Economy
Our Policies Have Stabilised Naira at Official, Black Markets—Cardoso
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Yemi Cardoso, says due to consistent policy direction, improved market confidence, and enhanced transparency in the Nigerian foreign exchange (FX) market, the gap between the official market and the parallel market has significantly narrowed to approximately 4-5 per cent.
He made this disclosure while speaking during the just-concluded inaugural Conference on Emerging Markets Economies organised by the Ministry of Finance, Saudi Arabia, and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Regional Office in Riyadh.
During a meeting with Mr Talal Al-Humond, the Assistant Governor for Monetary Affairs, Saudi Arabia Central Bank (SAMA), Mr Cardoso said there were lessons to be learned from Saudi Arabia in terms of infrastructural development and tourism.
According to him, Saudi Arabia’s dedication to diversifying its economy through innovative environmental projects, large-scale transformation, and tourism investment is essential for development.
Mr Cardoso also reaffirmed his dedication to collaborating with the Nigerian Diaspora community in the Middle East to improve remittance flows and strengthen Nigeria’s financial sector.
He stated that the CBN will continue enhancing macroeconomic fundamentals to establish an enabling environment that will facilitate the growth of the private sector and the generation of high-quality jobs for Nigerians.
On his part, Mr Al-Humond assured Cardoso that the Saudi Central Bank will work with the CBN to ensure the attainment of mutually beneficial objectives.
Meanwhile, during the panel discussion moderated by the Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF, Mr Jihad Azour, at the conference, Mr Cardoso cited reforms in the financial markets that addressed distortions in the Nigerian foreign exchange market, which had previously experienced a gap of up to 60 per cent between the official and parallel market exchange rates.
Governor Cardoso also highlighted the adoption of an electronic matching system to improve transparency in the market and the introduction of a foreign exchange code of ethics, which all Nigerian banks signed to ensure adherence to market rules. As a result of these measures, he reported that the country’s foreign reserves had exceeded $40 billion, marking the highest level in nearly three years.
He acknowledged that Nigeria had faced significant economic challenges, including capital flow exits, multiple exchange rate regimes, currency depreciation, high inflation, and a backlog of foreign exchange transactions, which led to a loss of confidence in the country’s currency.
Upon assuming office, he stated that his team prioritised restoring confidence in the market by addressing the backlog of foreign exchange transactions and demonstrating a commitment to economic stability.
Mr Cardoso emphasised that Nigeria implemented a tight monetary policy stance to tackle inflation and restore macroeconomic discipline. Over the past year, he explained that the Bank raised interest rates by 850 basis points and shifted away from quasi-fiscal interventions that had distorted the economy.
He stressed that Nigeria’s approach had remained firmly rooted in orthodox monetary policies, a stance that was consistently communicated to market participants.
Another significant reform, he noted, was the removal of the fuel subsidy, which, along with multiple exchange rate inefficiencies, had cost the country approximately 6 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually.
He acknowledged that previous administrations had lacked the political will to remove the subsidy, but its elimination has had a profound positive impact on Nigeria’s fiscal outlook.
He also explained that the CBN had mandated banks to recapitalise to strengthen the financial system and build buffers to withstand future economic shocks. He noted that these measures had so far proven successful in bolstering the sector.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The federal government has been asked by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to suspend the implementation of the controversial tax laws.
In a reaction to the tax reform acts, the president of the group, Mr Afam Osigwe (SAN), the suspension of the laws would allow for a proper investigation into allegations of alterations in the gazetted and harmonised copies.
A member of the House of Representatives, Mr Abdussamad Dasuki, alleged that some parts of the laws passed by the parliament were different from the gazetted copy.
To address the issues raised, the NBA said it is “imperative that a comprehensive, open, and transparent investigation be conducted to clarify the circumstances surrounding the enactment of the laws and to restore public confidence in the legislative process.”
“Until these issues are fully examined and resolved, all plans for the implementation of the Tax Reform Acts should be immediately suspended,” the association declared.
It noted that the controversies “raise grave concerns about the integrity, transparency, and credibility of Nigeria’s legislative process.”
“These developments strike at the very heart of constitutional governance and call into question the procedural sanctity that must attend lawmaking in a democratic society,” it noted.
“Legal and policy uncertainty of this magnitude has far-reaching consequences. It unsettles the business environment, erodes investor confidence, and creates unpredictability for individuals, businesses, and institutions required to comply with the law. Such uncertainty is inimical to economic stability and should have no place in a system governed by the rule of law.
“Nigeria’s constitutional democracy demands that laws, especially those with profound economic and social implications, emerge from processes that are transparent, accountable, and beyond reproach. Anything short of this undermines public trust and weakens the foundation upon which lawful governance rests.
“We therefore call on all relevant authorities to act swiftly and responsibly in addressing this controversy, in the overriding interest of constitutional order, economic stability, and the preservation of the rule of law,” the organisation stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Demand for hot stocks, including MRS Oil Plc, buoyed the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 0.52 per cent on Tuesday, December 23.
The energy company was one of the three price gainers for the session as it chalked up N19.69 to sell at N216.59 per share versus the previous day’s value of N196.90 per share.
Further, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc gained N2.95 to close at N56.75 per unit versus N53.80 per unit and Golden Capital Plc appreciated by 84 Kobo to N9.29 per share from Monday’s N8.45 per share.
Consequently, the market capitalisation went up by N10.95 billion to N2.125 trillion from N2.125 trillion and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rose by 18.31 points to 3,570.37 points from 3,552.06 points.
Yesterday, the NASD bourse recorded a price loser, the Central Securities Clearing System Plc (CSCS), which gave up 17 Kobo to close at N33.70 per unit against the previous trading value of N33.87 per unit.
The volume of securities traded at the session went down by 97.6 per cent to 297,902 units from the previous day’s 12.6 million units, the value of securities decreased by 98.5 per cent to N10.5 million from N713.6 million, and the number of deals remained flat at 32 deals.
By value, Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (InfraCredit) Plc ended as the most actively traded stock on a year-to-date basis with 5.8 billion units exchanged for N16.4 billion. This was followed by Okitipupa Plc, which traded 178.9 million units valued at N9.5 billion, and MRS Oil Plc with 36.1 million units worth N4.9 billion.
In terms of volume, also on a year-to-date basis, InfraCredit Plc led the chart with a turnover of 5.8 billion units traded for N16.4 billion. Industrial and General Insurance (IGI) Plc ranked second with 1.2 billion units sold for N420.7 million, while Impresit Bakolori Plc followed with the sale of 536.9 million units valued at N524.9 million.
By Dipo Olowookere
It was another bullish trading session for the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited as it closed higher by 0.59 per cent on Tuesday.
The market further rallied due to continued interest in large and mid-cap stocks on the exchange by investors rebalancing their portfolios for the year-end.
Yesterday, Aluminium Extrusion sustained its upward trajectory after it further appreciated by 9.96 per cent to N14.90, as Austin Laz gained 9.81 per cent to close at N2.91, Custodian Investment improved by 9.69 per cent to N38.50, and First Holdco soared by 9.35 per cent to N50.30.
Conversely, Royal Exchange declined by 7.22 per cent to N1.80, Champion Breweries shrank by 6.57 per cent to N15.65, NASCON lost 5.36 per cent to trade at N105.05, Sovereign Trust Insurance depreciated by 5.28 per cent to N3.77, and Japaul went down by 4.51 per cent to N2.33.
At the close of business, 29 shares ended on the gainers’ table and 27 shares finished on the losers’ log, representing a positive market breadth index and bullish investor sentiment.
This raised the All-Share Index (ASI) by 895.06 points to 153,354.13 points from 152,459.07 points and lifted the market capitalisation by N579 billion to N97.772 trillion from the previous day’s N97.193 trillion.
VFD Group finished the day as the busiest stock after it recorded a turnover of 192.0 million units worth N2.1 billion, GTCO exchanged 63.5 million units valued at N5.6 billion, Access Holdings traded 49.8 million units for N1.0 billion, First Holdco sold 45.8 million units valued at N2.3 billion, and Secure Electronic Technology transacted 38.3 million units worth N28.4 million.
In all, market participants bought and sold 677.4 million units valued at N20.8 billion in 27,589 deals compared with the 451.5 million units worth N13.0 billion traded in 33,327 deals on Monday, showing an improvement in the trading volume and value by 50.03 per cent and 60.00 per cent apiece, and a shortfall in the number of deals by 17.22 per cent.
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