Economy
TGI Group Seals Food Sponsorship Deal With NFF
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
An international investment and holding company with diversified interests and investments in Nigeria, Ghana, Republic of Benin, Morocco, UAE, South Africa, India and several other emerging markets, Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group, has announced a landmark agreement with the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) to support the senior national football teams, in their quest to win laurels for Nigeria.
At a joint press briefing which took place at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, the NFF unveiled the TGI Group as the official food sponsor of the Super Eagles for the next three years.
TGI Group is the parent company of WACOT Limited, Chi Limited and other companies, producers of household brands such as Big Bull Rice, CHIVITA, Hollandia Yoghurt and Renew Starch.
“We are enormously ecstatic to come on board as supporters of the Nigerian football national teams,” said Mr Onyekachi Onubogu, the Executive Director of TGI Group who represented the Group Managing Director, Mr Rahul Savara, “the sponsorship is a further demonstration of the commitment of our business to the development of Nigeria in all facets.”
“We strongly believe in our investments in the Agricultural value chain and its impact on the socio-economic development of Nigeria and this new partnership we are starting with the Nigerian Football Federation will allow us to expand our footprint to the development of football in the country.
“We are resolutely committed to increasing our investments in the Nigerian economy, increasing employment and local content while supporting the communities we operate in”.
Continuing, Mr Onubogu said, “The TGI Group has over three decades of experience in building local and regional sustainable businesses in fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), agriculture, agro-allied, healthcare, chemicals, etc.
He also disclosed that because of the agreement between his company and NFF, the TGI Group will be allowed to reward the best Nigerian player with the ‘Man of the Match’ award on the days of all qualifying matches.
It would be recalled that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo recently commissioned the integrated WACOT Rice Mill in Argungu, Kebbi State. The Vice President also commissioned the Edo State Fertilizer and Chemical Company Limited (ESFCCL), managed by WACOT Limited.
While emphasizing the unifying role of soccer in Nigeria, Mr Onubogu stated that the goal of his conglomerate is to ensure that the Super Eagles does not only qualify for the 2018 World Cup but that the team puts up an unprecedented impressive performance at the competition in Russia.
Speaking on behalf of the NFF, the President, Mr Amaju Pinnick commended the TGI Group for their timely support for the Senior National Male Football team while also appealing to other corporate organizations to emulate the gesture.
He further disclosed that with the sponsorship by TGI, the Board and Management of NFF are better convinced that the goal of participating and excelling in the 2018 World Cup by the Super Eagles will be a reality.
His words, “The coming on board of the TGI Group is going to be a tremendously exciting development for the team.
“The opportunity to have the support of TGI Group and the reward for the ‘Man of the Match’ will have a huge benefit, putting the team in the best place possible to achieve our goals.
“We also talk a lot about creating memories and no doubt working with TGI Group will create some fantastic memories.”
Economy
NASD Exchange Falls 0.22% After Investors Lose N4.8bn
By Adedapo Adesanya
The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange weakened by 0.22 per cent on Tuesday, April 28, with the market capitalisation down by N4.8 billion to N2.420 trillion from N2.425 trillion, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) down by 9.01 points to 4,044.96 points from 4,053.97 points.
During the session, the price of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc went down by N1.82 to N767.05 per share from N78.87 per share, while FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc appreciated by N1.90 to N100.00 per unit from N98.10 per unit.
According to data, the value of trades increased by 265.7 per cent to N27.1 million from N7.4 million units, and the volume of transactions surged by 305.2 per cent to 1.3 million units from 319,831 units, while the number of deals decreased by 6.9 per cent to 27 deals from 29 deals.
Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) Plc remained the most traded stock by value on a year-to-date basis, with the sale of 3.4 billion units valued at N8.4 billion, followed by CSCS Plc with 59.8 million units exchanged for N4.0 billion, and Okitipupa Plc with 27.8 million units traded for N1.9 billion.
GNI Plc also finished as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with a turnover of 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, trailed by Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units transacted for N415.7 million, and Infrastructure Guarantee Credit Plc with 400 million units sold for N1.2 billion.
Economy
Naira Crashes to N1,380/$ at Official Market, N1,390/$1 at Black Market
By Adedapo Adesanya
Pressure is beginning to mount on the Nigerian Naira in the different segments of the foreign exchange (FX) market despite an oil windfall triggered by the Middle East crisis.
On Monday, April 27, the domestic currency further weakened against the United States Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) by N16.47 or 1.2 per cent to N1,380.71/$1 from the previous day’s N1,364.24/$1.
It was not different against the Pound Sterling in the same market window, as it lost N16.04 to trade at N1,863.76/£1 versus Monday’s closing rate of N1,847.72/£1, and against the Euro, it slipped by N12.72 to close at N1,615.01/€1 versus N1,602.29/€1.
The Naira also depreciated against the Dollar at the black market yesterday by N5 to quote at N1,390/$1 compared with the previous price of N1,385, and at the GTBank forex counter, it further crashed by N9 to settle at N1,379/$1 compared with the preceding session’s N1,370/$1.
The continued decline of the Naira comes as traders increasingly seek other safe-haven currencies amid continued global disruptions.
The benefit awash in the global market is making foreign portfolio investors stay short in Nigerian markets. Despite this, the daily FX publication released showed that interbank turnover rose to $98.829 million across 78 deals, up from $76.65 million.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market remained cautious, with Bitcoin (BTC) trading at $77,216.66 despite surging oil prices and geopolitical tensions over a potential extended US naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
Analysts say the supply overhang has finally dried up, and the sellers who were spooked by macro shifts or quantum fears have already exited, leaving the market much thinner on the sell-side.
Investors will await decisions made by central banks this week. The US Federal Reserve will announce its rate decision later on Wednesday, while the European Central Bank (ECB) follows on Thursday.
Ethereum (ETH) gained 1.5 per cent to trade at $2,324.59, Dogecoin (DOGE) chalked up 1.4 per cent to sell for $0.1016, Solana (SOL) appreciated by 0.6 per cent to $84.85, Cardano (ADA) grew by 0.5 per cent to $0.2483, and Binance Coin (BNB) advanced by 0.2 per cent to $627.15.
However, TRON (TRX) depreciated by 0.6 per cent to $0.3224, and Ripple (XRP) lost 0.03 per cent to sell at $1.39, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) were unchanged at $1.00 each.
Economy
Oil up 3% as Hormuz Disruption Outweighs UAE OPEC Exit
By Adedapo Adesanya
Oil was up by nearly 3 per cent on Tuesday as persistent worries about supply constraints from the closed Strait of Hormuz continued, with Brent futures for June rising by $3.03 or 2.8 per cent to $111.26 a barrel, and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures growing by $3.56 or 3.7 per cent to $99.93 a barrel.
An earlier round of negotiations between the United States and Iran collapsed last week after face-to-face talks failed.
Ship-tracking data showed significant disruptions in the region, with six Iranian oil tankers forced to turn back due to the US blockade, but some traffic is still moving.
Prices trimmed some of the advances after the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the fourth-largest producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said on Tuesday it would exit the group on this Friday, May 1, 2026.
This dealt a blow to the oil-exporting group and its de facto leader, Saudi Arabia.
The UAE could quickly add between 1 million and 1.5 million barrels per day of output. However, with the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, analysts said that there’s nowhere for that supply to go.
The UAE joined OPEC in 1967, but tension with Saudi Arabia over production quotas has been building for years.
Under the OPEC+ deal, the country has been held to roughly 3 million barrels per day while sitting on capacity above 4 million. It has been pushing toward 5 million barrels per day by 2027, and that target is hard to achieve with quotas built around someone else’s view of the market.
The war in Yemen broke whatever was left of diplomatic patience.
President Donald Trump said he was unhappy with the latest Iranian proposal to end the war. The proposal would avoid addressing the nuclear programme until hostilities cease and Gulf shipping disputes are resolved.
The Idemitsu Maru, a Panama-flagged tanker carrying 2 million barrels of Saudi oil, and an LNG tanker managed by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) crossed the Strait on Tuesday, shipping data showed.
Vortexa data showed that the amount of crude oil held around the world on tankers that have been stationary for at least seven days rose to 153.11 million barrels as of April 24.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the United States fell by 1.79 million barrels in the week ending April 24. The official data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) will be released later on Wednesday.
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