FOI: BudgIT tackles RMAFC over lawmakers’ 552% budget increase

Nigerian lawmakers’ flair for budgeting enormous funds for themselves without consideration for decaying infrastructure and ordinary Nigerians going through difficulties has again been highlighted as it moved from N23.3 billion in 2003 to N150 billion in 2014.     The increase, according to details released by transparency monitor outfit, BudgIT, represents a whopping 552 per cent within the period in view.     Meanwhile, Nigerian lawmakers are among the highest paid in the world. Last year, a Nigerian senator revealed that the legislators receive N14.25 million (over $40,000) monthly.  …

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Ray Power at 25: Akinfeleye tasks media on developmental journalism

As Nigeria’s first private radio station, Ray Power, marks its 25th anniversary, foremost Professor of Mass Communication, Prof. Ralph Akinfeleye, has advised the media to brace for developmental journalism by going deeper into the grassroots. He spoke at the weekend as the radio station played host to some prominent Nigerians including media personalities. The University of Lagos don, who is also a board member of Daar Communications Plc, said it was time journalists did less of political reporting by tilting towards reportage that will enhance peace and development. While commending…

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NNPC insists on October for decision on mega gas plant

  …as consortium wins $10bn NLNG Train-7 bid A joint venture consortium comprising Saipem, Chiyoda and Daewoo (SCD) on Wednesday emerged the preferred bidder for the $10 billion Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 project.   This came as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) insisted on the October target for the final investment decision on the gas mega plant.   The SCD consortium, the NLNG said, would be undertaking the engineering, procurement and construction project for the Train 7 project.   The gas giant announced the consortium in…

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Trump reverses course, seeks negative rates from Fed

U.S. President Donald Trump yesterday called on the “boneheads” at the Federal Reserve to push interest rates down into negative territory, a move reluctantly used by other world central banks to battle weak economic growth that risks punishing savers and banks’ earnings in the process.   Trump, in a pair of Twitter posts, said negative rates would save the government money on its debt, which including Social Security accounts has reached a record $22 trillion on Trump’s watch. He did not address the risks or financial market tensions that central…

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African Development Bank wins CIPS procurement award

  The African Development Bank (AfDB) has been recognised for procurement excellence by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), the world’s largest professional body for procurement and supply management professionals, with offices all over the world including Africa.     The bank was awarded a silver award at advanced standard level following the CIPS Procurement Excellence Programme, for having successfully developed  its corporate procurement processes from an operational focus to managerial and strategic, building performance, capability and value.   The bank is the first multilateral development bank in…

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QuickCheck launches new app to improve financial inclusion

  QuickCheck, an online banking and micro-lending platform that provides collateral-free loans, has launched a new app to improve financial inclusion among Nigerians.   It also educates borrowers about financial instruments and managing risky debts.   About 60 per cent of the country’s adult population remains financially excluded, lacks credit history and cannot access financial services such as quick and easy loans.   According to Luis Rodrigues, CTO, QuickCheck, this was addressed in 2017 as the company developed a solution to give Nigerians access to such loans anywhere and anytime,…

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CBN releases guidelines on treatment of BAs, CPs

  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday unveiled guidelines on the issuance and treatment of Bankers’ Acceptances (BAs) and Commercial Papers (CPs).   The move, the CBN said, was to ensure uniform practice and treatment of BAs and CPs by banks and discount houses in the country, which according to the apex bank, will “deepen and facilitate the effective and efficient functioning of the Nigerian money market.”   As defined by the CBN, a BA is a  “draft drawn on and accepted by a bank, unconditionally ordering payment of…

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Industrialist tasks FG on single digit interest rate

  Industrialists are seeking Federal Government’s interventions in ensuring availability of single-digit interest loans and tax reduction  for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) operators in the country.   These, they said, constituted some of the challenges confronting industrialists and job creation.   According to them, some of the challenges include high taxation, scarcity of cheap funds, obsolete technology, high electricity bill and delay in disbursement of funds to qualified SMEs.   These challenges, industrialists told the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, who was on an industrial visit…

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Welcome to Mondaq UK, the leading collection of expertise from business …

Mondaq UK Business Briefing provides global coverage of all legal analysis from reputable firms, registration is…   They are more ingrained in the local communities of Nigeria when it comes to telecommunications, and have agents scattered across numerous local governments in different states of the Federation. As a direct result of the already forged relationships in these parts, Telco financial service subsidiaries are likely to find it easier to engage the locals as Super-Agents or PSB’s, than the banks have.   This gives telcos a huge advantage in terms of…

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PwC: Mobile money eroding banks’ revenue

Despite the collaboration between telecom companies (telcos) and banks, a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has revealed that banks are on the losing end as a result of the mobile money platform’s success.   According to the survey, 80 per cent of 19 bank executives, who responded to the survey, confirmed that the mobile money platform had led to erosion of banks’ revenue generated from fees and fund transfers. The amount of revenue lost, though, was not stated.   What this essentially means is that monies that the banks used to…

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