Business

Non-Listing Of MTN Shares’ll Affect NSE -Experts

Published

9 years ago

January 30, 2017

Some financial experts have warned that the postponement of the listing of MTN shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) will slow down the listing of other multinationals being wooed by the bourse.
They told The Tide source in Lagos that the Federal Government must do everything possible within its powers to ensure the listing of the company’s shares on the NSE in 2017.
The operators spoke against the backdrop of a statement by the MTN Group Ltd that it may put off plans to list its Nigerian operation until 2018, as it strived to resolve a regulatory dispute.
Mr Phuthuma Nhleko, MTN Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Officer, was quoted as saying at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland that the listing may be within the 12 to 18-month period.
MTN Nigeria in June 2016, said that it would list its shares on the nation’s bourse in 2017, after being fined for breaching the know-your-customer rules set by the National Communications Commission (NCC).
Head, Banking and Finance Department, Nasarawa State University, Keffi Dr. Uche Uwaleke stated that government should provide further fiscal incentives, in addition to the reduced charges for MTN.
Uwaleke said that putting off the planned listing till 2018 would not mean well for the stock market as other companies that may be considering a similar move could also put such plans on hold.
“If MTN did not push ahead with the plan, other telecom firms like Etisalat and Airtel, including firms in the oil and power sectors, currently being wooed by the NSE may develop cold feet.
“They can equally cite the same unfavorable economic conditions as their reason.
“This will not augur well for the stock market. Currently, the market lacks depth and is over-concentrated with just about four companies accounting for over 60 per cent of the equities’ market capitalisation.
So, the presence of MTN and these other companies will help to deepen the market and make it more attractive to local and foreign investors,’’ he added.
Uwaleke said that the company’s plan to list was part of its understanding with the Federal Government over the huge fine imposed on it.
“MTN in 2016 had make known its plan to list on the NSE as part of an understanding it had with the federal government over a huge fine imposed on the company.
“The development led to the fine being slashed considerably by the government.
“The telecom giant had provided a caveat to the effect that whether or not it lists in 2017 would depend on market conditions.
“With the economy still in the woods, illegal charges and legal hurdles to grapple with, the company appears disposed to invoke the caveat as justification for putting off the planned listing till 2018,” Uwaleke said.
He noted that government should spare no effort to get MTN to list on the NSE in 2017, even if it entailed providing further fiscal incentives, in addition to the reduced fine.
Similarly, Malam Garba Kurfi, the Chief Executive Officer, APT Funds and Securities Ltd, said that Nigeria must not scare MTN away from the country with huge fines.
Kurfi said that the listing of MTN shares would attract other big companies to the exchange and at the same time deepen the depth of the market.
He stated that government should work toward listing all its privatised entities on the NSE, to boost activities and increase the number of tradable products.

Business

PENGASSAN Tasks Multinationals On Workers’ Salary Increase

Published

6 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has asked companies in the oil and gas sector to undertake urgent review of salaries of their workers in view of the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country.

Also, the pensioners of Chevron Nigeria, under the aegis PenCoN, have lauded the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo and his executive on their unrelenting efforts toward addressing pension abnormalities faced by retired workers in the oil and gas industry.

The association also appealed to the federal government to take necessary measures to check banditry and terrorist activities in parts of the country.

PENGASSAN President, Osifo who addressed journalists shortly after the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, at the weekend, said that though a lot of success has been recorded in negotiating salary reviews for its members, there are still organisations that have failed to lift their workers from the present harsh economic situation.

He said within this period, PENGASSAN has signed numerous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) which has brought smiles to the faces of its teeming members.

“This is because we recognise that our job, literally, is how to protect the job of our members, and how to enhance their pay,” he said.

Osifo said that operators in the oil and gas sectors always go for the best qualified professionals to carry out their operations.

“So, the same way they recruit the best, we also challenge them to provide the best condition of service and provide the best remuneration.

“Yes, today, a lot of companies will have achieved successes, but there are still few that we are still discussing at their CBAs, that we are not yet there.

“We still use this opportunity to call on these companies that are still foot dragging, that are still holding back, even with the massive devaluation that has occurred in our country, that still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members.

“We are calling on them to do the needful, because for us in PENGASSAN we will push without holding back. We will push, using everything in our arsenal, to ensure that the needful is done,” he said.

Osifo spoke of the dispute with the Dangote Refinery group, saying there are still pending issues to be resolved.

“Gentlemen of the press, during the networking session, we also looked at the issues that are plaguing some of our branches, and you know that recently, we had some challenges in Dangote Refinery and PetroChemicals Ltd.

“And within this period, since our last National Industrial Action, we have been engaging them in a lot of conversations, but the issues are not fully resolved. There are still a lot of pending issues.

“Yes, the NEC decided that, yes, let us still consummate that process by pushing those issues, by engaging in dialogue to resolve the issues, and by also engaging all our social partners and stakeholders to get the issues resolved,” he said.

Business

SEC Unveils Digital Regulatory Hub To Boost Oversight Across Financial Markets

Published

6 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched the Regulatory Hub, a new centralized digital platform designed to streamline collaboration, strengthen oversight, and improve transparency across Nigeria’s financial and capital market ecosystem.

The Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.

According to the commission, the platform connects key regulatory and security institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), enabling them to exchange information securely and in real time.

The launch of this regulatory hub comes ahead of the implementation of new tax laws in January 2026, with agencies such as the FIRS spreading its tentacles across sector to monitor compliance.

According to the SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, the launch marks a significant step toward modernizing Nigeria’s regulatory framework through technology.

“The Regulatory Hub is a major step in our commitment to leverage technology for stronger regulatory synergy. By connecting regulators on one platform, we are building resilience, enhancing market integrity, and promoting investor confidence,” he said.

The SEC said the platform would help reduce bottlenecks in regulatory processes and facilitate faster, more informed decision-making across agencies.

Reinforcing the DG’s comments, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, Bola Ajomale, highlighted the operational benefits of the new system.

“The platform will significantly improve the timeliness and quality of regulatory decision-making. It provides a single window for regulators to share data, respond to requests, and collaborate seamlessly in safeguarding our financial and capital markets,” he said.

The commission believes the Regulatory Hub would support its broader mandate to strengthen investor protection, enhance market stability, and harmonize regulatory activities across the financial sector.

It urged stakeholders to initiate interest by emailing the Commission, adding that once registered, participants would be able to access the Hub and take advantage of its features.

Business

NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products

Published

6 days ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing circulation of banned food products across markets in the country.

The agency, in a Press Release dated 6 December 2025, warned that these items including pasta, noodles, sugar and tomato paste are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are illegal to import.

NAFDAC stated that the sale and distribution of such prohibited items violate national trade laws, compromise the integrity of Nigeria’s food control system, and pose significant public health risks, as they have not undergone the agency’s mandatory safety and quality evaluations.

Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.

The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.

The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.

“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.

NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu