Economy
Unlisted Securities Market Closes Week 0.27% Higher
By Adedapo Adesanya
The week ended at the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange in the positive territory as the bourse extended its recent bullish run on Friday, April 9.
Two of the bellwether stocks spurred the 0.27 per cent appreciation recorded at the unlisted securities market yesterday.
These equities were Niger Delta Exploration and Production (NDEP) Plc and VFD Group Plc and they both recorded heavy gains to raise both the market capitalisation higher and the market index to break its previous day year-to-date high.
They overpowered the loss recorded by FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, which declined by N3.90 or 2.9 per cent to close at N127 per share from N130.90 per share.
VFD Group was the largest gainer at the session as it stocks appreciated by N27.18 or 10 per cent to sell at N299.02 per unit compared to N2711.84 per unit of the previous session.
On its part, NDEP Plc appreciated by N16.30 or 5.0 per cent to close at N340 per unit compared to the previous closing price of N323.70 per unit.
These gains lifted the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) by 2.05 basis points to a new 2021 high of 755.84 points compared with the preceding day’s 753.79 points.
In the same breath, the market capitalisation added N1.46 billion to settle at N537.26 billion in contrast to N535.80 billion it finished at the Thursday session.
There was, however, a drop in the total volume of shares transacted at the final session of the week as it moved down by 17.4 per cent to 78,037 units from the previously quoted 94,500 units.
But there was a surge of 1,131.8 per cent in the value of the stocks transacted by market participants as a total of N22.6 million shares were traded compared with N1.8 million worth of shares exchanged a day earlier.
The total number of deals fell by 28.57 per cent as five deals were recorded as against seven deals at the previous session.
These deals were executed on the four companies with VFD Group Plc accounting for two deals, NDEP Plc, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc and Central Securities Clearing Systems (CSCS) Plc accounting for one deal each.
UBN Property Plc closed as the most active stock by volume on a year-to-date basis for trading 21.9 million units valued at N24.6 billion. CSCS Plc trailed for transacting 8.3 million units worth N128.5 million, while Friesland held the third position with 3.5 million units worth N435.4 million.
In terms of the value on a year-to-date basis, NDEP Plc was the most active for transacting 2.2 million units valued at N694.4 million. Friesland trailed with 3.5 units of its securities valued at N433.4 million while VFD Group Plc has traded 1.2 million units worth N195.9 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
About 143 companies that successfully passed the technical and prequalification stages of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) 2025 Licensing Round will, today, compete for 50 oil and gas blocks at the commercial bid conference in Abuja, the final stage in the allocation process for the assets.
The commission said only the prequalified companies have been invited to attend the event, which will hold at the Conference Centre of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, stressing that participation is strictly by invitation.
The commercial bid conference will determine the successful bidders for oil and gas assets located across Nigeria’s producing and frontier basins.
The 50 blocks comprise 16 onshore blocks and 18 shallow water blocks in the Niger Delta, one deep offshore block, three onshore blocks in the Benin Basin, four in the Anambra Basin, four in the Chad Basin, and four in the Benue Trough.
According to the commission, the winning bids will be determined through a transparent evaluation process based on clearly defined commercial parameters. These include the signature bonus offered by bidders, the proposed work programme commitment and the level of performance security provided. The final selection will be based on a weighted technical and commercial score.
The licensing round is being conducted under the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which requires a transparent and competitive process for the award of petroleum assets.
NUPRC had announced the commencement of the 2025 Licensing Round on November 11, 2025, before opening the online bid portal on December 1, 2025, to enable interested companies to register and participate in the exercise.
To ensure prospective investors fully understood the requirements, the commission organised a pre-bid conference on January 14, 2026, at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos. The event provided detailed explanations on the licensing guidelines and bidding procedures to registered participants and other stakeholders.
Registration and submission of prequalification documents closed on February 27, 2026, while the prequalification evaluation was completed on March 16, 2026.
NUPRC disclosed that 286 companies initially submitted applications for prequalification.
Following the evaluation process, 196 companies were cleared to participate in the technical and commercial bid stages.
The prequalified 143 companies eventually submitted a total of 200 bids for the available oil and gas blocks. These companies are now set to compete at the commercial bid conference, where the financial offers will be opened and evaluated to determine the eventual winners.
The licensing round is expected to attract fresh investment into Nigeria’s upstream petroleum sector, boost exploration activities across both producing and frontier basins, increase crude oil and gas reserves, and support the country’s drive to grow production and government revenue.
It also underscores the regulator’s commitment to implementing a transparent, competitive and investor-friendly licensing regime under the Petroleum Industry Act.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has retained all key monetary policy parameters following the conclusion of its two-day meeting on July 21, 2026, on Tuesday, maintaining its tight monetary policy stance to curb inflation and support macroeconomic stability.
According to the Governor of the apex bank, Mr Yemi Cardoso, who chaired the committee, the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), which serves as the benchmark interest rate, remains at 26.50 per cent. The MPC also retained the asymmetric corridor around the MPR at +50 basis points and -450 basis points.
In addition, the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for commercial banks was left unchanged at 45.00 per cent, while the CRR for merchant banks remains at 16.00 per cent. The committee also retained the CRR on non-Treasury Single Account (Non-TSA) public sector deposits at 75.00 per cent, with the liquidity ratio at 30.00 per cent.
The decision reflects the apex bank’s continued commitment to containing inflationary pressures through a restrictive monetary policy while safeguarding the resilience of Nigeria’s financial system amid ongoing macroeconomic adjustments.
By keeping all policy tools unchanged, the MPC signalled its intention to continue managing excess liquidity in the banking sector and maintain stability in financial markets.
The move is also expected to provide greater policy certainty for investors and businesses monitoring the country’s monetary policy direction.
The latest decision also means borrowing costs are likely to remain elevated in the near term as the central bank continues to prioritise price stability over monetary easing.
Analysts had expected the CBN committee to retain the rate after Nigeria’s headline inflation came in at 15.91 per cent as of June 2026, marking a slight decline from 15.93 per cent in May.
However, even as overall price growth has moderated significantly compared to previous periods, food inflation remains a persistent challenge, accelerating to 17.52 per cent in June.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Shareholders of Unilever Nigeria Plc will receive an interim dividend of N2 per share, the board of the organisation has said.
The cash reward was announced after the company released its financial statements for the first half of the year ended June 30, 2026.
The payment will be made on Friday, August 14, 2026, only to investors whose names appear on the Register of Members at the close of business on Friday, July 31, 2026.
A quick look at the financial performance of the firm in the first six months of this year showed that revenue improved by 22.22 per cent to N119.9 billion from the N98.1 billion achieved in the corresponding period of last year.
A rise in earnings also resulted in a 16.43 per cent surge in cost of sales, though this did not shrink the gross profit, which rose by 29.93 per cent to N54.7 billion from N42.1 billion. The operating profit stood at N24.4 billion in the period under review, higher than N18.8 billion in the same period of 2025, while the net finance income contracted by 9.43 per cent to N4.8 billion from N5.3 billion due to elevated borrowing costs.
Business Post reports that despite higher taxes paid in the first six months of 2026, the net profit grew by 8.33 per cent to N15.6 billion from N14.4 billion, enabling the board to pass on value to shareholders for their faith in the firm.
