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Capita Market Operators Seek Downward Review Of Interest Rates

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L-R: Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (Sec), Mounir Gwarzo, Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services,Sec, Hon. Zakawanu Garuba and Executive Director, Nigeria Stock Exchange, Ade Bajomo, at the second quarter post Capital Market Committee (Cmc) meeting in Lagos, recently

L-R: Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission (Sec), Mounir Gwarzo, Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services,Sec, Hon. Zakawanu Garuba and Executive Director, Nigeria Stock Exchange, Ade Bajomo, at the second quarter post Capital Market Committee (Cmc) meeting in Lagos, recently

Some capital market operators yesterday called for downward review of the money market interest rate to boost investment at the nation’s capital market.
They told our source in Lagos that high yield of money market instruments were discouraging investors from investing in the capital market.
National Secretary, Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN), Mr Bayo Adeleke,  said that investors were patronising long-term investment windows due to high yields offered by treasury bills (TBs) and bonds.
Adeleke said that the interest offered by money market instruments were discouraging investors from staking their money in the capital market.
He said that banks invest more on TBs and bonds due to high interest rather than lending to the real sector or investing in the capital market.
Adeleke said that developments in the economy had called for a shift in the nation’s macroeconomic management for development.
Managing Director, Compass Securities Ltd, Mr Emeka Madubuike,  said the market would continue to experience fluctuations unless the incumbent government releases its economic blue print.
Madubuike said the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should adopt macroeconomic measures that would boost economic activities.
He, however, called on investors to take advantage of the current low price of equities and increase their stake in the market.
“Prices are low and very good for new investors to come in and increase their stake in the market,’’ Madubuike said.
Meanwhile, the All-Share Index appreciated on Monday by 1261.44 points or 4.18 per cent to close at 31,441.71 compared with 30,180.27 posted in the corresponding period.
Also, the market capitalisation which opened at N10.345 trillion rose by N432 billion or 4.18 per cent to close at N10.777 trillion due to price gains.
Evans Medical led the gainers’ table in percentage terms, increasing by 38.39 per cent or 21k to close at 75k per share.
Transcorp increased by 29.13 per cent or 60k to close at N2.66, while PZ Industries advanced by 25.26 per cent or N6.96 to close at N34.51 per share.
On the other hand, Northern Nigerian Flour Mills topped the losers’ chart, dropping by 14.14 per cent or N2.19 to close at N13.30 per share.
Academy Press declined by 13.19 per cent or 12k to close at 79k, Paints and Coatings Manufactures went down by 13.04 per share or 15k to close at N1 per share.
Overall, 2.38 billion shares worth N18.99 billion traded in 19,769 deals last week against 1.37 billion shares valued N17.95 billion exchanged in 17,391 deals in the preceding week.
The Financial Services Industry led the activity chart with 1.99 billion shares worth N13.19 billion traded in 11,232 deals.
The Conglomerates Industry followed with a turnover of 106.53 million shares worth N425.53 million transacted in 1,150 deals.
The third place was occupied by Natural Resources Industry with 100.02 million shares valued N50.10 million achieved in 16 deals.

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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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