Business
Court Battles Stalling Huaxin Takeover of Lafarge Cement
The suit was instituted by Strategic Consultancy Ltd, a Nigerian firm and shareholder in Lafarge Africa, seeking to halt what it called the “surreptitious” divestment of Lafarge’s 83.81 percent stake by the Holcim Group—a Swiss multinational and Lafarge’s parent company.
Justice Lewis Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered parties in the ongoing legal dispute over the sale of Lafarge Africa Plc to Chinese firm Huaxin Cement Ltd to maintain the status quo pending the outcome of an appeal.
The order followed the filing of a Notice of Appeal by Lafarge Africa, challenging the court’s earlier decision that dismissed its objection to jurisdiction.
The suit was instituted by Strategic Consultancy Ltd, a Nigerian firm and shareholder in Lafarge Africa, seeking to halt what it called the “surreptitious” divestment of Lafarge’s 83.81 percent stake by the Holcim Group—a Swiss multinational and Lafarge’s parent company.
Strategic Consultancy is asking the court to determine whether the transaction violates Nigerian corporate and investment laws, including the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Act, and the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) Act—particularly in relation to minority shareholder rights and foreign ownership regulations.
During the proceedings, Lafarge Africa’s counsel, Mr. Babatunde Fagbohunlu, SAN, informed the court that the appeal had already been filed, and that records of proceedings had been transmitted to the Court of Appeal, along with an application for a stay of proceedings.
(ThisDay)
Business
Reps summon Dangote and NMDPRA over fuel imports feud
The lawmakers have formally invited both parties to provide detailed explanations, stressing that only a full understanding of the issues will allow the National Assembly to broker lasting solutions.
The House of Representatives Joint Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream and Midstream) has intervened to halt rising tensions between the Dangote Refinery group and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The joint committee on Monday summoned Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the NMDPRA leadership to present their grievances before the committee, while both sides are ordered to cease all media hostilities pending a swift investigation.
The committees, jointly led by Hon. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and Hon. Henry Okogie, convened an emergency meeting to address what they described as “growing tension” threatening the stability of the downstream petroleum sector.
Ugochinyere said that the intervention was necessary to prevent further escalation at a critical time when government and industry stakeholders are working to stabilise supply, pricing, and regulation in the post-subsidy era.
“The renewed tension in the downstream sector, stemming from allegations by Alhaji Aliko Dangote against the NMDPRA, demanded urgent attention,” he said.
“The committee is committed to protecting the stability achieved in the sector.”
The lawmakers have formally invited both parties to provide detailed explanations, stressing that only a full understanding of the issues will allow the National Assembly to broker lasting solutions.
Business
Dangote appoints ex-CBN director Mahmud Hassan, as chief economist
In his new role, Hassan will serve as the Group’s top adviser on economic strategy, market trends, and policy implications, reporting directly to the President of the Group, Aliko Dangote.
The Dangote Group has appointed renowned economist and former Central Bank of Nigeria Director, Dr Mahmud Hassan, as its Group Chief Economist.
In a statement released on Monday, the Group said the appointment would strengthen its economic advisory capacity at a time of heightened global and domestic market volatility.
In his new role, Hassan will serve as the Group’s top adviser on economic strategy, market trends, and policy implications, reporting directly to the President of the Group, Aliko Dangote.
Dangote Group said Hassan brings more than 30 years of experience in economic policy formulation, financial sector regulation, and central banking to his new role.
During his long career at the CBN, he held several senior positions, including Director of the Trade and Exchange Department and Director of the Monetary Policy Department.
He also served as Secretary to the Monetary Policy Committee and as Special Assistant on Economic Policy and Research to the CBN Governor
Business
NBS says rebasing behind inflation’s dropping
NBS, in the report published on its website on Monday, headline inflation further declined to 14.45 percent compared with 16.05 percent recorded in October 2025.
The National Bureau of Statistics (nbs) attributes the droppings in headline inflation to the rebasing exercise it carried out five months ago, with the new base year set at 2024 instead of 2009.
NBS, in the report published on its website on Monday, headline inflation further declined to 14.45 percent compared with 16.05 percent recorded in October 2025.
NBS said that the Consumer Price Index rose to 130.5 points in November 2025 from 128.9 points in October, reflecting a 1.6-point increase from the preceding month (128.9).“
Looking at the movement, the November 2025 Headline inflation rate showed a decrease of 1.6 per cent compared to the October 2025 Headline inflation rate,” the NBS report read.
On a month-on-month basis, headline inflation stood at 1.22 per cent in November, higher than the 0.93 per cent recorded in October, indicating that average prices still increased at a faster pace during the month despite the moderation in annual inflation.
The statistical agency noted that on a year-on-year basis, headline inflation in November 2025 was 20.15 percentage points lower than the 34.60 per cent recorded in November 2024, largely reflecting the effect of the rebasing exercise, with the new base year set at 2024 instead of 2009.
Data from the report showed that the average CPI for the twelve months ending November 2025 increased by 20.41 per cent compared with the average of the preceding twelve months, representing a sharp slowdown from the 32.77 per cent recorded in November 2024.
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