Economy
The Next Titan Season-5 Kicks Off as Heritage Bank Sustains Support
By Dipo Olowookere
Season 5 of the annual entrepreneurial reality show, The Next Titan, has commenced and headline sponsor of the programme, Heritage Bank Plc, has again thrown its weight behind it, promising to continue to do so as long as the show remains focused to its primary goal of lifting and encouraging the spirit of entrepreneurship.
The Next Titan is Nigeria’s foremost entrepreneurial reality TV show; whose importance lies in igniting entrepreneurial spirit and showcasing the possibility for transforming lives with just a business idea that can be scaled to greatness.
Business Post gathered that season 5 of the business show, which organizers promised to be more exciting, will start with auditions in Abuja at the end of the month before moving to Port Harcourt, Enugu, and Lagos.
Speaking with newsmen at the official press conference held to announce the official commencement of the reality TV show this year, Divisional Head, Corporate Communications, Heritage Bank, Mr Fela Ibidapo, said his organisation supported the show because it focuses on the development of small medium enterprises in the country.
He assured the public that the financial powerhouse would sustain its interest and sponsorship for the programme because the goal it sets to achieve aligns with the corporate aspiration of Heritage Bank.
Mr Ibidapo explained that the management at Heritage Bank believes that banking is not only about how much money we can make from customers; but also, about adding value to aspiring individuals, groups, community and state.
“Banking is not necessarily about how much we make from you, but also about encouraging success of initiatives that support economic development process,” he said.
According to him, the Next Titan is an outstanding entrepreneurial scheme that has stood out in the past four years and has immensely contributed to employment generation in Nigeria; a nation where graduates and other youth endlessly scout for job opportunities.
He said the programme easily aligns with the primary focus of the management of Heritage Bank to promote every laudable entrepreneurial idea meant to broaden economic horizon of the country for the benefit of citizens and other residents of Nigeria.
His words: The Next Titan is strictly SME-focused banking initiative and we are using the opportunity to enjoin people with laudable business ideas like those who participate in the annual programme to move forward. Heritage Bank will be ready, at any time to support ideas like that.”
Also speaking at the occasion, Mr Mide Kunle-Akinlaja, Executive Producer, The Next Titan, disclosed that the success stories of winners from the previous editions have been phenomenal. He said being on national television, The Next Titan has positively impacted on the generality of young people and other viewers.
“We are ready again to inform you that we are set for the new season, as we have already received thousands of entries from young aspiring entrepreneurs across Nigeria.
“This will give these young ambitious entrepreneurs another opportunity to showcase their business ideas and battle one another for a prize of N5 million and a brand-new car to start their dream businesses”, he stated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has defended its decision to allow Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to invest in the parent companies of their custodians, insisting that adequate safeguards are in place to protect contributors’ funds.
The director-general of the pension regulator, Ms Omolola Oloworaran, speaking on Tuesday during the Meet the Press Briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the commission’s decision to relax the investment restriction followed a comprehensive risk assessment that found minimal conflict of interest.
She explained that under PenCom’s investment regulations, PFAs are only permitted to invest pension assets in carefully selected instruments that meet stringent criteria, including profitability, strong credit ratings and proven track records.
According to her, the commission regularly reviews its investment regulations, conducts routine examinations and spot checks on PFAs to ensure strict compliance with established risk management guidelines.
“PFAs cannot just go into the stock market and buy any kind of stock. There are strict guidelines. Companies must demonstrate profitability, have a proven track record and satisfy other criteria before pension funds can invest,” she said.
Ms Oloworaran noted that each PFA also operates under the oversight of a board, an investment committee and a risk management committee, providing additional layers of governance to safeguard contributors’ funds.
She said PenCom recently issued a circular allowing PFAs to invest in the parent companies of their custodians after determining that the potential conflict of interest was negligible.
The PenCom boss explained that the parent companies involved are largely Tier-1 banks, including First Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Zenith Bank, which she described as A-rated institutions with strong financial foundations.
She said the policy was intended to widen investment opportunities for pension funds without compromising safety.
Using Stanbic IBTC as an example, Ms Oloworaran explained that if its custodian is Zenith Bank, the previous restriction prevented the pension administrator from investing in Zenith Bank shares despite the bank’s strong performance.
“We reviewed the risks and any potential conflict of interest and found the risks to be very low. That is why we opened that investment window,” she said.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Analysts at Meristem Research have predicted that the inflation rate for June 2026 in Nigeria should marginally rise to 15.95 per cent on a year-on-year basis from the 15.93 per cent reported in May 2026.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is expected to release inflation numbers for last month later today, Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
In its report sighted by Business Post, Meristem Research said it expects inflationary pressures to re-emerge across key economies in the near term, as the re-escalation of the US-Iran conflict has reignited upward pressure on global oil prices.
It disclosed that this marks a sharp reversal from most of June, when the ceasefire between the two countries helped drive oil prices lower, raising expectations of some relief on the inflation front.
With conflicts now flaring up again, oil prices are likely to increase again, and the anticipated easing in energy-driven inflation may not materialise as broadly as earlier envisaged.
“Nonetheless, some relief is likely from the food segment, where robust supply conditions across major producing regions and softening demand should continue to ease food price pressures,” it stated.
The team also explained that it projected a 15.95 per cent inflation rate because of the lingering effects of persistent food price pressures.
“However, we expect core inflation to moderate as the sharp reversal in energy prices begins to filter through to transportation, distribution, and other energy-related costs, easing underlying price pressures.
“On a month-on-month basis, the combined effect of lower petrol prices, a relatively stable Naira, and the gradual pass-through of reduced energy costs across the supply chain should exert further downward pressure on inflation.
“Based on our assessment, food inflation is expected to remain the key swing factor, as seasonal pre-harvest supply constraints are likely to offset some of the gains from lower logistics costs,” it said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The duo of Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) Plc and Afriland Properties Plc weakened the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange by 1.61 per cent on Tuesday, July 14.
CSCS Plc saw its stock value drop N9.08 to close at N82.40 per share compared with the preceding session’s N91.48 per share, and Afriland Properties Plc slid by 17 Kobo to sell at N15.00 per unit versus N15.70 per unit.
The losses recorded by the two securities pulled back the market capitalisation by N41.64 billion to N2.546 trillion from N2.587 trillion, and cracked the NASD Security Index (NSI) by 69.36 points to 4,242.31 points from 4,311.67 points.
It was observed that the exchange witnessed two price advancers during the session, led by FrieslandCampina Wamco Nigeria Plc, which gained N1.37 to end at N151.37 per share compared with the previous day’s N150.00 per share, and Food Concepts Plc chalked up 5 Kobo to settle at N2.50 per unit versus N2.45 per unit.
The volume of securities traded by market participants surged by 50.7 per cent to 13.7 million units from the previous 9.1 million units, while the value of securities went down by 79.7 per cent to N65.2 million from N320.4 million, and the number of deals crashed by 3.6 per cent to 27 deals from the previous session’s 28 deals.
At the close of transactions, 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 for N8.4 billion, trailed by Infrastructure Credit Guarantee (Infracredit) Plc, which exchanged 2.3 billion units valued at N6.5 billion, and CSCS Plc with 73.9 million units transacted for N5.2 billion.
GNI Plc also closed the trading day as the most traded stock by volume on a year-to-date basis, with 3.4 billion units worth N8.4 billion, followed by Infracredit Plc with 2.3 billion units traded for N6.5 billion, and Resourcery Plc with 1.1 billion units valued at N415.7 million.
