Business News
Kaduna Firm Trains 3,000 `Almajiri’ on Furniture Making

A furniture firm, Classic Entrance, Kaduna, on Saturday commenced the training of 3,000 Quranic education pupils, popularly known as `Amlajiri’, in furniture making, to empower them with skills to be self-reliant.
The initiative, according to Mr Mathew Adejo, the Chief Executive Officer of the firm, is aimed at keeping them busy and off the streets.
Adejo, at a ceremony to formally open the training, said that the scheme would last through five years, with 50 trained and certificated every four months.
Adejo said that the training would be conducted in collaboration with JBN Furniture Academy, Kaduna.
He added that beside furniture making, the beneficiaries would also be trained on soap making, shoe making and painting to empower them with additional sources of income.
He explained that the training was also designed to help the beneficiaries establish their businesses, adding that items produced during the training would be sold and the money offered to the trainees as seed capital.
According to him, the goal of the training is to create direct employment for `Almajiri’ as well as orphans and other vulnerable groups.
“Our desire is to improve livelihood of the less privileged by providing them with economic empowerment and job opportunities.
“We will equally develop managerial and leadership skills of the beneficiaries and create the needed awareness to encourage entrepreneurship because that is the only empowerment that focuses on direct employment through vocational training.
“Our mission is to encourage Nigerians, especially the less privileged, to embrace entrepreneurship to address the problem of unemployment in the country.
“Our dream is to see the less privileged becomes self-sufficient and financially independent through active involvement in commercial activities,” Adejo said
He said that the firm would provide the needed tools to the beneficiaries to establish themselves as agents of change in their own communities.
Similarly, Malam Musa Isa, Chief Executive Officer of Zeeline Furniture, Kaduna, noted that vocational skills were crucial in improving the quality of life.
“We need vocational skills as much we need formal and Qur’anic education to create the needed financial balance in life,” Isa said.
Malam Ja’afar Imam, the Head of Madarasatul Hidayatu Auladil Muslimi, Kawo, a Qur’anic school, thanked the furniture firm and stressed that the programme would empower the pupils for good.
According to him, the step will improve the quality of their lives while acquiring the Qur’anic education.
The District Head of Kawo, Alhaji Jibril Sani, also thanked the firm for the gesture, describing it as ‘life transforming’.
Sani called on governments at all levels to support similar outfits interested in providing vocational skills to the `Almajiri’ and other vulnerable groups in the society. (NAN)
Business News
Stock Market Investors’ Worth Drop by N16bn

Investors at the stock market of the Nigerian Exchange Ltd. (NGX) yesterday lost N16 billion due to sell-offs in medium and largely capitalised stocks.
The NGX All Share Index (ASI) decreased by 29.35 basis points or 0.05 per cent to close at 54,886.04 basis points from 54,915.39 recorded on Friday.
Similarly, the market capitalisation lost N16 billion to close at N29.
899 trillion from N29. 915 trillion posted at the previous trading.Analysing by sectors, the NGX Banking Index added 1.3 per cent, and NGX Industrial Goods appreciated by 0.1 per cent.
Also, the Insurance Index down by 0.
5 per cent and NGX Consumer Goods Index depreciated by 0.4 per cent, while the NGX Oil & Gas index closed flat.Meanwhile, market breadth, which is measured by market sentiment was positive, as 19 stocks gained relative to 14 losers.
Access Holdings recorded the highest price gain of 7.14 per cent to close at N9.00, per share.
Cutix followed with a gain of 5.69 per cent to close at N2.23, while University Press appreciated by 5.53 per cent to close at N2.10, per share.
Custodian Investment went up by 5.17 per cent to close at N6.10, while Chams Holding Company appreciated by 4.17 per cent to close at 25k, per share.
Conversely, Ikeja Hotel led the losers’ chart by 9.52 per cent to close at N1.14, per share.
Wapic Insurance followed with a decline of 9.52 per cent to close at 38k, while Stanbic IBTC Holdings went down by 8.52 to close at N36.50, per share.
Multiverse Mining and Exploration lost 5.80 per cent to close at N3.25, while Livestock Feeds shed 5.50 per cent to close at N1.03, per share.
The total volume traded went up by 646.50 per cent to 1.172 billion units, valued at N2.877 billion, and exchanged in 3,066 deals.
Transactions in the shares of Neimeth Pharmaceutical topped the activity chart with 1.069 billion shares valued at N1.581 billion.
United Bank for Africa (UBA) followed with 15.964 million shares worth N128.784 million, while Access Holdings traded 13.033 million shares valued at N114.365 million.
Transnational Corporation (Transcorp) traded 11.770 million shares valued at N15.257 million, while Zenith Bank transacted 9.861 million shares worth N243.759 million.
Analysts at InvestmentOne Research said, “The equities market recorded a negative performance today due to the slumping prices printed in the Consumer Goods sector.
“Going forward, we expect investor’s sentiments to be swayed by the search for real positive returns and developments in the interest rate space.” (NAN)
Business News
Why FCT Ranks High in Revenue Generation – FCT-IRS Boss

The Acting Chairman, FCT Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), Mr Haruna Abdullahi, has said that it ranks high in revenue generation because of the agency’s commitment to widening the tax net in the area.
Abdullahi said this in a statement by Mr Mustapha Sumaila, FCT-IRS Head of Corporate Communications, in Abuja yesterday.
According to the statement, Abdullahi said this at the 2023 Summit of Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) for members, partners and students in Abuja.
The FCT-IRS boss said one of the strategies put in place by the agency to boost revenue generation was prioritising institutional framework that would outlive the current management.
“We have been working in the last two years to build the institutional framework that will fit into globally recognised institutions.
“We have stepped up our awareness campaigns to educate taxpayers on all our processes as well as mobilised prospective taxpayers to be in the tax net.
“Our engagement with our major stakeholders has also been enhanced overtime as we constantly engage with them.
“We also update and educate them on decisions, introduction and direction of policies,” he said.
Abdullahi further said, “capacity building of staff has also been of utmost priority.
“This is because we cannot have efficient and committed workforce if the staffers are not well trained to deliver optimally.
“From what we have done so far, there will be visible impact in terms of what the service will be generating in the next few years.”
On importance of mentorship at the event, the acting chairman said mentors were important when making career choices.
The acting chairman, who is a Fellow of ACCA, said it was also critical for people who had carved a niche for themselves to identify talents and impact positively in them. (NAN)
Business News
Investors’ Profit-taking Pushes Market Capitalisation Down by N313bn

The equity market extended its losing streak for the fifth successive session as the market capitalisation decreased by N313 billion due to investors’ continued profit-taking.
The All Share Index (ASI) fell by 574.59 absolute points, representing a decrease of 1.04 per cent to close at 54,915.
61 points.Accordingly, investors lost N313 billion in value as market capitalisation declined to N29.
916 trillion.The downturn was impacted by losses recorded in medium and large capitalised stocks, amongst which are; Dangote Sugar Refinery, MTN Nigeria Communications (MTNN), Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), United Capital and Industrial & Medical Gases Nigeria.
Market breadth remained negative as 25 stocks lost relative to eight gainers.
Chams Holding Company recorded the highest price gain of 8.7 per cent to close at 25k, per share.
University Press followed with a gain 7.57 per cent to close at N1.99, while LivingTrust Mortgage Bank gained 3.37 per cent to close at N3.07, per share.
Sterling Bank appreciated by 2.67 per cent to close at N1.54, while Zenith Bank rose by 2.52 per cent to close at N24.45, per share.
On the other hand, ETI led the losers’ chart by 10 per cent to close at N10.80, per share.
Industrial & Medical Gases Nigeria followed with a decline of 9.32 per cent each to close at N7.30, while Royal Exchange lost 8.22 per cent to close at 67k, per share.
R.T. Briscoe Nigeria shed 7.69 per cent to close at 24k, while International Energy Insurance shed 6.92 per cent to close at N1.21, per share.
Meanwhile, the total volume of trades decreased by 24.23 per cent to 137.287 million units, valued at N1.510 billion, and exchanged in 3,489 deals.
Transactions in the shares of Transnational Corporation (Transcorp) topped the activity chart with 26.085 million shares valued at N33.979 million.
Zenith Bank followed with 14.721 million shares worth N353.890 million, while Sterling Bank traded 13.231 million shares valued at N20.019 million.
United Bank of Africa (UBA) traded 10.242 million shares valued at N81.385 million, while Access Holdings transacted 7.626 million shares worth N66.201 million. (NAN)