Lafarge Africa Commends Nationwide Distributors with Premium Rewards in Lagos

By Auwal Ahmad Umar

Lafarge Africa Plc has celebrated its top-performing customers and transporters at the 2025 Customer and Transporter Awards, recognising outstanding contributions that have strengthened its market presence across Nigeria.

The colourful ceremony, held on February 21 at the Landmark Event Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos, brought together major stakeholders, industry players and government officials to honour partners whose dedication has driven the company’s commercial success.

Among dignitaries present were the Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Hon. Moruf Akinderu Fatai, and the Cross River State Commissioner for Women Affairs, alongside members of the Lafarge Africa Board including Mrs. Adenike Ogunlesi, Mrs. Olusola Oworu and Mrs. Elenda Osima-Dokubo, as well as management and staff of the company.

The annual awards, regarded as a highlight of Lafarge Africa’s commercial calendar, celebrate customers and transporters who ensure the company’s cement and building solutions reach markets nationwide. The 2025 edition spotlighted resilience, integrity and performance in a challenging economic environment.

Elder Ubong Bassey Obot of Ubotex Nigeria Limited emerged as the National Volume Champion, clinching the star prize — a 2026 Toyota Land Cruiser. Igwe Cosmas Ezeumeh Chizoba of C.C. Umeh and Sons Limited secured first runner-up with a 2026 Toyota Prado, while Chief Etim Effiong Okon of Batoframoje Enterprises took second runner-up, receiving a 2026 Toyota Fortuner.

In the transport category, B.I.G MultiQuest Nigeria Limited was named National Winner, Best Transporter, and went home with a 2026 Toyota Hilux.

Two National Growth Champions were rewarded with 15KVA generating sets, while four regional champions each received Toyota RAV4 vehicles. Other prizes presented during the ceremony included a Changan CS55, GAC S3, Hyundai Creta cars, 13KVA solar inverters, 80-inch Hisense televisions and deep freezers.

Welcoming guests, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, expressed appreciation to partners for their unwavering support and loyalty.

He said the company’s achievements in 2025 were closely tied to the strength of its partnerships, noting that Lafarge Africa expanded its retail footprint, enhanced customer experience and strengthened its ready-mix operations during the year. He added that the company also introduced innovative products such as Ecoplanet Elephant and Ecocrete, low-carbon cement and concrete solutions aimed at promoting sustainability in the building sector.

According to him, these milestones would not have been possible without the trust, market insights and consistent backing of customers and transporters.

Also speaking, Commercial Director Gbenga Onimowo described customers and transporters as “trade champions” whose commitment and belief in the company’s products have sustained its leadership in the industry. He noted that the awards were designed not only to recognise excellence but also to inspire greater achievements.

Similarly, Logistics Director Osaze Aghatise commended transport partners for serving as the vital link between the company and its customers, ensuring efficient delivery and nationwide availability of products. He said the recognition was both a celebration of performance and a motivation to maintain high standards.

The ceremony featured the presentation of multiple award categories, lively entertainment and networking opportunities, underscoring the spirit of collaboration that continues to define Lafarge Africa’s relationship with its trade partners.

Dangote Refinery Debunks Shutdown Rumours, Assures Nigerians of Steady Petrol Supply

By Auwal Ahmad Umar

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has dismissed widespread reports suggesting it is planning a shutdown for maintenance, describing the claims as false, misleading and designed to misinform the public.

In a statement issued on Monday, the refinery clarified that its operations remain stable and uninterrupted, with the capacity to supply between 40 million and 50 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) daily, depending on market demand. It disclosed that on January 4 alone, the facility produced 50 million litres of petrol, while 48 million litres were evacuated through its gantry.

According to the refinery, current stock levels are sufficient to cover more than 20 days of national consumption, effectively putting to rest fears of fuel scarcity.

Addressing concerns about maintenance activities, Dangote Refinery explained that routine work on some units, including the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) and the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) unit, does not disrupt overall production. This, it said, is due to the refinery’s advanced and integrated design. Other critical units such as the Naphtha Hydrotreater, CCR Reformer and Hydrocracker remain fully operational, producing PMS, Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) and Jet A-1.

The company further revealed that from December 16, 2025, to date, daily PMS loadings from its gantry have ranged between 31 million and 48 million litres, in line with prevailing market demand. It noted that these figures are verifiable through depot loading records kept by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Dangote Refinery also reaffirmed its ex-gantry price of N699 per litre for petrol, stressing that the rate is available to all marketers and bulk buyers. It urged filling stations and large-scale consumers to patronise locally refined products, which it said are more affordable, reliable and of superior quality compared to imported fuel.

The refinery accused some fuel importers of spreading false narratives to justify recent increases in pump prices, warning that such actions undermine national interest and worsen the burden on Nigerians. It argued that without local refining capacity, petrol prices could soar as high as N1,400 per litre in a post-subsidy market.

According to the statement, the operations of the Dangote Refinery have played a key role in stabilising the downstream petroleum sector by curbing price volatility, conserving foreign exchange and strengthening Nigeria’s energy security.

Reaffirming its commitment to the country, the refinery pledged to continue supplying high-quality petroleum products, ensuring steady availability and supporting economic growth. It advised the public and industry stakeholders to ignore unverified reports and rely on credible information sources.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery concluded that it remains focused on serving the national interest by promoting energy independence, market stability and industrial development in Nigeria.

NGX Ends Week in the Green as ₦1.54 Trillion Boosts Investors’ Fortunes

The Nigerian Exchange (NGX) closed the week on a positive footing, as sustained buying interest across key stocks lifted market indicators and added over ₦1.5 trillion to investors’ portfolios.

The NGX All-Share Index advanced by 1.63 percent to close at 149,433.26 points, while market capitalization rose by 1.64 percent to ₦95.264 trillion. This represented a clear improvement from the previous week’s closing levels of 147,040.08 points and ₦93.722 trillion.

Overall, the market rally translated into a cumulative gain of ₦1.542 trillion for investors during the week under review.

Most sectoral indices ended the week in positive territory, although a few recorded losses. The NGX Banking Index slipped marginally by 0.12 percent, while the NGX AFR Dividend Yield Index declined by 0.75 percent. The NGX MERI Growth and MERI Value indices also fell by 1.07 percent and 0.27 percent, respectively. Other indices that closed lower included the NGX Oil and Gas Index, which dipped by 0.13 percent; the NGX Sovereign Bond Index, down by 2.02 percent; and the NGX Commodity Index, which shed 0.49 percent.

Despite the overall market strength, trading activity slowed compared with the previous week. A total of 4.373 billion shares valued at ₦97.783 billion were exchanged in 110,736 deals, compared with 6.617 billion shares worth ₦113.224 billion traded in 109,590 deals a week earlier.

The financial services sector dominated market activity, accounting for 2.252 billion shares valued at ₦47.204 billion in 44,808 deals. This represented 51.49 percent of total traded volume and 48.27 percent of the market’s total value. The ICT sector followed with 1.118 billion shares worth ₦13.148 billion traded in 10,413 deals, while the Oil and Gas sector ranked third with 233.89 million shares valued at ₦4.726 billion across 7,515 deals.

Trading in E-Tranzact International Plc, Access Holdings Plc, and FCMB Group Plc led the equity market, with a combined turnover of 1.921 billion shares valued at ₦22.218 billion in 9,558 deals. These transactions accounted for 43.93 percent of total market volume and 22.72 percent of total value.

The week saw mixed price movements. Forty-nine equities recorded gains, down from 55 in the previous week, while 41 equities declined, compared with 29 earlier. Fifty-seven equities closed unchanged, slightly lower than the 63 recorded in the preceding week.

Morison Industries Plc, Mecure Industries Plc, Japaul Gold and Ventures, Sovereign Trust Insurance, and PZ Cussons Nigeria emerged as the top gainers, appreciating by ₦1.15, ₦8.15, 56 kobo, 50 kobo, and ₦6.55, respectively. On the flip side, Eterna Plc, UACN Plc, E-Tranzact International Plc, Transcorp Hotels, and Chellarams Plc recorded the steepest losses, shedding ₦5.30, ₦13.80, ₦1.40, ₦17.20, and ₦1.45, respectively.

Meanwhile, the NGX announced the listing of an additional 140.1 million units of Chapel Hill Denham Management Limited’s Series 11 Nigeria Infrastructure Debt Fund at ₦109.50 per unit under its ₦200 billion issuance program. The listing, which took effect on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, increased the total outstanding units of the fund on the Exchange from 1.056 billion to 1.196 billion units, each with a face value of ₦100.