Business
Nigerian Govt’s Policies Force Manufacturers To lay off 3,567 Workers Within Six Months of 2023 – MAN

▪︎Cover image: President Bola Tinubu
THE Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) says that unfavourable policies of the government forced some of its member companies to laidoff a total of 3,567 workers in the first half of 2023.
This indicated, 855 more job lost when compared with the 1, 709 job lost in corresponding half of 2022 and 850 more jobs lost when compared with 2. 708 jobs lost in the last half of 2022.
Based on this, the Association is requesting the Federal Government to conduct a comprehensive economic impact assessment of the fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate changes, and other policy measures.
“This assessment should identify potential challenges and opportunities for the private sector and inform further adjustments to the policies if necessary,” said SegunAjayi-Kadir, the Director-General of MAN.
He pointed to the Association’s latest sectoral Employment Survey results (January to June 2023) and said, ” employment generation of the manufacturing sector declined to 6, 428 in the first half of 2023.
This is an indication of 32.8 percent reduction in employment generation capacity when compared with 9559 jobs generated in the first half of 2022.
Also, the data showed a shed of 313 jobs when compared with 6, 741 jobs created in the second half of 2022.
The decline in the number of jobs created in the sector during the period further highlighted the unfriendly business environment resulting from the hasty policies and residual effect of the currency redesign policy that led to naira crunch.
A Struggling Sector
Segun Ajayi-Kadir, noted that the manufacturing sector faced myriad of challenges in the first half of 2023.
He said that the residual effects of the Naira redesign and the removal of fuel subsidy towards the end of the period under review triggers inflationary pressure, cost of transportation, cost of production and other macroeconomics imbalances, thereby worsened the purchasing power of the households.
Unsold Inventory of Finished Products
Consequently, he disclosed that the inventory of unsold finished products in the manufacturing sector saw a significant increase to N271.96 billion during the first half of 2023, as compared to N187.08 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2022.
” This indicates a substantial rise of N84.88 billion or 45.4 percent over this timeframe.
However, there was an N11.64 billion or 4.1 percent decline when compared with the inventory value of N283.6 billion recorded in the second half of 2022.
This increase in inventory can be attributed to a weakened purchasing power of the consumers, brought about by diminishing real household income resulting from the ongoing escalation of inflationary pressures, compounded by the scarcity of naira in the first quarter of the year and the aftermath of the subsidy removal,” he said.
Business
BREAKING: Dangote refinery Reduces petrol price from N880 to N840 per litre

….New rate takes effect from June 30.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has reduced the ex-depot price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, from N880 to N840 per litre.
Anthony Chiejina, the Spokesman for the Dangote Group, confirmed the price adjustment on Monday night.
Chiejina said the new rate took effect on June 30.
He said, “PMS price has been reduced from N880 to N840 per litre effective 30th June,.
Recall that Dangote refinery hiked the price of petrol to N880 as tension escalated during the 12-day crisis between Israel and Iran, raising the price of crude oil to almost $80 per barrel.
Also, marketers anticipated that there would be a new price regime from Monday.
Dangote’s partners like MRS, Heyden and AP are expected to adjust their pump prices soon.
Business
FG Suspends Implementation of Financial Reporting Council (Amendment) Act 2023
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, announced the decision in a release on Monday.

• Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole
The Federal Government has suspended the implementation of contentious provisions in the Financial Reporting Council (Amendment) Act 2023 following concerns raised by private sector stakeholders.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, announced the decision in a release on Monday.
She said that it followed a series of high-level consultations with key industry groups.
These include the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), and the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS).
At the heart of the concerns is the reclassification of large private companies as Public Interest Entities, requiring them to remit annual dues between 0.02 and 0.05 percent of turnover without a ceiling.
This is in contrast to the ₦25 million cap placed on publicly listed companies regardless of their size.
Stakeholders warned that the provision could increase compliance costs and hurt investor confidence.
But the minister said the policy was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s pro-business posture under the 8-Point Agenda and has responded with practical measures.
She explained that a stakeholder consultation was held on March 26, 2025, leading to an administrative pause and the formation of a Technical Working Group.
The group, she noted, comprised representatives from NECA, MAN, ALTON, NACCIMA, CAC, SEC, and others and held six meetings over three weeks that culminated in the submission of a comprehensive report on April 17, 2025.
“To provide immediate relief, the Ministry has now directed the Financial Reporting Council to impose an interim cap of ₦25 million on annual dues for private sector PIEs, aligning them with the publicly quoted companies.
Business
Dangote Refinery to plough back N1.7trn into economy
From August 15, Dangote will begin the direct delivery of petrol and diesel to filling stations, industrial facilities, and other high-volume consumers.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has earmarked to plough back N1.7 trillion gross annual savings from domestic fuel distributions into the economy.
In a statement, the company said that the daily distributions of 65 million litres of petrol, diesel and Jet AI and CNG nationwide would bolster the government’s presidential CNG initiative, and every key actors in the distributions value chains.
In a breakdown of the refinery’s benefits to all Nigerians, it emphasized that the familiar narrative of perennial fuel scarcity and adulterated fuel imports by marketers is being replaced by ” no more fuel scarcity, and consistent supply of high quality petroleum products from the refinery.
It added that the refinery’s operations will likely cut down the nation’s inflation from the current 33 percent to 23 percent, while pushing the GDP growth rate from 2 percent to 3.4 percent.
Regarding the over N720 billion it was investing on deploying 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas-powered trucks for the nationwide distribution of petroleum products, the company said that it will significantly benefit over 42 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by reducing energy costs and enhancing profitability.
The initiative, which eliminates transportation costs for fuel marketers and large-scale consumers, is expected to help reduce pump prices and inflation.
From August 15, Dangote will begin the direct delivery of petrol and diesel to filling stations, industrial facilities, and other high-volume consumers, the company said.
According to the statement from the refinery, it aims to meet Nigeria’s daily consumption of 65 million litres of refined petroleum products.
This includes 45 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or petrol, 15 million litres of diesel, and 5 million litres of aviation fuel.
The initiative is also expected to resuscitate dormant filling stations, fostering job creation in the process.
Over 15,000 direct jobs are projected to be created across the logistics chain, including drivers, station managers, and attendants at the CNG stations.
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