Ignite Investments & Commodities Ltd Offers to Acquire Shares Held by Other Shareholders of Ardova Plc

Ardova Plc has notified that Ignite Investments & Commodities Limited has approached the Board of Directors of the Company with an intention to acquire the shares held by other shareholders of the Company at an offer price of ₦17.38 per share, and subsequently delist the Company from NGX (the “Proposed Transaction”).

The offer price of ₦17.38 represents a premium of 22.44% and 24.38% to the 30-day and 60-day volume weighted average share price of ₦14.19 and ₦13.97 respectively, on 30 November 2022 (being the last trading day prior to the Offer).

It is intended that the Proposed Transaction will be implemented under a Scheme of Arrangement in line with section 715 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, No.3 of 2020 (as amended) and other applicable rules and regulations.

The Proposed Transaction is subject to the review and clearance of the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as the approval of the shareholders of the Company. The terms and conditions of the Proposed Transaction will be provided in the Scheme Document which will be dispatched to all shareholders following the receipt of an order from the Federal High Court to convene a Court-Ordered Meeting. If the conditions of the Proposed Transaction are satisfied and same is sanctioned by the Federal High Court, the Company would be delisted from NGX.

Further developments will be communicated to shareholders in due course. Ardova Shareholders and members of the public are advised to exercise caution in dealing in Ardova’s shares until further information is provided.

February 2023 FGN Savings Bonds Offer for Subscription

Pursuant to the Debt Management Office (Establishment) Act 2003 and the Local Loans (Registered Stock and Securities) Act, CAP. L17, LFN 2004 Debt Management Office on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria Offers for Subscription and is authorized to receive applications for the Federal Government of Nigeria Savings Bond at the following interest rates.

2-Year FGN Savings Bond due February 15, 2025: 10.043% per annum

3-Year FGN Savings Bond due February 15, 2026: 11.043% per annum

Opening Date: February 6, 2023

Closing Date: February 10, 2023

Settlement Date: February 15, 2023

Coupon Payment Dates: May 15, August 15, November 15, February 15

Summary of the Offer

Issuer:
Federal Government of Nigeria (“FGN”)

Units of Sale:
N1,000 per unit subject to a minimum Subscription of N5,000 and in multiples of N1,000 thereafter, subject to a maximum subscription of N50,000,000.

Interest Payment:
Payable Quarterly

Redemption:
Bullet repayment on the maturity date

Status

1. Qualifies as securities in which trustees can invest under the Trustee Investment Act.
2. Qualifies as Government securities within the meaning of Company Income Tax Act (“CITA”) and Personal Income Tax Act (“PITA”) for Tax Exemption for Pension Funds, amongst other investors.
3. Listed on The Nigerian Stock Exchange.
4. Qualifies as a liquid asset for liquidity ratio calculation for banks.

Security:
Backed by the full faith and credit of the Federal Government of Nigeria and charged upon the general assets of Nigeria.

Interested investors should contact Securities Africa Financial Limited, appointed as distribution agents by the debt management office.

SEC Reiterates Commitment to Step up Investor Education

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has restated its commitment to continue to educate and enlighten investors in a bid to ensure they make informed investment decisions.

This was stated by Head, Office of the Chief Economist of the SEC, Dr. Okey Umeano during an interview in Abuja.

Umeano stated that the upsurge in the activities of illegal fund managers in recent times has been a source of worry to the Commission and assured investors that the SEC is working hard along with other government agencies to reduce their activities to the barest minimum.

According to Umeano, “This is an area that we are doing a lot and still have a lot to do. If you look at the Capital Market master plan, you will see that a lot of the things we want to do revolves around investor education. In investor education, what we tell investors is how to know who is genuine and it is very simple.

“Just go to the sec.gov.ng you can just on the search portal type CMO. The search portal comes out and you type the name of the firm marketing to you, if it is not there then it is not registered with SEC that means you are not protected.

“You are not covered by that investor protection that I am talking about. Those who are marketing financial products, investment related financial products must come to SEC and be registered”.

Umeano disclosed that in an effort to further protect investors, the Commission has been carrying out enforcement exercises against these illegal fund managers and would continue to do so.

He said, “We have been going around closing Ponzi schemes and all those illegal fund managers and you know we have been on different stations. I personally have been on several TV stations, radio, and newspaper talking about this. We are about to launch a few billboards around the country saying these same things. Nigerians must understand that the money that they are giving people it is difficult to get.

“It is difficult to raise capital and before you give it to someone, it is important to know that person is the right person. This they can easily ascertain by going on our website. That is the message.

He stated that the Commission has a police Unit that assists in investigating these entities and carrying out enforcement actions when the need arises, while also collaborating with relevant government agencies like the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

“The problem with Ponzi schemes is they use the money from Mr. A to pay Mr. B and use Mr. B’s own to pay Mr. C and while they are paying all that, they are taking their own so by the time we close them, there’s not enough money again to return to the people whose money they took. You also know they promise outrageous returns and these returns are paid to the first people.

“We have a few now that we are trying to resolve but I must tell you that it is difficult for anyone who has put money in a Ponzi scheme to recover much. It is important that Nigerians understand it is not nice. If anyone promises you a return too good to be true, then it is probably not true.

He therefore urged Nigerians to be vigilant and carry out their due diligence by visiting the Commission’s website to ascertain registration status of the entities before investing, adding that there is also a need for them to understand the products they are investing in to obtain desired returns on their investments.

NGX Group Of Companies Commemorates IWD 2022, Rings The Bell For Gender Equality?

Nigerian Exchange Group of Companies has begun commemorating the International Women’s Day 2022 through a series of Closing Gong Ceremonies to celebrate recently appointed female Board Chairpersons and Chief Executives of listed companies and their affiliates who were appointed in 2021. The events which held on Wednesday, 2 March 2022 and Friday, 4 March 2022, respectively, were hosted in line with The Exchange’s ongoing collaboration with International Finance Corporation (IFC) which aims to reduce the gender gaps in leadership, employment, and entrepreneurship under the Nigeria2Equal programme.

Amongst the female business leaders celebrated are Dr. Omobola Johnson, Chair, Guinness Nigeria Plc; Mrs. Bola Adesola, Chairman, Ecobank Nigeria; Erelu Angela Adebayo, Chairperson, NGX Real Estate, Mrs Catherine Echeozo, Chairperson, NGX Regulation. Ms. Tinuade Awe, Chief Executive Officer, NGX Regulation; Mrs. Yemisi Edun, Managing Director, First City Monument Bank Limited; and Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc. Joining the events as special guests to celebrate the accomplishments of the female business leaders were Dr. (Mrs.) Ajoritsedere Awosika, Chairperson, Access Bank Plc and Mrs. Oyeyimika Adeboye, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, and Mrs Elizabeth Ebi, Group Managing Director/CEO, Futureview Group. The events were also attended by Mr Kalim Shah, Senior Country Manager, Nigeria, IFC, under the banner of the Nigeria2Equal programme.

The enterprise will continue its IWD celebrations by hosting a virtual symposium to discuss the theme, Break the Bias: Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow on Tuesday, 8 March 2022. The event will bring together high quality male and female industry leaders to highlight the positive contributions of women across various spectrums. The celebration will culminate in a digital Closing Gong Ceremony to advocate for gender equality, in collaboration with IFC, Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, United Nations (UN) Women, UN Global Compact (UNGC) and World Federation of Exchanges (WFE). Interested participants can register at www.ngxgroup.com/iwd2022

Confirmed speakers at the event include, Ms. Tinuade Awe, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), NGX Regulation Limited (NGX RegCo); Mr. Oscar N. Onyema, OON, GCEO, Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group); Mr. Temi Popoola, CFA, CEO, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX); Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR, Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Amb. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum, Federal Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria; Mr. Lansana Wonneh, UN Women Deputy Representative; Mr. Kevin Njiraini, Regional Director, Southern Africa & Nigeria, IFC; Ms. Tokunboh Ishmael, MD/CEO, Alitheia Capital; Mr. Kalim M. Shah, Senior Country Manager for Nigeria, IFC; Ms. Kathy Mignano, Operations Officer, Inclusive Business, Gender and Economic Inclusion Group, IFC; Ms. Robyn Oates, Sustainable Finance Specialist, UN Women; among others.

NGX Group Announces 22.2% Growth In Profit After Tax?

Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX Group) Plc is pleased to announce that it has released its audited results for the full year ended 31 December 2021, on Tuesday, 01 March 2022.

The Group’s audited results revealed that its gross earnings grew to N6.8 billion from N6.0 billion, resulting in a 13 percent increase. Revenue rose by 14.9 percent from N5 billion recorded in 2020 to N5.8 billion in 2021.

Also, the group’s profit before tax (PBT) increased by 25.4 percent to N2.4 billion while its profit after tax (PAT) rose by 22.2 percent to N2.3 billion from N1.84 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2020.

According to the Group, the jump in its revenue was driven by a 24.8 percent growth in listing fees, which grew to N757.4 million as against N606.9 million in 2020, 4.9 percent growth in its treasury investment income, and a 2.1 percent growth in transaction fee, which rose to N2.9 billion from N2.8 billion recorded in 2020.

Further analysis of the NGX Group’s result revealed that its return on equity grew by 70 basis points to 6.6 percent while its return on assets stood at 5.9 percent from 5.2 percent recorded in 2020.

Commenting on the results, NGX Group Chairman, Otunba Abimbola Ogunbanjo, stated, “We are delighted at the progress reported for FY 2021 across strategic, operational, and financial aspects of the Group’s business. The Demutualisation and Listing by Introduction were significant and unprecedented milestones for the Group and we would like to thank our stakeholders for their support and trust in the Group’s quest to unlock its true value and diversify its operations and product offerings”.

“All within one year, we demutualised, restructured, and listed the business with the Holdco being the investment holding company with three operating subsidiaries and other associate companies and equity investments. The Board has during the year under review, focused broadly on adapting to the enhanced corporate governance demands following the change in organizational form, whilst exercising its oversight functions on strategy development and execution and drilling down on emerging value accretive opportunities presented by the demutualisation. In 2022, the aim is to continue to strengthen the NGX Group brand to make it a globally respected and a regional and national significant economic actor”.

Corroborating him, the Group’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oscar N. Onyema, OON, explained that the Group went through a restructuring of its business to refine its business model, with an increased focus on expanding into new business areas, which is reflective in the activities of the Group.

According to Onyema, NGX Group, in 2021, focused on formulating and executing the strategy of the Holding company, which includes building multiple businesses across the entire capital market value chain with diversified revenues as well as strategic and operational flexibility. “Gross earnings growth of 13.0% coupled with after-tax profit growth of 22.2% is an encouraging start to our journey as an investment holding company”.

“Going forward our focus remains: on strengthening our capital structure; being active in every sphere of the capital markets value chain in Nigeria, but also growing our presence across Africa as a leading integrated market infrastructure provider; optimising our current investments and making new strategic investments and recruiting top talents to execute our strategy. We aim to continue to create value, optimise profitability and build a sustainable business in alignment with stakeholders’ interest”, Onyema said.

Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group) is a leading integrated market infrastructure in Africa. We service the largest economy in Africa and are strengthening the competitiveness of African economies to achieve global prosperity. As a key player in the continent’s financial markets, we take an active role in shaping the future of the markets through our investment in business innovation and technology.

NGX Group provides a wide range of services including listing and trading securities, licensing, market data solutions, ancillary technology, regulation, real estate, and more through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Nigerian Exchange Limited, NGX Regulation Limited, and NGX Real Estate.

The Group is also invested in the financial infrastructure space with investments in NG Clearing Limited, Central Securities and Clearing Systems (CSCS), OTC platforms and three fintech companies.