The Federal Government of Nigeria has confirmed the approval of a new National Science, Technology and Innovation Road Map, 2017 – 2030 for Nigeria and the National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials and Products Development in Nigeria by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, disclosed this in a speech at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Technology and Innovation Expo in Abuja on Monday.

The spring in the step of Nigeria’s economy is likely to show up in the results of the country’s banks when they start reporting 2017 earnings from this month.

An improvement in unpaid loans, higher interest income from holding government debt and a rise in profit will have helped lenders bolster their capital buffers, according to Renaissance Capital analysts including Olamipo Ogunsanya and Ilan Stermer.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says the country’s total imports for 2017 stood at N9.56 billion. The NBS stated this in a report posted on its website entitled: ‘‘Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2017’’. The bureau stated that the value for 2017 was 8.5 per cent lower than the 2016 trade import which valued at N8. 81 billion.

Nigerian Breweries and Dangote Cement recorded price depreciation on the Nigerian Stock Exchange on Thursday, dragging the indices down by 1.12 per cent.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that both companies led the losers’ chart with a loss of N4.90 per share.

Specifically, Nigerian Breweries lost N4.90 to close at N131, while Dangote Cement also dipped N4.90 to close at N264.90 per share.

Tax payers in Nigeria have been advised to demand for written notice when they receive phone calls from tax officials.

Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun gave the advice in response to the activities of some fake tax officials alleging to be officials of the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS).

The Federal Government has announced plan to fund critical road projects in the country through its Infrastructure Bond Instruments.

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola disclosed this when he received a delegation from Institutional Investors in Abuja.

National Insurance Commission, NAICOM, has called on weak insurance companies to seek opportunities for mergers or acquisition.

Speaking at the members evening of the Nigerian Council of Registered Insurance Brokers, NCRIB, Commissioner for Insurance and Chief Executive of the NAICOM, Alhaji Mohammed Kari, urged brokers to stop giving businesses to distressed insurers because clients have conferred trust on the brokers believing that their risks will be placed in sound companies.

The value of capital imported into Nigeria rose 29.9 percent in the fourth quarter to $5.32 billion, as the economic returned to positive growth according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Capital imports stood at $12.2 billion for 2017, up from $5.38 billion previous year, the NBS said.

French energy company Total has substantially raised its presence in Libya with the purchase of a 16.33 percent stake in Libya's Waha concessions from U.S. Marathon Oil for $450 million on Friday.

The deal will give Total access to reserves and resources in excess of 500 million barrels of oil equivalent (boe), with immediate production of around 50,000 boe/d (per day) and "significant exploration potential" in concessions in the Sirte Basin, the company said in a statement.

Transactions on the Nigerian Stock Exhange ended on a bullish trend with the gaining 1,030.98 points or 2.44% at the close of trading on Wednesday. The market capitalisation rose by N370 billion in a session to close at N15.549 trillion against N15.179 trillion recorded on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the All-Share Index, which opened at 42,299.56, inched 1,030.98 points or 2.44 per cent to close at 43,330.54.