News
FG to Restructure NNPC, List Shares on NSE
Federal government plans to list the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, once it concludes its reforms of the country’s petroleum sector, the latest draft national oil policy has revealed.
In the Draft National Oil Policy 2016, released alongside the Draft National Policy on Gas, three sectors in Nigeria’s economy – power, transportation, and industries – will be the key drivers of its new policy on gas.
According to the draft oil policy, a newly formed corporation could sell stakes so long as the government shareholder retains effective control and ownership.
It, however, pointed out that the government’s reform of the industry would see NNPC function more as a private entity with less of official bureaucracies.
Both policies obtained by THISDAY are still being worked on by the ministry and they have also been shared with key industry stakeholders for their comments and reviews.
The draft oil policy stated: “The NNPC will be made autonomous from the state, it will relinquish all its policy making and regulatory activities, and it will be treated on an equal basis with private sector operators for projects.”
“Under the Petroleum Policy, NNPC will be made autonomous from the state, it will relinquish all its policy making and regulatory activities, and it will be treated on an equal basis with private sector operators for projects.
“NNPC will also be restructured into five autonomous profit centre subsidiaries so that the value of separate activities can be realised and operational efficiencies can be introduced,” added the draft policy.
Besides, the document noted: “NNPC will be restructured such that it is fully set up as a Corporation (Limited Liability Company), in accordance with standard international practice for Corporations, including operating under commercial law and a two tier board structure.
“The NNPC restructuring will mean that policy making will become the sole preserve of the MPR (ministry of petroleum resources), all regulatory activities will become the sole preserve of the new single petroleum regulatory agency under the oversight of the MPR, NNPC will be responsible for managing the national interests in the JVs, PSCs and in other upstream, midstream and downstream projects where the government is involved as an investor, full corporatisation and restructuring of NNPC.
“The corporatisation and restructuring of NNPC will involve; separating NNPC into five independent autonomous units (profit centre subsidiaries) which will be operationally independent, self-accounting and will hold funds in their own right, the creation of a new parent holding company to be called the National Oil Company of Nigeria (NOCN).
“NNPC will cease to exist as a statutory corporation and as a legal entity and will be succeeded by NOCN. NOCN will be incorporated as a limited liability company, NOCN will be governed according to the governance rules of the Nigerian Stock Exchange prior to the listing of its shares, and by the rules of any bourse where its shares are eventually listed.”
On gas, the draft gas policy document said the government would be hoping to drive gas development through improved electricity generation, transportation of people and goods using gas as fuel, as well as energise industries in the country.
The two documents, which were released by the ministry of petroleum resources in Abuja, stated the government’s intention for oil and gas in the country, adding that gas would be treated as a stand-alone resource from oil.
“The previous gas policy has not succeeded. In addition, the world is now a very different place from when the Gas Master Plan was put in place. The international gas business environment is much less benign for exporters than it was, finance is much less available (from government or from international investors), and there are significant challenges now facing Nigeria,” said the gas document.
It explained: “Rather than trying to continue with a centrally planned national market development, the gas policy proposes a project-based and market opportunity-led approach as a more effective way to grow gas markets.
“Appropriate frameworks will be developed to support gas based projects, including gas transport pipelines and associated anchor customers or demand clusters.”
It said projects would largely be developed by project developers from the private sector, while the government will set the environment and support investors in gas-based industrial projects with appropriate interventions to bring their projects to fruition.
On Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), the document stated: “The intention is for Nigeria to retain ownership of its national natural gas up to the point of delivery into markets.
“The government therefore intends to move to a tolling arrangement with respect to LNG exports, whereby the LNG liquefaction facility is paid a fee for liquefying the government share of gas produced from its assets, and LNG shippers are paid a transportation fee for transporting it.
“Ownership and title to the gas therefore remains with the government entity up to the point where it is regasified at the export market regasification terminal and sold to shippers.”
The document emphasised that gas development must be undertaken in accordance with Nigeria’s national socio-economic development priorities, adding that the government through the ministry and with support from NNPC and industry will produce a Gas Resource Management Plan.
The Gas Resource Management Plan, it said, would identify gas resources in different geological areas, identify current and potential gas markets, identify infrastructure needs, and analyse how best to access low cost gas for delivery to domestic gas markets.
The document also said that the Gas Resource Management Plan would classify gas resources according to the following categories, low cost assets dedicated for domestic gas supply (National Preferential Assets), assets dedicated for export, National Strategic Gas Reserve (reserved for future development) and optional assets (sole risk assets).
Africa Prudential Plc has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable growth and digital transformation after posting another strong half-year financial performance, driven by robust growth in its core registrar business, technology-driven solutions and increased activity in Nigeria’s capital market.
Speaking during the company’s H1 2026 Investor Call on Tuesday, the management outlined plans to deepen revenue diversification and accelerate innovation as part of efforts to reduce reliance on interest income and strengthen long-term profitability.
The company reported gross earnings of ₦4.28 billion for the first half of 2026, representing a 27 per cent increase from ₦3.34 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2025.
Profit before tax rose by 22 per cent to ₦2.41 billion, while profit after tax climbed 18 per cent to ₦1.59 billion.
Net operating income also increased by 27 per cent to ₦4.21 billion, while total assets grew by 13 per cent to ₦46.53 billion. Shareholders’ funds similarly rose by 13 per cent to ₦12.52 billion.
According to the company, the impressive performance was driven by sustained growth in its registrar business, increased corporate actions across the Nigerian capital market, stronger treasury earnings supported by the prevailing interest rate environment and rising adoption of its technology-enabled products and services.African Mineral Wealth
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Catherine Nwosu, said Africa Prudential is steadily evolving from a traditional share registrar into a diversified technology and business solutions provider serving the broader capital market ecosystem.
Addressing concerns from investors about the sustainability of earnings if interest rates decline, Nwosu said the company was deliberately expanding its non-interest income sources.
“Interest rates influence our treasury income positively, but that is why we are deliberately diversifying our revenue streams. Our strategy is to grow recurring fee-based business lines such as our digital solutions, Know Your Customer (KYC) services, AGM technology, probate services and the SabiVest mobile app. Over time, this will reduce our reliance on interest income and create a more balanced and resilient earnings mix,” she said.
She noted that increasing activity in the Nigerian capital market presents fresh opportunities for technology-driven solutions.
“With capital market activity nearly doubling over the past year, demand for seamless digital investor experiences, improved market efficiency and stronger compliance standards continues to grow. We are investing in technology-enabled solutions that position us to capitalise on these opportunities while delivering sustainable value to our shareholders,” she added.
Looking ahead, the company identified five strategic priorities for the second half of 2026, including driving sustainable growth through its core registrar business and new revenue streams, accelerating technology-led product innovation, strengthening brand leadership, investing in talent development and reinforcing corporate governance.
The investor call attracted institutional investors, shareholders, analysts, regulators and other capital market stakeholders, reflecting strong interest in Africa Prudential’s earnings outlook, revenue diversification strategy and long-term growth plans.
News
IHS Nigeria Donates Business-Support Equipment to Empower People with Disabilities in Abuja Community
Communications infrastructure company, IHS Nigeria, has donated business support equipment to empower people with disabilities within the Karonmajiji community in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. This is part of the company’s commitment to drive inclusive community development and sustainable livelihood support under its Project Empower initiative.
The equipment was distributed to beneficiaries during a ceremony held in the community on Monday, July 27. The initiative was conceived following a community needs assessment and is designed to empower active traders by providing them with business tools rather than cash grants, thereby strengthening their businesses and ensuring long-term economic impact and accountability.
Speaking at the event, Director, Sustainability, IHS Nigeria, Titilope Oguntuga, described the initiative as a reflection of the company’s commitment to advancing inclusive development by equipping persons with disabilities with the tools and opportunities needed to build resilient livelihoods.
She explained that rather than providing short-term financial assistance, IHS Nigeria adopted an asset-based approach by donating 50 pieces of business support equipment, including sewing machines, freezers, generators and hairdressing kits, to the selected beneficiaries.
According to her, the intervention is designed to create lasting value by supporting entrepreneurship, promoting self-reliance and strengthening household incomes, while contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).
In his opening remarks, the Chief of the Karonmajiji Disabled Community, Alhaji Sulaiman Muhammed Katsina, represented by the Secretary of the Community, Alhaji Mohammed Dantani commended IHS Nigeria for its commitment to empowering persons with disabilities through practical and sustainable interventions.
He described the initiative as a demonstration of genuine partnership with the community and expressed appreciation for the company’s continued engagement with the Association, noting that the donation of the equipment was a significant investment in improving the livelihoods of persons with disabilities and would create meaningful economic opportunities for the beneficiaries and their families.
The event brought together traditional rulers, government representatives, leaders and members of the Karonmajiji Disabled Community Association, implementing partners, including Field of Skills and Dreams Vocational Technical and Entrepreneurship (FSD VTE) Training Institute and other community stakeholders, reaffirming a shared commitment to promoting inclusion and sustainable community development.
Project Empower reinforces IHS Nigeria’s commitment to advancing sustainable development through strategic partnerships that promote economic inclusion, strengthen community resilience and create opportunities for underserved communities.
The Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) and the Association of Corporate Communication and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB) have enjoined banks to further deepen and prioritize financial inclusion, women’s empowerment and sustained growth through strategic mandates and frameworks, aimed at closing the financial gap and empowering more small, and medium enterprise (MSME) owners.
Both organisations made this call during a courtesy visit to the newly invested 24th President and Chairman of Council of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr. Dele Alabi, Ph.D, FCIB, as part of plans to congratulate him on his investiture as well as seek a stronger alliance between both bodies.
The visit followed Alabi’s investiture where he unveiled his “IMPACT” Vision, themed “Consolidating Our Local Impact, Enhancing Our Global Relevance.”
The vision rests on six pillars: Inclusion across geographic, gender, and generational lines; Membership growth and quality; Professionalism and ethics; Accountability; Competencies and skills development; Technology, automation, and innovation. Other areas of shared interest, include women empowerment, financial inclusion and literacy, as well as MSME clinics, all of which are top on his agenda.
Alabi explained that under him, the institute will be prioritising financial inclusion and women empowerment, because of its realisation that women are often the primary financial managers and caregivers in families. Access to savings, micro-credit, and insurance acts as a safety net during crisis and allows them to significantly improve living conditions.
He added that CIBN would be happy to drive joint knowledge sharing and exchange sessions with CBN and ACAMB across various platforms. “Educating the public through public awareness programmes, with ACAMB as the rallying point, is central to what we do,” he noted.
ACAMB President, Jide Sipe, who led the delegation, spoke in unison with the CIBN president, as he noted that, closing the inbalances in financial access help economies grow faster, reduces inequality, and encourages greater civic participation by all.
EFCC Arraigns 4 over Alleged $5.3m Fraud Scheme
CBN Orders N19Bn Refunds to Customers as Complaints Rise
Access Bank Debunks Shutdown Report, Vows Action against Perpetrators
Oye, AERE Raises Alarm as 8m MSMEs Collapse in 18 Months
Kaspersky Uncovers Cyber Threats Defining the First Half of 2026 in Nigeria, Others
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
From Scarcity to Scale: What Africa Can Learn from India’s Agricultural Transformation
Tokenization, Blockchain Technology will Transform Financial Institutions – IMF
BON Establishes Six Ad Hoc Committees to Modernize Broadcasting
Telecom2 days agoFact-Check: Elon Musk’s “Tesla Pi Phone” is Internet Rumor
E-Financial2 days agoMalpass, Ex World Bank Chief Raises Alarm over Nigeria’s Secretive Debt Structures
Telecom2 days agoHow and Why Apps Deplete Data – ALTON
News2 days agoCIBN, ACAMB Push for Financial Inclusion, Women Empowerment
E-Financial2 days agoS&P Global Acquires Agusto & Co. to Strengthen Credit Ratings Across Africa
Telecom2 days agoGalaxy Backbone Soft Launches Government Service Portal to Simplify Access to Public Services
E-Business2 days agoNDPC Directs DCPMIs to Register with Agency or Face Legal Consequences
Broadcasting2 days agoAfrica Prudential Posts N1.59bn Profit in H1 2026, Reaffirms Digital Growth Strategy