total distributable revenue comprised N1.809 trillion in distributable statutory revenue and N740.724 billion in distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue.”
It was gathered that a total gross revenue of N4.500 trillion was available in June 2026, with deductions for the cost of collection amounting to N160.744 billion, and transfers and refunds at N1.789 trillion.
According to a communiqué after the gathering, gross statutory revenue of N3.700 trillion was received in June 2026, N1.049 trillion higher than the N2.651 trillion received in the preceding month, while gross revenue of N799.746 billion was generated from VAT, N56.058 billion higher than the N743.688 billion recorded in May 2026.
It was stated that from the N2.550 trillion total distributable revenue, the federal government received N923.438 billion, the state governments got N838.208 billion, while the local government councils were given N591.390 billion, with N197.610 billion allocated to the benefiting states as 13 per cent of mineral derivation revenue.
From the N1.809 trillion distributable statutory revenue, the federal government went away with N849.366 billion, states shared N430.810 billion, local councils took N332.136 billion, while the benefiting states got N197.610 billion as derivation revenue.
From the N740.724 billion distributable VAT earnings, the central government got N74.072 billion, the states received N407.398 billion, and the local government councils were allocated N259.253 billion.
The communiqué further stated that in June 2026, collections from Companies Income Tax (CIT), Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Stamp Duties (SDT), Petroleum Royalties, Gas Flare Penalties, Rent, Mineral Oil Royalties (MOR), Value Added Tax (VAT), Import Duty, and Common External Tariff (CET) Levies increased significantly, while Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Hydrocarbon Tax (HT), Mineral Royalties, and Fees declined considerably. Excise Duty recorded only a marginal increase.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) says the rollout of electronic invoicing (e-invoicing) will strengthen tax compliance, curb revenue leakages and improve transparency in tax administration as it moves to fully digitise the country’s tax system.
The Project Lead for the NRS e-Invoicing Project, Mr Mohammed Bawa, stated this at the DigiTax E-Invoicing Compliance Breakfast Session held in Lagos on Wednesday.
The event, organised by DigiTax, an NRS-accredited e-invoicing platform, formed part of efforts to support the agency’s ongoing education and sensitisation campaign on the e-invoicing mandate.
Mr Bawa said the initiative aligns with global trends in tax digitisation and is expected to help improve Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio, which remains one of the lowest in Africa.
According to him, the system will provide the NRS with greater visibility into transactions across sectors, formalise activities within the informal economy and standardise invoice formats nationwide using globally recognised invoice schemas.
He added that e-invoicing would improve operational efficiency for both businesses and tax authorities while supporting the NRS’ transition from manual and electronic tax administration processes to a fully automated system-to-system interaction model.
Mr Bawa noted that the legal framework for implementation is backed by the Nigeria Tax Administration Act, which prescribes penalties for non-compliance.
He disclosed that the NRS has completed onboarding large taxpayers and is preparing to enforce compliance with defaulting entities.
According to him, medium taxpayers are expected to begin compliance in the third quarter of 2026, while onboarding of emerging taxpayers will commence in 2027, with full adoption targeted for all taxpayers by the end of 2028.
Mr Bawa urged taxpayers yet to be onboarded onto the platform to begin the process and work with accredited service providers to ensure compliance.
On his part, Country Director of DigiTax Nigeria, Mr Olumide Akinsola, urged businesses to look beyond their internal systems and assess the compliance status of suppliers and counterparties.
He warned that businesses whose suppliers fail to transmit invoices through the MBS platform risk losing eligibility to claim Value Added Tax (VAT) input credits on such transactions, describing the resulting supply chain exposure as a significant commercial risk that many organisations have yet to quantify.
Mr Akinsola also announced the launch of DigiTax’s white paper, The State of E-Invoicing Readiness in Nigeria, which examines compliance adoption trends and the readiness gap across different taxpayer segments.
He added that DigiTax operates in Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), noting that experience from those markets shows businesses that integrate early are better positioned to avoid disruptions when enforcement begins.
