Buhari Presides Over First FEC Meeting After 3-Month Medical Leave

By Adedapo Adesanya The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs, Mr Isiaka Ibrahim, has said the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) must be insulated from political interference to perform more effectively. Mr Ibrahim said this at a Public Lecture to mark the 2023 African Statistics Day celebration in Abuja on Wednesday themed Modernising Data Ecosystems to Accelerate the Implementation of the AfCFTA: The Role of Official Statistics and Big Data in the Economic Transformation and Sustainable Development of Africa. He said the reliability of data from the stats office would be questioned if

By Modupe Gbadeyanka Some public servants in Nigeria have been charged to make use of what they learned from a seven-week AIG Public Leaders Programme (PLP) to drive transformative change from within. This appeal was made by the executive vice chairman of the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, Mrs Ofovwe Aig-Imoukhuede, at the conclusion of the programme, offered by the Foundation in partnership with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. It is an executive education scheme that provides high-potential African public servants with the opportunity to acquire the skills needed to create cultures of excellence, effectiveness, and integrity in their organisations.

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The Programme Coordinator for Media and Policy at the Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Mr Jerome-Mario Utomi, has challenged the Lagos State government to lead the movement against environmental injustice. Mr Utomi, while speaking on Tuesday as a panellist at the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS), Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands, also advised the government to stop being the coach and captain during environmental conversations. At the panel discussion themed “The role of multi-stakeholder engagement in achieving environmental justice, he noted engagement and collaboration have been overused by those in the position of

By Dipo Olowookere The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has warned members of the public against investing in Poyoyo Investment (Pilvest) Nigeria Limited and Finafrica Investment Limited (Chimark Group). In a notice on its website, the regulatory agency for the Nigerian capital market disclosed that the two organisations are authorised to operate the investment schemes they are offering to the investing public. It, therefore, emphasised that anyone who invests in the companies does so at his/her own risk. “The attention of SEC has been drawn to the electronic and WhatsApp messages being circulated to investors on behalf of Poyoyo Investment

By Aduragbemi Omiyale The largest pension fund administrator (PFA) in Nigeria, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers Limited, has refuted reports making the round that it gave out gift items to its clients last December in defiance of the directive of the National Pension Commission (PenCom). In order to stop unhealthy competition in the pension industry in the country, PenCom directed operators to stop luring customers with incentives. It was reported that Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, which controls over 1.9 million retirement savings accounts (RSAs) and over N4.5 trillion in assets under management, gave out loyalty gift vouchers last month. But the

By Investors Hub European stocks are broadly higher on Tuesday after German Chancellor Angela Merkel reached a deal with her Interior Minister over migration policy, helping avert a political crisis in the country. While the German DAX Index has jumped by 1.4 percent, the French CAC 40 Index is up by 1 percent and the U.K.?s FTSE 100 Index is up by 0.7 percent. Societe Generale has climbed in Paris after agreeing to acquire Commerzbank’s Equity Markets & Commodities business. Shares of Commerzbank have also advanced. Sanofi has also moved notably higher after closing a strategic transaction with Evotec to

By Dipo Olowookere The sum of N1.024 billion has been paid to former employees of Savannah Sugar Company Limited (SSCL) as their outstanding severance package. The money was paid to 1,596 verified eligible beneficiaries by the Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD). It was stated that 1,192 former members of staff of the firm were given N723.6 million, while 404 next of kin received N300.9 million. A statement issued by the agency disclosed that this was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s promise to resolve and ensure the accurate computation and payment of the balance of the one-off terminal benefits for

By Modupe Gbadeyanka South Africa has slumped into recession, almost a year after its rival, Nigeria, dropped into a similar situation, which it is still battling to recover from. Nigeria lost its position as the biggest economy in Africa to South Africa after it went into recession last year. Lately, the former Apartheid nation has been struggling with its economy and this led to it being downgraded by both Fitch and Standard & Poor’s. The economy began to shake especially after President Jacob Zuma fired his Minister of Finance, Mr Pravin Gordhan, who is believed to be a key driver

By Adedapo Adesanya The first trading session on the floor of the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange closed on a negative note on Monday, depreciating by 0.25 per cent at the close of transactions. Nigeria’s OTC Exchange found itself in the bearish zone yesterday after the share price Niger Delta Exploration and Production (NDEP) Plc went down by N13 or 6.8 per cent to settle at N190.00 per unit compared with the previous closing price of N203 per unit. As a result, the NASD Unlisted Securities Index (NSI) decreased by 1.79 points to wrap the session at 700.85 points compared

By Carl Ndukwe The Nigerian Senate does get quite a telling from the citizenry, and sometimes they very well deserve it. However, there are also many things, when they do, make the people proud. So, as we take stock of the year, here are some of those memorable bills through which our Senators have demonstrated that their service and fealty do indeed rest on the interests and wishes of the people. 1: Passage of the #NotTooYoungToRun Bill Here we saw a Nigerian Senate that not only listens but also has it finger on the pulse of the people. By passing

By Dipo Olowookere Shares of Dangote Cement, MTN Nigeria and 13 others further weakened the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Tuesday by 2.26 per cent as investors continue to rebalance their portfolios in order to reduce their risk in equity investments. The sustained sell-offs in this asset class trimmed the All-Share Index (ASI) by 1,139.02 points yesterday to 49,350.71 points from 50,489.73 points as the market capitalisation decreased by N615 billion to N26.618 trillion from N27.233 trillion. Cornerstone Insurance recorded the biggest fall on Tuesday, dropping 9.33 per cent to close at 68 Kobo and was trailed by Dangote Cement,