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Finally, CBN Prepares to Devalue Naira

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Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is preparing to weaken the Naira and abandon a peg to the dollar that has starved Africa’s biggest economy of dollars and slowed foreign investment to a trickle.

In a retreat for President Muhammadu Buhari, who has resisted calls to let the currency weaken, Godwin Emefiele, CBN governor, said Tuesday the Abuja-based bank would release details of a “flexible” exchange-rate framework “in coming days.”

The central bank will probably introduce a dual-rate system, with the naira trading at a market-related level while the central bank continues to make foreign-currency available to some importers at a fixed rate, according to Renaissance Capital Ltd.

The bank has pegged the local unit at 197-199 per dollar since March 2015, deepening an economic slump caused by the plunge in oil prices.

“It looks like the most investors could have hoped for from the CBN,” Charles Robertson, the London-based chief economist at Renaissance, told Bloomberg.

“If my interpretation’s right, they’re not going to throw away their reserves trying to manage the exchange rate and they’ll let the market determine that exchange rate.”

Six-month naira forwards jumped 1.5 percent to 273 per dollar after the announcement, pricing in a devaluation of about 36.5 percent. A basket of U.S. traded Nigerian stocks rose 1.2 percent.

“It is a technical devaluation,” Ayodeji Ebo, head of research at Afrinvest West Africa Ltd., said by phone from Lagos.

“The objective is clear. It will open up the foreign-exchange market, once there is liquidity.”

The central bank would make dollars available to companies importing “critical” materials, while others would have to buy foreign currency in the market, Emefiele said. Details of how the new system will operate have yet to be determined, he said.

“They’ll allocate dollars to those key sectors that will help Nigeria change the structure of its economy, probably agribusiness, industry and oil refineries,” Robertson said. “It sounds like the right policy stance to get Nigeria working again, although they’ll be an inevitable lag as devaluation always carries some short-term pain.”

The Monetary Policy Committee left its benchmark interest rate at 12 percent on Tuesday. Two of the 20 economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted the decision, while the rest forecast the MPC would raise the rate by between 50 basis points and 250 basis points. The cash-reserve ratio was left unchanged at 22.5 percent.

Falling prices and production of crude, from which Nigeria derives up to 70 percent of state revenue, have caused the nation’s economic outlook to deteriorate as the government struggles to pay salaries and stimulate growth, forcing it to increase borrowing.

Nigeria’s gross domestic product contracted by 0.36 percent in the three months through March from a year earlier as oil output slumped, increasing chances that the economy could enter a recession.

Risks to the economy remain tilted to the downside and previous rate decisions must have time to work through to the system, Emefiele said.


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E-Financial

NAICOM Signs MoU with BPP to Deepen Insurance Compliance in Public Procurement

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The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) for collaboration and strengthening of the insurance industry, in the area of public procurement processes.

The Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, welcoming the Director-General of BPP, Adebowale Adedokun, and his delegation to NAICOM for a working visit, during which the agreement was signed, highlighted the role of NAICOM as the statutory regulator charged with supervising, regulating and promoting the growth of Nigeria’s insurance industry.

He further stated that NAICOM’s current reform priorities include policyholder protection, regulatory capacity building, legal modernisation, recapitalisation, and increasing insurance penetration.

He emphasised that the collaboration would reinforce the principles of public procurement and insurance practice in Nigeria. He noted that achieving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision of transforming Nigeria’s economy into a one-trillion-dollar economy required strong inter-agency cooperation.

He stressed that the commission’s reform objectives could not be fully realised without strategic collaboration with agencies such as BPP. The Commissioner further disclosed plans to establish a platform to monitor and verify insurance coverage for public procurement items and assured that insurance operators would strictly adhere to established rules and standards.

In his remarks, the Director-General of BPP, Adedokun, commended the ongoing transformation in the insurance industry, describing the Commission’s environment as serene and reflective of its readiness to support the Federal Government’s economic growth agenda.

Adedokun, welcomed the partnership and highlighted implementation as the critical next phase: “Signing MoU is only the beginning — what matters is delivery. BPP has moved to a fully digital submission model to speed approvals and reduce opportunities for corruption”, he stated.


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Nigeria’s VAT Jumps 34%, CIT Soars 48% to ₦14trn in 9M’25 – NBS

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Nigeria’s non-oil tax collections posted robust growth in the first nine months of 2025, with Value Added Tax (VAT) rising 34 per cent to ₦6.4 trillion and Company Income Tax (CIT) jumping 48 per cent to ₦7.72 trillion, bolstering federal revenue amid oil price volatility.

Nigeria's VAT Jumps 34%, CIT Soars 48% to ₦14trn in 9M'25 – NBS

NBS

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed VAT climbing from ₦4.77 trillion in 9M’24, reflecting stronger domestic consumption and imports. Quarterly trends indicated a slight 1.4 per cent dip to ₦2.03 trillion in Q2’25 from ₦2.06 trillion in Q1’25, followed by a 10.66 per cent rebound to ₦2.28 trillion in Q3’25—a 28.1 per cent year-on-year gain.

In Q3’25, local VAT hit ₦1.12 trillion, foreign VAT ₦680.23 billion, and import VAT ₦479.79 billion. Sectorally, Administrative and Support Services led with 89.28 per cent quarter-on-quarter growth, trailed by Arts, Entertainment and Recreation (82.49 per cent) and Human Health (32.4 per cent). Real Estate contracted sharply by 51.33 per cent. Manufacturing dominated contributions at 25.89 per cent, followed by Information and Communication (18.77 per cent) and Mining/Quarrying (14.85 per cent).

CIT followed suit, surging from ₦5.22 trillion in 9M’24. It stood at ₦1.98 trillion in Q1’25, leaped 40 per cent to ₦2.78 trillion in Q2’25, and grew 5.7 per cent to ₦2.96 trillion in Q3’25—a 67.19 per cent year-on-year rise. Domestic CIT reached ₦1.21 trillion in Q3, while foreign CIT hit ₦1.75 trillion, underscoring multinational firms’ role.

Economists attribute the uptick to improved tax administration, digital tracking, and post-reform consumption, though sectoral disparities signal real estate headwinds. The gains support President Tinubu’s revenue diversification drive, reducing oil dependency as global crude fluctuates.

NBS data highlights non-oil taxes’ potential to fund infrastructure and social programmes, with analysts eyeing sustained momentum into 2026.


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SEC Revokes Registration of Kensington Agro Trading Limited

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Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has revoked the registration of Kensington Agro Trading Limited as a capital market operator with immediate effect.

SEC Revokes Registration of Kensington Agro Trading Limited

In a public notice issued by the Commission, the regulator announced that Kensington Agro Trading Limited’s registration as a Commodity Broker/Dealer and Collateral Manager has been withdrawn, effectively stripping the company of its authority to operate within Nigeria’s capital market.

According to the notice, the revocation was carried out pursuant to the powers vested in the Commission under Section 61(6) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, as well as Rule 34(1) of the SEC Rules and Regulations 2013, as amended.

The SEC stated that the decision takes immediate effect and urged all stakeholders to take note of the development.

“Accordingly, commodity exchanges, the investing public, commodity traders, and all capital market stakeholders are advised to discontinue capital market-related dealings with the company,” the Commission said.

The directive means that Kensington Agro Trading Limited is no longer authorised to engage in any capital market activities under the regulatory oversight of the SEC. Market participants have been cautioned to avoid entering into transactions or maintaining business relationships with the firm in its former capacity as a registered operator.

While the notice did not specify the reasons for the revocation, such regulatory actions are typically taken in line with the Commission’s mandate to ensure compliance with extant laws, protect investors, and maintain market integrity.

The SEC, headquartered in Abuja, reiterated its commitment to upholding transparency, investor protection, and strict adherence to regulatory standards in Nigeria’s capital market.

The Commission’s action underscores its continued enforcement drive aimed at sanitizing the market and ensuring that only duly registered and compliant operators are permitted to function within the ecosystem.

Stakeholders and members of the public are encouraged to verify the registration status of capital market operators through official SEC channels before engaging in investment-related transactions.


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