NAICOM Authorises Ajayi to Join AIICO Insurance Board

By Bliss Okperan Nigeria recorded an improvement in its trade surplus in the third quarter of 2023, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which was analysed by Business Post. The agency disclosed that in the period under review, the total value of exports stood at N10.347 trillion, while imports stood at N8.458 trillion, leaving the total value of trades at N18.802 trillion, 60.78 per cent higher than the N6.435 trillion achieved in the second quarter of 2023. Analysis showed that between July and September 2023, the country, which prides itself as the biggest economy in

By Adedapo Adesanya The Lagos State Government has signed two deals bordering on waste management at the ongoing 28th session of the Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. According to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, waste conversion initiatives, which the state pitched at the global climate summit, have attracted significant interest from investors. These are the Advanced Garbage Collection and Waste-to-Energy project and the building of a new sewage treatment plant. Mr Sanwo-Olu confirmed the deals on Sunday at an event held at Nigeria Pavilion, where he also presented Phase Two of the Lagos State Climate Adaptation and Resilience

By Adedapo Adesanya The President of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), Professor Benedict Oramah, has been recognised with the Forbes Africa magazine 2023 Person of The Year award. At a well-attended award ceremony in Cairo, which also included the unveiling of the cover for Forbes Africa’s December 2023/January 2024 edition featuring Mr Oramah as cover personality, Mr Rakesh Wahi, Forbes Africa Founder and Publisher, and Ms Roberta Naicker, Managing Director, said that the award recognised the stellar accomplishments of leading Africans contributing to the development of the continent. “With a career spanning three decades at Afreximbank, Prof. Benedict Oramah is

By Modupe Gbadeyanka The Nigerian Army has claimed responsibility for the killing of some villagers of Tudun Biri in Kaduna in an air strike. Reports earlier went viral that operatives of the Nigerian Air Force bombed the villagers during a Maulud celebration but authorities of the air force debunked the reports, saying its men were never involved in such. However, the Nigerian Army has said it was involved in the bombing, which it said was a mistake because it was going after some terrorists in the area. The Kaduna State government, in a statement issued on Monday by its Overseeing

By Adedapo Adesanya The NASD Over-the-Counter (OTC) Securities Exchange appreciated by 0.41 per cent in Week 48, with the market capitalisation gaining N4.77 billion to settle at N1.166 trillion from the N1.162 trillion it ended in Week 47, and the NASD Unlisted Security Index (NSI) rising by 3.52 points to 860.81 points from 857.29 points in the previous week. In the five-day trading week, the total volume of stocks traded slumped by 69.1 per cent to 4.22 million units from 13.6 million in the preceding week and equally, the value of shares dropped by 69.6 per cent to N41.4 million

By Bliss Okperan Students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL) have taken to the streets in protest against the increment of tuition fees by over 100 per cent. The aggrieved students, who marched around the school premises, took their protest to the main gate of the institution, causing traffic gridlock along the Etta-Agbor and Mary Slessor roads in Calabar Municipality LGA. The protesters took placards with various inscriptions to kick against the decision of the management to increase their fees as well as other charges, asking for an immediate reversal. Some of the inscriptions read, “return to the old fees”,

By Adedapo Adesanya The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has revealed that a $1 billion facility would be used to provide insurance to more than 40 million farmers across the continent against severe impacts of climate change. Initially unveiled at the Africa Climate Summit held in Nairobi in September, the Africa Climate Risk Insurance Facility for Adaptation (ACRIFA) brings together governments, development agencies, the insurance sector and the private sector, said the president of the bank, Mr Akinwumi Adesina, while speaking during a side event at COP28 in Dubai. He said ACRIFA aims to mobilise $1 billion of concessionary financing,

By Bliss Okperan Users of neo banks like Opay, Carbon, Kuda, Moniepoint, and PalmPay, among others, are worried over the new directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which intends to freeze bank accounts not linked to a Bank Verification Number (BVN) and a National Identity Number (NIN). Last week, the apex bank directed deposit money banks (DMBs) to place a “Post No Debit (PND)’ on any accounts with BVN and NIN from next year. For most neo banks, account numbers are opened with just users’ phone numbers without the BVN, unlike the traditional banks. However, they cannot make

By Adedapo Adesanya Stakeholders in the tech industry have advocated more investments in resources to boost the training of Nigerian youths in digital technology skills. This call was made by some top speakers and panellists at Tekifest’23, a coming together of tech minds focused on exploring the future of work, technology, innovation, and tech excellence, which took place on November 29 at The Zone, Gbagada in Lagos. Organised by Tekisite, the non-profit organization dedicated to training teenagers in digital technology skills in suburban communities, the event themed The Future Of Jobs: Talent Pipeline Investment hammered the need to take advantage

By Bliss Okperan The University of Calabar (UNICAL), Cross River State, has increase its tuition for undergraduates by over 100 per cent. A statement issued on Monday disclosed that the upward review of the fees was taken at an emergency meeting of the university’s Senate on Friday. In the statement issued by the school’s spokesman, Mr Effiong Eyo, it was disclosed that the management implemented this increase because of the current economic realities and the need to maintain the academic standard which the university was known for. The statement added that the new fees would be effective in the 2022-2023