Economy
Nigeria Lost 2.418 million Barrels of Crude in December 2021—OPEC
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria lost as much as 2.418 million barrels of crude in the last month of 2021, the latest data released by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) showed on Tuesday.
The report noted that there was a daily underperformance figure of 78,000 barrels per day in December.
The month of December, according to the OPEC report, also saw Nigeria slump lower than other previous production performances, compared to, for instance, October, in which 1.228 barrels were pumped per day and November during which 1.275 million barrels were produced per day.
The data, according to OPEC, which uses both primary and secondary sources to obtain information on production levels, was received from direct communication with Nigeria.
Among members of the cartel, the OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) for January showed only crisis-torn Libya lost more oil than Nigeria, with a production deficit of roughly 119, 000 barrels per day.
For proper context, Nigeria’s quota for February remained at 1.7 million barrels per day, but the country’s effort to produce more in the last few months had not yielded any progress.
While the target was to produce about 1.86 million barrels daily by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, poor upstream infrastructure, long term waning investment and the impact of the OPEC-induced shutdowns last year, have combined to hobble the number of barrels pumped by Nigeria.
On the Nigerian economy, OPEC stated that although the country recorded a surplus of $3.6 billion, consumer prices have continued to pose a serious challenge.
“According to recently released statistics from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the country’s current account registered its highest surplus since early 2018, amid a strong trade position.
“In 3Q21, the current account posted a surplus of $3.6 billion compared with $348 million in 2Q21 and a shortfall of $3.6 billion in 3Q20.
“In 3Q21, exports exceeded imports by about $1.8 billion, recording the largest excess since late 2019. Additionally, improving oil prices continued to support the economic recovery, coupled with easing of the inflation rate, which marginally fell for the second month in a row to 15.4 per cent from 15.9 per cent, marking the lowest rate since November 2020, largely due to sustained moderation in food prices.
“However, on a monthly basis, consumer prices increased by 1.08 per cent, following a 0.98 per cent increase the previous month,” it stated.
On a global level, OPEC stuck to its forecast for robust growth in world oil demand in 2022 despite the Omicron coronavirus variant and expected interest rate hikes, predicting the oil market would remain well supported through the year.
Tight supply has given impetus to the current oil rally, and OPEC’s report also showed the group undershot a pledged oil-output rise in December.
The producers’ group said it expects world oil demand in 2022 to rise by 4.15 million barrels per day, unchanged from last month while oil consumption will surpass the 100 million barrels per day mark in the third quarter, also in line with last month’s forecast.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Stakeholders in the aquaculture subsector in Nigeria have been promised adequate support through favourable policies and financial inclusion.
This promise was made by the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola, during a high-level consultative meeting with fisheries cooperative groups in Abuja on Wednesday.
Participants informed the Minister some of the challenges affecting the fishing business in the country, including overfishing, environmental degradation, lack of access to affordable finance, post-harvest losses, inadequate cold storage infrastructure, poor transportation and market linkages, low youth involvement, multiple taxation by local government authorities, and the rising cost of imported fish feed.
They appealed to the federal government to support them to end Nigeria’s dependence on fish importation so as to transform the sector into a powerhouse of food security, employment, and export competitiveness.
In his remarks, Mr Oyetola said the government would look into the demands, noting that efforts are being made to support women and youth in the fishing sector with start-up grants and other empowerment initiatives.
“We will scale up domestic fish production, reduce dependency on imports, and reposition the sector for sustainable growth,” he said, adding that, “Increasing youth participation in aquaculture is not only vital for food production but also a strategic solution to reducing unemployment. We are committed to ensuring that young people and women are not left behind in this transformation.”
According to him, discussions are ongoing with the World Bank to secure financial support for fish farmers and that the ministry will be collaborating with the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation (NAIC) to ensure affordable and accessible insurance coverage for fish farmers across the country.
“We are also in talks with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to replicate the successful aquaculture model at the Oyan Dam in other parts of the country,” he added, pointing to integrated planning and inter-ministerial cooperation as key pillars of the strategy.
“This meeting is not the end — it is the beginning of a sustained and transformative dialogue,” the Minister assured.
The meeting, convened by the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, brought together leaders and members of major fisheries and aquaculture associations, including the Fisheries Cooperative Federation of Nigeria (FCFN), Tilapia Aquaculture Developers Association of Nigeria (TADAN), Catfish Farmers Association of Nigeria (CAFAN), Women in Fish Farming and Aquaculture, and the Practicing Farmers Association of Nigeria.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Shares of First HoldCo Plc are currently being on high demand at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited after information got out that serial entrepreneur, Mr Femi Otedola, is now in control of about 40 per cent of the financial services provider.
On Wednesday, the company was the busiest equity on Customs Street, selling 10.5 billion units valued at N324.5 billion.
The off-market block trading was executed through negotiated deals as the transactions were privately arranged between parties and then reported to the bourse.
It was learned that 17 separate deals took place involving First Securities Ltd as the buyer with CardinalStone Securities Limited, Meristem Stockbrokers Limited, Renaissance Capital (Rencap) Securities Limited, Regency Asset Management Limited, United Capital Securities Limited, Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Limited, and First Securities Limited also as sellers in some deals.
According to reports, the former chairman of First HoldCo, Mr Oba Otudeko, gave up more than 20 per cent of his stake in the organisation to his rival, Mr Otedola, who increased his shareholding from 15 per cent to 40 per cent, putting him in almost total control of the firm, which operates the flagship First Bank of Nigeria Limited.
It was gathered that Mr Otedola bought the 5 per cent equity stake belonging to another long term shareholder; the Hassan-Odukales, after voluntarily quitting the company.
Business Post observed that on Thursday, investors are jostling to take position in the company because of the latest acquisitions by Mr Otedola, who they believe could bring stability to the fold.
At the time of filing this report at midday trading, shares of FirstHoldCo were up by 9.94 per cent to N35.40 per unit from the N32.20 per unit they closed at midweek.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced that its 301st Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, July 21 and Tuesday, July 22, 2025.
The MPC meeting, which will be held at the MPC Meeting Room located within the CBN Headquarters in Abuja, is one to watch as inflation eased again last month.
At the last meeting in May, which coincided with the 300th session, the team retained the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) at 27.50 per cent, the second consecutive hold in 2025.
This second pause in rates came after six consecutive hikes recorded in 2024
The CBN also retained the asymmetric corridor around the MPR at +500/-100 basis points, the Cash Reserve Ratio of Deposit Money Banks at 50.00 per cent, and that of Merchant Banks at 16.00 per cent, while keeping the Liquidity Ratio unchanged at 30.00 per cent.
The MPC based the decision on improvements in macroeconomic indicators at the time.
Now, analysts say the MPC may consider cutting interest rates since inflation has slowed for yet another month in June 2025.
On Wednesday, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation rate moderated for the third consecutive month to 22.22 per cent in June 2025 from 22.97 per cent in May 2025. It was 23.71 per cent in April 2025, down from 24.23 per cent in the prior month.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index report released by the bureau, the year-on-year figure reflects a 0.75 percentage point decline from the previous month and a significant 11.97 percentage point drop when compared to June 2024, which recorded an inflation rate of 34.19 per cent.
The food inflation rate stood at 21.97 per cent year-on-year in June, a sharp drop from 40.87 per cent recorded in June 2024. This significant fall is attributed largely to the base year effect.
On a month-on-month basis, food inflation rose to 3.25 per cent in June, up from 2.19 per cent in May, driven by price increases in staples such as tomatoes, pepper, dried green peas, crayfish, shrimps, meat, plantain flour, and ground pepper.
The decision next week will hinge on the ability of the county to navigate economic challenges including inflationary pressures, foreign exchange volatility, and the global economic outlook.
Despite these, many quarters including the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have lauded reforms introduced by the federal government aimed at boosting local production and reducing demand for forex, noting that such moves would help dampen inflationary pass-through.
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