Business

CBN To Set Guidelines On Margin Lending

Published

14 years ago

February 15, 2010

Central Bank of Nigeria on Thursday said it would soon issue guidelines on margin lending to prevent the kind of reckless lending that contributed significantly to the crisis in the Nigerian banking sector.

The CBN Governor, Mr Lamido Sanusi, said, during a news conference that the sector entered a crisis situation, partly because the CBN, as the regulator, lacked both the capacity and will to supervise the banks.

Banks lost about N1m after the stock market bubble, fuelled by a lending spree to stockbrokers, bank subsidiaries and individuals for stock purchases, burst in 2008.

Citing examples of regulatory lapses, Sanusi said there had been no guideline on margin trading, adding that “for instance, the Financial Sector Regulatory Committee did not meet for three years and no one talked.

He observed that the major issues in sector centred around corporate governance, saying banks were controlled by their chief executive officers rather than the boards.

He said, there was no risk management framework, and there was lack of investor/consumer sophistication. People were buying bank’ stocks without knowing the reasons for doing so.

He added, when you have someone responsible for financial system stability or surveillance, who has never worked in a bank, it is difficult to expect him to now what makes the banks run.

Sanusi noted that the reforms in the sector were based on four pillars enhancing that quality of banks ensuring financial stability, ensuring good financial sector evolution and putting in place a system to ensure that the financial sector continued to contribute to the economy.

He said the financial market division of the CBN had been strengthened,adding that the apex bank was also working closely with the Ministry of Finance to ensure stability.

The CBN governor said the Asset Management Company, expected to take toxic assets off banks balance sheets, would take off with N1m when the bill was passed.

In his speech, the Minister of State for Finance, Mr Remi Babalola, said to initiate the kind of reforms embarked upon by the CBN governor required an unusual boldness and the kind of political zeal you don’t find in environments like this.

He also disclosed that the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation had alerted the Ministry of Finance of developments in the banking sector before the recent crisis.

The NDIC wrote to us to tell us that there were serious issues in the banking industry. They named specific banks and talked about the proportion of loan book in the capital market, he said, adding that in circumstances like this, discussions were stalled because the other regulator would not agree with the others position.

He, however, expressed the ministry’s full support for the banking reforms, saying that, we are committed to higher regulatory and supervisory standards in all segments of the financial services industry.

Our overall focus is economy. We will collaborate with the CBN to fast track the establishment of the AMC and ensure that we safeguard the banks.

We will give the CBN that governmental support it needs at any point in time without jeopardising confidence in the system. On his part, Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim said 89 NDIC examiners, in addition to those CBN, were currently in the 24 banks to re-ascertain the financials of the banks.

He also said the corporation had already set in motion, the process of reviewing its act to accommodate provisions that would enhance its effectiveness.

Business

Fuel Scarcity: IPMAN threatens shutdown over bridging claims

Published

17 hours ago

May 3, 2024

The Tide

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) Depot Chairmen Forum, has exonerated its members from the current fuel scarcity in the country.

According to IPMAN, this is caused by its inability to source petroleum products.

The IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum also threatened to withdraw its services over non-payment of N200 billion bridging claims by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to its members, since 2022.

Alhaji Yahaya Alhassan, the Chairman, of the Forum said this while briefing newsmen in Abuja, yesterday.

Alhassan said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) was the sole importer of the product, but the marketers could not source products from NNPC Ltd. deport, rather from the private depots at high rate.

“We cannot buy fuel from the private depots at N950 and transport the product from Lagos to the North and other parts of the country with N2 million and still sell it at N900 or N1, 000.

“It is expedient for us to state that we are more pained by the non-availability of petroleum products in the country, which has given rise to another round of untold hardship for Nigerians.

“Contrary to claims that IPMAN members are hoarding Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) known as fuel, we would like to categorically state that PMS scarcity is wholly triggered by inability to get fuel from NNPC and not IPMAN,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the NNPC Ltd. Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye said the disruption was due to logistical issues which had since been resolved.

“We currently have an availability of products exceeding 1.5 billion litres, which can last for at least 30 days. Unfortunately, we experienced a three-day disruption in distribution due to logistical issues, which has since been resolved.

“However, as you know, overcoming such disruptions typically requires double the amount of time to return to normal operations.

“Some folks are taking advantage of this situation to maximise profits. Thankfully, product scarcity has been minimal lately, but these folks might be exploiting the situation for unwarranted gain,’’ Soneye said.

He however, said the lines would clear out soon.

On the non-payment of bridging claims, the IPMAN forum said it was distressed and depressed by the laidback attitude of the NMDPRA towards the survival its member’s businesses, arising from its refusal in paying the claims.

“It is with deep frustration that we have assembled here today as the IPMAN Depot Chairmen Forum. It is also disheartening to note that some of our members have completely shut down businesses and retrenched employees.

“As businessmen and women, our members acquired bank loans to keep their fuel retail outlets running on a daily basis across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria in order to serve the teeming population of Nigerians,’’ Alhassan said.

He recalled that Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Oil), at a stakeholders meeting in February mandated the NMDPRA management to clear the entire debt in 40 days.

“However, today, we have crossed the 40 days’ time lapse given to the NMDPRA to clear the debt, and it is shameful to state that only the paltry sum of N13 billion has been paid, ignoring minister’s directive.

“We are not happy with the indiscriminate increment in the issuance and renewal of Sales and Storage Licence, by the NMDPRA, and the subsequent delays in acquiring the licence, which our members are recently subjected to.

“We are also calling on President Bola Tinubu to look into this unwholesome figure which is highly detrimental to our business and reverse it forthwith, as it is bound to impact negatively on the masses.

“We are poised to take far reaching decisions that may cripple the supply and sales of petroleum products across Nigeria if our demands are not met within the shortest period of time.

“We are collectively prepared to withdraw our services, shut down every single outlet, and suspend lifting of products forthwith till our demands are fully met, and the consequences will be terrible.

“We call on our members to however remain resolute and law abiding, even as we draw close to the immediate ultimatum for our demands to be met by the NMDPRA,’’ the chairman said.

Reacting to the IPMAN’s claims, the Acting Head, Corporate Communications, NMDPRA, Seiyefa Osanebi said the bridging claims payment was ongoing.

“The bridging claims payment is always an ongoing process,” she said.

Maritime

Shippers’ Council Registers 160 Port Operators

Published

5 days ago

April 29, 2024

The Tide

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) says it has registered 160 Port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, with the theme, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Represented by the Director, Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, Akutah emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
The Secretary said the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000, while some pay N50,000 and N100,000.
“The Council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface on reducing port charges from time to time”, Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Also speaking, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said “the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together”.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council’s responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory friction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we’re hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on defaulting operators”, Akujobi said.
Earlier, Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.

Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that there could be a window through which they can collect port charges collectively instead of indiscriminately.

By: Chinedu Wosu