Business News in Brief

Mrs Aisha Ahmad and Mr Edward Adamu have formally assumed office as Deputy Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), following the confirmation of their appointments on March 22 by the Senate.

According to a statement signed by the bank’s acting Director, Corporate Communications, Mr Isaac Okoroafor in Abuja, Prof Adeola Adenikinju, Dr Robert Asogwa and Dr Aliyu Sanusi also commenced their tenure as Members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has held talks with the Japan-African Union Parliamentary Friendship Committee in Tokyo on how to improve transportation in the state.

Ambode, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Habib Aruna, said the meeting which was to woo Japanese investors, was being attended by two members of Japan House of Representatives.

The governor gave their names as Ichiro Aisawa and Asahiko Mihara.

He said his presence in Japan was pursuant to his determination to achieve infrastructure renewal for the state.

Nigeria was obviously absent on Wednesday when African leaders signed the Largest Free Trade Agreement since the creation of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

President Muhammadu Buhari had on Sunday cancelled his trip to Rwanda due to pressure by Labour union not to participate in signing the agreement.

A statement signed by the spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dr Tope Adeleye Elias-Fatile said the president cancelled his trip to Kigali, Rwanda to allow more inputs from Nigerian Stakeholders.

Nigeria’s central bank plans to hold its next interest rate meeting April 3-4, a spokesman said on Monday, contingent on the upper house of parliament confirming the president’s nominees for the monetary policy committee (MPC).

“The new dates for the MPC are April 3 and 4,” the spokesman told Reuters by phone. “We are hoping that between now and then the members of the committee would have been confirmed by the Senate.”