The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has called for the immediate release of the N17billion Electricity Facility Fund granted it three years ago by the Federal Government. Dr Abubakar Atiku, TCN Managing Director, made the call during the company’s “Change Management Sensitisation Tour” yesterday in Lagos.

As protests against U.S. President-Elect Donald Trump roil cities across America, people have found a corporate logo to vent their anger and dismay. New Balance, the privately held Boston shoemaker, found itself in consumer cross-fire after declaring that Trump’s imminent ascension to the White House is a move in the “right direction.” The backlash was sparked by a tweet from the Wall Street Journal’s Sara Germano, who quoted a New Balance spokesperson saying President Barack Obama’s administration had “turned a deaf ear” to New Balance.

The Head of EU Delegation, Amb Michel Arrion, says the EU will spend 15 million euro to commence studies on the Lagos-Abidjan link road. Arrion made this known when making a closing remark to mark the end of the 5th EU- Nigeria Business Forum in Lagos on Friday.

In 2009, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) announced plans to conduct investor surveys in 22 African countries. A key goal of the survey in the case of Nigeria is to facilitate the creation of a Nigerian industrial master plan. The programme, which will also evaluate the impact of policy on government efforts to promote rapid SME development. UNIDO officials in Nigeria claimed the survey would be of significant assistance to the private sector as well, helping expand operations and set performance benchmarks.

The Nigeria Interbank Settlement Scheme, NIBSS in collaboration with all the money deposit banks in Nigeria and the four major telecommunications operators, Etisalat, MTN, Airtel and Globacom, has launched a new mobile money payment solution.

The Federal Government and the World Bank have signed a Partial Risk Guarantee (PRG) agreement for the supply of gas to the $500 million Calabar gas plant to boost energy supply by 500 megawatts.

The National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama has said that the delay by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF) to pay insurance premium for the 2016/2017 group life cover for the over 89,000 civil servants is dangerous. The Group Life Insurance of Federal Civil Service workers were to have been renewed since August 13, 2016 but the Head of Service said there was no money yet to renew the insurance policy.

Nigerite Limited has denied to have engaged in the importation of substance suspected to be cocaine that was reportedly found in one of the containers in which its imported raw materials were shipped from New Zealand to Lagos.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has been called upon to adopt The Netherland’s agricultural model to increase its food security.

Cyber Security Experts, weekend, took into consideration, reasons government and organisations should protect their communication infrastructure.

THE Economic Community of West Africa States ECOWAS,’ farmers have called on African leaders to resist the pressure being put on them by the European Union to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement. The farmers group said the pressure and the strategies implemented by the EU to achieve the EPA put serious doubts about the real objectives.

There are so many challenges but we want to see the positive side of life and so, if we address the issue of funding with proper structure and conditions, the next challenge is access to finance from the customers, then access to market and financial infrastructure. There is a need for consistent and stable government policy and a need for collaboration between the federal government and Microfinance Banks (MfBs).

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) introduced the Informal Sector Cooperative Housing Scheme in 2011 in a bid to integrate Nigerians operating in the informal sector of the economy into the National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme.

It was a mixed grill as bears took over trading at the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Friday, depressing the All Share Index and market capitalisation. The major positive was in the volume of shares traded. It grew by 34.95 per cent, as investors staked N1.21 billion on 151.85 million shares transacted in 2,902 deals.

The Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) says that Japanese companies are still eager to explore and expand trade opportunities in Nigeria in spite of economic recession in the country. Mr Taku Miyazaki, Trade Commissioner of JETRO, disclosed this in a statement to newsmen in Lagos.