Business

FG Gives Traders One Month To Crash Prices

Published

1 year ago

August 29, 2024

Editor

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has given a one-month moratorium to traders and other market stakeholders involved in exploitative pricing to crash the prices of goods.

The newly appointed Executive Vice Chairman of the FCCPC, Mr Tunji Bello, said this at a one-day stakeholders engagement on exploitative pricing on Thursday in Abuja.

According to Bello, the commission will begin enforcement after the moratorium.

He said that the meeting was to address the growing trend of unreasonable pricing of consumer goods and services and the unwholesome practice of market associations.

Bello described the commission’s finding that a fruit blender known as Ninja was being sold at a popular supermarket in Texas for 89 dollars (N140,000.00) but the same product was displayed for N944,999.00 in a supermarket in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Bello wondered about the basis for the arbitrary hike in the price of the blender compared to the Texas, United States of America.

He said the unwholesome practices including price fixing were threatening the stability of the economy.

”Under Section 155, violators whether individuals or corporate entities face severe penalties including substantial fines and imprisonment if found guilty by the court.

”This is intended to deter all parties involved in such illicit activities. However, our approach today is not punitive. I, therefore, call on all stakeholders to embrace the spirit of patriotism and cooperation.

”It is in this spirit that we are giving a moratorium of one month (September) before the commission will start firm enforcement, ” he said.

Bello said the government was aware of most of the problems raised by the market stakeholders.

”We have heard and you have genuine issues and the government has the responsibility to address the problems but generally, let us talk to ourselves too.

”There are also gang-ups to exploit consumers by traders,” he said.

Some of the market stakeholders who spoke at the engagement said that the high cost of transportation, insecurity, and multiple taxation among others were reasons for the continuous increase in prices of goods and services.

The Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Traders, FCT Chapter, Ifeanyi Okonkwo, said that charges on imported goods at the Ports also contributed to the hike in prices.

Okonkwo appealed to the Commission to set up a task force and involve the association in its enforcement.

Mr Emmanuel Odugwu from Kugbo Spare Parts market said the initial cost of transportation of a trailer load of tyres from Lagos to Abuja was N450,000 but now, it costs over one million nairas to transport the same.

The Liaison Manager, Flour Mills, Ms Kemi Ashiri, said that fines by regulators needed to be harmonised for businesses to thrive.

Ikenna Ubaka, who spoke on behalf of supermarket owners, alleged that banks’ interest rates to them were over 30 per cent, rent increments and hikes in prices by distribution/ supply chains were reasons for the high cost of goods.

Ubaka also alleged that electricity distribution companies were charging supermarkets exorbitantly.

Mr Solomon Ukeme who represented Master Bakers Association, said that the rapid increment of major ingredients like flour, sugar, and butter contributed to the high cost of confectioneries.

He said that a bag of flour formally sold for N34,000 was now being sold for N74,000.

He said that multiple taxation was also the major cause of the high cost of bread.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that various market associations also attended the engagement.

NAN

Business

Okonjo-Iweala Reveals How Nigeria Can Dominate AfCFTA

Published

7 hours ago

September 23, 2025

Editor

The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, says Nigeria has what it takes to lead Africa’s new era of trade if it tackles high logistics costs, develops efficient payment systems, and invests in value addition.

Okonjo-Iweala, who was speaking on the sidelines of the WTO Public Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, said Nigeria and other African economies must speed up the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, and build stronger infrastructure to unlock billions of dollars in opportunities in manufacturing, services, and digital trade.

“The AfCFTA is a great step, but Africa trades only about 15–20 percent within itself — far below the European Union, EU’s 60 percent. We (Nigeria) need to speed up implementation so Africans trade more with each other.

“Take Lesotho: it exports around $200 million worth of textiles (jeans, etc.) to the U.S. — about 10 percent of its GDP — while Africa imports $7 billion of similar goods. Why not absorb Lesotho’s products within Africa? To unlock intra-African trade, we (Nigeria) need efficient payment systems (Afreximbank and others are working on this), better infrastructure and lower trade costs. It shouldn’t take longer to ship goods from Cape Town to Lagos than from China to Lagos.

“With critical minerals, energy, and new supply chains, plus opportunities in services and digital trade, there’s huge potential — if we invest in connectivity and implementation,” she said.

The former Nigeria’s Minister of Finance also cautioned that negative narratives about global commerce risk overshadowing recent successes achieved through multilateral cooperation.

Business

French Media Giant Canal+ Takes Over S.Africa’s Multichoice

Published

1 day ago

September 22, 2025

Editor

French media giant Canal+ said Monday it had taken effective control of South African television and streaming company MultiChoice, creating a group present in nearly 70 countries in Africa, Europe and Asia.

The companies said in a joint statement that the combined group will have a workforce of 17,000 employees and serve more than 40 million subscribers.

The acquisition is “the largest transaction ever undertaken” by Canal+, the statement said.

Canal+, which is already the sector’s leader in French-speaking African countries, now controls what it described as the leader in the continent’s English- and Portuguese-speaking regions.

“This acquisition allows us to strengthen our position as a leader in Africa, one of the most dynamic pay-TV markets in the world,” Canal+ chief executive Maxime Saada said in the statement.

The buyout was given a final green light by South Africa’s competition authority in late July, more than a year after Canal+ launched its bid.

Canal+ offered 125 rand ($7.2) per share for MultiChoice when it launched its offer last year, valuing the South African firm at around $3.0 billion.

Canal+ is present in 25 African countries through 16 subsidiaries and has eight million subscribers.

MultiChoice operates in 50 countries across sub-Saharan Africa and has 14.5 million subscribers.

It includes Africa’s premier sports broadcaster, SuperSport, and the DStv satellite television service.

AFP

Business

BREAKING: Nigeria’s GDP Grows By 4.23% In Q2 2025 – NBS

Published

2 days ago

September 22, 2025

Editor

Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.23 per cent (year-on-year) in the second quarter of 2025, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed in its Q2 2025 GDP Report.

According to the report released on Monday on its website, the figure shows a significant improvement compared to 3.48 per cent recorded in the second quarter of 2024 and the 3.13 per cent recorded in Q1 2025.

The figures signal a strengthening economy, driven by recent rebasing, rebound in oil production and a resilient non-oil sector.

The report said, “Following the rebasing of the Gross Domestic Product using 2019 as the base year, previous quarterly GDP estimates were benchmarked to the rebased annual estimates to align the old series with the new rebased estimates

“This procedure provided a new quarterly GDP series, which is compared to the 2025 second quarter estimates. Gross Domestic Product grew by 4.23% (year-on-year) in real terms in the second quarter of 2025.

“This growth rate is higher than the 3.48 per cent recorded in the second quarter of 2024. During the quarter under review, agriculture grew by 2.82%, an improvement from the 2.60% recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2024.

According to NBS, “The growth of the industry sector stood at 7.45% from 3.72% recorded in the second quarter of 2024, while the Services sector recorded a growth of 3.94% from 3.83% in the same quarter of 2024.”

The report said in terms of share of the GDP, “the Industry sector contributed more to the aggregate GDP in the second quarter of 2025 at 17.31% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2024 at 16.79%.”

It added, “In the quarter under review, aggregate GDP at basic price stood at N100,730,501.10 million in nominal terms. This performance is higher when compared to the second quarter of 2024, which recorded an aggregate GDP of N84,484,878.46 million, indicating a year-on-year nominal growth of 19.23%.”

Details later…