All the major economic news from Nigeria in 5 minutes – 14/6/2017

Summary of the top business, economic and political news in Nigeria today.

1. The Federal Government has started the process of raising $600m for the development of the solid minerals sector, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said. According to him, the fund will be raised through the Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Investment Authority and the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Link
2. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) says it generated N778.19 billion revenue in the first quarter of 2017. The report showed that the biggest improvement was from Education tax collection, which the FIRS surpassed in 2016 by 311.7 per cent. Link
3. The Federal Government on Tuesday started a move to return the country back to a predictable January to December fiscal year with early preparation of the 2018 budget proposals, just as it will present the breakdown of the 2017 Budget to the general public on Monday, June 19 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Abuja at 10a.m. Link
4. The Electricity Meter Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (EMMAN) has appealed to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to extend the directive of “no meter no payment” to all electricity consumers nationwide. The association’s Executive Secretary, Mr. Muyideen Ibrahim, said, NERC should not limit the directive to maximum demand customers but rather to all consumers, because it’s really embarrassing for the Discos billing without a metre. Link
5. The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has concluded arrangements to introduce Exchange Traded Derivatives (ETDs) into the market to expand its various investment instruments. Link
6. The Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Co-operatives in Lagos, Prince Rotimi Ogunleye, said a total of N698.47million has been so far released for infrastructural development in the Lekki Free Zone Development Company (LFZDC). Link
7. Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has met with executives representing Mitsubishi, Sojitz, Toyota, Sumitomo, Yamaha, Yokogawa, Panasonic and the Japanese Trade Organisation (JETRO) to plan potential investments in Edo State and assure them of availability of resources. Link
8. The nation’s electricity grid crashed significantly to a peak generation of 3,346 megawatts (mw) yesterday, hours after 27 turbines were deprived of generating 2,979mw because of poor gas supply and transmission line problems. Link
9.  Nigeria plans to sell 133.24 billion naira ($424 mln) worth of treasury bills at an auction next week, the central bank said on Wednesday. The bank said it plans to offer 28.12 billion naira worth of three-month debt, 55.12 billion naira in six-month bill and 50 billion naira in one-year note, using the Dutch auction system on June 21. Settlement will be made next day after the auction. Link
10. Transactions at the Investors’ & Exporters’ (I&E) segment of the Foreign Exchange market has reached $2.2bn inception just as the Naira is set to be given further lift in the market with CBN’s injection of another $418m into various segments of the inter-bank Foreign Exchange market yesterday. Figures obtained from the CBN indicate that the retail segment of the market received the highest intervention with a total of $226m, followed by the wholesale window that received an allocation of $100m. The Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) window received a boost of $50m while the invisibles segment, comprising business/personal travel allowances, school tuition, medicals, etc. was allocated the sum of $42m to meet the demands of customers. Link
11. Fitch Ratings has assigned Nigeria’s upcoming USD- denominated senior unsecured bonds an expected rating of ‘B+(EXP)’. The assignment of the final rating is contingent on the receipt of final documents materially conforming to information already reviewed. Link
12. The power sector has keyed into the presidential initiative on ‘Ease of Doing Business’ as the 11 Distribution Companies (DisCos) have been told to connect new businesses in 60 days, rather than the 190 days timeline. Link
13. The Minister of Power Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has called on the Federal Government to extend its ‘whistleblowing’ policy to the power sector to curb energy theft. He said that available statistics revealed huge energy theft by Nigerians, adding that the problem had become a big challenge for not just the power distribution companies, but consumers as well. Link
14. The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, on Wednesday said it conducted a test-run on an upgraded baggage scanner machine that can detect explosives, narcotics and other prohibited items at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. Link
15. Oando Plc yesterday concluded a debt-to-equity conversion with the listing of about 396.8 million ordinary shares that resulted from the transaction at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). The transaction was valued at N3.17 billion at the closing value of the integrated energy group. Link
16. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has shut down the Ejigbo Depot to investigate persistent disappearance of petroleum products pumped into the facility. Ejigbo Depot is one of the depots under NNPC’s System 2B Pipeline Network, which is the most active network, accounting for 60 per cent of fuel supply and distribution in the country. Link
17. The Board of Director of Honeywell Flourmills plc has announced the resignation of Mrs. Oluseye Sandey as the director of the company. Link
18. Global oil giant, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, said on Tuesday that it paid $3.638bn to the Nigerian government last year for its activities in the country. Nigeria’s revenue from the oil major was the highest out of the 31 countries to which Shell made payments last year. Link
19. The board of directors of CAP Plc yesterday assured shareholders that the paints and chemical company would explore innovation and expanded local product offerings to drive growth in the years ahead. This assurance came as shareholders at the annual general meeting in Lagos approved the payment of N1.54 billion as cash dividend for the 2016 business year, representing a dividend per share of N2.20. Link
20. The Management of paint manufacturing company, Berger Paints Nigeria Plc, has assured the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), and the investing public that the peaceful demonstration by some sections of the staff over the exit date for gratuity would not have adverse effects on its operations. Link
21. FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria Plc, in furtherance of its Dairy Development Programme (DDP) has unveiled its fifth milk collection facility for dairy farmers in Saki, Oyo State, a move that will increase its capacity to over 40,000 litres of raw milk daily from 1720 farmers. The company’s Corporate Affairs Director, Mrs. Ore Famurewa, said, “Since 2011, FrieslandCampina WAMCO has been investing in the Dairy Development Programme and has established the country’s largest milk collection network.“ Link
22. Sigma Pensions Limited and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigerian, PENGASSAN, recently collaborated to sensitise workers on the need to plan for their retirement while they are still in active service. Link
23. The National Insurance commission has released the list of insurance companies that it approved its 2016 financial statements as at June 13, 2017. Link
24. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday  declared that the National Assembly had no right to introduce new projects during consideration of national budgets. Osinbajo, who signed the 2017 budget into law on Monday, said that the National Assembly could only allocate funds for projects in the budgetary proposals submitted by the Executive. Link
25. The Senate said, yesterday, that the present 25-30 per cent interest rate regime has become a yoke too hard for any real sector business to bear,  stressing that it would be extremely difficult for an investor anywhere to survive on these rates. The Senate said the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has retained the 14 per cent Monetary Policy Rate, MPR, unlike other developing countries which have lower MPR, such as Kenya (10 per cent), Brazil (10.25 per cent), South-Africa (7 per cent), Rwanda (6.25 per cent), Bangladesh (6.75 per cent and in many sub-Saharan countries with single digit to as low as 2.95 per cent in Cameroon. Link
26. The Bayelsa State Government has dismissed as “untrue” and “wicked lie” the claims by some opposition groups that the state received N24billion and not N14.5billion from the first tranche of the Paris/London Club refund, saying the State only received N14.5billion from the Federal Government. Link
27. The Federal Government, on Tuesday, said it had intensified effort to arrest and extradite the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke, SAN, back to Nigeria to face two sets of criminal charges over his alleged involvement in $1.3billion oil bloc fraud. Link
28. The Code Of Conduct Tribunal has ruled that Senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has no case to answer in the 18 charges of non-declaration of assets brought against him by the Federal Government. Link

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