News
Red Star Boss Commends FG On Currency Swap

Mr. Sule Bichi, group managing director of Red Star, one of Nigeria’s logistics company, has commends the Federal Government of Nigeria for its currency swap policy of Naira to Yuan, pointing out that this will help boost the logistics industry, as well as other sectors of the economy.
He stated this at the just concluded Institute of Directors’ 2016 ADC conference in Abuja.
Bichi, explained that the swap is a smart idea simply because a large chunk of the Nigeria’s import comes from China and South East Asia.
“The swap is a smart idea simply because a large chunk of the Nigeria’s import comes from China and South East Asia, so if we can eliminate changing our naira to dollars or pounds sterling and using the Yuan as a means of transaction with the Chinese, this will reduce our cost. What we want is the availability. Nigerian banks can open letters of credit denominated in the Chinese currency, it cuts the third party currency exchange requirement and the cost of transaction will be lower”, he noted.
The Group Managing Director who recently emerged as one of the top 25 CEOs whose stock did exceptionally well on the stock market last year disclosed that the scarcity of foreign exchange at this period has even necessitated the deal because it will open up business between the two countries and stimulate movements from China easily while eliminating the third party currency that has made procurement of raw materials from different destinations a hard nut to crack.
“China remains the top import location for Nigeria in the past 10 years. Chinese companies can get their materials from Nigeria and we can easily get our materials from China. This will help the economy to come up. China is a major buyer of our crude oil and with that the exchange is even further facilitated. So the logistics side of it is that once there are things to move, then the logistics industry will receive a boost. That is when the market will have an improvement”, he stated.
Bichi also noted that the courier and logistics industry in Nigeria use, to a large extent products from China and other parts of South East Asia for its consumables and work materials. “For example, most of the motor bikes that are used now in Nigeria, especially for courier business are coming from South East Asia, with most of them produced in China. Secondly, even the common materials used in the industry like flyers and bar-coded airway bills mostly come from China. So the availability of the Yuan will make it easy to bypass the dollar and we can purchase the materials directly”.
He insisted that the Forex situation has affected the logistics industry just like every other business in the country because it has become very intricate to source for dollars to make payments for foreign deliveries and facilitate import and export. “We have to pay for our foreign deliveries in dollars. We have been looking for foreign exchange for the last six months from the Central Bank at the official rate but we could not get it. If we have to source for the foreign exchange through the autonomous market at more than N350 per dollar, this will almost double the cost of delivery of international packages”.
This, he said has doubled the cost of delivering international packages and also compounded the challenges faced by most companies as they grapple with the dilemma of making a decision whether to pass the seemingly additional costs to clients or continue to bear the sudden increase in operation cost.
“If you look at the import into Nigeria in the last six months and compare with the same period last year, you will see that it has dropped by almost 50%. So there are fewer things to move. Even the ports, both sea and air, are no longer as congested as they use to be. Our foreign exchange earnings has dropped, exchange rate has gone up and we now have imported inflation”, he noted.
“We were exporting at the rate of 2.2m barrels per day, and we were selling for about $110 per barrel. Suddenly it crashed. As at today we are exporting about 1.5m barrels per day and we sold at about $50 now. It was below $30 in January and February. So the amount of money in terms of foreign exchange and earnings that is coming to the Federal government has drastically gone down, so there is no other way. If people that were used to eating well, full bread now get half bread, there will be hunger. This is what is manifesting. The government is trying so much to keep the critical sector of the economy moving”, he said.
Red Star Express Group is a premium logistics solution provider in Nigeria with an unrivalled local network coverage and a large market share in the domestic and international market.
It enjoys a domestic strength of over 240 offices in Nigeria, delivers to additional 1,800 communities, with over 2,400 highly trained personnel and over 600 delivery vehicles in its fleet. The company has four business units including The Red Star Express which is a licensee of FedEx, the world’s largest express transportation company. There is the Red Star Freight, Red Star Logistics and Red Star Support Services.
News
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira

National Reading Culture (NRC), an online investment platform targeting Nigerians has collapsed, resulting in the loss of billions of Naira for investors.

The website unexpectedly shut down, blocking users from withdrawing their funds and locking in their investments.
Just like all other investment scams, victims were lured with promises of doubling their money in few weeks.
When National Reading Culture eventually crashed, the operators vanished with users’ funds, leaving investors devastated.
How the Platform WorkedTask-Based Earning:
According findings, National Reading Culture lured users with promises of making money by completing simple daily tasks like reading articles, clicking links, or inviting friends.
They also offered investment tiers to earn higher daily profits, where users had to deposit their own money into the platform.
Evidence showed the website previously operated as a Chinese job search platform before rebranding into an “earning” scheme.
News
NSITF Partners South African Insurer on Digital Transformation

The Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) to collaborate on digital transformation aimed at strengthening worker protection systems and support economic growth.

According to RMA, the agreement was concluded during a visit by its delegation to Abuja.
The partnership will focus on institutional capability development, modernising operating models, improving service delivery and sharing knowledge between the two organisations.
Through the partnership, RMA and NSITF will collaborate to strengthen institutional capability, modernise operating models, accelerate digital transformation and improve services for workers and employers.
The organisations will also explore opportunities for knowledge exchange and the adoption of best practices in social security administration.
RMA said the agreement forms part of its broader engagement with governments, regulators and social security institutions across Africa to support improvements in governance, operational resilience and service delivery.
“Our partnership with NSITF reflects much more than the signing of an agreement,” said Mandla Shezi, group chief executive officer of RMA. “This partnership is not simply about sharing knowledge. It is about co-creating the next generation of African social security systems.”
He added: “By combining our respective strengths, we can help build institutions that are more resilient, more responsive and better equipped to protect workers while supporting national development.”
Shezi said the future of social security depends on integrated systems where prevention, insurance, healthcare, rehabilitation, technology, investment management and institutional capability work together.
News
Senate Rejects Nationalisation of MTN, DStv Over Xenophobic Attacks on Nigerians in South Africa

Senate on Tuesday rejected calls for the nationalisation of South African-owned companies operating in Nigeria, including MTN and DStv, as a retaliatory measure against renewed xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa.

The upper chamber, however, condemned the attacks and intimidation of Nigerians and other African nationals in South Africa, urging the Federal Government to intensify diplomatic efforts to secure the safety of Nigerians living in the country.
The resolutions followed a motion titled: “Motion on the Need to Halt the Recurring Xenophobic Attacks and Intimidation Against Nigerians and Other African Nationals in the Republic of South Africa,” sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC-Cross River South).
The motion was triggered by renewed concerns over attacks against foreign nationals in South Africa following the expiration of a June 30, 2026 deadline reportedly issued by some vigilante groups asking foreigners to leave the country.
During the debate, Senator Wasiu Eshilokun proposed that South African companies operating in Nigeria should be nationalised, while Senator Adams Oshiomhole suggested that profits generated by South African firms could be appropriated to compensate Nigerians who suffered losses if the South African government failed to provide compensation.
Oshiomhole argued that Nigerians should not continue to bear the consequences of attacks against their businesses and lives while South African companies operating in Nigeria continued to make profits.
He said the government should consider using profits from affected companies to compensate victims if South Africa refused to address the losses suffered by Nigerians.
However, the Senate declined the proposal, opting instead for diplomatic engagement and further investigation into the attacks.
Presiding over plenary, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin cautioned lawmakers against relying on unverified social media reports and urged a careful approach to the matter.
Jibrin said Nigeria must condemn attacks against its citizens but should allow relevant committees to complete their investigations before taking further actions.
He directed the Senate Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations to review previous resolutions on the matter and submit a report within two weeks.
The Senate also urged the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian High Commission in South Africa, to obtain written assurances from South African authorities on the protection of Nigerians and demand the arrest and prosecution of persons responsible for violence, intimidation and looting.
The lawmakers further called for collaboration with other African countries and relevant continental institutions to establish effective mechanisms for monitoring and preventing xenophobic attacks.
Senator Ekpenyong had earlier raised concerns that the attacks were no longer limited to undocumented migrants but had extended to Nigerians with valid work and residence permits.
He described the situation as a threat to the dignity and safety of Nigerians abroad, urging the government to take stronger measures to protect citizens.
The Senate’s latest action comes amid renewed public anger over attacks targeting Nigerians and other foreigners in South Africa, with lawmakers insisting that diplomatic solutions should be prioritised over economic retaliation.
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