By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Office of the Tax Ombud and the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority (OGFZA) have agreed to work together to resolve tax and fee disputes affecting investors, in a move both agencies say will help draw more foreign direct investment into Nigeria’s oil and gas free zones.

The agreement was announced recently when the Tax Ombud/Chief Executive, Dr.

“I am very much aware that OGFZA regulates and coordinates activities in the zones, grants permits and licences, administers incentives, and resolves disputes among stakeholders,” Dr.

“The Office of the Tax Ombud complements these functions by providing an independent channel for reviewing and resolving complaints relating to taxes, levies, regulatory fees, customs duties and excise matters.”

He listed possible areas of cooperation between the two agencies as taxpayer complaint resolution, clarification of tax incentives, review of systemic complaints, and promotion of transparency and accountability.

According to a statement made available by the Chief Press Secretary to the Tax Ombud, Chukwudi Achife, Nwabueze added that such efforts would encourage voluntary tax compliance and help raise Nigeria’s tax-to-GDP ratio, a goal he linked to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

In his response, OGFZA’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Alhaji Usman Bamanga Jada, said investors in the oil and gas free zones had already benefited from incentives, tax exemptions and customs duty concessions put in place by the Federal Government to attract sustainable FDI, drive private-sector infrastructure development and create jobs.

He said the proposed collaboration with the Tax Ombud’s office came at the right time, noting that it would strengthen investor confidence and support business activity across the special economic zones OGFZA oversees nationwide.

To move the partnership forward, both agencies have named liaison officers to coordinate the relationship and ensure its objectives are met within the shortest possible time.

The Niger Delta Power Holding Company Ltd. (NDPHC) has commended the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for facilitating the recovery of abandoned company cargoes.

The company said the NPA’s intervention covered several seaports across the country and helped avert substantial financial losses.

NDPHC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Jennifer Adighije, gave the commendation in a statement on Sunday after a courtesy visit to NPA management.

The visit, held at the NPA headquarters in Marina, Lagos, was aimed at strengthening the strategic partnership between both organisations.

Adighije expressed appreciation to the NPA Managing Director, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, and his management team for their intervention.

She said the support facilitated the recovery of NDPHC’s abandoned cargoes at different seaports across the country.

According to her, the intervention helped prevent significant financial losses and saved NDPHC several billions of naira.

Adighije stressed that efficient logistics and timely clearance of critical equipment were essential to implementing power infrastructure projects successfully.

She also called for sustained collaboration among agencies and organisations operating across Nigeria’s energy and maritime sectors.

The NDPHC chief said the company valued the NPA’s support and looked forward to strengthening their relationship further.

She said stronger cooperation would benefit Nigeria’s power sector and contribute to broader economic development.

The NDPHC delegation included its Executive Director, Corporate Services, Chukwuma Umeoji, and Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, Omololu Agoro.

Others were the company’s Head of Expediting and Logistics, Rufai Ahmed, and other management officials.

Responding, Dantsoho expressed delight at the visit and reaffirmed NPA’s commitment to partnerships promoting national development.

He said the Authority remained committed to initiatives capable of improving the lives of Nigerians through effective inter-agency cooperation.

Dantsoho congratulated NDPHC on its contributions to developing Nigeria’s power sector and assured the company of continued NPA support.

He added that the Authority remained open to meaningful engagements with NDPHC on issues of mutual interest.

Dantsoho assured the delegation that his doors would remain open for productive discussions and partnerships between both organisations.

He also wished NDPHC continued success in delivering projects capable of strengthening Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure.

The engagement highlighted the importance of inter-agency collaboration in removing logistical bottlenecks that could delay major infrastructure projects.

For the power sector, timely movement and delivery of equipment remain critical to accelerating project execution and improving electricity supply nationwide. (NAN)

By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

DataPro, a leading credit rating agency and compliance consulting firm in Nigeria, has rated Foremost Capital Limited with BBB+ in its assessment of the company’s key performance indices, marking a major feat in its operations in less than two years.

The latest rating of the company, one of Nigeria’s rapidly growing asset management firms, is an important independent recognition of its financial and operational standards, sending signals to clients, investors, counterparties, regulators and the wider market that the management remains fully committed to world-class standards at all levels of its business operations.

Specifically, the DataPro BBB+ rating of the company provides an independent assessment of its financial strength and operating capacity, a strong liquidity position, supporting its ability to meet financial obligations and manage client investment activities, and improvements in the company’s capitalization, profitability, asset base and overall financial position.

Similarly, with the company’s assets under management growth of 250% from July to December 2025, the rating demonstrates its growing presence and capacity within the investment management industry, a stable outlook and provides a positive indication of the company’s direction and potential for continued improvement.

In addition, this rating by DataPro reflects Foremost Capital’s improving revenue generation and increasing capacity to generate sustainable earnings.

On strong governance and risk management assessment parameters, the BBB+ rating recognized the importance of the company’s governance, risk management, internal control, and compliance structures in supporting sustainable growth.

This is just as the SEC-licensed asset management entity’s rating reinforces its position as a fully compliant participant in Nigeria’s capital market.

Commenting on the company’s latest performance feat, the Managing Director/CEO, Emmanuel Akehomen, said: “This BBB+ rating from DataPro is a significant milestone, validating our robust governance, liquidity and operational resilience. For our clients, it serves as an independent assurance of our stability and capacity for sustainable growth.

“We intend to leverage this strengthened market credibility to attract high-value mandates and optimize portfolio performance. Moving forward, we remain committed to deepening our market share through disciplined risk management and innovative investment strategies that consistently deliver superior, long-term value for our investors”, the investment expert added.

Investment experts believe that the improved rating of the assets management company by DataPro clearly demonstrates the management’s commitment to quality services delivery to its growing clients driven by best practice standards and its futuristic strategies to ensure a win-win experience for all stakeholders in the nation’s assets management system.