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Innoson Decries Smear Campaign Against Firm

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  • Innoson Decries Smear Campaign Against Firm

Innoson Group, Nigeria’s foremost indigenous motor manufacturing company has raised the alarm over what it described as sponsored and calculated smear campaign against it and its Executive Chairman, Dr Innocent Chukwuma, by some unscrupulous interest group.

In a statement signed by Mr. Cornel Osigwe, Public Relations and Media Manager of Innoson Group, the company said that contrary to report sponsored in the media to bring the name of the company and its promoter into disrepute, no new case was filed against it by the current Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris.

Citing a letter dated February 17, 2016, the firm stated that the police had filed a notice of withdrawal of the case since February when the police got the full details of the matter, which is a business matter between Innoson Nigeria Limited and Guaranty Trust Bank.

In the statement which reads in part, the company said: “We are constrained to respond to fictitious news published recently by some news media channels purporting that the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, filed four counts of alleged N2.4bn shipping fraud against Innoson Nigeria Limited before a Federal High Court in Lagos.”

The company said it decided to respond to the malicious publication because it was aimed at maligning the reputation of Dr Chukwuma on the same period he was playing host to his strategic Chinese business partners with whom he visited Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja.

The Nation reliably gathered that at issue is that GTB had imposed excess and unlawful charges running into billions of naira on Innoson Nig Ltd’s current account with it just as it alleged that the bank fraudulently appropriated these billions of naira from Innoson’s account.

As a result, Innoson commenced suit No: FHC/AWK/CS/139/2012 against GTB and therein got judgment in excess of N4.7billion against GTB. GTB appealed against the judgment to the Court of Appeal, vide, Appeal No: CA/E/288/2013. There, the Court of Appeal ordered GTB to pay over N6billion, being the judgment with the accrued interest.

Separately, in another case, suit No: FHC/L/CS/603/2006, the Federal High Court ordered GTB to pay over N2.4billion to Innoson. GTB appealed against this judgment/order in Appeal No: CA/I/258/2011. However, Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and ordered GTB to pay the N2.4billion to Innoson.

Finding no justifiable way of getting Innoson to abandon the aforesaid judgments, which as at today is over N10billion, given the post-judgment interest, or to let it pay a lesser sum to Innoson, GTB instigated the Police to initiate a trumped-up charge – Charge No: FHC/L/565c/2015 against Innoson Nig Ltd. This charge was filed on 21st December 2015. However, when the Inspector General of Police discovered that the charge was a trumped-up one – a ruse – he withdrew the charge through its Notice of Withdrawal dated 17th February 2016 and adequately filed in the court (a copy of the notice of withdrawal is attached herewith).

Subsequently, the Inspector General of Police urged the Court to strike out the charge, but for some strange reasons the court adjourned the matter rather than strike it out. After this but before the next adjourned date, Mr. Diri – the former Director of Public Prosecution, Federal Republic of Nigeria – wrote a letter claiming that the Attorney General of the Federation had taken over the case.

The said letter which was back-dated was never initialled by the Registrar or any officer of the Court nor filed at the Court’s Registry as required by law and practice was rather smuggled into the case file. This letter, coupled with other activities of Mr. Diri, led to his being relieved of his post as the Director of Public Prosecution.

“As it is now, the Inspector General of Police, whether former or present, has not filed any new charge against Innoson Nigeria Ltd and its managing director and Mr. J. I. Ajakaye who apparently is acting without any authority is not a Police Officer. The matter came up on Monday, 24th October, 2016 for the presiding judge to excuse himself from presiding over the charge and for same to be struck out having been withdrawn. Mr. Ajakaye never and did not serve any charge on the counsel representing the defendants in the matter. A charge is an originating process and can only be served on a defendant and not his lawyer. Again, Innoson’s lawyers do not have its instructions to accept any originating process including a charge on its behalf.”

Is the CEO/Founder of Investors King Limited. A proven foreign exchange research analyst and a published author on Yahoo Finance, Businessinsider, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur.com, Investorplace, and many more. He has over two decades of experience in global financial markets.

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Crude Oil

Oil Prices Continue to Slide: Drops Over 1% Amid Surging U.S. Stockpiles

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Amidst growing concerns over surging U.S. stockpiles and indications of static output policies from major oil-producing nations, oil prices declined for a second consecutive day by 1% on Wednesday.

Brent crude oil, against which the Nigerian oil price is measured, shed 97 cents or 1.12% to $85.28 per barrel.

Similarly, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude slumped by 93 cents or a 1.14% fall to close at $80.69.

The recent downtrend in oil prices comes after they reached their highest level since October last week.

However, ongoing concerns regarding burgeoning U.S. crude inventories and uncertainties surrounding potential inaction by the OPEC+ group in their forthcoming technical meeting have exacerbated the downward momentum.

Market analysts attribute the decline to expectations of minimal adjustments to oil output policies by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies, known collectively as OPEC+, until a full ministerial meeting scheduled for June.

In addition to concerns about excess supply, the market’s attention is also focused on the impending release of official government data on U.S. crude inventories, scheduled for Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. EDT (1430 GMT).

Analysts are keenly observing OPEC members for any signals of deviation from their production quotas, suggesting further volatility may lie ahead in the oil market.

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Energy

Nigeria Targets $5bn Investments in Oil and Gas Sector, Says Government

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Crude Oil - Investors King

Nigeria is setting its sights on attracting $5 billion worth of investments in its oil and gas sector, according to statements made by government officials during an oil and gas sector retreat in Abuja.

During the retreat organized by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, explained the importance of ramping up crude oil production and creating an environment conducive to attracting investments.

He highlighted the need to work closely with agencies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to achieve these goals.

Lokpobiri acknowledged the challenges posed by issues such as insecurity and pipeline vandalism but expressed confidence in the government’s ability to tackle them effectively.

He stressed the necessity of a globally competitive regulatory framework to encourage investment in the sector.

The minister’s remarks were echoed by Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, who spoke at the 2024 Strategic Women in Energy, Oil, and Gas Leadership Summit.

Kyari stressed the critical role of energy in driving economic growth and development and explained that Nigeria still faces challenges in providing stable electricity to its citizens.

Kyari outlined NNPCL’s vision for the future, which includes increasing crude oil production, expanding refining capacity, and growing the company’s retail network.

He highlighted the importance of leveraging Nigeria’s vast gas resources and optimizing dividend payouts to shareholders.

Overall, the government’s commitment to attracting $5 billion in investments reflects its determination to revitalize the oil and gas sector and drive economic growth in Nigeria.

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Commodities

Palm Oil Rebounds on Upbeat Malaysian Exports Amid Indonesian Supply Concerns

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Palm Oil - Investors King

Palm oil prices rebounded from a two-day decline on reports that Malaysian exports will be robust this month despite concerns over potential supply disruptions from Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil exporter.

The market saw a significant surge as Malaysian export figures for the current month painted a promising picture.

Senior trader David Ng from IcebergX Sdn. in Kuala Lumpur attributed the morning’s gains to Malaysia’s strong export performance, with shipments climbing by a notable 14% during March 1-25 compared to the previous month.

Increased demand from key regions like Africa, India, and the Middle East contributed to this impressive growth, as reported by Intertek Testing Services.

However, amidst this positivity, investors are closely monitoring developments in Indonesia. The Indonesian government’s contemplation of revising its domestic market obligation policy, potentially linking it to production rather than exports, has stirred market concerns.

Edy Priyono, a deputy at the presidential staff office in Jakarta, indicated that this proposed shift aims to mitigate vulnerability to fluctuations in export demand.

Yet, it could potentially constrain supply availability from Indonesia in the future to stabilize domestic prices.

This uncertainty surrounding Indonesian policies has added a layer of complexity to palm oil market dynamics, prompting investors to react cautiously despite Malaysia’s promising export performance.

The prospect of Indonesian supply disruptions underscores the delicacy of global palm oil supply chains and their susceptibility to geopolitical and regulatory factors.

As the market navigates these developments, stakeholders remain attentive to both export data from Malaysia and policy shifts in Indonesia, recognizing their significant impact on palm oil prices and market stability.

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