Economy
Oil Market Dips 3% on Signals Iran Ready to End War
By Adedapo Adesanya
The oil market was down more than $3 on Tuesday following reports that Iran’s president said the country was ready to end the war that has affected the global markets.
Brent crude depreciated by $3.42 to $103.97 per barrel, while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude lost $1.50 or 1.46 per cent to trade at $101.38 per barrel.
For Brent, it has steadily risen over the last four weeks as the Iran war has escalated, with attacks across energy infrastructure throughout the Gulf that have resulted in the worst-ever oil-and-gas supply disruption.
However, on Tuesday, Iran’s president, Mr Masoud Pezeshkian, suggested the Islamic Republic is open to ending the war if certain conditions are met.
“We possess the necessary will to end this conflict, provided that essential conditions are met, especially the guarantees required to prevent repetition of the aggression,” Mr Pezeshkian said in a phone conversation with the president of the European Council, according to a statement from his office.
The comments followed that of US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who said that the next days of the Iran war will be “decisive” while refusing to rule out US ground forces playing a role in the conflict.
In March, the market moved up and down each time US President Donald Trump suggested the military operation may be de-escalated – only to resume its upward path due to the supply impairment caused by Iran’s threats against vessels transiting the key Strait of Hormuz, the artery used to ship one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is only allowing vessels flying flags of “friendly” countries to transit, as traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed from more than 100 ships transiting every day to fewer than 10 per day, most of which are with critical supplies bound for China, India, and Pakistan.
President Trump has suggested other countries should intervene to open the strait, a move European nations have not wanted to take until hostilities cease.
Meanwhile, the US has removed sanctions on barrels from Russia and pledged reserve releases with a group of other nations, but those measures will only offset the supply loss for a limited period of time.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the US rose by a staggering 10.263 million barrels in the week ending March 27. Official data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) will be released later on Wednesday.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange further declined by 0.23 per cent, with the Unlisted Security Index (NSI) down by 9.63 points on Tuesday, March 31, to 4,100.11 points from 4,109.74 points.
In the same vein, the market capitalisation went down by N5.76 billion to finish at N2.453 trillion from the N2.458 trillion it closed a day earlier.
The mood of the market was flat yesterday as there were three price losers and three price gainers, led by Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc, which gained N1.51 to sell at N78.68 per unit compared with the previous day’s N77.17 per unit. UBN Property Plc appreciated by 15 Kobo to N2.20 per share from N2.05 per share, and Geo-Fluids Plc improved by 3 Kobo to N3.25 per unit from N3.22 per unit.
On the flip side, 11 Plc lost N31.05 to close at N285.00 per share versus Monday’s closing price of N316.50 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc dropped 95 Kobo to trade at N98.05 per unit versus N99.00 per unit, and Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc went down by 2 Kobo to 52 Kobo per share from 57 Kobo per share.
During the trading day, the volume of securities jumped by 137.9 per cent to 50.8 million units from 21.3 million units, the number of deals rose 28.9 per cent to 49 deals from the preceding session’s 38 deals, while the value of securities went down by 65.2 per cent to N226.9 million from N651.1 million.
CSCS Plc remained the most traded stock by value (year-to-date) with 56.8 million units worth N3.8 billion, followed by Okitipupa Plc with 27.5 million units valued at N1.8 billion, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
Resourcery Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 1.1 billion units sold for N415.7 million, followed by Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units transacted for N1.2 billion, and Geo-Fluids Plc with 183.0 million units exchanged for N673.8 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Naira weakened against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Tuesday, March 31, by 0.23 per cent or N3.14 to N1,386.72/$1 from the N1,383.58/$1 it was traded on Monday.
Similarly, the Nigerian currency depreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market window by N14.40 to close at N1,839.34/£1 compared with the previous day’s N1,824.94/£1, and against the Euro, it lost N12.88 to settle at N1,599.16/€1 versus N1,586.28/€1.
In the same vein, the Naira stumbled against the Dollar yesterday by N1 to quote at N1,395/$1 versus N1,394/$1, and in the black market, it remained unchanged at N1,410/$1.
The Naira remains under pressure as FX liquidity shrank, as evidenced by the number of interbank FX deals published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Last week, forex intervention operations saw the apex bank inject $95 million into the supply side, but as high demand for the Dollar as a safe-haven asset continues, it strengthened the Dollar index, while the Euro, British Pound and other major trading partners weakened.
The country’s external reserves recorded a marginal decline, falling by 0.7 per cent to $49.48 billion, reflecting a depletion of about $350 million and signalling continued pressure on Nigeria’s FX buffer.
In the cryptocurrency market, reports of comments by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian hinted at eased geopolitical tensions, which triggered gains across some assets.
Mr Pezeshkian reportedly signalled Iran would be willing to end the conflict in exchange for security guarantees, raising hopes for a diplomatic off-ramp and reducing fears of a wider regional war.
Ethereum (ETH) gained 4.4 per cent to trade at $2,150.11, Ripple (XRP) jumped 2.8 per cent to $1.36, Bitcoin (BTC) added 2.5 per cent to sell at $69,079.14, Cardano (ADA) which also rose by 2.5 per cent to $0.2518, Dogecoin (DOGE) improved by 2.4 per cent to $0.0941, Solana (SOL) grew by 1.3 per cent to $84.43, and Binance Coin (BNB) increased by 1.2 per cent to $618.86, while TRON (TRX) dipped 1.8 per cent to $0.3153, with the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) flat at $1.00 apiece.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has authorised the executive arm of government to spend about N68.323 trillion for the 2026 fiscal year.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier presented an appropriation bill of N58.47 trillion to a joint session of the National Assembly.
On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, he asked the red chamber of the parliament to increase the budget by N9.09 trillion to accommodate legacy commitments, particularly in the transportation and health sectors, as well as additional provisions, including funding for the judiciary.
This request was granted, and the budget proposal was raised and passed at the plenary session presided over by the Senate President, Mr Godswill Akpabio.
The approval came after the Senate adopted the National Assembly’s joint report on the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
A breakdown of the revised budget showed that N4.799 trillion is allocated for statutory transfers, N15.809 trillion for debt servicing, N15.427 trillion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, and N32.287 trillion for capital projects.
Further details indicated that N5.71 trillion from the additional provisions is earmarked for the regularisation of outstanding capital obligations carried over from the 2025 budget, alongside ₦2 trillion for previously omitted projects nationwide.
Sectoral allocations include N482.758 billion for the health sector, N478.600 billion for the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MoFI), and N268 billion for the judiciary, with N36 billion specifically for the Supreme Court and N98.513 million for the Court of Appeal.
Additionally, N8.960 billion was approved for feasibility studies on key road projects, including the Calabar–Maiduguri and Maiduguri–Sokoto corridors.
Meanwhile, the Senate also approved an extension of the capital component of the 2025 budget, shifting its implementation deadline from March 31 to June 30, 2026, to allow for the completion of ongoing projects.
The House of Representatives also approved N68.30 trillion for the 2026 appropriation bill.
The budget is anchored on conservative assumptions, including a crude oil benchmark of US$64.85 per barrel, daily oil production of 1.84 million barrels, and an exchange rate of N1,400 to the US dollar for the 2026 fiscal year.
President Tinubu said the assumptions reflect the administration’s commitment to realism, prudence, and fiscal sustainability.
The National Assembly also approved President Tinubu’s request for a $6.9 billion foreign loan facility, with a key provision mandating that 40 per cent of the funds be channelled towards capital projects in the 2025/2026 budgets.
The approval followed the consideration of a report by the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debt, which recommended the allocation to ensure the loan directly supports infrastructure and development projects.
The Senate moved swiftly to review and pass the request during plenary.
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