Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, a Nigerian diversified agribusiness company, has announced plans to invest $1 billion over the next four years to expand its facilities and restructure the company.

Chairman John Coumantaros, in an interview on Tuesday, said the new funding is about “doubling down on investment in Nigeria.”

This investment will further support President Tinubu’s reform efforts at a time when companies like Diageo Plc and Unilever Plc are exiting or reducing their exposure to the West African nation.

Since coming to power in May 2023, President Tinubu has introduced a series of reforms from allowing the naira to free float to fuel subsidy removal to make the country more attractive to investors and steer it away from fiscal collapse.

According to Coumantaros, $500 million of the total investment will go into its sugar operations in Niger state to boost production from the current 100,000 tons to over 400,000 tons a year.

An additional $100 million will be allocated to a cassava-processing factory to end imports of starch from the tuber and expand its breakfast cereal offerings.

The 64-year-old company will also undergo reorganization following an offer from Excelsior Shipping Company Ltd. last month to buy out minority shareholders at 70 naira per share.

The company plans to restructure its more than 22 units into five individual companies, Coumantaros said.

“We want to be able to attract technical and financial partners to help us grow our sugar operations and food business. We have a lot of ambitious plans for investment and expansion.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has again disappointed Nigerians over the functionality of the country’s refinery in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, had in July, this year, stated categorically that the refinery would come into operation in early August.

Kyari’s announcement made it the seventh time the petroleum company would promise Nigerians that the Port-Harcourt Refinery would restart operations.

But the company has not been able to fulfill any of its assurances as at the time of this report, even as the challenges of fuel availability facing Nigeria bite harder.

The NNPC CEO had earlier promised that the refineries would be functional before the end of former president Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in May 2023.

The most recent date was promised by the Chief Financial Officer of the NNPC, Umar Ajiya, who said the Port Harcourt refinery would commence operations in September 2024.

In a recent reply to an enquiry by legal luminary, Femi Falana, SAN, it was noted that the contractor overseeing the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt refinery, said it would provide details on the project’s completion by or before October 2.

The contractor conveyed this through a law firm, Olajide Oyewole LLP, in response to a letter from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, who had inquired about the completion timeline for the refinery’s rehabilitation.

Falana had written to them on September 17 and 24, respectively regarding the contract with the NNPC.

Kyari had informed the Senate recently when he appeared before the red chamber that Nigeria would be a net exporter of petroleum products by the end of the year.

He had informed the lawmakers that it was impossible to have the Kaduna refinery come into operation before December and that it would get to December. He had said similar things of both Warri and Kaduna Refineries.

According to him, Port Harcourt would commence production in early August this year.

The Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN) has perfected plans to buy out minority shareholders to focus on strengthening its position as the future of African food businesses.

Boye Olusanya, the group managing director, stated that the company has received approval from the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to proceed with the purchase.

FMN disclosed on Tuesday that the buyout would be executed through a scheme of arrangement, supervised by relevant regulatory bodies.

According to Olusanya, this move aligns with FMN’s goal to become the leading Pan-African food business, improving its ability to innovate and grow, while focusing on long-term value for stakeholders.

He said the buyout would enhance FMN’s operational efficiency and decision-making agility.

The company plans to apply to the Federal High Court for approval to convene a shareholders’ meeting, where the resolution to buy out minority shareholders will be discussed.

Olusanya said the resolution would pass if at least 75% of shareholders, either in person or by proxy, approve it at the Court-Ordered Meeting (COM). FMN’s board has already recommended the offer to shareholders, citing the buyout’s potential advantages for innovation and sustainable growth.