Economy
Oando Gains 60.47% in One Week as Demand Spikes
By Dipo Olowookere
The share price of Oando Plc witnessed a 60.47 per cent week-on-week rise at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited last week amid rising appetite for the company’s securities by investors.
Oando, which was selling at about N5 some months ago due to the issues it had with the capital market regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), gained 60.47 per cent last week to close at N40.60 compared with the previous week’s N25.30.
The company, which some investors avoided like a plague in the past, has now become the darling of traders, with demand rising by the day at the stock market because of the recent acquisition of Eni oil assets in Nigeria by Oando.
It topped the gainers’ chart in the week under review, followed by RT Briscoe, which appreciated by 51.19 per cent to N1.27, and Japual, which rose by 35.80 per cent to N2.39. Academy Press increased by 34.58 per cent to N2.88, and United Capital advanced by 31.28 per cent to N15.95.
On the flip side, Champion Breweries lost 15.03 per cent to quote at N2.77, BUA Cement fell by 9.99 per cent to N128.90, University Press declined by 9.92 per cent to N2.18, Union Dicon shed 9.88 per cent to N7.30, and Deap Capital dropped 9.62 per cent to 47 Kobo.
Business Post reports that when trading activities ended for the week last Friday, the bourse recorded 46 price advancers versus 40 in the preceding week, 38 price decliners versus 40 in the previous week, and 67 equities closed flat versus the 71 equities recorded a week earlier.
The renewed confidence of investors propelled the NGX to a week-on-week growth of 0.87 per cent, with the All-Share Index (ASI) closing higher to 98,592.12 points, and the market capitalisation rising to N55.978 trillion.
All other indices finished higher apart from the NGX Main Board and industrial goods indices, which moderated by 0.09 per cent and 3.67 per cent, respectively, while the ASeM and sovereign bond indices closed flat.
In the week, traders traded 2.679 billion shares worth N49.017 billion in 47,451 deals compared with the 3.393 billion shares worth N52.304 billion transacted in 44,814 deals in the preceding week.
Financial stocks dominated the activity chart with 1.982 billion units valued at N31.985 billion in 23,467 deals, contributing 74.00 per cent and 65.25 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
Energy shares sold 229.680 million units worth N7.441 billion in 4,021 deals, and ICT equities transacted 113.887 million units for N3.059 billion in 4,260 deals.
Access Holdings, Veritas Kapital Assurance, and UBA accounted for 756.035 million shares worth N10.726 billion in 6,985 deals, contributing 28.22 per cent and 21.88 per cent to the total trading volume and value, respectively.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Nigeria slightly surpassed its quota set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in July 2026.
In the month under review, the country produced about 1.57 million barrels of crude oil per day.
It was the third consecutive month Africa’s largest oil-producing nation was meeting its monthly quota, set to stabilise the price of the commodity on the global market by the oil cartel.
Data released by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on Wednesday showed that the 1.5 million barrels per day ceiling for Nigeria was surpassed last month.
The agency disclosed in a statement today that the country produced 1.505mbpd of crude oil and 0.17mbpd of condensate, bringing the combined daily production to 1.67mbpd.
In the month under review, the daily peak production of crude oil and condensate was 1.78mbpd, while the lowest daily production was 1.57mbpd.
Although Nigeria met its OPEC quota in the month of July, the statistics show that on a month-on-month basis, production fell by 4 per cent.
This was attributed to the decline in production due to operational challenges experienced at the Erha and Akpo fields, which impacted crude oil output during the period under review.
These disruptions constrained production volumes and contributed significantly to the overall reduction in national crude oil output.
Despite the challenges, production operations across most other producing assets remained relatively stable, with operators implementing measures aimed at maintaining production efficiency and minimising the impact of operational constraints, NUPRC stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The over 9 billion shares of Lasaco Assurance Plc issued to shareholders of the company via a rights issue have been listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
The equities were brought to Customs Street on Wednesday by the organisation, increasing its total issued and fully paid-up share capital.
Lasaco Assurance, which scaled the recapitalisation hurdle of the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) in July 2026, raised fresh capital from the capital market to shore up its capital base.
The underwriting firm got about N18.5 billion from the rights issue, which involved the issuance of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares at a unit price of N2.00.
The exercise was on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
Confirming the listing of the additional stocks of Lasaco Assurance today, the Head of Issuer Regulation Department of NGX RegCo, Mr Godstime Iwenekhai, announced in a circular that, “Trading licence holders are hereby notified that an additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each of Lasaco Assurance Plc were today, Wednesday, August 12, 2026, listed on the daily official list of Nigerian Exchange Limited.
“The additional shares arose from the company’s rights issue of 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each at N2.00 per share on the basis of five new ordinary shares for every existing six ordinary shares held as of the close of business on Friday, February 20, 2026.
“With the listing of the additional 9,236,321,546 ordinary shares, the total issued and fully paid-up share capital of Lasaco Assurance Plc has now increased from 11,083,585,855 to 20,319,907,401 ordinary shares of 50 Kobo each.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Insurers Association (NIA) has said the successful recapitalisation of the insurance industry will strengthen the sector’s ability to support financial stability and economic growth.
NIA Chairman, Mrs Ebelechukwu Nwachukwu, said a well-capitalised insurance industry would be better positioned to meet its obligations promptly, underwrite complex and large-scale risks and serve as a dependable pillar of the Nigerian economy.
She made the remarks while commending the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) for its structured implementation of the new minimum capital requirements under the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act (NIIRA) 2025.
Mrs Nwachukwu said NAICOM’s clear guidelines, systematic verification process, defined timelines and rigorous supervision had provided operators with a credible framework for navigating the recapitalisation exercise.
She described the outcome as a major milestone for the industry and congratulated the 43 insurance and reinsurance companies that have successfully met the prescribed minimum capital requirements.
According to her, the exercise represents “a major win not just for regulators and operators, but for policyholders, investors and the wider Nigerian economy.”
Mrs Nwachukwu said the association would continue to work with NAICOM and other stakeholders to consolidate the gains of the exercise, with emphasis on sustainable industry growth, stronger market conduct and improved consumer confidence.
The official also expressed solidarity with the eight companies still undergoing final verification and regulatory review, urging them to remain confident as NAICOM completes the process within the 14-day review period.
The NIA chairman assured policyholders and the wider business community that the insurance industry would emerge from the recapitalisation exercise stronger, more resilient and better positioned to contribute to Nigeria’s economic development.
