Business
FG Appoints Zubair Acting SEC Boss
The Federal Government has announced the appointment of Dr Abdul Zubair as acting Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The commission’s Corporate Communications, Mrs Efe Ebelo said in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos yesterday that the appointment was with immediate effect.
Ebelo stated that the appointment followed the suspension of Mr Munir Gwarzo, the commission’s boss.
She assured the investing public and stakeholders, both local and international, of the commission’s commitment to ensuring uninterrupted and orderly operation of the market and regulation.
Until his appointment, Zubair was the Director in charge of External Relations in the commission.
Ebelo stated that the SEC would continue to ensure the stability of the Nigerian capital market and sustain the all-time high level of investors’ confidence.
She added that recent developments in the commission would not be allowed to disrupt its regulatory effectiveness and efficiency as statutory regulator of the capital market.
She assured that the market would run smoothly despite the development.
Ebelo said the commission patiently awaited the outcome of the assignment of the Administrative Panel of Inquiry set up by the Minister of Finance to investigate the allegations against the former boss.
She said that at no point would the management allow the operational independence of the commission to be compromised.
“This is strictly in line with the objectives and principles of securities regulations as set out by the International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), to which Nigeria is a signatory,” she said.
Ebelo said that the commission would continue to be faithful to its developmental mandates as enunciated in the Investments and Securities Act (ISA).
She added that SEC would ensure market efficiency, accountability and transparency and would proceed with all regulatory matters currently before it with.
She said the commission would do that with all sense of objectivity and fairness and with the best interest of investors.
She added: “in this regard the commission will make public its decisions on matters before it as promptly as such decisions are being arrived at.
“The role of the capital market in economic stability and growth cannot be over-emphasised, hence the commission will not at any time permit the abandonment of its regulatory and developmental responsibilities.”
It will be recalled that the Minister of Finance Mrs Kemi Adeosun, on November 29 suspended Gwarzo over allegations of financial impropriety.
Adeosun immediately set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the allegations.
She said that the suspension of Gwarzo was to allow for an unhindered investigation of several allegations of financial impropriety leveled against him.
She also suspended two other senior staff of the commission: Abdulsalam Naif Habu, Head of Media Division; and Anastasia Omozele Braimoh, Head of Legal Department.
The acting director-general is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received B.Sc. Economics, MBA, M.Sc. and PhD Business Administration degrees.
He also holds a PGD (Mathematics & Computer Science) and a PGD (Education) from other universities.
He has over 25-year cognate experience in the financial industry and the academia.
The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has criticised Nigeria’s import ban on 25 categories of goods, claiming that the restrictions limit market access for American exporters.
This is the effect of President Donald Trump’s tariffs introduction on goods entering the United States, with Nigeria facing a 14 per cent duty.
The USTR highlighted the impact of Nigeria’s import ban on various sectors, particularly agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
The restrictions affect items such as beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and alcoholic beverages, which the United States sees as significant barriers to trade.
The agency argues that these limitations reduce export opportunities for United States businesses and lead to lost revenue.
“Nigeria’s import ban on 25 different product categories impacts United States exporters, particularly in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and consumer goods.
“Restrictions on items like beef, pork, poultry, fruit juices, medicaments, and spirits limit United States market access and reduce export opportunities.
“These policies create significant trade barriers that lead to lost revenue for United States businesses looking to expand in the Nigerian market”, the agency said .
In 2016, Nigeria implemented the ban on these 25 items as part of efforts to control imports and stimulate local production.
Some of the banned items include poultry, pork, refined vegetable oil, sugar, cocoa products, spaghetti, beer, and certain medicines.
On March 26, 2025, the Federal Government also announced plans to halt solar panel imports to encourage local manufacturing as part of its push for clean energy.
A leading agribusiness strategist and digital agriculture expert, Ayo Oluwa Okediji, has sought cooperative-driven investments in sustaining growth of poultry industry in Nigeria.
He said the poultry industry was at a defining moment and requires urgent structural reforms to secure its future and ensure long-term sustainability.
Speaking on the theme, “Strengthening Poultry Farming Through Cooperative Synergy and Strategic Investments”, at the recently concluded Oyo Mega Poultry Workshop 2025 in Ibadan, Okediji called on poultry farmers, cooperative leaders, financial institutions and policy makers to rethink the existing structure of the poultry sector.
He stressed the need to transition from fragmented, individually-driven operations to well-structured, cooperative-led enterprises capable of attracting sustainable financing and securing long-term viability.
He said, “Our poultry sector cannot thrive on individual effort alone. We need to organise ourselves into cooperative clusters, build strong governance systems and position ourselves to attract the level of investment needed to sustain this industry beyond this generation.”
Drawing on lessons from successful global cooperative models such as Rabobank in the Netherlands and Landus Cooperative in the United States, Okediji introduced the FarmClusters Poultry Model, a locally adapted solution developed by Agribusiness Dynamics Technology Limited (AgDyna), a subsidiary of AgroInfoTech Africa.
According to him, the model is currently being piloted in Oyo State in partnership with PANOY Agribusiness Limited and local poultry cooperatives.
The Rivers State Representative of the Nigeria Chambers of Commerce, Mines, Industries and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Mr. Erasmus Chukwundah, has urged palm oil farmers to consider hybrid seedlings for planting, if they must break even in palm oil business.
Chukwundah said this recently at the Free Oil Palm Business Climate Smart Best Management Practice/Assistance Training organized by Partnership Initiative In Niger Delta (PIND) for Palm Oil Farmers in Elele, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The Rivers representative said until palm oil farmers begin to consider such hybrid oil palm seedlings, they may not meet up with the daily increasing demand of palm oil in the market.
According to him, the seedlings produce up to 30 bunches at once that ripen same time.
He said PIND decided to partner with Oil Palm Growers Association of Nigeria (OPGAN) to ensure that the message was received by the targeted audience.
According to him, palm oil remained a popular choice of industry operators as it could be converted to many other products such as vegetable cooking oil.
He also noted that products such as motor tyers, marine ropes and others are now gotten from the palm tree.
Chukwundah, who is the immediate past Director-General of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Mines, Industries, and Agriculture (PHCCIMA), further warned against use of unrecommended fertilisers in growing oil palms.
He noted that such practices could limit its export value or chances as the foreign marketers have a way of detecting such .
He reiterated the need for organic fertilizers, including poultry droppings, to enable them have a natural palm oil.
“People must reduce physical contact with palm oil production. That is why we are campaigning for hydrolic oil mills. The foreign markets are no longer interested in crude method of palm oil production”, he said.
Meanwhile, one of the farmers, Sonny Didia, who appreciated Chukwundah’s commitment towards the concern of farmers, appealed for an urgent need for loan opportunity with low interest rate in order to enable them beat the target.
King Onunwor