Economy
SEC to Enlighten Investors on ‘Investing in Difficult Times’
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Efforts are being made by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to educate investors in the Nigerian capital market to understand the rudiments of investing in difficult times.
On Tuesday, August 18, 2020, the commission will hold a webinar, where experts in the sector will dissect this topic and explain ways investors can make a profit in this present situation.
It is no news that since the beginning of the year, the global COVID-19 pandemic has affected many businesses as well as economies of the world.
The effect of the virus, which is yet to wrap, caused economies of the United Kingdom, France and others to slip into recession and recently, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, warned that the country may fall into an economic crisis soon.
As things continue to get harder and the purchasing power of citizens further shrinks, it may be tough for capital market investors, who are battling with a double war of rising inflation rate and the declining interest rate on their investments, especially on government debt securities.
To help investors navigate these issues, the apex capital market regulator has come with this online lecture, which starts by 11am Nigerian time.
Speakers for the event are Mrs Tope Omojokun, Mr Derrick Msibi and Mr Efiok Efiok.
Mrs Tope Omojokun has over 17 years’ experience across Commercial and Corporate Banking, Wealth and Investment Management.
She has worked with Access Bank Plc. (formerly Intercontinental Bank Plc.) and later joined E.oN (UK) Limited as a Credit Specialist before proceeding to Asset and Resource Management Company Limited (ARM), where she was a Relationship Manager with the Wealth Management division before joining Investment One Funds Management Limited.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, an MA (Management) from the University of Nottingham and is currently pursuing a Doctoral degree (Ph. D) in Business Administration (Entrepreneurship) at Babcock University. Tope currently serves as President of Fund Managers Association of Nigeria.
On his part, Mr Derrick Msibi is the Chief Executive of STANLIB Asset Management, the investment arm of the Liberty Group, an insurance company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and a part of the Standard Bank Group.
STANLIB is a steward of R569 billion of customer investments in various investment strategies straddling listed and alternative investments.
Mr Msibi is a chartered accountant with degrees in finance and accounting at both bachelors, honours and masters level from the University of Cape Town. He is a holder of the Program for Management Development Certificate from Harvard Business School and a Certificate of Management (a corporate-customised programme) from London Business School.
For Mr Efiok Efiok, who joined the SEC in 2002, he holds a degree in Business Management and is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Nigeria. H
e worked from 2002 to 2008 in the Collective Investment Services Department (now Investment Management Services Department, the Department responsible for the regulatory authorization and supervision of all forms of Collective Investment Schemes products.
He moved to the Monitoring and Investigation Department, 2008 – 2013, as part of the team undertaking continuous supervision of operations and operational capacity of all registered Capital Market Operators with respect to their registered market functions.
From 2014 to 2016, Mr Efiok served as Head of Fund Management Supervision Division, responsible for continuous supervision of Market intermediaries undertaking Asset management activities and subsequently became the Head of Investment Management Department from 2016 – till date.
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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