By Adedapo Adesanya

Nigerian proprietary investment company, VFD Group Plc, has announced the appointment of Mr Martins Akpore as Group Head for Centralised Critical Functions (CCF).

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the company disclosed that Mr Akpore would oversee the group’s centralised functions, including Finance, Audit, Risk Management, Credit and Treasury, with immediate effect.

The appointment is expected to bolster VFD Group’s financial governance and strengthen coordination across its subsidiaries as the company advances its expansion and operational efficiency drive.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Martins Akpore as Group Head, Centralised Critical Functions at VFD Group Plc. In this expanded strategic role, Martins will lead and oversee the Group’s centralised functions spanning Finance, Audit, Risk Management, Credit, and Treasury, effective immediately.

“Martins brings to this role a strong professional foundation and deep expertise across core financial disciplines, underpinned by his credentials as a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Tax Professional, and Certified Treasury specialist, as well as globally recognised certifications in financial modelling and valuation. He currently serves as Group Head, Treasury, where he has played a key role in strengthening the Group’s financial and capital management capabilities across the ecosystem,” it said.

“In his new capacity, Martins will be responsible for driving cohesive strategy, governance, and execution across the Centralised Critical Functions, ensuring robust risk oversight, disciplined financial operations, and alignment with the Group’s strategic priorities. He will work closely with subsidiary leadership teams to enhance institutional standards, strengthen accountability, and support cross-ecosystem decision making on critical matters,” it added.

Speaking on the appointment, the Group Managing Director, Mr Nonso Okpala, emphasised the importance of collaboration and execution discipline in delivering the firm’s Vision 2026 ambitions. In line with this, Managing Directors and senior leaders across all subsidiaries are encouraged to partner closely with Mr Akpore to ensure alignment, responsiveness, and shared ownership in achieving the organisation’s objectives.

Formerly trading on the NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange, VFD Group made an exit in October 2023 and listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited to strengthen its market position, boost visibility, and create more avenues to source cheap funds for expansion and growth.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The Group Managing Director of Japaul Gold and Ventures Plc, Mr Akinloye Daniel Oladapo, has resigned from the position, a statement on Wednesday confirmed.

It was disclosed that the resignation of Mr Oladapo took effect from October 13, 2025, with no reason given for his decision to exit the position.

However, the board thanked him for “his dedicated service and valuable contributions to the growth and development of the company during his tenure,” wishing him success in his future endeavours.

In a related development, the company announced the appointment of Mr Abubakar Lawal to the board as a non-executive director effective February 10, 2026.

The organisation said this development marks a pivotal moment in its evolution, as it positions itself to capitalise on emerging opportunities in gold exploration, mining technology, and sustainable resource development across Africa and beyond.

The new board member is the co-founder of an investment banking company, GTI Group, with specialities in public sector/corporate advisory, restructuring, and finance. It pioneered a private trading floor in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.

Mr Lawal has, over the last three decades, contributed immensely to the growth and development of investment banking in Nigeria. He has led various landmark transactions, some of which involved corporate restructuring and recapitalisation of publicly-quoted companies like International Breweries Plc, Eterna Plc, Wema Bank Plc, Morison Industries Plc, and state/sub-national accounts, among others.

An alumnus of Harvard Business School, he has a strong finance background, built on international relationships with local expertise. He is value-focused and quick to see diamonds in the rough.

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has clarified that the viral report suggesting that it is currently employing new staff is the “handiwork of fake recruitment syndicates established to mastermind fraudulent activities.”

In a Monday statement posted on its official X handle, NMDPRA expressed that it was compelled to publish the disclaimer to alert the public against such activities due to what it described as “exploiting young economically vulnerable and unsuspecting Nigerians perhaps into parting with huge sums of money for purported employment opportunities into the authority.”

“They do this by issuing bogus “Letters of Employment” and empty promises, as well as offering non-existent positions. These may well be the handiwork of fake recruitment syndicates established to mastermind these fraudulent activities.

“We wish to use this opportunity to state categorically that the NMDPRA is NOT conducting any recruitment exercise currently. Neither is the Agency undertaking any kind of employment in its services at any level. For the avoidance of doubt, any future recruitment exercise would be undertaken in accordance with extant rules guiding such exercises in the Nigerian Public Service,” the organisation emphasised.

The agency further advised the public to disregard these fake employment advertisements and urged them to visit its official website and social media pages to verify any recruitment claims.

The statement added, “In this regard therefore, we would like to advise the public and all Nigerians to ignore these spurious claims by unscrupulous people whose only objective is to defraud Nigerians and cast aspersion on the authority.

“We further advise that for current and up to date information regarding all our activities, kindly refer to our official corporate website: www.nmdpra.gov.ng as well as all our verified online social media outlets (i.e. Facebook, Linkedln and Instagram) for authentic information.”