Feature/OPED

Dealing With Corporate Governance Challenges in Business

Published

8 years ago

14/11/2018

By Nonso Obikili

It is in the interest of the regulators whose job it is to ensure that businesses, especially publicly listed ones, maintain good corporate governance codes, as businesses tend to learn from each other. If one business gets away with sharp practices, then others try their hand at it as well.

Governance is a fundamental part of any functioning entity. The rules and systems which govern how entities function are perhaps the most fundamental thing for survival. Rules and systems that incentivise good decision making generally lead to better performing entities, while rules that incentivise bad behaviour tend to lead to breakdown. Most understand the importance of these rules and systems when we talk about governance with respect to countries, or states. In that instance, fair and enforced rules with proper checks and balances typically lead to countries that make better decisions and end up better off, whereas the opposite of that leads to countries that end up as basket cases.

However, governance rules don’t only apply to countries or states, but to businesses as well. The difference being that for businesses, instead of having presidents, national assemblies, and citizens, you have chief executive officers (CEOs), boards, and shareholders. Regardless, the principles of good governance still apply. Businesses which follow a good set of rules and systems of good behaviour tend to perform better than those that don’t.

Good corporate governance rules help ensure that businesses work in the interest of their shareholders, and don’t take actions that are not in the interest of the business. Good corporate governance rules also try to ensure that transitions within the company, such as in cases of a change of ownership structure, do not impede the normal functioning of the business. And, of course, any good system of rules has to come hand-in-hand with a system of enforcement. For businesses, such enforcement is typically done by regulators who try to make sure that rules are obeyed and penalties imposed on those who break them.

Unfortunately, as most Nigerians can attest to, sometimes the decision makers don’t always act in the interest of those who they should leading. Presidents and national assemblies don’t always act in the interest of their citizens and CEOs and board members don’t always act in the interest of their shareholders. And as you can probably guess, one common reason for this is to remain in power. Presidents want to remain in power. CEOs want to remain in power. Board members want to remain in power and sometimes act against the interest of their shareholders to do so.

One common way CEOs and board members try to stay in power is by a process called stock dilution. You see, if a board wants to act against the interests of shareholders, then one way of doing this is to change the structure of the business so that shareholders you don’t like, end up owning less of the company and having fewer voting rights consequently.

For example, if a board effectively owns 25 percent of a business and therefore has 25 percent voting rights and wants to take the business in one direction, but there are other shareholders who own maybe 40 percent who don’t particularly like that course of action, then the 40 percent can effectively block the 25 percent. A board which wants to force through its course against the will of other shareholders can create and sell more outstanding shares through private placements to people who they know will support them, thereby increasing their effective stake and simultaneously reducing the ownership shares of those shareholders who don’t support that course.

I know what you are thinking. Surely this can’t be right, and you are right. According to the rules, it shouldn’t be that easy. First, according to most corporate governance rules, boards are not allowed to organise private placements without the approval of shareholders. There are valid reasons why a company would want to sell new shares privately, of course, but those are typically only when they are desperate for new capital. But if boards need shareholder approval for this kind of dilution, then why don’t the shareholders who are at risk of their shares being diluted prevent this from happening? Well the unhappy shareholders can only prevent this kind of thing from happening if they know where the meetings are taking place. If they are systematically excluded from the general meetings, then they cannot act or vote against such actions.

This phenomenon repeats itself across many countries with weak corporate governance rules and enforcement and appears to be repeating itself here in Nigeria in the case of NEM Insurance. NEM apparently organised an annual general meeting, which some shareholders were not told about, at least not with the mandatory 21 days’ notice. At the AGM, the shareholders present approved a plan for a new private placement in which shares were to be sold at below the market value of the shares that are publicly traded on the stock exchange. NEM has been one of the better performing insurance companies in recent times, hence it was not clear if there was any emergency cash need. And of course, some shareholders appeared to have been systematically excluded from the AGM by not being notified on time, and therefore were not able to vote against such a plan. As expected, those shareholders are now up in arms fighting against what looks like a brazen attempt to dilute their stock.

This kind of shareholder infighting is obviously not good for the company. It has the potential to derail the focus that companies, especially publicly listed ones, need to run efficient operations and it casts a cloud over the long-term viability of the business. If board members can implement such an operation, then who is to say they won’t do similar things to future investors? It is in the interest of all shareholders to resolve these issues by following the properly laid out rules and guidelines and to resolve them quickly without putting the overall health of the business at risk.

It is also in the interest of the regulators whose job it is to ensure that businesses, especially publicly listed ones, maintain good corporate governance codes, as businesses tend to learn from each other. If one business gets away with sharp practices, then other try their hand at it as well. If everybody starts engaging in sharp practices, then the overall health of the system suffers. Perhaps the regulators, who are the enforcers of good corporate governance, need to take a closer look at this and set a good example.

Nonso Obikili is an economist currently roaming somewhere between Nigeria and South Africa.

The opinion expressed in this article is the author’s and do not reflect the views of his employers.

Feature/OPED

Stocks vs Forex: Which is Better for Beginners in 2026?

Published

3 days ago

26/06/2026

Business Post Contributor

By Onah Ishioma Adaeze

As a beginner, choosing between stocks and forex for your investment goals in 2026 can feel overwhelming. Before investing your hard-earned money, it is important to understand how both markets work.

While both markets present investors with opportunities to grow their wealth, they also differ in terms of volatility, liquidity, market hours, and leverage. Stocks involve owning portions of a company, while forex has to do with trading a base currency against a quote currency.

In this article, we will be going through the basics of stocks and forex, pointing out their differences, and helping you decide which asset better suits your investment journey in 2026.

What is Stock Trading?

When it comes to stock trading, you are buying shares of a company, which makes you a shareholder of that company. As a shareholder, you may be entitled to receive dividends whenever the company decides to pay dividends.

As for those companies that do not pay dividends, there are other benefits a shareholder may enjoy, like being called upon to attend shareholder meetings and having voting rights on certain company matters.

On a global scale, over $100 trillion worth of shares are traded annually. Also, the rising popularity of AI companies and technological innovations continues to drive investor participation and market growth.

If you’re an investor looking to buy and hold capital assets, then stock trading is definitely for you, as it allows for short-term, medium-term and long-term investment goals.

When you buy shares of a company and the company performs well, your shares increase in value. Another benefit of stock trading is access to index funds and ETFs.

These funds consist of companies that are grouped under an index. They are carefully selected and monitored under the fund, sparing the investor the stress of actively tracking the fund.

They can be a way of building a long-term, diversified portfolio, and some of these funds may pay dividends.

What is Forex Trading?

Forex trading has to do with buying one currency and selling another. With a pair like USD/JPY, USD is the base currency being bought against JPY, which is the quote currency.

In order to execute a trade in the forex market, you have to analyse and make predictions based on price movement, as well as pay attention to what’s going on in the global news scene.

The forex market runs twenty-four hours every weekday, with over $9 trillion traded in the market every day. Being the largest financial market in the world, there is very high liquidity.

Forex trading involves buying one currency against another, making predictions based on price movements on the forex charts. Price moves based on the activities of large institutions like hedge funds, big banks, the government, etc.

The forex market runs 24 hours a day, every weekday, with global forex turnover reaching $9 trillion per day in the BIS 2025 survey. Being the largest financial market in the world, there is very high volatility and price fluctuations.

At the same time, there is high liquidity in the market, which means that currency pairs can easily be bought and sold without hassle. Highly liquid instruments that are traded regularly include: EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, and gold (XAU/USD).

As a retail trader, knowing when to enter and exit the market is important. As easy as it is to make profits from price fluctuations, it is also very easy to lose money if the market moves against you. This is why it is important to set stop losses and take profits. This helps manage your trading capital.

Major Differences Between Stocks and Forex

While investing in stocks and forex can yield great capital gains, there are lots of ways in which they differ.

As a beginner, stock trading provides opportunities for long-term investments, ensuring slow but consistent returns for wealth building. But if you are looking for an active, short-term style of investment, then forex trading is for you, as it allows you to enter and exit the market within a shorter time frame.

Which is Better in 2026?

Choosing an asset to invest in all boils down to personal preference. At the same time, if you are not averse to risk, nor opposed to asset diversification, then it’s okay to invest in both.

For beginner investors in 2026, stock trading is easier to understand and get into, especially because of mutual funds, index funds and ETFs. With those funds, you don’t have to be an expert to start investing. You can just buy a fund that suits your needs and hold it over a long period of time.

If you are an investor who enjoys technical analysis, highly volatile and liquid markets, as well as trading under short time frames, then forex trading is the right pick for you.

Conclusion

You do not need to put all your eggs in one basket. There are investors who invest in both stocks and forex simultaneously. When starting out, you can start investing in stocks while learning forex. Take calculated risks and do not invest above your means. Diversify your investments and remember, when starting out, you should prioritise acquiring knowledge over profits.

Onah Ishioma Adaeze is a finance writer who is passionate about simplifying complex concepts into easily digestible pieces. Her hobbies are reading and watching anime

Feature/OPED

Building 234 Solutions: A Response to Everyday Workforce Challenges

Published

4 days ago

25/06/2026

Business Post Contributor

By Owoloye Emmanuel

Every business starts with a problem. For us, that problem was hiding in plain sight.

Across organisations, we kept seeing HR professionals, payroll teams, and business leaders spend significant time navigating processes that should be simpler. Employee records sat across multiple systems, payroll processes required manual intervention, and routine workforce tasks often became more complicated than they needed to be.

As businesses grow, workforce operations naturally become more complex. Yet many organisations still rely on disconnected tools and workflows that create unnecessary friction for both employers and employees.

The consequence is more than operational inefficiency. HR teams spend valuable time managing systems instead of supporting people. Business leaders struggle to access timely workforce insights, while employees experience delays in processes that should be seamless.

These weren’t isolated challenges. They were recurring realities across workplaces, regardless of industry or size.

That observation led us to a simple question: what if workforce management could be easier?

What if HR, payroll, and workforce operations could work together within a single, connected experience?

That question became the foundation for 234 Solutions.

We are building 234 Solutions with a clear belief that workplace technology should reduce complexity, not add to it. Our goal is to help organisations spend less time navigating processes and more time focusing on productivity, growth, and people.

As we prepare for launch, our focus remains simple: building practical solutions for real workplace challenges and helping organisations create better experiences for the people who power them every day.

Owoloye Emmanuel is the founder of 234 Solutions

Feature/OPED

The Role of TV in Preserving African Stories and Identity

Published

5 days ago

24/06/2026

Business Post Contributor

Scroll through social media today, and you will notice something interesting: everyone is either reacting to a series, quoting a movie line, or debating a character as though they personally know them. Beneath the memes and binge-watch culture, however, lies something deeper. Television remains one of the most powerful tools shaping how Africans see themselves, remember their history, and tell their own stories. In a continent as diverse and expressive as Africa, that matters more than ever.

TV as a Cultural Archive, Not Just Entertainment

Long before streaming algorithms began shaping our viewing habits, television was already preserving African identity. From Nollywood dramas that capture the rhythm of everyday Lagos life to documentaries exploring Maasai traditions and Ghanaian folklore, TV has served as a living archive of the continent’s stories.

It preserves more than entertainment; it preserves language, culture, humour, values, and shared experiences. Unlike fleeting social media content, television allows stories to unfold with depth, exploring the realities of family, tradition, ambition, and modern African life without reducing them to stereotypes. That is the power of TV: preserving not just stories, but perspective.

Why Representation on TV Still Matters

There is a subtle but important truth: if people do not see themselves on screen, they may begin to believe their stories are not worth telling. This is why African TV content is more than entertainment; it is affirmation.

Seeing a character who speaks like you, struggles like you, or celebrates like your community does something powerful. It validates identity and challenges outdated narratives that have historically defined Africa through external lenses.

This is where MultiChoice Group, through platforms such as DStv and GOtv, plays an important role. They do not simply broadcast content; they help distribute cultural memory at scale.

GOtv, DStv, and the Everyday African Viewer

Think about a typical evening in many African homes: the TV is on in the background, someone is laughing at a comedy show, another person is watching a local series, and someone else is catching up on the news. That shared viewing experience remains very real.

Through platforms such as DStv and GOtv, African households are exposed to a blend of local storytelling and global content. More importantly, they have helped amplify African-produced content by bringing Nollywood films, African reality shows, talk shows, and documentaries into mainstream rotation.

It is not just about access. It is about visibility.

A young filmmaker in Lagos today is more likely to believe their story matters because they have seen similar stories broadcast widely. A child in Accra grows up hearing familiar accents and seeing environments that look like their own on screen, not as exceptions, but as the norm.

TV Is Also Shaping Modern African Identity

African identity is not static; it is evolving. Television reflects that evolution in real time.

Today, audiences see:

Young Africans balancing tradition and modern dating culture
Stories tackling mental health in African households
Fashion and music influences spreading through TV series
Political satire shaping public conversation

Conversations that were once confined to homes are now being explored on screen, giving audiences the language to discuss issues that were previously unspoken.

In many ways, television is doing what oral tradition has always done: passing stories, values, humour, warnings, and history from one generation to the next. The difference is that today’s griots are writers, directors, and broadcasters.

The Future: From Watching to Owning Our Narratives

The next stage of African storytelling is not just about being seen; it is about ownership.

As more African creators produce content and platforms continue to invest in regional storytelling, television becomes more than a mirror. It becomes a tool for shaping how Africa is represented to itself and to the world.

While streaming continues to grow, television, particularly accessible platforms such as GOtv, remains one of the most effective ways to reach everyday audiences across different income levels and regions. After all, storytelling only matters if people can access it.

African stories are not new. They have always existed in families, on streets, in markets, in history books, and through oral traditions. What television has done, and continues to do, is give those stories a stage wide enough for millions to experience them at once.

The next time you watch a local series or documentary on DStv or GOtv, remember that you are not just being entertained. You are participating in the preservation of African identity itself.