Spotlight Stories
Bloody February: Dangote, BUA and Lafarge shares lose N622 billion in February
Nigerian cement stocks have been battered since February.
Published
2 weeks agoon

Sell-offs in the Nigerian equity market have triggered a N622 billion loss in the market capitalization of Cement firms since the beginning of February, as wary investors offload.
A review of the performance of the cement stocks on NSE revealed that the market capitalization of Dangote, BUA, and Lafarge from the open of trade on February 1 till the close of trading activities on February 22 has declined from N7.18 trillion to N6.56 trillion.
How they have declined
Dangote Cement has declined from N4.02 trillion to N3.75 trillion. However, the market cap of BUA Cement has also declined from N2.68 trillion to N2.44 trillion, while that of Lafarge has declined from N483 billion to N371 billion. Combined the three cement giants have lost N622 billion in market capitalization.
Dangote Cement lost the most with N270 billion followed by BUA with N240 billion and Lafarge with N112 billion. As a percentage of market capitalization, Lafarge is down by a whopping 23%.
READ: Industrial index down by 5.7%, as shares of BUA, Lafarge, Dangote, others decline
Market activity
At the end of trading activities on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, the shares of Lafarge declined by 8% to close at N23 per share, as investors sell off 5,639,555 ordinary shares of the company worth N132,728,987.
On the flip side, shares of Dangote and BUA Cement closed flat at the end of trading activities, as shares of these leading cement producing companies remain unchanged at N220 per share and N72 per share respectively.
The industrial index to which the cement stocks belong to have fallen by 7% year to date compared to the Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share Index -0.21%. Nigerian stocks are likely to close the month of February in negative territory, the first YTD losses since September 2020.
Omokolade Ajayi is a graduate of Economics, and a certificate holder of the CFA Institute’s Investment Foundation Program. He is a business analyst, and equity market researcher, with wealth of experience as a retail investor. He is a business owner and a stern advocate of Financial literacy, who believes in the huge economic prospect of the Nigerian Payment channels and Fintech space.


Coronavirus
COVID-19 Update in Nigeria
On the 7th of March 2021, 269 new confirmed cases and 5 deaths were recorded in Nigeria

Published
3 hours agoon
March 8, 2021
The spread of novel Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria continues to record significant increases as the latest statistics provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reveal Nigeria now has 158,506 confirmed cases.
On the 7th of March 2021, 269 new confirmed cases and 5 deaths were recorded in Nigeria.
To date, 158,506 cases have been confirmed, 137,875 cases have been discharged and 1,969 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
A total of 1.54 million tests have been carried out as of March 7th, 2021 compared to 1.49 million tests a day earlier.
COVID-19 Case Updates- 7th March 2021,
- Total Number of Cases – 158,506
- Total Number Discharged – 137,890
- Total Deaths – 1,969
- Total Tests Carried out – 1,544,008
According to the NCDC, the 269 new cases are reported from 19 states- Enugu (78), Bauchi (37), Rivers (22), Imo (18), Ogun (16), FCT (15), Akwa Ibom (13), Kaduna (13), Kebbi (11), Kwara (9), Edo(7), Ekiti (6), Borno (5), Yobe(5), Kano (4) Nasarawa (3), Osun (3), Anambra (2) and Plateau (2).
Meanwhile, the latest numbers bring Lagos state total confirmed cases to 56,444, followed by Abuja (19,350), Plateau (8,944), Kaduna (8,658), Oyo (6,766), Rivers (6,680), Edo (4,670), Ogun (4,437), Kano (3,844), Ondo (3,066), Kwara (2,962), Delta (2,582), Osun (2,457), Nasarawa (2,251), Enugu (2,156), Katsina (2,060), Gombe (2,010), Ebonyi (1,951), Anambra (1,813), Akwa Ibom (1,610), and Abia (1,588).
Imo State has recorded 1,569 cases, Borno (1,308), Bauchi (1,274), Benue (1,188), Adamawa (942), Niger (919), Taraba (863), Ekiti (834), Bayelsa (779), Sokoto (769), Jigawa (496), Kebbi (412), Cross River (334), Yobe (293), Zamfara (222), while Kogi state has recorded 5 cases only.
READ ALSO: COVID-19: Western diplomats warn of disease explosion, poor handling by government
Lock Down and Curfew
In a move to combat the spread of the pandemic disease, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the cessation of all movements in Lagos and the FCT for an initial period of 14 days, which took effect from 11 pm on Monday, 30th March 2020.
The movement restriction, which was extended by another two weeks period, has been partially put on hold with some businesses commencing operations from May 4. On April 27th, 2020, Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari declared an overnight curfew from 8 pm to 6 am across the country, as part of new measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19. This comes along with the phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos, and Ogun States, which took effect from Saturday, 2nd May 2020, at 9 am.
On Monday, 29th June 2020 the federal government extended the second phase of the eased lockdown by 4 weeks and approved interstate movement outside curfew hours with effect from July 1, 2020. Also, on Monday 27th July 2020, the federal government extended the second phase of eased lockdown by an additional one week.
On Thursday, 6th August 2020 the federal government through the secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 announced the extension of the second phase of eased lockdown by another four (4) weeks.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State announced the closed down of the Eti-Osa Isolation Centre, with effect from Friday, 31st July 2020. He also mentioned that the Agidingbi Isolation Centre would also be closed and the patients relocated to a large capacity centre.
Due to the increased number of covid-19 cases in Nigeria, the Nigerian government ordered the reopening of Isolation and treatment centres in the country on Thursday, 10th December 2020.
On 26th January 2021, the Federal Government announced the extension of the guidelines of phase 3 of the eased lockdown by one month following the rising cases of the coronavirus disease in the country and the expiration of phase 3 of the eased lockdown.
On 28th February 2021, the federal government confirmed that the first tranche of Covid-19 vaccines will arrive in Nigeria on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2021.
On Tuesday, 2nd March 2021, the National Primary health Care Development Agency announced the arrival of the expected COVX Astrazeneca/Oxford covid-19 vaccines.
On Saturday, 6th March 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari and his vice, Yemi Osinbajo received vaccination against the covid-19 as the State House in Abuja.
READ ALSO: Bill Gates says Trump’s WHO funding suspension is dangerous
Obituaries
Supreme Court Judge, Sylvester Ngwuta reported dead
Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, has been reported dead.

Published
16 hours agoon
March 7, 2021
A Supreme Court Judge, Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, has been reported dead.
He was said to have died in the early morning of Sunday, March 7, 2021, in his sleep at his official residence in Abuja at almost 70 years.
According to a report from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Justice Ngwuta who is from Amofia-Ukawu, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, was said to be getting set for his retirement from the Supreme Court on March 30, 2021, upon attainment of the mandatory retirement age.
READ ALSO: The Supreme Court never ordered AMCON to pay Bi-Courtney N132bn
What you should know
- It can be recalled that Justice Ngwuta was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja in 2017 over money laundering and passport charges after large sums of money were discovered in his residence following a raid by security officials
- He started his private legal practice at Abakaliki in July 1978 to October 1995, from where he was appointed a judge of the High Court Abia in October 1995 and then promoted to the Court of Appeal on May 22, 2003, was finally sworn-in as Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in May 2011.
- He was the chairman of a judicial panel of inquiry into the Obegu Enyibichirikwo Disturbance 1997-1998 and has been a member of several Election Petition Tribunal, Governship and legislative House Election Petition Tribunal; Nasarawa State held at Lafia in February 1999, National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal Plateau State held at Jos in April 1999, among others.
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