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Investors’ Sentiment Boosts Trading On NSE

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The improved inves
tors’ sentiment on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) resulting to the market ending in the green last week surged the twin market indicators, the All Share Index (ASI) and the aggregate market capitalization of listed equities surged by 1.24 per cent each.
Specifically, the ASI closed the week at 37,382.49 basis points from an index-on-board of 36,926.29 basis points even as the market capitalisation of listed equities increased from the week’s opening value of N11.694 trillion to N11.839 trillion.
The NSE 30 index which tracks the most capitalised stocks on the Nigerian bourse appreciated by 1.05 per cent to finish at 1,758.73 points.
Also four of the NSE indices were in the green during the review week as the NSE Consumer Goods rose by 0.75 per cent, NSE Banking 1.34 per cent, NSE Insurance 0.37 percent and the NSE Industrial goods 3.34 per cent.
However, the NSE Oil/Gas, NSE-Lotus I and the NSE-ASeM nose dived by 0.14 per cent, 0.02 percent and 0.57 per cent, respectively.
A closer look at the market revealed it rebounded last week as the bulls took charge of the market for three days running resulting to a 2.18 per cent appreciation pushing the value-based index that tracks all equities to hover between 35,832 points and 36,952 points.
The week opened on Monday of the review week on a negativenote, as the NSE ASI fell by 0.37 per cent to close at 36,796.14 basis points having opened at 36,926.29 basis points the previous week while cumulative market capitalisation of listed equities dropped by N44 billion to close at N11.650.87 trillion compared with N11.694.95 trillion the previous week.
The second trading in the week under review saw the benchmark index rising by 0.61 per cent which caused the index to finish at 37,014.14 basis points even as the market capitalisation stood at N11.56 trillion.
The overall market volume traded on the same day increased by 53.4 per cent just as increased by 53.4 per cent just as the value grew by 50.8 per cent.
In all, a total of 289.25 million units of shares valued at N324 billion were exchanged by investors in 5,081 deals.
The positive note continued on Wednesday with the NSE ASI soaring by 0.31 percent to finish at 37,128.40 basis points while market capitalisation of listed equities added N36 billion to close at N11,758.27 trillion from an on-board-value of N11.722.08 billion.
The market, last Wednesday recorded a traded volume of 213.24 million units of shares worth N3.22 billion exchanging hands in 5,815 transactions down from 289.25 million units of shares valued at N3.24 billion traded in 5,419 deals the previous day.
The bulls sustained their hold in the equity market of the Nigerian bourse on Thursday with the bench mark index adding 199.26 points to end at 37,327.66 basis points as 34 stocks recorded price appreciation while 16 lost in their value.
The last trading day of the week under review saw the market finishing on a strong note as the bench mark index went up by 0.15 per cent to stand at 37,382.49 basis points while the aggregate market capitalisation of listed equities rose to N11.72 trillion.
A traded volume of 245.96 million units of shares valued at N2.94 billion were recorded at the close business on the Exchange on Friday.
The overall turnover volume during the review week stood at 1.674 billion units of shares valued at N18.266 billion exchanged by investors in 25.367 trades as against a total of 3.478 billion units of shares worth N14.902 billion that exchanged hands the previous week in 24,576 trades.
In volume terms according to the NSE weekly data, the financial services sector topped the sectorial activity chart with 1.306 billion units of shares worth N11.630 billion exchanged by investors in 13,565 trades.
The Banking subsector of the financial services sector was the most active in volume terms during the review week. Activities in the shares of United Bank for Africa Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc and Access Bank Plc drove the volume in the subsector as they accounted for 735.184 million units of shares representing 77.68 per cent and 43.91 per cent of the turnover volume recorded by the subsector and the overall market turnover during the week under review respectively.
The Conglomerates sector emerged second on the week’s activity chart having a turnover of 101.851 million units of shares at the cost of N278.921 million in 1,077 trades.
Activities in the shares of Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc drove the volume in the sector as 98.150 million units of its shares were traded by investors in 727 transaction at the value of N137.029 million.
At the over-the-counter bond market, a total of 4,100 units of FGN bonds worth N443,665 were traded in 18 transactions as against 900 units at the value of N100,126 recorded in 19 trades the preceding week.
On the Price Movement chart, 37 stocks appreciate in their value during the week in contrast to 44 shares which recorded price appreciation the previous week.
A total of forty-seven shares dipped in their value compared with 36 shares that plunged in their value the previous week.
Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc vanguard the top 10 bulls with N10.71, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc N5.02, UACN Plc N4.00, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated N1.11, Beta Glass Company Plc N1.00.
Other top 10 price gainers for the week include IPWA Plc 19 kobo, HIS Plc 60 kobo, Ikeja Hotel Plc 7 kobo, National Salt Company of Nigeria Plc 91 kobo and Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc 84 kobo.
On the downside, the top 10 losers were Glaxo Smthkline N12.73, Costain West Africa Plc 24 kobo, Smart Product Nigeria Plc 20 kobo, Coulterville Business Solution Plc 18 kobo, NPF Microfinance Bank Plc 12 Kobo, Trans-Nationwide Express Plc 25 kobo, Vono Product Plc 17 kobo, Chellarams Plc 48 kobo, Thomas Wyatt Nigeria Plc 11 kobo and Transnational Corporation of Nigeria Plc 16 kobo.

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Two Federal Agencies Enter Pack On Expansion, Sustainable Electricity In Niger Delta

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The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to expand access to reliable and sustainable electricity across the Niger Delta region.
The agreement, signed at the headquarters of the REA in Abuja, was targeted at strengthening institutional collaboration and accelerating development in underserved communities in the region.
A statement by the Director, Corporate Affairs of the NDDC, Seledi Thompson-Wakama, said the pact underscores renewed efforts by the two federal interventionist agencies to deepen cooperation and fast-track infrastructure delivery.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, the Managing Director of the NDDC, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, described the MoU as a strategic step towards realising the Commission’s vision to “light up the Niger Delta” in line with national priorities on distributed energy expansion.
Ogbuku said the agreement represents a shared institutional responsibility to deliver reliable energy solutions that will enhance livelihoods, stimulate local economies and create broader opportunities across the nine Niger Delta states.
According to him, electricity remains a critical enabler of national development, supporting job creation, healthcare delivery, education and inclusive economic growth.
He noted that the collaboration would help unlock the economic potential of rural communities while advancing broader national development objectives.
The NDDC boss added that the Commission has consistently adopted partnership-driven approaches in executing projects in the region and is prepared to support the implementation of the MoU by leveraging its community presence and infrastructure development capacity.
He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to working closely with the REA to ensure the timely and effective execution of the agreement.
The NDDC delegation at the event included the Executive Director, Projects, Dr Victor Antai; Executive Director, Corporate Services, Otunba Ifedayo Abegunde; Director, Legal Services, Mr Victor Arenyeka; Director, Finance and Supply, Mrs Kunemofa Asu; and Director, Liaison Office, Abuja, Mrs Mary Nwaeke.
In his remarks, the Managing Director of the REA, Dr Abba Abubakar Aliyu, described the MoU as a natural collaboration between two agencies with complementary mandates, reflecting a shared commitment to expanding access to sustainable electricity in rural communities.
Aliyu said the Niger Delta remains central to Nigeria’s economic fortunes and must be supported by infrastructure capable of driving productivity, enterprise and improved living standards, adding that the partnership signals readiness to deliver stable power to communities that have long awaited reliable electricity supply.
By: King Onunwor
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Why The AI Boom May Extend The Reign Of Natural Gas 

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Artificial intelligence is often viewed as a catalyst for electrification and subsequently decarbonization. Yet one of its most immediate effects may be the opposite of what many assume. The rapid buildout of AI infrastructure is increasing demand for reliable power, and that reality could strengthen the role of natural gas and other dispatchable energy sources for many years.
Investors focused on semiconductors and software valuations may be overlooking a key constraint. AI runs on electricity, and those electricity systems operate within physical and economic limits.
The energy sector has spent much of the past decade grappling with slow load growth. That is now changing, in a way that is reminiscent of the sharp rise in oil demand—and subsequently price—in the early 2000s.
Training large language models and operating advanced AI systems requires enormous computing resources. Hyperscale data centers are expanding rapidly, with developers requesting gigawatt-scale interconnections from utilities. In several regions, electricity demand forecasts have been revised upward after years of flat expectations.
This shift is significant because AI workloads create continuous, high-density demand rather than intermittent usage. Data centers cannot simply power down when the electricity supply becomes constrained. Reliability becomes paramount.
Wind and solar capacity continues to expand, but intermittent generation alone cannot meet the firm capacity needs of AI infrastructure without significant storage or backup generation.
Battery storage is improving, yet long-duration storage remains costly at scale. Nuclear projects face long development timelines and complex permitting hurdles. Transmission expansion also lags demand growth in many regions.
These constraints make dispatchable power sources critical. Natural gas plants can ramp quickly, operate continuously, and be deployed faster than many alternatives. As a result, gas-fired generation is increasingly viewed as a practical solution for supporting AI-driven load growth.
This does not undermine the role of renewables. In many markets, new renewable capacity is paired with gas generation to maintain grid stability. The key point is that AI-driven electrification is likely to increase fossil fuel usage in the near term.
Construction timelines favor gas-fired generation when demand rises quickly. Existing pipeline infrastructure reduces barriers to expansion. And for operators of data centers, reliability often outweighs ideological preferences. Downtime is simply too expensive.
Utilities are also revisiting resource plans as load forecasts rise. That shift may drive increased investment in transmission, grid modernization, and flexible generation assets.
The Decarbonization Story Is Complex
A common narrative holds that AI accelerates the transition away from fossil fuels because it increases electrification. The reality is more nuanced.
If electricity demand outpaces the buildout of low-carbon capacity, fossil generation may still increase in absolute terms even as renewables gain market share. Total emissions could rise, but the carbon intensity of the energy system may trend lower as cleaner sources make up a larger share of supply.
Ultimately, energy systems evolve based on engineering and economics, not just policy goals or market narratives.
Rising power demand could benefit utilities investing in transmission and generation capacity. Natural gas producers and midstream companies may see structural demand support from increased power-sector consumption. Equipment suppliers tied to grid reliability and gas turbines could also gain from the shift.
Longer term, advances in nuclear, storage, or efficiency may change the trajectory. For now, the immediate response to surging electricity demand is likely to rely on technologies that can be deployed quickly and reliably.
Artificial intelligence may reshape the economy in profound ways. One of the least appreciated consequences is that it may extend the relevance of natural gas as the world builds the energy backbone required to power the next generation of computing.
By: Robert Rapier
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Ogun To Join Oil-Producing States  ……..As NNPCL Kicks Off Commercial Oil Production At Eba

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Ogun State is set to join the comity of oil producing states in the country following the discovery and subsequent approval of commercial oil exploration activities in the Eba oil well, in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of the state.
A technical team from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has visited the area as preparations are in advanced stage for commencement of commercial drilling operations in the state.
The inspection followed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for commercial exploration, forming part of the federal government’s efforts to deploy the required technical capacity and infrastructure for production.
Officials of NNPCL carried out the exercise alongside representatives of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and national security agencies to evaluate the site and confirm its readiness for drilling activities.
The delegation was led by Project Coordinator for Enserv, Hussein Aliyu, who headed the NNPCL Enserv technical team.
Other members included Wasiu Adeniyi, Onwugba Kelechi, Engr. Rabiu M. Audu, Ojonoka Braimah, Ahmad Usman, Akinbosola Oluwaseyi, Salisu Nuhu, James Amezhinim, Yusuf Abdul-Azeez, Amararu Isukul and Livinus J. Kigbu.
Speaking, Governor Dapo Abiodun, described the development as a landmark achievement for Ogun State, saying “the commencement of drilling at Eba would stimulate economic growth, create employment opportunities and attract increased federal presence to the state’s coastal communities.
Abiodun also expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for his support toward the development of frontier oil basins and the equitable spread of the nation’s energy resources.
Recall that geological reports had earlier confirmed the presence of hydrocarbons within the Ogun Waterside axis, leading to preliminary surveys and technical engagements by NNPCL.
The Ogun State Government also carried out an independent verification of the oil well’s coordinates, affirming the discovery is located within the state’s boundaries.
To secure the project, naval security personnel have been deployed to the site for over 18 months, with the support of the Ogun State Government, to protect the facility and its environs.
The Eba oil well is regarded as part of Nigeria’s strategic move to expand oil production beyond the Niger Delta region.
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