Connect with us

Breaking News

Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) empowers 69 trainees

Published

on

Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) has reaffirmed its commitment to youth empowerment and industrial growth with the graduation of 69 skilled trainees from the 27th edition of its Supply Chain Academy.

The event took place at NBC’s Ikeja Plant in Lagos, drawing dignitaries from government, industry, and the community.

Established in 1996, the NBC Supply Chain Academy has become a cornerstone of technical and leadership capacity building in Nigeria’s beverage industry.

Over nearly three decades, the Academy has recruited 1,460 trainees, with approximately 920 securing roles within NBC. Remarkably, 94 graduates have risen to senior positions, including one Plant Manager, underscoring the Academy’s role in grooming the next generation of leaders, innovators, and builders for the manufacturing sector.

The program attracts the brightest Ordinary National Diploma (OND) holders from polytechnics nationwide each year, while also offering targeted skills development to NBC’s existing workforce.

More than 1,100 employees benefit annually from bespoke training programs, ensuring continuous capability growth across the business.

The Academy’s curriculum blends immersive classroom sessions with extensive hands-on training.

Trainees gain experience on mini production lines, work within simulated environments such as driver simulators and safety behaviour modules and have access to world-class facilities including a digital learning lab, library, on-site clinic, and canteen.

At the graduation, NBC Managing Director, Goran Sladic, highlighted the Academy as a flagship initiative in NBC’s broader mission to build human capital and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial capabilities.

“The Supply Chain Academy is just one way we demonstrate our commitment to Nigeria’s socio-economic development. Our investments in technology, infrastructure, and talent are not just about growing our business, but about empowering people, strengthening local capabilities, and embedding sustainability in everything we do,” Sladic said.

Sladic also applauded the graduates for their innovative project, ‘Smart Traffic Light,’ a forward-thinking solution designed to improve safety in NBC’s facilities by replacing traditional convex mirrors with a more efficient and protective system.

“This is the type of ingenuity that will define the future of our industry,” he added.

In addition to the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mobolaji Ogunlende, other dignitaries, including the Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Adewale-SmattOyerinde, and the Chairman of the Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area, Adebanjo Moyosore, praised NBC’s role in bridging the skills gap and contributing to industrial talent development.

Valedictorian Anosike Miracle expressed gratitude to NBC, the Academy’s trainers, and the Ikeja leadership team, encouraging fellow graduates to apply their skills beyond the classroom and inspire the next generation.

“Success is not always about being number one; it is about being consistent, being passionate, and staying true to who we are. As we leave these walls behind, let us carry the lessons we have learned, the friendships we have built, and the values instilled in us to ensure we pass them on to the younger generation,” he said.

Continue Reading

Breaking News

National Pension Commission (PenCom) changes price disclosure rule

Published

on

National Pension Commission (PenCom) has directed Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) to discontinue the publication of daily unit prices for Retirement Savings Account (RSA) and Retiree Funds on their websites, replacing the requirement with a six-month disclosure of returns based on a three-year rolling average.

The directive was contained in a circular issued by the commission.

Under the new guideline, PFAs must stop implementing Section 2.0 (iv) of the Commission’s March 23, 2013 circular, which required them to display daily unit prices for the last seven days.

Instead, they are to publish on their websites the last six months’ rate of return — calculated as a 36-month compounded rolling average in line with the Circular for the Calculation and Reporting of Rate of Returns by Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs).

According to the commission, the rate of return must be clearly displayed on the homepage of each PFA’s website.

For instance, the six-month disclosure covering April to September 2025 would reflect the 36-month compounded returns ending in each of those months.

This has however raised transparency concerns in the pension industry.

The 2013 circular on Minimum Information to be displayed on PFA Websites formed part of PenCom’s transparency framework for the Contributory Pension Scheme.

The latest addendum modifies that requirement but does not remove PFAs’ obligation to disclose performance information.

Industry watchers say the development may reignite debate over the balance between long-term investment reporting and real-time transparency in Nigeria’s pension industry.

All enquiries on the addendum, the Commission said, should be directed to its Surveillance Department.

An industry analyst who does not want her name mentioned said the move could reduce contributors’ access to real-time performance data.

She said: “Daily unit prices allowed RSA holders to independently track short-term movements and detect fluctuations in fund valuation.

“With only a three-year rolling average now required, contributors will no longer see recent performance in isolation”, she noted.

The analyst added that while pension funds are long-term vehicles, removing daily disclosure raises concerns about information asymmetry.

“PFAs will still compute daily valuations internally. The issue is whether contributors should be denied access to data that already exists,” the analyst said.

However, another pension expert defended the directive, noting that pensions are structured for long-term accumulation and should be assessed over extended periods.

“A 36-month rolling average smooth’s out short-term volatility and provides a more accurate reflection of sustained performance,” the expert said, warning that excessive focus on daily fluctuations could encourage reactionary fund switching.

Continue Reading

Breaking News

Dollar rises in black market on Monday, traders quote new exchange rate

Published

on

Dollar edges higher against the naira in black market trading Dollar edges higher against the naira in black market trading

The United States dollar at the parallel market increased in value on Monday, Febuary 23 with traders quote at N1,375/$ as the new selling exchange rate.

The new rate is a slight depreciation for the naira when compared to N1,343 a dollar market closed on Friday, February 20, 2026.

Abdulahhi, a forex dealer, told Legit.ng that the new exchange rate follows renew demand in the market.

“I am currently selling dollars at N1,375/$1 and buying at N1,355/$1. The pound is trading at N1,845 to sell and N1,805 to buy, while the euro is also moving steadily in the market.

“It seems this week the dollar will return to over N1,400. I have been getting a lot of request.”

The fall of the naira comes as BDC operators continue to face difficulties in accessing dollars from commercial banks.

BDCs can get dollar

The apex bank had previously issued a circular allowing licensed BDCs to access foreign exchange through authorised dealers at the prevailing market rate.

Under the directive, each BDC is permitted to purchase up to $150,000 weekly, subject to Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements and due diligence checks, Punch reports.

Leadership reported that despite a policy announcement, some operators disclosed that no transactions have been completed under the new arrangement.

A BDC operator, who requested anonymity, said the directive remains largely unimplemented. According to him, the circular provides that disbursements will be made through settlement accounts, a provision that has raised operational concerns.

He questioned the feasibility of seamless, real-time transfers between domiciliary accounts across different banks, noting that such infrastructure may not yet be fully in place.

The operator added that while commercial banks appear supportive of the policy, many are still developing internal processes to align with the CBN’s directive.

He explained that BDCs are required to submit bid orders through their banks, which would then access the market on their behalf.

Naira in the official market

Meanwhile, in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM), the naira closed against the US dollar on Friday, February 20 at N1,346.32/$1 from N1,341.35/$1 a day earlier.

At the GTBank FX desk, the naira weakened by N7 against the dollar to quote N1,356/$1.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2026 Naijacoaded | All Right Reserved | Powered by Naijacoaded.com |