Author: Gilbert Ayoola
Gilbert Ayoola is the Chairman of Ibadan Zone Shareholders’ Association. He is an investment expert with years of experience that cut across the Nigerian capital market.He has deep knowledge of the Nigerian economy, tracking the performance of listed companies, banking and finance, and government policy.With 20+ years of experience working with numbers across African financial markets, Gilbert delivers reports on corporate earnings and airs opinions on banks' activities and other money market players.He conducted extensive financial analyses of Nigerian Exchange’s Top 30-listed companies with depth and dexterity that match global best practices.Gilbert Ayoola is based in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Oando: Building Enduring Value through Long-Term Commitment In capital markets, sustainable value creation is rarely driven by speed. It is shaped by patience, disciplined capital allocation, and a strategic willingness to invest ahead of visible returns. This philosophy increasingly defines Oando’s evolution as the company positions itself for long-term growth in a changing energy and economic landscape. At the core of this new era is a broadened understanding of value creation, one that extends beyond near-term financial performance to include institutional resilience, human capital development, and stakeholder alignment. The work of the Oando Foundation offers a clear illustration of this…
Three Capitals of Personal Development: A Balanced Path to Respect and Integrity From a personal development analyst’s perspective, sustainable success rests on the disciplined cultivation of three interdependent forms of capital: knowledge, reputation, and financial capital. Each is powerful alone, but only in balance do they generate durable achievement, social respect, and personal integrity. Knowledge capital is the foundational asset. It includes formal education, experiential learning, and the ability to think critically in complex environments. Knowledge compounds quietly; it sharpens judgment, reduces costly errors, and enables adaptability as conditions change. Yet knowledge without application stagnates into potential. Growth requires converting…
IMG Pops as Technical Breakout Meets Fragile Fundamental Industrial and Medical Gases Nigeria Plc (IMG) recorded a strong showing in the week that ended Friday, January 9, 2026, as renewed demand pushed the stock to the top of the gainers’ table. The share price advanced by the maximum allowable 10%, rising from N32.00 to close the week at N35.20, delivering a N3.20 gain. This rally brought IMG directly to its 200-day moving average at N35.21, a key technical resistance and sentiment gauge for medium-term investors, though still well below its 52-week high of N42.45. The recent price appreciation appears largely…
Neimeth: Repricing on Renewed Institutional Interest Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc emerged as a notable beneficiary of renewed investor attention on Thursday’s trading session, as the market continued its selective repricing of fundamentally sound equities amid a broad-based rally. The renewed momentum in Neimeth’s stock was catalysed by disclosures that FPCNL Tangerine APT Fund II Invest has acquired a strategic stake exceeding 5 per cent of the company’s issued share capital, reinforcing confidence in the firm’s medium-to long-term prospects. The entry of an institutional investor of this calibre is significant. It signals validation of Neimeth’s operational turnaround narrative, balance sheet resilience,…
Market Outlook: Strategic Capital Reallocation Sets the Tone for Early 2026 The Nigerian equities market opened the first few trading days of 2026 on a firm footing, sustaining positive momentum and offering investors a clearer sense of direction across key sectors. Early price action reflects renewed confidence, driven less by speculation and more by high-profile strategic capital moves that have helped define the market’s near-term outlook. At the centre of this momentum is Mr. Femi Otedola’s landmark exit from Geregu Power. The transaction stands as a textbook case of value crystallisation: entering the power sector early, scaling efficiently, and exiting…
PZ Cussons: Profit Turnaround Masks Structural Weakness PZ Cussons Nigeria has delivered a headline-grabbing reversal, swinging from a N76 billion loss in FY2024 to a N21.4 billion profit in H1 FY2026. Unsurprisingly, the equity market has reacted aggressively, with the stock rallying 94% from N24.30 to N47.10. However, beneath the surface, this recovery is largely optical. The rally is being driven by temporary, non-operational gains rather than a sustainable improvement in core fundamentals. On closer inspection, nearly 60% of reported profits are derived from non-recurring items, foreign exchange revaluations, exceptional income, and accounting adjustments that are unlikely to repeat into…
Investing: How to Unlock Nigerian Stock Market’s Full Potential There is no place for a big ego in the stock market. This truth is universal, but it is especially relevant in the Nigerian equity market, where cycles are sharp, information is uneven, and sentiment can turn faster than fundamentals. The market rewards discipline, patience, and humility and punishes arrogance without apology. The Nigerian stock market will break all egotistical, arrogant investors; not because they lack intelligence, but because ego clouds judgment. When investors begin to believe they are bigger than the market, they stop listening to data, to price signals,…
Fidelity Bank’s N259bn Capital Raise Signals Tier-1 Ambition and Valuation Re-rating Fidelity Bank Plc has successfully opened and closed a N259 billion private placement of ordinary shares, lifting its eligible capital base from N305.5 billion to N564.5 billion, subject to regulatory approvals. The transaction is one of the most decisive balance-sheet actions in the current banking sector recapitalisation cycle and positions the bank firmly above the N500 billion minimum capital threshold for internationally licensed banks. With this move, Fidelity joins the growing cohort of banks proactively aligning with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s new capital regime, effectively enlisting among the…
Elumelu’s $500m Deal to Recast Seplat Energy’s Gas Story in 2026 If consummated and deployed as signaled, Tony Elumelu’s mooted $500 million investment would mark a strategic inflection point for Seplat Energy less about boardroom symbolism and more about balance-sheet leverage, gas-led growth optionality, and market re-rating into 2026. Seplat’s long-term thesis already tilts toward domestic gas with resilient demand, dollar-linked pricing windows, and policy tailwinds tied to power, industrialisation, and LNG backfill. A $500 million capital injection whether structured as equity, quasi-equity, or project-level financing would materially accelerate this pivot. The immediate effect would be capacity unlock: faster development…
Pharma Stocks: Hard Look at Fidson, May&Baker, Neimeth and Mecure in 2026 In Nigeria, healthcare, especially pharmaceuticals, remains one of the few non-negotiable sectors. Pharmaceuticals are not discretionary purchases that rise and fall with consumer sentiment; they are consumed across economic cycles. Antimalarials, antibiotics, and chronic-care medications are bought in booms and recessions alike. This reality creates a structural demand advantage for listed pharmaceutical companies and positions the sector as a defensive yet growth-oriented play on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) heading into 2026. Against this backdrop, investors are increasingly paying attention to Fidson, May & Baker, Neimeth, and MeCure. These…