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World Bank Says Nigeria Dying Slowly, FG Claims Everything is Okay

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World Bank Thursday said that Nigeria was dying slowly and tragically living on borrowed time due to the perennial neglect of the agricultural sector and relying heavily on crude oil that belongs to yesterday.

 

But Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President, assured that the Buhari administration will ensure an export based economy, especially as it recognises the importance of the agriculture sector to food security, job creation and poverty reduction.

 

He said the sector remains one of the priority areas of the government that has attracted various intervention programmes under the Agricultural Promotion Policy.

 

Dr Adetunji Oredipe, senior agriculture economist, World Bank, however, said, economic diversification into agricultural should be in practice not theory as the economy has become increasingly dependent which has proven to be both a “disaster and calamity.”

 

He spoke in Abuja while delivering a keynote address at the agriculture summit Africa sponsored by Sterling Bank Plc,

 

According to him, if Nigeria had held to its market share in palm oil, cocoa, groundnut and cotton, the country would be earning at least $10bn annually from these three commodities.

 

The event was attended by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who was represented by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mustapha Shehuri; Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Paulen Talen; Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu; Chairman of Sterling Bank Plc, Asue Ighodalo; and the Managing Director of Sterling Bank Plc, Abubakar Suleiman.

 

Analyzing a gloomy picture of the country’s agricultural sector, the World Bank Agric Economist said that Nigeria is now one of the largest food importers in the world.

 

He said: “In 2016 alone, Nigeria spent $965m on the importation of wheat, $39.7m to import rice and $100.2m on sugar importation.

 

He added that the decision to spend $655m on fish importation seems financially irresponsible given all the marine resources, rivers, lakes, and creeks in Nigeria.

 

He noted: “None of the above transactions (Importation of rice, fish, sugar) is fiscally, economically, or politically sustainable. Nigeria is tragically is living on borrowed time, a typical case of robbing Paul to pay Peter.

 

“For instance, each time we spend money to import rice, Nigerian local rice farmers are negatively affected in terms of morale, sales, and realizable income.

 

He lamented that despite the huge agricultural potential, Nigeria which used to be the major player in agriculture in the world has lost its place in the global community.

 

He said, “In the 1960s we had glory. That glory was visible and significant for the global community to recognize and applaud. Nigeria accounted for 42 per cent of the world’s exports of shelled groundnuts. Our total export volume was 502, 000 MT.

 

“This declined to 356 MT by 2016. Nigeria lost her leadership position and was overtaken by USA, China, and Argentina. Nigeria was also the largest exporter of palm oil in the world and accounted for 27 per cent of the global export volume for palm oil.

 

“Total export volume for palm oil by Nigeria was 167,000 MT in 1961. This declined to 8,000 MT by 2016as the global export volume rose from 629,000 MT in 1961 to over 42.1 million MT in 2016.

 

“Malaysia and Indonesia took over using the oil palm seedlings obtained from Nigeria. In 2018, Malaysia earns $8.7bn, 28.6 per cent of total palm oil exports from export of palm oil alone.

 

“Indonesia alone recorded US$16.5bn, 54.5 per cent of total palm oil exports. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not listed among the first 15 as at this moment.”

 

He said the huge taste of Nigerians for imported food items had also contributed to high levels of unemployment for youths.

 

“Food producing factories in Western world, Far East Asia and other countries employ millions of young people to produce and export food. This is a source of livelihood and it helps the workers to live well and go to school.

 

“But on our side of the world, Nigerian youths have no one to hire them to their capacity. This is a typical case of disguised employment or unemployment. It is unacceptable for our graduate to have no one who needs their university/polytechnic acquired- knowledge and skills.

 

“We must use the power of our population to our advantage by buying local foods,’ he added.

 

To reverse this trend, Oredipe said the government must articulate a clear vision to achieve a hunger-free Nigeria, through an agricultural sector that drives income growth, accelerates achievement of food and nutritional security, generates employment and transforms Nigeria into a leading player in global food markets.

 

In doing this, he said the vision of the government should be to revive the rural economy by transforming Nigeria into an agriculturally industrialized economy, create wealth, jobs, and markets for farmers.

 

He said, “We must adopt an ambitious agricultural promotion strategy, one that is focused on a combination of transformational policy reforms and private capital investments with a promise to expand the benefits to millions of Nigerians.

 

“The government needs revamp their current outlook about how agriculture works by inviting the private sector capacities in order to improve efficiency.

 

“We need to focus on agricultural value chains and not just on increasing production.

 


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E-Financial

Ecobank Nigeria to Fully Repay $300m Eurobond Ahead of Schedule

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Ecobank Nigeria has moved to retire the remaining part of its $300 million Eurobond before maturity. The bank has launched a tender offer for holders of its 7.125% senior notes due February 2026.

The bank announced the offer on Friday, 28 November 2025, inviting investors to tender their holdings ahead of schedule. Of the original $300 million issuance, $150 million remains outstanding.

Under the terms, investors whose notes are accepted for repurchase will receive $1,000 for every $1,000 in principal, plus accrued and unpaid interest up to, but not including, the settlement date. The transaction is expected to be completed on or before 31 December 2025.

Ecobank said the early repayment move is part of a broader strategy to optimise its balance sheet and strengthen capital planning flexibility. The lender added that the tender offer gives investors an opportunity to exit the instrument ahead of the original February 2026 maturity.

In a statement, the bank said the initiative underscores its “commitment to transparent engagement with funding partners and investors,” stressing that the offer supports its long-term goal of maintaining a well-structured debt profile.

Participation in the programme is voluntary, and investors will make decisions based on their individual considerations, the bank added.

Ecobank emphasised that the announcement is for information only and does not constitute an offer to buy or sell securities. Eligible noteholders are expected to rely on the formal tender documents when deciding whether to take part.

 


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Reps Give Banks Four-Day Ultimatum on Tax Deductions, Charges

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The House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee investigating deductions of taxes and sundry charges from the earnings of civil and public servants has given commercial banks a four-day deadline to submit all requested documents.

Reps Give Banks Four-Day Ultimatum on Tax Deductions, Charges

House of Rep

The committee, chaired by Hon. Kelechi Nwogwu, issued the ultimatum at the commencement of its investigation, following a motion earlier moved by the House Chief Whip, Hon. Usman Bello Kumo, on alleged deductions from civil servants’ salaries.

Nwogwu insisted that Chief Executive Officers of affected financial institutions must appear in person before the panel, rejecting representatives sent by GT Bank, Zenith Bank, Access Bank and other banks.

He explained that the panel was mandated to ensure that all deductions of charges by banks on customers’ accounts were fair and properly applied.

The committee disclosed that invitations had also been extended to the Ministry of Finance, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and all commercial banks operating in Nigeria.

“You cannot appear here without an identity. We are here on the mandate of the people who elected us into parliament. We have resolved to meet next week on Wednesday.

“You must submit all requested documents by Monday, May 1,” Nwogwu said.

He warned that any bank that failed to comply with the deadline would face sanctions, adding that the committee would put the CEOs on oath during the next sitting.

The investigation continues next week.


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SEC Urges IST to Freeze all CBEX Bank Accounts in Nigeria

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The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has asked the Investments and Securities Tribunal (IST) to order the freezing of all bank accounts belonging to Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) and other defendants held in commercial banks and financial institutions across Nigeria.

The request was made in Suit No. IST/OA/02/2025: Securities and Exchange Commission & Anor v. Crypto Bridge Exchange (CBEX) & 25 Others, the first case before the 6th Tribunal presided over by Hon. Aminu Jinaidu, Chairman of the IST.

SEC also urged the Tribunal to seize houses and other assets allegedly acquired by the defendants using proceeds obtained from the public through the CBEX investment scheme, which it said falsely operated as a digital assets platform and capital-market operator.

The Commission argued that CBEX, which is not registered with SEC, unlawfully promised investors a 100 percent return on investment within 30 days—conduct it said is in violation of Section 3(b) of the Investments and Securities Act, 2025.

SEC further disclosed that the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong had, on April 23, 2024, issued an advisory warning against CBEX, describing it as a suspicious virtual-asset entity. According to the advisory, CBEX adopted a name resembling that of a Chinese property-rights trading organisation to give investors false assurance, despite having no connection with the legitimate entity.

At Tuesday’s sitting, the Tribunal ordered that hearing notices be served on the defendants through national newspapers, as CBEX failed to appear and was not represented in court.

CBEX launched in Nigeria in July 2024, operating through a website and mobile app. It claimed to use advanced artificial intelligence to generate unusually high profits from cryptocurrency trading, promising returns of up to 100 percent within a 40- to 45-day lock-in period. The scheme later collapsed and was exposed as a Ponzi operation that reportedly defrauded investors of more than N1.3 trillion (about $800 million).

Hon. Jinaidu also presided over several other matters on the tribunal’s docket, including Benue Investments Property Co. Ltd & Anor v. Securities and Exchange Commission & 6 Others; Maven Asset Management Ltd v. Securities and Exchange Commission; John Makinde Onade & Anor v. First Registrars & Investors Services Ltd & Anor; and Securities and Exchange Commission & Anor v. Tourist Company of Nigeria PLC & 6 Ors. All the cases were adjourned to January 27, 2026.

 


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