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Economy

Stocks Further Shed 0.17% as Investors Lose Confidence in CBN FX Policy

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Nigerian Stocks

By Dipo Olowookere

Nigerian stocks received further beatings on Tuesday as investors began to lose confidence in the foreign exchange (FX) policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

On Monday, the acting CBN Governor, Mr Folashodun Shonubi, after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja, said plans are being made to stabilise the Naira, warning that speculators will soon regret selling their local currency assets for Dollars.

He said this after the audit accounts of the apex bank for the 2022 fiscal year showed that what is left in the external reserves, about $20 billion, may not be enough to defend the Nigerian currency, triggering fears among some investors.

At the market yesterday, traders offloaded some of their equities, apparently in panic so as not to be caught off-guard. Some of them are selling to buy forex to edge their funds against Naira.

Business Post observed that apart from the insurance counter, which appreciated by 1.32 per cent, every other sector finished lower at the close of transactions.

The consumer goods space lost 0.68 per cent, the energy index depreciated by 0.40 per cent, the banking sector went down by 0.08 per cent, and the industrial goods counter finished lower by 0.06 per cent.

As a result, the All-Share Index (ASI) decreased by 107.39 points to 64,928.98 points from 65,036.37 points, and the market capitalisation moderated by N58 billion to N35.357 trillion from N35.415 trillion.

Eterna ended the trading session as the heaviest price loser as it shed 9.86 per cent to trade at N16.00, Sunu Assurance trended downward by 9.62 per cent to 94 Kobo, Omatek declined by 8.11 per cent to 34 Kobo, Unilever Nigeria slumped by 7.05 per cent to N14.50, and AIICO Insurance dropped 5.63 per cent to sell at 67 Kobo.

The biggest price gainer was Tantalizers as it improved by 10.00 per cent to 44 Kobo, Ikeja Hotel grew by 9.82 per cent to N3.13, Cornerstone Insurance expanded by 9.30 per cent to N1.41, The Initiates appreciated by 8.82 per cent to N1.11, and Linkage Assurance rose by 8.33 per cent to 91 Kobo.

At the close of business, there were 31 price losers and 19 price gainers, indicating a negative market breadth index and a weak investor sentiment.

Apart from the CBN policy, the market reacted to the inflation figures of July 2023 released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday.

The agency revealed that the average price of goods and services increased on a year-on-year basis by 24.08 per cent. In the previous month, inflation rose by 22.79 per cent.

This may have also put the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited under selling pressure yesterday, as the level of activity increased, with the trading volume, value, and the number of deals rising by 8.30 per cent, 11.91 per cent, and 6.73 per cent, respectively.

This was because the bourse recorded the sale of 280.5 million equities worth N4.7 billion in 6,296 deals compared with the 259.0 million equities worth N4.2 billion traded in 5,899 deals on Monday.

For another trading session, Transcorp was the most active after selling 36.5 million stocks valued at N147.5 million, followed by UBA, which sold 23.2 million shares for N325.4 million. Access Holdings transacted 17.7 million equities worth N299.4 million, Sterling Holdings exchanged 16.0 million shares worth N57.5 million, and Japaul traded 11.4 million stocks valued at N11.0 million.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

Economy

Petrol Supply up 55.4% as Daily Consumption Reaches 52.1 million Litres

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sufficient supply petrol

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.

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Economy

Secure Electronic Technology Suspends Share Reconstruction as Investors Pull Out

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Secure Electronic Technology

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.

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Economy

Clea to Streamline Cross-Border Payments for African Importers

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Clea Payment platform

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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