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NSE Oil/Gas Outweighs The Bears

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The bearish run took a toll on almost all the major subsectors last week as indicated by the sectoral indices except the NSE Oil and Gas Index that rose marginally.
The NSE Oil and Gas, a gauge for the stocks listed in the petroleum marketing subsector rose by 0.28 per cent to close at 399.33 points.
On the other hand, the NSE food and beverages index nose dived by 7 per cent to fall at 491.03 points while the NSE banking index which measures banking stocks fell by 13.73 per cent to finish at 433.46 points.
The NSE insurance index also dropped by 7.53 per cent to close at 369.91 points while the NSE-30 index dropped by 8.84 per cent to close at 873.99 points.
The all shares index of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) drifted by 10.71 per cent to close at 25,813.55 basis points having opened at 28,910.19 basis points.
The market capitalisation of the 193 first-tier equities finished lower at N5.9 trillion as against N6.6 trillion at which it closed the previous week.
In all, the market had investors staking N20.64 billion on a total of 2.64 billion shares in 36,728 transactions in contrast to N25.34 billion exchanged for 2.75 billion shares in 53,259 deals the previous week.
The banking subsector was the most active during the review week when measured by volume with 1.25 billion shares valued at N13.83 billon exchanged by investors in 21,647 deals.
Volume in the banking subsector was mainly driven by activity in the shares of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa Plc, Access Bank Plc and Diamond Bank Plc.
Trading in the shares of these banks accounted for 694.5 million shares representing 55.5 per cent of the subsector’s total turnover.
The insurance subsector, boosted by activity in the shares of Goldlink Insurance Plc emerged second on the week’s activity chart with a turnover of 544.94 million shares worth N565.7 million exchanged in 3,694 trades.

Managing Director, Akomas and Partners, Prince George Akomas (left) listens to Zonal Secterary, Port Harcourt Zone Shareholders Association, Francis Orji at a seminar organised by Port Harcourt branch of the Nigerian Stock Exchange at the Hotel Presidential recently. Photo: King Osila

Managing Director, Akomas and Partners, Prince George Akomas (left) listens to Zonal Secterary, Port Harcourt Zone Shareholders Association, Francis Orji at a seminar organised by Port Harcourt branch of the Nigerian Stock Exchange at the Hotel Presidential recently. Photo: King Osila

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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