Independence 2023 Edition

Editor’s Note

I heard that fuel was going to be N900 and honestly my people in the north who walk everywhere are the winners here because they're ready to adapt quicker than everyone. Nomad nature activated for Lagos, make we dey walk everywhere.

Pure water is N50 or so, better than N600 N900 and you'll be healthy This quarter has been interesting. Our president has hit the ground running but we're in the trenches still. Apart from you people who vote in Big Brother, your money is long o!

In a sad turn of events in the entertainment industry, we lost a bright light and we hope that his light brings a new awakening to such a dark space ‑ Imolenization for the industry forever

Anyway, tough times don't last, tough people do. And if there's one thing I'm sure of, we are tough people. Ehen, happy independence, the labour of our heroes past isn't in vain because we're still here, still standing and free.

Love, Imole and Freedom.

I’ve

Of all the Serious editions, all 18 of them, the ones we are usually most excited to write are the Independence editions.

It's an opportunity to rejoice and be glad in the motherland (at least 'that's what Damini calls it); we reflect on the journey and strides of our heroes' past and celebrate our joint heritage, and this year is no different. For the last 63 years, we have celebrated our country on this day, and thankfully, despite all the hurdles and shege, this year is no different. Yeah, we know that the road here hasn't been smooth, and looking at the price of fuel, the journey is becoming expensive.

But we meuve!

Nigerian spirit, give some credit to the oil sector currently contributing 95% of 'Nigeria's foreign exchange earnings and 80% of its budgetary revenues.

Oil production, which dropped in 2022, was boosted by an improvement in security, especially in the Niger Delta region, recording 1.22 million per day and ensuring that the government will continue to ball; Barely!

Coupled with subsidy removal, this helped improve the federal allocation for July to N1.96 trn; the highest ever since they started sharing the national cake. For those who are complaining about how the subsidy removal is stressing them they have told you to go and collect your palliative from your state government (at least each state got N5bn)

prices supply has ed that the prices continue to grow even faster so please encourage your people to send money home from the abroad.

It doesn't even help that the floating happened in summer (the time for japas and Santorini).

The government has promised to fight the voracious exchange gap along with inflation (we have given up on that one; it's an all‑time high of 24 08%) ‑ but with the way our government is spending only time will tell. Now, we're all waiting to see how this plays out, hopefully, it doesn't take time before businesses bounce back. Some sharp guys in the economics game say this floating must happen to make the Naira a lot more competitive and help bring in foreign investments.

Of the many good things to celebrate, the biggest today is the peaceful transition of leadership. While coups surround us to the west (Gabon), to the north (Niger), and to the south (Sudan), we have witnessed 24 years of uninterrupted democracy and also 63 good years of interrupted electricity; (isn't God good?)

Subsidies 'aren't the only things that have changed. Our long‑standing battle with the exchange rate seems to be getting stronger; we can't even quote rates for you because we 'don't know how it is going to play out ourselves. In the end, to start chaos is easy!

Others, though, are sounding the alarm, saying it's going to jack up prices and make imported stuff way too expensive for regular Nigerians.

On that note, biko delayed gratification no dey pay again oh If you still want to wait till you have all the money to buy the things you want; you will learn that; 'yesterday's price is not 'today's price’ (maybe you will consider now AltMall you don't have to pay everything at once and beat inflation once and for all)

Jaga‑Ban

So far, So good. 01

‑ Wiseman

Imagine That

We started last year with an almost 40% unemployment rate. Miraculously, NBS, through a major recalculation, has confirmed that the actual figure is about 4.1%; Go Nigeria!

This one is more inclusive and covers small business owners too.

Talking about small business owners, country hard oh, but with this our community, you can! The Business Hub At least the good news is that the economy is growing; nominal GDP racked up to a hefty N52.10 trillion and N17 72 trillion in real GDP That's a decent 2.51% jump from the first quarter

So, there is small hope. Imagine that!

Even though the economy is still chasing oil money, the service sector is catching up with the lightning speed of Usain Bolt; especially the IT telecommunications and finance sectors (#techbros for the win).

Big Brother

After 63 years, one of the things we can confidently boast of is our commitment to democracy

From the times of President Obasanjo, we have consistently been the beacon for the continent. It is why when the coup in Niger happened, we were at the centre of all the gist Hopefully, the current sanctions are enough to avoid war God abeg!

The only war Nigeria should be fighting is the Jollof War with Ghana. Any other one, my back is paining me abeg!

This is also a reminder to be our brother's keeper To believe in Nigeria is not hard; it's not like we have another country Down the line, the message is the same. A new government brings renewed hope and new opportunities abound.

While too many problems exist the abundance of it means there is a chance to solve different problems.

Like the country is starting a new year today, we hope things are better, and our renowned resilience can help spur us to that promised land.

Papa Inflation

GiveMe TheMoney

Save Our Souls

You don't need an analyst to tell you our problems; if we had written this article four years ago, it'd still be the same issues (inflation, insecurity, FX, and low local production).

And it's not just us now; inflation is dealing with every country around the world; e dey touch everybody

One of the effects of inflation, especially for a country with low income, is that it makes people focus solely on survival.

Our survival mode has always been activated.

As our elders say, "Na who get money dey invest."

It only makes sense that until we eat, buy clothes, transport ourselves, and pay rent, talking to us about investment is a waste of time, except the reward is mind‑blowing, you know the kind that Ponzi schemes offer‑ 300% in two days.

Even when people now beat the hurdle of the basic psychological needs described by Maslow, there are limited options because of papa inflation; here we are again!

Besides just affecting how much money we spend, it also affects how much profit we can make on investment because it affects our returns.

You'd think that inflation only affects one thing, but you see now that even if I earn more than enough to spend on basics, I will still need the right kind of investment to protect against Papa inflation with the lowest risk possible (laughs in risky)

The Fight Continues

In search of good investments, many people have lost tons of money and Yeah, when you invest, you can't always expect it not go bad but you still cannot just put your money into anything without doing proper research.

But how much research can someone do abeg?

So, If you are like us, who don't have the patience and the bandwidth for the jargon of investment bankers, especially because that spare cash isn't that much

(at this point, we pay homage to all the Odogwus, we know you have money and this isn't for you) But, if you are looking for something safe and secure; I think we have what you want.

It’s In Nigeria

If you have managed to read this far, don't give up because you saw Nigeria. I know it's hard not to be skeptical about a solution in Nigeria, but this particular one can be your haven in an era of uncertainty

The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has been on a bull run recently, with the NGX All‑Share Index (the good stuff) rising by over 18% in the first half of 2023

This is the highest level the index has reached in 15 years, with the country's economy expected to grow by 3 4% in 2023 after expanding by 2.6% in 2022.

Justice For The Naira

Several factors drive this growth, including rising oil prices and increased government spending. It has also helped that foreign markets are increasingly becoming more diversified, so investors looking for big wins must now start considering emerging markets like ours.

It is why foreign investors have recently been net buyers of Nigerian stocks, attracted by the country's high yields and growth potential. With foreign investors come more money, meaning your naira now matters.

We must also give credit to The NSE, which has taken steps to improve liquidity in the market, such as introducing a new trading system and lowering trading fees.

And yeah, the recent performance of Banks and other companies listed on the Stock Exchange indicates the increased interest in Nigeria's economy and its projected positive outlook.

Why Invest In The Stock Exchange?

Investing in the Nigerian Stock Exchange holds the benefit of having cheaper capital as opposed to your typical dollar‑denominated investments.

There are also about 161 companies and growing, assuring you have a hold on your investment.

For us, we feel like it's also easier to ask somebody around about a company's performance than, let's say, investing in one in a random city abroad (no shade *winks*).

Finally, and the biggest advantage꞉ It has even been made easier these days with i‑invest.

What Does It Offer?

So if you are like us, who don't like stress and have small money (courtesy of baba God) or big doings, can i‑invest help you make the most of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, from low cost to high yield investments; the platform provides relevant information about the stock market, and is safely handled by investment bankers without compromising ethics.

If you were a part of the MMM wave, you would know how important that is Anyway, don't say we didn't do anything for you!

I hope you enjoyed being ‘Serious.’

SERIOUS

Thank You!

serious@sterling.ng