Business

MAN, NECA Seeks Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Intervention over Factories Shutdown by LASWARCO

Published

1 year ago

December 27, 2024

288 Views

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) is imploring the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to use his good office to order the immediate reopening of the closed factories of Nigerian Bottling Company, Friesland Campina, and Guinness Nigeria Plc by the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LASWARCO).

This is even as the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) condemned the regulatory actions by LASWARCO, warning that it is capable of scaring potential investors away from the state.

In an open message to Governor Sanwo-Olu today, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, the Director-General of MAN, said that the association is constrained to convey this open message to the Governor of Lagos State, as all attempts at approaching the relevant heads of agencies and ministry have failed.

He said: “MAN is appalled by the inauspicious act of sealing factories over their purported refusal to pay the astronomical and unjustifiable water abstraction fees imposed by the Commission.

This action is ill-timed and quite unfortunate, as the Commission and MAN had engaged in meaningful dialogue and reached some agreements over the lingering issue about three months ago.

This was expected to culminate in an MoU to commence in January 2025. Only three weeks ago, another round of discussions took place between LASWARCO and representatives of MAN, including the affected member companies, which led to ongoing discussions in the companies as to the most viable option for addressing the alleged outstanding payments from earlier contested fees.

It was while these discussions were going on and during the Yuletide that the Commission decided to cause this major and unwise shutdown of the companies.

It is important to properly situate this inappropriate action within the context of the prevailing inclement operating environment in general and the downturn in the manufacturing sector in particular.

A situation where industries are burdened with payments above N100 million for generating water for production purposes, in the face of the government’s failure to supply the same, is unfair.

The exorbitant fees and the untoward means of extracting payment exemplify the negative impact of the tyranny of regulation on private business.

To date, manufacturers across the country are saddled with more than N1.2 billion of unsold inventory, borrowing at more than 30 percent and struggling under a debilitating 250 percent increase in the cost of power.

Numerous taxes, fees, and levies by the three tiers of government and non-state actors in some cases, numbering between 60 to 120, confront each manufacturer, not to mention the disruption of production activities due to insecurity and the high cost of logistics.

There are more! So to add this oppressive water abstraction fee in Lagos state that may potentially be adopted by other States presents an ominous and rancorous future for manufacturers in particular and private businesses in general.

MAN, therefore, implores the Governor of Lagos state to use his good office to order the immediate reopening of the closed factories.

This will pave the way for a logical and passable conclusion of the ongoing conversations on how to permanently resolve the matter of outstanding fees, as well as conclude the impending MoU between the Water Commission and the Organised Private Sector.

This is more so that the private sector is currently awaiting the finalization of the text of the MoU from LASWARCO. We are full of expectations that immediate action is taken in the interest of the state’s economy and to forestall a possible degeneration in the already tense business atmosphere.

The possible loss of jobs and its attendant socioeconomic implications, as well as the negative signal to the investing public, should serve as a deterrent and encourage a business-friendly regulatory environment.”

NECA’s Director-General, Mr Adewale-Smatt Oyerinde, appealed to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to intervene in the matter to save businesses in Lagos from further woes.

The director-general emphasized that organized businesses are not against responsible regulations.

He, however, noted that in the quest for revenue generation, the LASWARCO and, indeed, all other regulatory agencies should adopt a more legitimate and civil approach rather than the predominant disruptive pattern of recent times.

“Those patterns are directly against the efforts of the Federal Government to attract investment, promote job creation, and facilitate responsible regulations,” Oyerinde said.

Oyerinde described the demand for unjustifiable multimillion sums as water abstraction levies from businesses that had already paid many other forms of taxes for the same activities they use the water for as unreasonable.

“May we reiterate that it is the responsibility of the government to provide water for its citizens and businesses,” he said.

He noted that the government was not currently fulfilling this noble responsibility. “

It will be highly insensitive, harsh, and punitive for the same government that has failed to adequately provide water to also impose punitive levies on businesses that are constrained to make investments in providing water to run their businesses,” he said.

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Business

CBN places suspicious BVNs on 24-hour watchlist

These provisions are set to take effect from 1 May 2026.

Published

1 day ago

March 13, 2026

OCHEFA

22 Views

Photo: Olayemi Cardoso , CBN Governor

To combat fraud, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has unveiled new regulations aimed at strengthening fraud control and digital banking security across the country.

These provisions are set to take effect from 1 May 2026.

In a circular issued to all banks, other financial institutions and payment service providers, the apex bank details amendments to the Revised Regulatory Framework for Bank Verification Number (BVN) operations and additional requirements for instant payment services.

Under the new BVN framework, financial institutions are required to maintain a temporary watchlist for BVNs implicated in suspected fraudulent transactions.Any BVN placed on this list will remain there for a maximum of 24 hours, during which the account holder will be contacted to provide clarification.

The circular also sets age restrictions for BVN enrolment, limiting registration to individuals 18 years and above, and restricts phone number amendments linked to BVNs to a single change.

Access to BVN databases will now be exclusively for CBN-licensed financial institutions, with the central bank retaining the right to grant access in extenuating circumstances under existing laws.

Business

Indorama, Nigerian Breweries and Genesis Power plan 45,000 tons rPET Plant in Lagos

The initiative aims to meet fast rising demand for recycled content, reduce plastic waste and create local value through improved collection systems.

Published

1 day ago

March 13, 2026

OCHEFA

23 Views

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, Nigerian Breweries Plc and Genesis Power and Energy Solutions Ltd have entered a strategic partnership to establish one of Africa’s largest state-of-the-art recycled PET (rPET) production facilities in Nigeria.

Located in Lagos, the site represents an investment to develop a facility capable of producing up to 45,000 tons of food grade rPET resin yearly, with start up targeted in the first half of 2027, a statement by the partners said.By converting post consumer PET bottles into high quality recycled material for packaging applications.

The initiative aims to meet fast rising demand for recycled content, reduce plastic waste and create local value through improved collection systems.

The project is expected to support recycling capacity in Nigeria, subject to regulatory approvals, technical validation and operational implementation.

Together, the partners aim to establish commercially viable rPET operations that enable responsible growth and long-term environmental impact.

Commenting on the landmark partnership, Executive President of Petchem and Chairman of ESG Council at Indorama Ventures, Yash Lohia, said: “This partnership marks a defining milestone in our global recycling journey. By establishing our largest recycling facility to date and one of the largest rPET sites in Africa, we are bringing Indorama Ventures’ global expertise, proven technologies and long-term vision for circularity to a region with immense growth potentials.

This investment reflects our belief that scaling sustainability solutions locally is essential to building resilient, sustainable packaging systems that deliver lasting environmental and economic value.”

Chairman and CEO of Genesis Energy, Akinwole II Omoboriowo, said: “This compelling initiative demonstrates Genesis’s commitment to deploying capital to climate-resilient investments by leveraging clean energy as a strategic nexus to advancing viable economic opportunities.

The investment is also a testament to how cross-sector partnerships can enable sustainable industrial development. By combining circular economy principles with resilient infrastructure and energy solutions, the initiative supports long-term environmental impact and local value creation.”

Business

CBN restricts mobile banking apps operation to one device

In the circular signed by the CBN’s Director of Payments System Policy Department, Musa Jimoh, said ” Implementation of the above provisions will take effect from July 1, 2026.”

Published

1 day ago

March 13, 2026

OCHEFA

25 Views

The Central Bank of Nigeria on Friday restricted the operation of mobile banking applications (apps) to one device.

This was contained in a circular to all banks and other financial institutions and payment service providers (PSP) announcing additional guidance for the operations of instant payments (IP) in Nigeria.

In the circular signed by the CBN’s Director of Payments System Policy Department, Musa Jimoh, said ” Implementation of the above provisions will take effect from July 1, 2026.”

The circular read: “The Central CBN in line with its mandate of promoting financial system stability hereby issues additional guidance for the operations of Instant Payments in Nigeria.

All Financial Institutions (FIs) offering Instant Payment (IP) shall provide the following additional functionalities: Mandatory device binding: Mobile financial services applications (apps) shall only be enabled on one device at a time, and customers cannot operate the apps concurrently on multiple devices.“Migration to another device shall trigger automatic re-activation and authentication.

“Customers shall have the option to opt-out of opt-in to IP service at any time and for any given period.

This process shall be subject to Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) control. Default setting shall be Opt-in upon on-boarding a new customer.

“In the opt-out mode, a customer shall not be able to carry out online instant transfer of funds (intra or inter) from his/her account to another customer.“

However, customers can physically visit the financial institution to effect transfer during this period.

“Voluntary Transaction Limit: Subject to the existing maximum limits of N25 million for individuals and N250 million for corporates, customers shall have the option to adjust the limits as needed.