General News
FG May Lose $12Bn to Oil Theft this Year
Revenue earned by Nigeria this year may be as much as $12 billion short of budget estimates as theft of crude and output disruptions persist in the oil-rich Niger River delta, according to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, minister of Finance
Nigeria depends largely on proceeds from crude oil but crude theft, which a report by the London-based Chatham House blamed on a cabal of politicians, officials of international oil companies (IOCs) and military formations in the Niger Delta has been a major problem for the Nigeria’s economy.
Okonjo-Iweala said in an interview with Bloomberg in Abuja that the government will draw down its oil savings in the Excess Crude Account to compensate for the drop in revenue to keep the budget deficit under control.
Savings in the special crude account have dropped by half as President Goodluck Jonathan’s government tries to make up for the drop in oil revenue and fund a deficit that has reached 2.5 percent, according to the Central Bank.
With a 2013 budget based on a daily output of 2.53 million barrels and an oil price of $79 a barrel, Nigeria expected revenue of almost $80 billion from exports.
In the first half of the year, oil receipts amounted to $28.2 billion, more than $7 billion below the estimate, according to central bank figures.
“What is amazing now is that we’ve had this quantity of shock and we were able to weather it,” Okonjo-Iweala said. “You can say theft, but it’s still a quantity shock.”
Nigeria depends on crude exports for about 80 per cent of government revenue and 95 percent of export income.
Criminal gangs tapping oil from pipelines for illegal sale have posed the biggest threat to output since a government amnesty in 2009 reduced armed attacks led by rebels fighting for greater control of the region’s resources.
The revenue shortfall due to output disruptions will probably be between $6 billion and $12 billion, said Bright Okogu, director of the Budget Office, who sat in on the interview with the finance minister.
The government saves the balance of oil revenue above the budgeted price in the Excess Crude Account, which had a balance of just under $5 billion, down from about $9 billion at the beginning of the year, according to the minister.
Nigeria’s vulnerability to shocks is heightened because of lower government revenue from oil, putting pressure on the currency, central bank Governor Lamido Sanusi said in an interview in Oslo.
“The great challenge now is that the fiscal buffers are not as strong as they would be because of the revenue shortfall,” Sanusi said. “If there are any adverse external developments that would feed into this weak revenue profile and put pressure on exchange rates.”
The Central Bank draws down its foreign-currency reserves to sell dollars at twice-weekly auctions to keep the naira within a band of 3 percent around 155 per dollar. The naira gained 0.2 percent to 158.73 against the dollar on the interbank market as of 2:09 p.m. in Lagos, the commercial capital.
“This increases the pressure on the external balance which means the external reserves and exchange rate will be under pressure,” Bismarck Rewane, chief executive officer at Financial Derivatives Co., said by phone from Lagos today. “Once the external balance is under pressure, there is an underlying threat that will manifest in speculative attack against the currency.”
Okonjo-Iweala is seeking to meet a budget deficit target of 1.9 percent of gross domestic product this year. The shortfall reached 2.5 percent in the second quarter during the peak of the output outages, according to data from the central bank.
President Goodluck Jonathan is due to present his 2014 budget to lawmakers on Nov. 12. ”When there’s a breakage the impact is that the pipes are shut down, the effect is that 400,000 barrels are shut down,” Okonjo-Iweala said. “The actual theft is like 70 to 80,000 barrels a day.”
The average price of Nigeria’s light, sweet crude has stayed above $100 a barrel this year. The official selling price of Nigeria’s benchmark Qua Iboe crude for November loading was set at $3.50 a barrel more than dated Brent, the European benchmark, according to state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. Dated Brent was priced at $108.92 a barrel at 9:18 a.m. in London. Income earned by Nigeria from crude exports, taxes and other sources are shared among the three tiers of government, including the federal, 36 state governments and 774 local councils.
At allocation meetings in August and September, funds received were not enough to meet expected allocations, prompting complaints from some state officials. The disputes over allocations “are over,” Okonjo-Iweala said. “Everybody realizes that we have to allocate what comes into the coffers.”
Innovative financial institution and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, Wema Bank, has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing women’s empowerment by partnering with the SheCan Conference for the fifth consecutive year.
The collaboration has announced it would empower women with N2 million grant during the 6th edition of SheCan 6.0. conference, that will be held on July 18, 2025, at Balmoral, Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.
The event is expected to host over 7,000 women under the theme “SheCan Do More.”
Announcing this partnership, Wema Bank through its women-focused platform, SARA by Wema, said it will be awarding ₦2 million in business grants to support women entrepreneurs within the SARA Community.
This grant is to support small and medium businesses within the SARA Community to scale up their business.
Ayodele Olojede, Head, Retail and SME Banking at Wema Bank, said, “Wema Bank is committed to empowering women entrepreneurs by providing the financial backing, tools, training, and networks they need to scale sustainably. Year after year, we’ve seen the incredible ripple effect that access, and opportunity can create in the lives of women and their communities.
“Through SARA by Wema, our goal is to create an environment where Nigerian women can dream bigger, build stronger, and lead the economy with confidence. This partnership with SheCan is a statement of belief in the power of women to transform society.”
“This year’s partnership represents more than sponsorship; it is a tangible investment in helping Nigerian women build sustainable businesses, scale their impact, and contribute meaningfully to economic growth.
“Eligible applicants must be women-led businesses with active Wema Bank accounts and must be registered members of the SARA Community.
“Interested participants are required to submit a written pitch of no more than two pages, detailing their business and founder story, the problem being solved, target audience and competitive advantage, proposed use of the grant, and the expected outcomes and community impact. Entries must also include the applicant’s Wema Bank account number, full name, and the email address used to join the SARA Community.”
Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, has convicted two companies, FARM360 Limited and MCBHADMOS Trans-Atlantic Trade Limited, for illegal capital market operations.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed that the companies were arraigned on June 16 by the Lagos Zonal Directorate 2 of the EFCC on a five-count charge for operating collective investment schemes without valid licences from either the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The charges allege that between 2021 and 2022, the firms collected approximately N80 million from several investors but failed to refund the money or pay accrued interest. One of the counts stated that the companies operated without a valid licence to conduct investment management, violating Section 57 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act 2020.
The companies pleaded not guilty, but EFCC investigator Nnadikwu Izuchukwu Collins presented evidence that included a petition from investors who claimed the firms promised high returns through agricultural and forex trading investments. The petition revealed the group invested a total of N93 million.
Investigations showed neither FARM360 nor MCBHADMOS held the necessary licences from the SEC or CBN. A Fidelity Bank statement revealed that the N80 million received was used for personal purposes. The directors of both companies remain at large, with efforts underway to apprehend them.
The prosecution submitted bank statements, the investor petition, and official correspondence with the CAC, CBN, and SEC as evidence, all of which were admitted by Justice Dipeolu.
The court convicted both companies on all counts and imposed fines of N5 million per count.
In a related case, the court also convicted Quintessential Investment Company Limited for similar illegal capital market activities, following its arraignment on two counts of operating collective investment schemes without CBN approval.
Burna Boy, Grammy-winning Nigerian artist, has publicly distanced himself from a meme coin circulating online that falsely uses his name and image for promotion.
Burna Boy
In a statement shared via Instagram, the Afrobeats star made it clear that he has no involvement in any cryptocurrency ventures, describing such schemes as fraudulent.
His comments come amid growing traction of a meme coin allegedly linked to him, which has been circulating on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
“I don’t do any internet ‘coin’ business. I see it as fraud and I have no interest in any of that,” Burna Boy wrote. “So if you see anyone using my name for such, please disregard or report them.”
The singer urged fans to remain vigilant and to report anyone promoting the crypto project under false pretenses.
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