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MAN Condemns World Bank’s Call for Nigeria PMS imports

MAN, described the April 2026 Nigeria Development Update (NDU) by the World Bank, as ” structurally flawed, counterproductive, and highly detrimental to Nigeria’s industrialization agenda

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The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) urged the Federal Government and the petroleum industry regulators to disregard the recent prescription by the World Bank that Nigeria should open its borders to imported Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to solve inflationary crisis.

In a position document titled ‘FUEL IMPORTATION PRESCRIPTION AS A RECIPE FOR DEINDUSTRIALISATION AND NATIONAL ECONOMIC RETROGRESSION,’ MAN, described the April 2026 Nigeria Development Update (NDU) by the World Bank, as ” structurally flawed, counterproductive, and highly detrimental to Nigeria’s industrialization agenda.”

Segun Ajayi – Kadir, its Director -General, noted that While we welcome the Bretton Woods institution’s clarification that national energy security is paramount in today’s volatile global climate, we reiterate our fundamental objection to the initial premise that reinstating petrol import licenses is a viable, long-term strategy to avert an inflation spike. It is not, and should not be considered as an option.

The Association emphasised that importation of PMS will undermine domestic refining capacity; contribute to the disruption of the foreign exchange market; disincentivize investment in and expansion of local refining, and truncate the relief that Nigerians have started to enjoy since the advent of Dangote Refinery and other local refineries.

Our Position

The World Bank’s report posited that the suspension of import licenses stifled competition, allowing domestic ex-depot prices to rise, thereby driving up inflation.

This analysis panders to short-term bias and does not take into account the following foundational macroeconomic realities of the Nigerian economy:

The FX Drain and the Major Driver of Inflation

Nigeria’s inflation is fundamentally cost-push and can be aggressively driven by exchange rate volatility.

Therefore, promoting PMS imports means returning to the era of fiercely competing for scarce foreign exchange (FX) to fund foreign refineries. Such depletion of FX depreciates the Naira further.

A weakened Naira spikes the cost of importing critical raw materials and machinery for domestic manufacturers, triggering a far bigger wave of inflation across all sectors of the economy than a temporary 12% differential in fuel pump prices.

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Business

Dangote Cement Shelves $18 billion Listing On LSE

Its shares will remain listed on the Nigerian Exchange, and the decision will not affect its operations or business plans.

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Dangote Cement Plc has abandoned plans for a secondary listing of $18 billion on the London Stock Exchange and preferring to keep its shares exclusively on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX).

The decision , according to the company is because the LSE has been struggling to attract major new listings as companies increasingly reconsider their presence on the UK bourse.

In May this year , Aliko Dangote said that he was holding early discussions about a potential London listing.

The move would have given the company access to a broader pool of international investors and additional sources of capital.

However, the company said on Tuesday that it had abandoned the plan, citing market conditions and strategic priorities. Its shares will remain listed on the Nigerian Exchange, and the decision will not affect its operations or business plans.

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I sold heavy weapons internationally – Orji Kalu

“Yes, so I stopped because my parents, my mother, my father came and said I must stop, and I stopped,” he said.

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The Senator representing Abia North, Orji Kalu, has disclosed that he previously engaged in the international trade of heavy weapons, selling arms to buyers in different countries before quitting the business at the insistence of his parents.

Kalu made the revelation during an interview on Arise Television on Monday, while discussing his business background and relationships with former and current South African leaders.

Asked whether he was an arms dealer, the former Abia State governor answered in the affirmative, saying he stopped after his parents intervened.

“Yes, so I stopped because my parents, my mother, my father came and said I must stop, and I stopped,” he said.

Asked whether he sold weapons to people who intended to use them to kill others, Kalu dismissed the suggestion, saying his motivation was to make money.

“No, no, no, no, no, no. I was selling guns to make money, whether they blow up it’s not my business,” he said

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Dividends: Airtel Africa To Pay Nigerian Shareholders USD N1,347.44 / Share

For London investors, the sterling equivalent was fixed at $1 to £0.7464

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Airtel Africa Plc says it will pay its 3.1 US cents interim dividend at a dollar-to-naira conversion rate of N1,347.44.

That translates to about N41.77 per qualifying share for Nigerian investors.

The company disclosed the rate in a notice filed with the Nigerian Exchange (NGX).

The interim dividend is 3.1 US cents per ordinary share, a 9.2% increase from the previous year’s payment.

The approved naira rate is about 7.5% lower than the N1,456 per dollar that applied to the corresponding 2025 interim dividend.

Both the naira and sterling conversion rates were derived from dollar exchange rates available on October 30, 2026.

For London investors, the sterling equivalent was fixed at $1 to £0.7464. That puts the payment at approximately 2.31 pence per share.

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