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‘Why Investors Are Interested In Bonds’

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14 years ago

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Some capital market operators have said investors sustained interest in government bonds was due to near stagnation in the prices of listed equities on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

Our correspondent reports that 166.3 per cent rise in the turnover of government bonds last week confirmed investors’ new investment preference.

An analysis of investment pattern in the week under review indicated that investors bought 124.96 million units of the government bonds.

This was against the 75.16 million units sold at the Over the Counter (OTC) market.

The Vice-Chairman, Association of Stock Broking Houses of Nigerian, Mr Emeka Madubuike, tattributed the development to the government shoring of the new bonds coupon rate to match prevailing interest rates.

Madubuike said that the interest rates hike coupled with the uncertainty in the equity market made the fixed income market a natural attraction.

He said that the rebound of the capital market and investors’ confidence would only be visible, if the fiscal policy complemented the monetary policies.

Mr David Adonri, a dealer with Lambeth Trust and Investment Ltd., said that huge losses suffered by investors in the listed stocks compelled them to seek comfort and safety in fixed income securities.

Adonri said that the recent increase in Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) drove the marginal rates on Treasury bill to over 16 per cent and increased yield on bond.

The dealer said that the provoked high returns in fixed income challenged institutional investors to maximise the new monetary policy and engage in financial assets swapping.

He said that the nation’s financial market would experience equilibrium when earnings yield in equities competed favourable with average yield on bonds.

Adonri also projected that the prices of listed equities would continue to fall till there was near convergence in yields of both markets.

Mr Solomon Kugbe, another dealer with Marriot Securities and Investment, said that the new investment preference by investors was a function of their recent experiences in the Nigerian capital market.

Kugbe said that the safety net of the Federal Government bond stemmed from the inherent cover in the nation’s sovereignty.

He said that large scale transaction of the government bonds on the stock exchange market would re-create market based liquidity, confidence and stimulate investment synergy between the debt and the equity market.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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21 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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22 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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22 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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