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Capital Market Reacts To MPC Meeting Outcome

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10 years ago

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Trading at the Nigerian
Stock Exchange (NSE) yesterday closed on a downward trend as the market reacted negatively to the outcome of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that MPC, at its meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, kept benchmark interest rate at 11 per cent and fixed naira exchange rate at N197. MPC also held the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) for commercial banks at 20 per cent. NAN reports that market indicators, following the meeting, dropped by 0.55 per cent due to price losses by some blue chip equities. The market capitalisation shed N45 billion to close at N8.196 trillion against N8.241 trillion recorded on Monday. Similarly, the All-Share Index lost 131.56 points or 0.55 per cent to close at 23,832.08 against 23,963.64 posted on Monday. Alhaji Rasheed Yusuuf, the Managing Director, Trust Yield Securities Ltd., attributed the development to portfolio investors’ reaction to the Central Bank of Nigeria’s retention of naira exchange rate at N197. Yusuuf said that the foreign investors had been clamouring for naira devaluation. He attributed the market trend reversal to activities of portfolio investors that still remained in the market. NAN reports that Nestle topped the losers’ chart, dropping by N16.16 to close at N708.85 per share. Unilever came second with a loss of N2.05 to close at N39.04, while GlaxoSmithKline declined by N1.40 to close at N26.60 per share. Nigerian Breweries fell by N1.16 to close at N101.64, while Stanbic IBTC depreciated by 30k to close at N13 per share. On the other hand, Seplat led the gainers’ chart with N6.34, to close at N170.88 per share. 7UP followed with a gain of N6 to close at N196, while Cadbury gained N1.34 to close at N15.92 per share. Julius Berger improved by N1.10 to close at N43.10, while PZ chalked up 75k to close at N21 per share. Also, the volume of shares traded closed lower with an exchange of 142.85 million shares valued N1.64 million transacted in 3,298 deals. NAN reports that this was in contrast with 215.18 million shares worth N2.10 million exchanged in 3,853 deals on Monday. Zenith Bank, for the second consecutive day, remained the toast of investors, trading 17.82 million shares valued N216.11 million in 234 deals. GT Bank followed with 15.44 million shares worth N246.95 million traded in 282 deals, while FBN Holdings sold 14.51 million shares valued N59.90 million in 301 deals. UBA accounted for 10.22 million shares worth N30.46 million transacted in 125 deals, while Access Bank exchanged 10.12 million shares valued N41.62 million achieved in 109 deals.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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9 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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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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9 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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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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9 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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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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