Economy
SEC Seeks Innovative Financial Products for Pension Industry
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Mr Lamido Yuguda, has called for more innovative financial products to meet the needs of the pension industry in Nigeria so as to deepen the capital market and sustain the growth in the sector, especially in the non-interest segment.
Mr Yuguda made this call at a one-day seminar organised by the agency themed The Imperative of Non-Interest Capital Market for Pension Industry.
According to him, the non-interest finance segment holds great potentials in furthering the development of the capital market and the growth of the nation’s economy as it is one of the most appropriate for the funding of long-term infrastructure.
He described the pension industry as one of the fastest-growing in the nation’s economy with assets under management of N13 trillion as at the end of September 2021 adding that of this impressive amount, less than N80 billion is invested in Sukuk, representing a little less than one per cent of total pension assets under management.
“This calls for more innovative financial products to deepen our market and sustain the growth in the industry, especially in the non-interest segment.
“We strongly believe that the capital market has a leading role to play in this regard by providing a variety of long-term investable products to service the needs of the pension industry as well as other investors with a similar focus.
“It is encouraging that the national pension commission has taken concrete steps to improve the regulatory framework for the investment of pension funds in the non-interest capital market by the introduction of an operational framework for the non-interest fund.
“This will no doubt provide an additional opportunity for retirement savings account holders and retirees to invest their savings in financial instruments that are aligned with their lite goals and objectives.
“Indeed, the operationalization of the funds definitely accelerates the national financial inclusion agenda while increasing the quantum of investible funds by unlocking the untapped capital,” he said.
Mr Yuguda stated that as of September 2021, the total assets stood at N7.79 billion constituting about 0.059 per cent of total pension assets under management expressing the hope that the fund assets will grow with robust public awareness, education programs and capacity building of stakeholders through seminars, workshops and programs such as this.
“The SEC in the realisation of the potential of the noninterest segment of the capital market has a veritable avenue for providing long-term capital launched its 10-year capital market masterplan with a very strong focus on the development of the non-interest capital market segment through awareness creation, capacity building, review of regulatory framework and development of non-interest projects and services.
“I am happy to report that a significant number of its strategic initiatives have been achieved as several sharia/ethical funds have been registered by the SEC.
“In addition, the SEC collaborated with the MO towards providing a framework for the issuance of the first FGN Sukuk in 2017 and two other issuances of Sukuk have followed.
“However, we believe that more work still needs to be directed towards achieving other critical initiatives of non-interest in our capital market plan.
‘At SEC, we have been approached by a number of potential corporate issuers of scope and we have registered the first issuer of scope, we are aware that a number of corporate issuers are interested in issuing Sukuk, but some of them have noted that they will like clarity on the neutrality of the Sukuk vis-a-vis corporate bonds.
“The increased supply of scope will hasten the development of the non-interest capital market because I am confident that the non-interest finance experts gathered here today will invoke the interest and attention of participants and enhance their knowledge of the subject to eventually lead to the birth of promoters and on takers of non-interest products of the capital market,” he added.
In a goodwill message, the Director-General of the National Pensions Commission (PenCom) Ms Aisha Dabir Umar, commended the SEC for organising this webinar.
The PenCom chief, represented by the Commissioner Administration, Mr Umar Farouk Aminu, acknowledged the collaborative efforts of the two agencies which have over the years laid acceptable values and good governance standards in their investments of pension funds in the Nigerian capital market.
“As you may be aware, PenCom recently released a list of operational guidelines for non-interest funds. It is our belief that this singular act will promote financial inclusion in Nigeria, and particularly drive enrolment in the macro pension fund. It is my call that industry practitioners gathered here will come up with practical measures to facilitate the issuance of non-interest instruments in the market.”
She stated that PenCom remains resolute in ensuring that all instruments meet this requirement before pension investment and commended the collaboration between PenCom and SEC towards deepening the capital market to sustainably introduce non-interest products.
In his remarks, the Secretary-General of the Islamic Financial Services Board, Dr Bello Danbatta, said Islamic finance is a complementary system adding that no system would be able to develop without integrating it into its financial system.
“Sustainable finance is not complete without integrative finance and integrative finance is only possible when you have non-interest and interest-based finance,” he stated.
Economy
Petrol Supply up 55.4% as Daily Consumption Reaches 52.1 million Litres
By Adedapo Adesanya
The supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol, increased by 55.4 per cent on a month-on-month basis to 71.5 million litres per day in November 2025 from 46 million litres per day in October.
This was contained in the November 2025 fact sheet of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on Monday.
The data showed that the nation’s consumption also increased by 44.5 per cent or 37.4 million litres to 52.1 million litres per day in November 2025, against 28.9 million litres in October.
The significant increase in petrol supply last month was on account of the imports by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited into the Nigerian market from both the domestic and the international market.
Domestic refineries supplied in the period stood at 17.1 million litres per day, while the average daily consumption of PMS for the month was 52.9 million litres per day.
The NMDPRA noted that no production activities were recorded in all the state-owned refineries, which included Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, in the period, as the refineries remained shut down.
According to the report, the imports were aimed at building inventory and further guaranteeing supply during the peak demand period.
Other reasons for the increase, according to the NMDPRA, were due to “low supply recorded in September and October 2025, below the national demand threshold; the need for boosting national stock level to meet the peak demand period of end of year festivities, and twelve vessels programmed to discharge into October, which spilled into November.”
On gas, the average daily gas supply climbed to 4.684 billion standard cubic feet per day in November 2025, from the 3.94 bscf/d average processing level recorded in October.
The Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 also maintained a stable processing output of 3.5 bscf/d in November 2025, but utilisation improved slightly to 73.7 per cent compared with 71.68 per cent in October.
The increase, according to the report, was driven by higher plant utilisation across processing hubs and steady export volumes from the Nigeria LNG plant in Bonny.
“As of November 2025, Nigeria’s major gas processing facilities recorded improved output and utilisation levels, with the Nigeria LNG Trains 1-6 processing 3.50 billion standard cubic feet per day at a utilisation rate of 73.70 per cent.
“Gbaran Ubie Gas Plant processed 1.250 bscf per day, operating at 71.21 per cent utilisation, while the MPNU Bonny River Terminal recorded a throughput of 0.690 bscf per day during the period. Processing activities at the Escravos Gas Plant stood at 0.680 bscf per day, representing a 62 per cent utilisation rate, whereas the Soku Gas Plant emerged as the top performer, processing 0.600 bscf per day at 96.84 per cent utilisation,” it stated.
Economy
Secure Electronic Technology Suspends Share Reconstruction as Investors Pull Out
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The proposed share reconstruction of a local gaming firm, Secure Electronic Technology (SET), has been suspended.
The Lagos-based company decided to shelve the exercise after negotiations with potential investors crumbled like a house of cards.
Secure Electronic Technology was earlier in talks with some foreign investors interested in the organisation.
Plans were underway to restructure the shares of the company, which are listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited.
However, things did not go as planned as the potential investors pulled out, leaving the board to consider others ways to move the firm forward.
Confirming this development, the company secretary, Ms Irene Attoe, in a statement, said the board would explore other means to keep the company running to deliver value to shareholders.
“This is to notify the NGX and the investing public that a meeting of the board of SET held on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, as scheduled, to consider the status of the proposed share reconstruction and recapitalisation as approved by the members at the Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held on April 16, 2025.
“After due deliberations, the board wishes to announce that the proposed share reconstruction will not take place as anticipated due to the inability of the parties to reach a convergence on the best and mutually viable terms.
“Thus, following an impasse in the negotiations, and the investors’ withdrawal from the transaction, the board has, in the interest of all members, decided to accept these outcomes and move ahead in the overall interest of the business.
“The board is committed to driving the strategic objectives of SEC and to seeking viable opportunities for sustainable growth of the company,” the disclosure stated.
Business Post reports that the share price of SET crashed by 3.85 per cent on Tuesday on Customs Street on Tuesday to 75 Kobo. Its 52-week high remains N1.33 and its one-year low is 45 Kobo. Today, investors transacted 39,331,958 units.
Economy
Clea to Streamline Cross-Border Payments for African Importers
By Adedapo Adesanya
Clea, a blockchain-powered platform that allows African importers to pay international suppliers in USD while settling locally, has officially launched.
During its pilot phase, Clea processed more than $4 million in cross-border transactions, demonstrating strong early demand from businesses navigating the complexities of global trade.
Clea addresses persistent challenges that African importers have long struggled with, including limited FX access, unpredictable exchange rates, high bank charges, fraudulent intermediaries, and payment delays that slow or halt shipments. The continent also faces a trade-finance gap estimated at over $120 billion annually, limiting importers’ ability to access the FX and financial infrastructure needed for timely international payments by offering fast, transparent, and direct USD settlements, completed without intermediaries or banking bottlenecks.
Founded by Mr Sheriff Adedokun, Mr Iyiola Osuagwu, and Mr Sidney Egwuatu, Clea was created from the team’s own experiences dealing with unreliable international payments. The platform currently serves Nigerian importers trading with suppliers in the United States, China, and the UAE, with plans to expand into additional trade corridors.
The platform will allow local payments in Naira with instant access to Dollars as well as instant, same-day, or next-day settlement options and transparent, traceable transactions that reduce fraud risk.
Speaking on the launch, Mr Adedokun said, “Importers face unnecessary stress when payments are delayed or rejected. Clea eliminates that uncertainty by offering reliable, secure, and traceable payments completed in the importer’s own name, strengthening supplier confidence from day one.”
Mr Osuagwu, co-founder & CTO, added, “Our goal is to make global trade feel as seamless as a local transfer. By connecting local currencies to global transactions through blockchain technology, we are removing long-standing barriers that have limited African importers for years.”
According to a statement shared with Business Post, Clea is already working with shipping operators who refer merchants to the platform and is also engaging trade associations and logistics networks in key import hubs. The company remains fully bootstrapped but is open to strategic investors aligned with its mission to build a trusted global payment network for African businesses.
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