General
Housing Deficit: SEC Vows to Support Estate Surveyors, Valuers
By Dipo Olowookere
Key stakeholders in the built industry have been assured of strong backing by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) so as to reduce the housing deficit in Nigeria.
The agency, through its director-general, Mr Lamido Yuguda, stated that it looks forward to having the players explore the capital market to tackle the issues.
Mr Yuguda, while speaking at a meeting with the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) in Abuja on Wednesday, stated that, “There is a renewed focus on Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) now, we are getting to see how the sector contributes more to our GDP by facilitating the trading of assets in the real estate sector. I think there is a huge room for collaboration, you have a very big role in the real estate sector.”
“Nigeria’s population is growing fast and we need everyone in Nigeria to have a roof over their heads. We do not want people to end their careers living in rented accommodation, people need to own their own houses because there is a lot of security and social value in owning your own house.
“You are very important as you operate in an area that is very important to our economy. You have a crucial role to play in the capital market especially as we focus on the Real Estate Investment Trust sector. You also have a huge role to play in the larger housing sector as at the moment we have not been able to harness the full potentials in that sector,” he added.
Also speaking, President and Chairman of Council NIESV, Mr Emmanuel Wike, commended the management of SEC on the huge contribution the capital market is making to the economic development of the country and solicited for the strengthening of collaboration between the agency and his institution.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Association of Capital Market Valuers, Mr Chudi Ubosi, stated that determining the values of assets of organizations in the capital market is the bedrock for decisions and a helpful tool in a range of work situations.
Mr Ubosi said that valuation is useful in mergers, acquisitions and divestment because it helps to price an organization and to estimate and value synergies as well as assess potentials of different strategic options among others.
“Another useful bye product of conducting asset valuation prior to listing and during the currency of listing is to check asset stripping which we have seen recently in organizations and companies.
“The resulting documents from valuation will certainly make this impossible as it will make management accountable.
“Valuation will also comment on sub-optimal use of asset which can lead to undervaluation. Using mainly market approach as rearrangement of asset use can bring out hidden values in the company under question.
“When businesses want to raise money, when they need to determine how much should be raised as well as when they approach the negotiating table, valuations are needed in all instances,” he said.
Mr Ubosi stated that when there are valuations that have integrity, it will boost investors’ confidence in the market as investors can ascertain that what is being valued is actual and nothing is hidden.
He stated that the role of Capital Market Valuers in determining the value of the assets of these companies will ensure transparency, accountability and continued enhancement of investor confidence in the market.
“As SEC recognizes us with the insistence that all capital market valuations be undertaken by our members, you will rest assured that anytime an operator wants to capitalize or re-capitalize their assets, the valuation reports done by our members will help engender confidence in the process,” he added.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has confirmed the collapse of five transmission towers along the Ikot Abasi–Eket 132kV Double Circuit Transmission Line.
This was attributed to severe acts of vandalism, as TCN disclosed that the structure collapsed after vandals removed critical structural bracing members.
The affected towers were N9, J4, N10, N11 and N12, the organisation said in a statement on Friday.
It explained that the extensive damage was discovered during a routine joint line patrol conducted on August 9, 2026, by TCN linesmen.
Further inspection revealed that structural members from seven additional towers along the same transmission corridor had also been removed and stolen. The towers, J3, N8, N13, N14, N15, N18 and N19, are now structurally compromised and pose a risk of further collapse.
TCN condemned this act of sabotage and reiterated its commitment to working hard to maintain a robust and reliable national grid.
The statement said that to mitigate the impact on electricity supply, the network has been reconfigured to prioritise supply to Ekim transmission station, leaving Ibom Power as the only station without supply.
TCN said it is mobilising an urgent intervention to complete the reconstruction of the affected sections of the line, with security agencies also notified to aid investigations and prevent further acts of vandalism along the line route.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Tajudeen Abbas, has urged all relevant government agencies to promptly initiate actions for the full implementation of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency Act, 2026, following its signing into law by President Bola Tinubu.
The bill, sponsored by Speaker Abbas, was aimed at repealing the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Act, Cap. N133, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and establish the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency to ensure effective economic regulation of Nigerian ports while safeguarding the interests of shippers, service providers, and users of regulated port services. With the President’s assent, it has now been enacted as an Act of Parliament.
The legislation represents one of the landmark achievements of the 10th National Assembly. It reflects the Speaker’s commitment to legislative excellence, institutional reform, and sustainable economic growth, according to a press statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Mr Musa Krishi.
The bill underwent a rigorous and inclusive legislative process, including extensive stakeholder consultations and a public hearing. It was passed by both Chambers of the National Assembly and subsequently assented to by the President.
The Act provides a robust legal and institutional framework to ensure effective economic regulation of Nigerian ports by fostering transparency, competitiveness, and efficiency in port operations; protecting the rights and interests of shippers, service providers, and other port users; and aligning Nigeria’s port regulatory system with global best practices, thereby enhancing the ease and cost-effectiveness of doing business.
Despite receiving presidential assent, the Act has yet to be fully operationalised.
He warned that any further delay would undermine the legislative intent of the reform, prolong the exposure of port users to arbitrary charges and operational inefficiencies, and deny the nation the anticipated benefits of increased revenue, improved trade facilitation, and stronger investor confidence in the marine and blue economy sector.
The Speaker urged the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, in collaboration with all relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government, to take the necessary administrative, institutional, and financial measures for the prompt implementation of the Act.
He said this should include the formal transition to, as well as operational empowerment of, the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency to discharge its statutory mandate effectively.
The full implementation of the Act is critical to unlocking the economic potential of Nigeria’s ports, reducing the cost of doing business, strengthening trade competitiveness, and positioning Nigeria as the leading maritime and logistics hub in West and Central Africa.
The statement noted that the Speaker reaffirmed the 10th House’s commitment to exercising the necessary legislative oversight to ensure this landmark legislation, along with others assented to by the President, is fully implemented and achieves its intended goals for the benefit of the Nigerian people.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development (FMYD), through the Nigerian Youth Academy (NiYA), has partnered with Cascador, a Nigeria-focused platform for growth-stage founders, to provide funding and support for the next generation of Nigerian youth entrepreneurs.
The announcement coincides with International Youth Day 2026, whose global theme this year — Different Contexts, Common Aspirations — calls on institutions to close the gap between young people’s circumstances and their opportunities. The pilot is an early step toward NiYA’s broader ambition to train and empower 7 million Nigerian youth within two years.
The NiYA and Cascador Founders Programme will begin with a pilot cohort of 20 early-stage Nigerian youth founders, including entrepreneurs without formal business registration or established financial records.
Over four weeks, participants will undergo intensive training focused on business fundamentals, investment readiness and pitch preparation. At the end of the programme, the eight top-performing founders will receive non-dilutive funding of up to N5 million each from Cascador, alongside an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to help them structure, manage and scale their businesses.
The funding and support will be presented at a Pitch Day organised by NiYA and the Federal Ministry of Youth Development.
The Minister for Youth Development, Mr s Ayodele Olawande, said the partnership would enable NiYA to move beyond training by helping young people transform ideas into investable businesses and achieve sustainable economic participation through business preparation and access to capital.
“The pilot is deliberately designed to test a model that can go beyond one cohort. If young founders can be identified early, prepared properly, connected to credible capital and supported to build stronger business systems, then access to opportunity becomes less dependent on background or existing networks. That is the larger objective: to build a youth entrepreneurship ecosystem in which readiness, ideas and execution can increasingly determine who gets the opportunity to grow.”
The pilot will run in-person in Abuja with virtual touchpoints and 1:1 mentorship. All 20 graduates retain NiYA alumni status, with priority consideration for future opportunities.
NiYA and FMYD have already shown what real commitment to Nigeria’s youth looks like — the platforms, the reach, the ambition to train millions. What we’re building together now is the missing piece, a practical bridge from the ideation stage to real capital-readiness. When a Ministry so dedicated to its young people asked Cascador to help build that bridge, it was an easy decision,” said Trish Thomas, CEO of Cascador.
Ms Oyin Solebo, COO of Cascador and former Managing Director of the ARM Labs Lagos Techstars Accelerator, highlighted the partnership’s impact, saying, “This is what innovative capital deployment looks like: a government building real investment readiness at scale, and a partner meeting that foundational work with non-dilutive funding at exactly the moment it’s needed. Partnerships like this open doors that neither of us could open alone.”
