Economy
PCMN Plc Shareholders Meet Feb 15 to Consider Proposed Scheme of Arrangement
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
A meeting has been fixed for Thursday, February 15, 2018, for holders of the fully paid up ordinary shares of Paints and Coatings Manufacturers Nigeria (PCMN) Plc to consider the Scheme of Arrangement proposed to be entered into between the firm and the entire holders of its fully paid ordinary shares (the Scheme).
The meeting was ordered by a Federal High Court and it would take place at the Lagos Commerce 81 Industry Conference Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos at 11am.
Shareholders would during the gathering, will look into the Scheme of Arrangement dated January 10, 2018 and probably give Directors of the company to consent to any modifications of the Scheme of Arrangement that the court or any regulatory authority may deem fit to impose and approve.
A statement released to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) disclosed that, “Notice is hereby given that by the Orders of the Federal High Court (hereinafter referred to as the Court) dated 13th October 2017 and 24th November, 2017 respectively, made in the above matter, the Court has directed that a meeting of the holders of the fully paid up ordinary shares of Paints and Coatings Manufacturers Nigeria Plc (hereinafter referred to as the Company) be convened for the purpose of considering, and if thought fit, approving (with or without modification) a Scheme of Arrangement proposed to be entered into between the Company and the entire holders of its fully paid ordinary shares (the Scheme).
“A copy of the said Scheme and a copy of the Explanatory Statement that each shareholder of the Company is required to be furnished with pursuant to Section 540 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Cap C20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, can be found on pages 17 to 21 and pages 12 to 16 of the Scheme Document, respectively.
“The Court ordered meeting of the shareholders of the Company (the Meeting) will be held on February 15, 2018 at Lagos Commerce 81 Industry Conference Centre, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos at 11:0oam at which place and time all the aforesaid shareholders are requested to attend.
“At the Meeting, the following sub-joined resolutions will be proposed and if thought fit passed as special resolutions of the Company:
“1. That this Meeting approves the Scheme of Arrangement dated January 10, 2018 and that the Directors be and are hereby authorised to consent to any modifications of the Scheme of Arrangement that the Court or any regulatory authority may deem fit to impose and approve.
“2. That for the purpose of giving effect to the Scheme in its original form or with (or subject to) such modification, addition and condition agreed between the Company and the entire holders of its fully paid ordinary shares and/or approved or imposed by the Court or any regulatory authority:
“• Five Scheme Shares (as defined in the Scheme) be cancelled.
“• The holders of the Scheme Shares be allotted the appropriate number of shares of Paintcom Investment Nigeria Limited (as specified in the Scheme) or be paid a cash consideration of N1.00 per Scheme Share for the surrender and cancellation of the said Scheme Shares.
“• Forthwith and contingent/y upon the cancellation of the Scheme Shares referred to in Clause 2(a) taking effect:
“I. the share capital of the Company be restored to its former amount by the issue of such number of New PCMN Shares (as defined in the Scheme) as shall be equal in number to the number of Scheme Shares cancelled as aforesaid and having the same rights as the Scheme Shares so cancelled; and
“II. The Directors of the Company be authorized to capitalise the sum of N396, 457, 128. 00 from the amount credited to the Company’s reserves as a result of the cancellation of the Scheme Shares and such sum be applied in paying up in full at par the New PCMN Shares issued pursuant to Clause 2(c)(i) above, which would be allotted and credited as fully paid to Paintcom Investment Nigeria Limited and/or its nominee(s) in consideration for the cash payment to be made to the Scheme Shareholders (as defined in the Scheme) as set out in Clause 2(b) above or the allotment of shares in Paintcom Investment Nigeria Limited.
“3. That conditionally upon the Scheme becoming effective, the ordinary shares of the Company be de- listed from the Daily Official List of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
“4. That the Board of Directors of the Company be and is hereby authorised to take all actions as may become necessary to effect the Scheme of Arrangement.
“By the said Orders, the Court has appointed the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company, Sylverius I. Okoli, or failing him, Michael Thompson or failing them both, any other director appointed in their stead by the shareholders present at the meeting to act as Chairman of the said Meeting and has directed the Chairman to report the results thereof to the Court.
Voting at the Meeting will be by poll. Shareholders may vote in person or they may appoint any other person, whether a shareholder or not, to act as proxy and to attend and vote in their stead.
“A proxy form is being sent to each shareholder. In the case of joint shareholders, the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, will be accepted to the exclusion of the vote(s) of the other joint holder(s); and for this purpose seniority will be determined by the order in which their names stand in the register of members of the Company.
“It is requested that forms appointing proxies be lodged at the office of the Registrars of the Company, Meristem Registrars Limited, as shown on the proxy from, not less than 24 hours before the time appointed for the Meeting.
“Please note that the lodging of the proxy form does not prevent you from ate ding the Meeting and voting should you wish to do so. However, in such arrangement, your proxy will not be entitled to vote.
“A member entitled to attend the Meeting who does not receive a copy of the Scheme Document within 14 days of the date of this notice can obtain copies of same from the Registrars of the Company, Meristem Registrars Limited, 213, Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba, Lagos.
“The register of members will be closed from December 31, 2017 for the purpose of attendance at the Court Ordered Meeting.”
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.
