The inability of the five registered market makers by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to meet the liquidity requirement of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has stalled the commencement of their operation in the nation’s stock market.

Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBANK) Plc, the first bank in Nigeria to be listed on the London Stock Exchange, has achieved another feat with its recent recognition by the pre-eminent international finance magazine, Euromoney, as the “Best Bank in Nigeria” at the 2009 Euromoney Awards for Excellence Dinner in London last week.

The interbank interest rate remained high last week touching the 22 per cent mark in defiance of the guarantee on interbank lending offered by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Equitorial Trust Bank has opend a mega branch in Seme border, Badagry to cater for the banking needs of residents and business organizations in the area.

The Federal Government is set to unveil a new administrative map for the country, haven already commenced the bit by bit collection of the entire geographical mass in a digital form.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) will render every necessary assistance to a Malaysian investor, Global Formwork Ltd, to help source materials for the completion of the 14,085 housing units project, the Malaysian Gardens, being constructed in Abuja.

Rivers State government has reiterated its decision to demolish waterfronts in the state capital as part of ongoing efforts to beautify Port Harcourt and its environs, once prided as the Garden City.

The Lagos State Government is planning to prosecute owners of collapsed buildings as part of measures to curtail incidents of building collapse in the state.

WATER, one of the major components of the human body is needed to sustain life. Researchers have discovered that the human body is anywhere from 55 per cent to 78 per cent water depending on body size. The popular saying: Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink, has become a thing of the past due to the presence of sachet water in every nook and cranny of the country.

EFFORTS at promoting Safety of life at Sea (SOLAS) received a major boost, as the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) constituted the National Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) Committee at the Regional Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre (RMRCC) in Kirikiri, Lagos.

THE bid for the privatization of SAHCOL was concluded by the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel recently, with Eraskorp Consortium emerging the highest bidder.

THE entire universe is governed by laws. Scientists, economics and philosophers from ages have continued to conduct research, tests and make observations to unravel the laws that guide various aspects of life in the universe. As each law is discovered and tested to be true, man can now apply the findings to take advantage of the law.

THE returning deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Tunde Lemo recently urged Nigerian investors to take advantage of the current low prices at the capital market to invest in stocks, declaring that the nation really had never been in a recession as many uninformed individuals would want the rest of us to believe.

Study has shown that economic and development indicators of the South East zone are mixed when compared to other geopolitical zones of Nigeria . While the south east zone compares well in national income poverty metrics and general literacy, it performs relatively poor in physical infrastructure: (roads, water and electricity), regulatory efficiency and overall business environment.

Geoff Haley is the global chairman of the International Project Finance Association. In this chat with Saturday Business, he noted the position of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) since the global economic meltdown hit most of the big economies of the world.