Business
NBS, Former Statistician-general Differ On 4.1% Unemployment Rate

The National Bureau of Statistics and former statistician-general Dr Yemi Kale clashed over the recently released 4.1 per cent unemployment rate.
Recall that the NBS on Thursday last week said the unemployment rate for the first quarter of 2023 stood at 4.1 per cent with the revised methodology.
Reacting to the figure in an interview on Arise Television on Monday, Kale faulted the methodology used by the NBS to generate the latest unemployment data.
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He stated that the income generated from 20 hours of work in Nigeria would equate to that made from working one hour in the US.
Kale noted that the importance of data is to give policymakers tools to solve problems.
“The 20 hours(old methodology) was decided on because it was agreed that if you work for that duration, you might be able to generate enough income that equates to what working one hour in the US is. Then you have a bit more comparison.
“But policymakers can’t use it, and I must repeat that the most important use of data is to provide information for policy, not for international comparison. International comparison is good,” he said.
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But, in a statement responding to Kale, the Head of the Communications and Public Relations Department of the National Bureau of Statistics, Wakili Ibrahim, said the new methodology aligned with international standards.
“The new methodology is internationally accepted. All our neighbouring countries in Africa are using the new methodology of one hour”, he said.
In the 2020 second quarter, NBS unemployment in Nigeria was 33.3 per cent.
Business
Report Any MRS Filling Stations Selling Fuel Above N739 Per Liter — Dangote Refinery To Nigerians

Dangote Refinery has urged Nigerians to report any MRS filling station outlets nationwide selling fuel above the N739 per liter announced price.
The company disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
The refinery insisted that its petrol being at retail outlets remain N739 per liter while the gantry price is N699.
It further called on other filling station owners to patronize its refined petroleum products at the N699 rate.
“We also call on other petrol station operators to patronize our products so that the benefits of this price reduction can be passed on to Nigerians across all outlets, ensuring broad-based relief and a more stable downstream market.”
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Recall that Aliko Dangote, the president of Dangote Refinery, had pegged the retail price of his petrol at a maximum of N740.
DAILY POST reports that MRS filling and other filling stations had reduced fuel prices to between N739 and N912 per liter in Abuja.
However, reports emerged that some MRS filling stations were selling above the N739 per liter announced price benchmark.
Business
Naira Records Significant Appreciation Against US Dollar

The Naira recorded significant appreciation against the United States dollar on Monday at the official foreign exchange market to begin the week ahead of Yuletide on a good note.
The Central Bank of Nigeria’s data showed that the Naira strengthened to N1,456.56 per dollar on Monday, up from N1,464.49 traded on Friday last week, 19th December 2025.
This means that the Naira gained N7.93 against the dollar when compared with the N1,464.49 was exchanged as of Friday, December 19, 2025. DAILY POST reports that Monday’s gain at the official FX market is the first since December 15th.
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Meanwhile, at the black market, the Naira remained stable at N1500 per dollar on Monday, according to multiple Bureau De Change operators in Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.
The development comes as the country’s external reserves stood at $44.66 billion as of last week Friday.
Business
CBN Revokes Licences Of Aso Savings, Union Homes As NDIC Begins Deposit Payments

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licences of Aso Savings and Loans Plc and Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc, citing persistent regulatory infractions and deepening financial distress in the two primary mortgage banks.
The revocation, which took effect on December 15, 2025, was carried out under Section 12 of the Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020 and Section 7.3 of the Revised Guidelines for Mortgage Banks in Nigeria, the CBN said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
According to the apex bank, the affected institutions failed to meet minimum paid-up share capital requirements, had insufficient assets to cover their liabilities, recorded capital adequacy ratios below prudential thresholds, and consistently breached regulatory directives.
“The CBN remains committed to its core mandate of ensuring financial system stability,” a statement, signed by the apex bank’s Acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mrs Hakama Sidi Ali said.
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Following the licence revocation, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) was appointed liquidator of the defunct banks in line with the law.
The Corporation said it has commenced the liquidation process and begun verification and payment of insured deposits to customers.
Under the deposit insurance framework, depositors are entitled to receive up to two million naira per depositor, with payments made through BVN-linked alternate bank accounts.
Depositors with balances above the insured limit will receive the initial two million naira while the remaining sums will be paid as liquidation dividends after the realisation of the banks’ assets and recovery of outstanding loans.
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The NDIC said depositors may submit claims either online or physically at designated branches of the closed banks, while creditors will be paid after all depositors have been fully settled, in accordance with statutory provisions.
The two mortgage banks have faced prolonged operational challenges, including depositor complaints, governance concerns, and delisting from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) in 2024 for failure to submit audited financial statements for more than six years.
The CBN assured the public that the action was taken to strengthen the mortgage banking sub-sector and protect depositors, adding that banks whose licences have not been revoked remain safe and sound.
This means the two financial institutions can no longer operate as licensed financial institutions.
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