Business
FG inaugurate collaborative task team on overtime cargoes at ports
The Federal Government has inaugurated a collaborative task team of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Ministry of Transportation, saddled with responsibility of addressing lingering issues of overtime cargoes at the national seaports and terminals while also proffering best-case situations on how the cargoes can be cleared.
While inaugurating members of the task team in Abuja, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation and Chairperson of the Committee, Dr Magdalene Ajani, said the inability to clear overtime cargoes at the ports and terminals had affected the number of cargoes that can be handled due to limitation of space.
Also, Ajani observed that this has resulted in a drastic drop in the volume of cargo coming into the country, adding that the reduction in cargoes has ultimately affected Internally Generated Revenue which is now lost to the neighbouring countries, while explaining that the clearing of overtime cargoes should not be confined to the Ikorodu Lighter Terminal, Lagos Port Complex, and TinCan Island Port Complex but all other ports and terminals within the country.
On the composition of the task team, Ajani said, ”It was a result of a series of meetings between the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo and the Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, and the Permanent Secretary, FMT, Dr Magdalene Ajani.”
Ajani, in a statement by the Director, Press and Public Relations of the ministry, Henshaw Ogubike, called on the task team to bring their professionalism to bear in the discharge of the onerous task.
Ajani, while reading the “Terms of Reference” said the team work includes but not limited to confirming the inventory of submission by the NPA on the actual number of overtime cargo in the ports and other locations; conducting a joint examination of all such cargo to determine contents suitable for use or consumption; providing a list separating goods for disposal by public auction and those to be deposed by condemnation/destruction.
“Others include gazetting all cargoes identified as overtime for disposal; determining the methodology for public auctioning at various ports/locations; determining the recoverability of part of the Terminal Operator’s revenue arising from long occupation of economic spaces and transfer charges; ensuring that the process is in conformity with applicable customs practices and any other task that may arise in the cause of the assignment.”
Responding on behalf of the team, Comptroller Adekunle Oloyede of the NCS, assured that the task team is a one-stop shop that will certainly unravel the overtime cargo challenge.
The task team is expected to submit its report within eight weeks.
Business
Dangote Refinery’s IPO Ends Tomorrow
“The level of investor interest reflects growing confidence in our business and in the strong financial results we have delivered,” the company said.
[File photo] Opening ceremony of Dangote Refinery’s IPO on the NGX, September 14,2026
Dangote Petroleum Refinery & Petrochemicals has confirmed that its Initial Public Offering (IPO) will close on Tuesday, 27 October 2026 as scheduled, with no extension.
In a statement, the management said that the IPO has become a historic ownership moment, an opportunity for Africans at home and abroad to own a stake in one of the continent’s most strategic industrial assets.
“Investors recognise that this refinery is not merely an energy asset. It is a platform for industrial growth, foreign-exchange generation, regional trade, energy security and economic development across Africa,” management said.
The offer was structured to ensure ordinary investors participate alongside institutions, broadening ownership of the world-class asset.
“The level of investor interest reflects growing confidence in our business and in the strong financial results we have delivered,” the company said.
Business
Dangote Visit London Stock Exchange Ahead of November Cement Listing
Unlike an initial public offering, a secondary listing would let Dangote Cement, already listed on the Nigerian Exchange, set up an additional presence in London.
Aliko Dangote visited the London Stock Exchange on Friday, October 23, 2026, as Dangote Cement Plc prepares a proposed $1 billion share sale and a secondary listing in the United Kingdom.
The company is reportedly targeting November 2026 for the listing, subject to market conditions and regulatory approval.
A video circulating on social media captured the visit, with exchange officials and attendees welcoming Africa’s richest man.
The trip is part of efforts to pull international investment into his business empire.
The proposed deal could see Dangote Cement offer about 10% of its equity to international investors, potentially raising roughly $1 billion.
The final timetable is not fixed and remains subject to market conditions and regulatory requirements.
Unlike an initial public offering, a secondary listing would let Dangote Cement, already listed on the Nigerian Exchange, set up an additional presence in London.
That could raise the company’s visibility with international institutional investors, including pension funds, asset managers and other investment firms.
The share sale has not been completed. Its final structure, valuation and pricing are still subject to confirmation.
Business
Olagunju to head JPMorgan’s Proposed Nigerian Merchant Bank
The proposed bank would expand JPMorgan’s presence beyond its representative office in Lagos. It could undertake a broader range of regulated banking activities after securing a final licence.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has granted JPMorgan approval-in-principle to establish a merchant bank in Nigeria.
The regulator also approved Adedapo Adedayo Olagunju as Managing Director of the proposed JPMorgan Merchant Bank Nigeria Limited.
The approval came on Friday, October 23, 2026. The bank has not received its final operating licence.
Olagunju has led JPMorgan’s West African operations since 2018.
He is an Oxford-trained banker with more than two decades of experience in treasury management, financial markets, institutional banking and structured finance.
His appointment puts him in line to head the American bank’s proposed Nigerian merchant bank once final licensing is completed.
The CBN also approved four non-executive directors and three independent non-executive directors for the proposed institution.
The proposed bank would expand JPMorgan’s presence beyond its representative office in Lagos. It could undertake a broader range of regulated banking activities after securing a final licence.
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