Business
Petrol Price Hike: Job Losses Top Private Sector’s Worry

The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI, and Nigerian Employers Consultative Association, NECA, among others, yesterday expressed concern over the impact of the latest petrol price increase on jobs and the economy.
Reacting to the latest price hike, the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, and the Organized Private Sector, OPS, expressed concerns over it, decrying its potential impact on businesses and consumers across the country.
In a statement, the National President of NACCIMA, Dele Kelvin Oye, called on the Federal Government to engage in constructive dialogue with relevant stakeholders, including the organized private sector and labour unions to address the concerns raised about the price increase and its potential effects on the economy.
The statement reads: “The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, NACCIMA, expresses its concerns over the recent increase in the pump price of petrol to over N800 per litre at NNPC filling stations across the country.
“While we understand the complex factors that can influence fuel prices, such as global oil market dynamics and exchange rate fluctuations, we are troubled by the lack of prior notice and clear explanations provided by the government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, regarding this development.
“The timing of this price hike is particularly concerning as it has the potential to further exacerbate the impact on businesses and consumers, especially the vulnerable segments of the population and those on fixed incomes, who are still adjusting to the recent increase in the national minimum wage.”
According to Oye, “NACCIMA calls on government and NNPC to engage in constructive dialogue with relevant stakeholders, including the organized private sector and labour unions, to address concerns raised about this price increase and its potential effects on the economy.
“We are particularly interested in understanding the reported conditions that may have been agreed upon during the minimum wage negotiations, and how the current development aligns with those understandings. Maintaining trust and credibility in the government’s economic policies is crucial for fostering a conducive business environment and promoting inclusive growth.
The Director -General of LCCI, Dr Chinyere Almona, said: “The impact on businesses will be severe, with fuel prices affecting supply and logistics, power generation, transportation, and factory operations.
The cost of doing business will skyrocket, prices of goods will rise, and some firms may shut down due to low demand in the face of weakening consumer purchasing power. Of course, this will be followed by job losses.
LCCI advocates for a more sustainable approach. Supporting the development of additional local refineries to process our crude for local consumption and potential export across Africa is the way forward. This long-term strategy is crucial for the stability and growth of our economy.”
On its part, the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, faulted the new price, saying it will inflict more pain on Nigerians and contribute to the increase in the cost of doing business.
The Director-General of NECA, Wale-Smatt Oyerinde, also reacted and pleaded with the government to rethink and do all that is necessary to address the continuous impoverishment of Nigerians and incapacitation of organized businesses.
He said “The new pump price of petrol is not only worrisome but also unfair. We had expected that the Government would leverage the momentum created by the completion of the Dangote refinery and the planned commencement of operation of the Port-Harcourt refinery to clear the obvious self-inflicted pain on Nigerians and progressively reduce the pump price of petrol. This seems not to be the case.
“This new pump price could be seen as making Nigerians pay for the crass inefficiency in the NNPC. Rather than address the fundamentals that have made Nigeria a net importer of petrol, even when we have four refineries, the Government continues to inflict pain on Nigerians and inadvertently, contributing to the increase in the cost of doing business.
“We urge that Government should have a rethink and do all that is necessary to address the continuous impoverishment of Nigerians and incapacitation of organized businesses.”
Business
Senate Constitutes Abdullahi Yahaya Tax Harmonisation Committee
Altogether, the four Tax Reform bills were Executive Bills transmitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the two chambers of the National Assembly in November last year.

The Senate on Thursday constituted a committee saddled with the responsibility of harmonizing its amendments to the tax reform bills with the House of Representatives version for final transmission to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced this during plenary after the passage of the bills.
Akpabio named senator Abdullahi Yahaya (Kebbi North) as chairman of the committee.
The members of the committee as announced by the Senate President are Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), Chief Whip, Tahir Mongumo (APC, Borno North), Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), and Solomon Adeola (APC, Ogun West).
Earlier, the remaining two Tax Reform Bills — the Nigeria Tax Bill 2025 and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill, 2025.
This was in addition to passage of the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, 2025, and the Nigerian Tax Administration Bill, 2025.
Altogether, the four Tax Reform bills were Executive Bills transmitted by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the two chambers of the National Assembly in November last year.
The passage of the bills was sequel to the consideration and adoption of a report of the Senate Committee on Finance presented by its Chairman, Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East).
Business
Meta’s Exit to Throw 20 million Nigerian MSMEs Out of Business
The Global System for Mobile Communications Association reported that Nigerian MSMEs rely heavily on Facebook and Instagram for sales, customer engagement, and brand visibility.

A Digital Marketing Consultant at EssenceMediacom, Olayinka Shobola, believes that a shutdown of Facebook and Instagram operations in Nigeria would deal a serious blow to Nigeria’s digital economy, especially millions of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The Global System for Mobile Communications Association reported that Nigerian MSMEs rely heavily on Facebook and Instagram for sales, customer engagement, and brand visibility.
“Meta Platforms’ threat to halt operations in Nigeria could devastate 56 percent of the nation’s 39.6 players in the information technology space,” Shobola said, stressing that such an exit would erode tax revenues and force businesses to seek costly alternatives, as a $290 million fine dispute with regulators intensifies.
“Businesses that built their brands on Meta’s platforms would face immediate challenges.
The platforms have become essential tools for business survival and growth in Africa’s largest economy, where SMEs contribute nearly 50 per cent to GDP and represent more than 96 per cent of registered businesses.
“Most likely affected businesses will pivot to platforms like X or TikTok for short-term survival, but long-term, they’ll need to invest in standalone e-commerce or offline channels,” Shobola said.
“Jobs will take a hit; marketers, influencers, and agencies will lose contracts overnight.”
Statista forecasts a $148.2m social media ad market in 2025, with Facebook commanding up to $120m, driven by 38 million ad-reachable users.“My shop practically lives on these platforms, especially Instagram,” Lagos-based baker Fatima Tunde said. “If it’s gone, I’m out of business.”
Business
UAE Invests in $25bn African- Atlantic Gas Pipeline
The gas pipeline will connect Nigeria’s gas network with Morocco’s southern city of Dakhla and then go northward toward Europe.

•Gas pipelines
Morocco’s Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Leila Benali, said that the UAE is now one of the supporters of the Nigeria to Morocco gas pipeline project, which is estimated to cost $25 billion.
“The project now called the “African-Atlantic Gas Pipeline”, has won the support of IDB, OPEC Fund, EIB and the UAE,” Benali told Nigerian lawmakers, this week.
Benali also said that Morocco has finished all the feasibility and engineering studies needed for the pipeline.
Moroccan industry experts said that the project has already passed the feasibility study and Front End Engineering Design stages.
The gas pipeline will connect Nigeria’s gas network with Morocco’s southern city of Dakhla and then go northward toward Europe.
The line will pass through 15 African countries, boosting trade, development, and access to electricity in the region.
In Phase One, it will link Morocco to gas fields near Senegal and Mauritania, and connect Ghana to the Ivory Coast.
Phase Two will link Nigeria to Ghana, while Phase Three will connect the Ivory Coast to Senegal.
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