Economy
Quickly Settle Rift with Senate to Save Economy, LCCI Tells FG
By Dipo Olowookere
The presidency has been charged to, as a matter of urgent public importance, resolve its issues with the Senate over the confirmation of members of some boards and agencies, including that of the Monetary Policy Council (MPC).
This Monday, the council could not meet to make decisions on monetary policies for the country, a thing observers said was dangerous to the economy.
Since this Monday, the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has closed in the red zone, with some analysts attributing this to the gradual loss of investors’ confidence in the economy as a result of cancellation of the MPC meeting because the council lacked quorum to seat.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2017 sent names of people to fill the vacant positions in the council, but the Senate did not attend to the nominees because of its rift with the presidency.
The upper parliament wants Mr Ibrahim Magu removed as the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), but the President has refused. His name was sent to the Senate two times, but was rejected by the red chamber.
At a press briefing on Wednesday on the state of the economy, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Babatunde Paul Ruwase, appealed to both parties to sheath their swords.
He said the crisis was already affecting the nation’s economy.
“The disagreement between the presidency and the Senate over the confirmation of nominees for heads of some agencies is beginning to take its toll on the economy.
“For instance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) suspended its first MPC meeting for this year scheduled for January 22 and 23 due to its inability to form a quorum as a result of non-confirmation of nominees by the Senate.
“The MPC has the mandate to review economic and financial conditions of the economy, make decisions on policies for the economy in the short and medium terms, review regularly the CBN monetary policy framework and adopt changes when necessary.
“The failure of the MPC to meet as scheduled has adverse effect on stakeholders in the financial sector and the economy in general.
“We call on the presidency and the Senate to quickly resolve their differences in the interest of public,” Mr Ruwase said at the event.
On the incessant scarcity of petrol in the country, the LCCI boss said, “We have concerns over the reluctance of government to liberalise the sector and open it up to private sector participation.
“The concentration of petroleum products supply in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation remains a major cause for concern. The arrangement is an inherent entrenchment of state monopoly in the NNPC to the detriment of private investors.
“The midstream and downstream petroleum sector currently suffers from regulatory regime which is negatively impacting growth, investment and job creation in the sector.
“The current model of managing the downstream petroleum sector is not sustainable. It is at variance with the present administration’s vision to diversify the economy and create jobs.
“It perpetuates the phenomenon of rent economy and is detrimental to economic competition. The truth is that the citizens are the ultimate beneficiaries of a competitive market environment.”
Economy
BNB Price Reflects Changing Dynamics in the Digital Asset Market
Economy
NASD Unlisted Security Index Crosses 4,000-point Benchmark Again
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange achieved a milestone on Friday, April 24, 2026, after five securities on the platform helped with a 1.85 per cent growth.
Data showed that the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) again crossed the 4,000-point benchmark yesterday.
The index chalked up 73.64 points during the trading day to close at 4,052.59 points compared with the preceding session’s 3,978.95 points, while the market capitalisation added N5.38 billion to finish at N2.424 trillion versus Thursday’s closing value of N2.380 trillion.
The price gainers were led by Okitipupa Plc, which grew by N25.00 to sell at N305.00 per share compared with the previous price of N280.00 per share. Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc gained N6.92 to close at N76.26 per unit versus N69.34 per unit, Afriland Properties Plc appreciated by N1.00 to N17.00 per share from N18.00 per share, FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc improved by 55 Kobo to N99.55 per unit from N99.00 per unit, and Food Concepts Plc increased by 5 Kobo to N2.70 per share from N2.65 per share.
However, there was a price loser, MRS Oil, which dipped by N21.75 to N195.75 per unit from N217.50 per unit.
During the final session of the week, the value of securities jumped 75.2 per cent to N41.3 million from N23.6 million units, and the number of deals expanded by 62.9 per cent to 44 deals from 27 deals, while the volume of securities declined marginally by 0.9 per cent to 447,403 units from 451,522 units.
At the close of trades, Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc was the most traded stock by volume (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units traded for N1.2 billion.
GNI was also the most active stock by value (year-to-date) with 3.4 billion units sold for N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.6 million units transacted for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units exchanged for N1.9 billion.
Economy
Naira Slips to N1,358/$1 as FX Reserves, Policy Uncertainty Concerns
By Adedapo Adesanya
It was not a good day for the Nigerian Naira in the currency market on Friday, April 24, as its value depreciated against the major foreign currencies at the close of transactions.
In the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX), it lost N4.53 or 0.33 per cent against the United States Dollar yesterday to trade at N1,358.44/$1, in contrast to the N1,353.91/$1 it was exchanged on Thursday.
Equally, the domestic currency slipped against the Pound Sterling in the official market during the session by N8.14 to close at N1,834.02/£1, compared with the previous rate of N1,825.88/£1 and dropped N8.01 against the Euro to sell at N1,590.73/€1 versus N1,582.72/€1.
Also, the Naira depreciated against the US Dollar at the GTBank FX desk on Friday by N4 to quote at N1,370/$1 compared with the previous session’s N1,366/$1, and at the parallel market, it depleted by N5 to settle at N1,380/$1 versus the preceding day’s N1,375/$1.
Data published by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) indicated that NFEM interbank turnover surged to N43.562 million across 68 deals, up from N28.117 million the previous day.
Despite the CBN’s reassurance that the recent drop in external reserves is not worrisome, the market remains unsettled by persistent concerns over liquidity constraints, policy transparency, and weakening confidence in Nigeria’s FX market as gross reserves continue to decline to $48.4 billion.
The outlook for the Dollar appears supported by broader macro risks, including elevated oil prices tied to the tanker traffic disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and a continued US-Iran standoff over ceasefire negotiations.
A look at the digital currency market showed that investors are sitting on the edge as the US Dollar rebounded amid geopolitical and inflation risks despite continued inflows into US spot bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs).
Solana (SOL) rose by 1.2 per cent to sell $86.45, Cardano (ADA) appreciated by 1.1 per cent to $0.2517, Dogecoin (DOGE) grew by 0.9 per cent to $0.0989, Ripple (XRP) improved by 0.3 per cent to $1.43, Ethereum (ETH) soared by 0.2 per cent to $2,316.83, and Binance Coin (BNB) chalked up 0.1 per cent to sell for $637.44.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 1.3 per cent to $0.3235, and Bitcoin (BTC) lost 0.2 per cent to close at $77,562.27, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) closed flat at $1.00 each.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism10 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn
