Business
Savannah Unveils Agreement with NIPCO, Ends Off-market Share Buyback Deal
Savannah Energy would be going into a relationship agreement (the “Relationship Agreement”) with its largest shareholder, NIPCO Plc (“NIPCO”), which would see NIPCO increasing its shareholding in Savannah.
The company, in a statement revealed that, “NIPCO proposes to acquire further existing Ordinary Shares in the Company through a series of secondary market transactions. In connection with these proposed acquisitions, the Company intends to terminate the off-market share buyback agreement (the “Buyback Agreement”) announced on 22 October 2025 and approved by shareholders on 28 November 2025.
Biztellers reports that following termination of the Buyback Agreement, NIPCO proposes to acquire 118,083,927 of the 143,565,582 Ordinary Shares that were subject to the Buyback Agreement, which would increase NIPCO’s stake to approximately 25% of Savannah’s current issued share capital.
In addition, NIPCO has indicated to the Company its intention to acquire up to a further approximately 1.5% of the Company’s current issued share capital through additional secondary market transactions with identified existing shareholders. If completed in full, these additional acquisitions would increase NIPCO’s ownership interest in Savannah to approximately 26.5% of the Company’s current issued share capital. There can be no certainty such further acquisitions will occur and to the extent that they do occur, the Company would expect to update its website to reflect the increased ownership holding.
The proposed Relationship Agreement is expected to provide a number of important protections for the Company and its minority shareholders, and to ensure that the Company is always able to carry on its business independently of NIPCO.
The Relationship Agreement is expected to include:
(i) undertakings by NIPCO to exercise its voting rights in support of Board-recommended governance-related shareholder resolutions;
(ii) confirmation that NIPCO has no right to board representation;
(iii) an undertaking from NIPCO not to pursue any hostile takeover of the Company (subject to certain exceptions); and
(iv) orderly market disposal obligations governing any future disposals of shares by NIPCO, covering both on market and off market trades, with the Company being afforded a certain period of time in the latter instance to attempt to identify an alternative purchaser (should it so choose).
The Relationship Agreement is expected to remain in force for so long as NIPCO and its affiliates hold, in aggregate, 12.5% or more of the Company’s issued share capital. Entry into the Relationship Agreement is expected to occur shortly following regulatory consultation, and NIPCO is expected to undertake to the Company imminently to agree to any amendments to the draft Relationship Agreement that may follow the regulatory consultation.
In reaching its decision to terminate the Buyback Agreement, the Board, having taken appropriate external professional advice, concluded that the proposed entry into the Relationship Agreement would be of significant strategic value to the Company and its minority shareholders.
In particular, the Board considered that:
(1) the Relationship Agreement would deliver meaningful minority shareholder protections and provide important assurances regarding the Company’s continued operational and decision-making independence from its largest shareholder; and
(2) the proposed termination of the Buyback Agreement would preserve approximately £10.05 million of the Company’s cash resources (due to the Company not having to buyback the Ordinary Shares subject to the Buyback Agreement), enhancing financial flexibility while retaining the Company’s ability to return capital to shareholders through Board-approved on-market share buybacks under the authority granted by shareholders at the general meeting held on 28 November 2025.
The Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Andrew Knott (the “CEO”), proposes to acquire the balance of 25,481,655 Ordinary Shares that were subject to the Buyback Agreement and are not being acquired by NIPCO, thereby increasing his total interest to 292,764,370 Ordinary Shares, equal to approximately 13.8% of the Company’s current issued share capital. The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) considers this additional investment, which is to be undertaken via an investment vehicle wholly owned by the CEO, to be a further demonstration of senior management’s confidence in the Company’s strategy and prospects and to enhance the alignment of senior management’s interests with those of shareholders.
The arrangements pursuant to which the Company has agreed to terminate the Buyback Agreement and to enter into the Relationship Agreement, in connection with the intended share purchases by NIPCO and Andrew Knott, constitute related party transactions for the purposes of the AIM Rules for Companies.
The Company’s independent directors, being all of the directors other than Andrew Knott, consider, having consulted with Strand Hanson Limited, the Company’s nominated adviser, that the terms of these arrangements and the actions to be taken by the Company in connection therewith are fair and reasonable insofar as shareholders are concerned.
Under-dispensing of petroleum products at retail outlets across Nigeria would no longer be tolerated and identified violations could lead to the revocation of the culprits’ licences.
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) handed down the caution in an industry circular, in which it directed all retail outlet operators to immediately calibrate and verify their dispensing pumps and totalisers to ensure accurate measurement to be certain that consumers receive the full quantity of products for which they pay.
READ ALSO: Kenyan Court Halts Dangote Refinery Work
The NMDPRA said it had observed incidents of under-dispensing at retail outlets nationwide, describing the practice as a serious breach of consumer trust.
It stated that it had intensified inspections and enforcement activities across the country and would take action against outlets found to be under-dispensing, operating with improperly calibrated equipment or otherwise compromising dispensing accuracy.
“Persistent or serious violations will be subject to appropriate sanctions, up to and including revocation of the outlet’s licence, in line with NMDPRA’s regulations,” the authority stated.
The regulator urged operators to take immediate corrective measures where discrepancies are identified, stressing the need to maintain the integrity and accuracy of petroleum product transactions.
The NMDPRA also directed the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN), the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) to promptly communicate the directive to their members and support compliance across the industry.
The House of Representatives has extended the implementation period of the capital component of Nigeria’s 2025 budget from September 30 to December 31, 2026, citing economic difficulties and challenges affecting the execution of capital projects.
The decision was taken on Tuesday during plenary after Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere moved a motion seeking an amendment to the Appropriation (Repeal and Enactment) Act, 2025.
Ihonvbere told lawmakers that several factors affecting the Nigerian economy had made it difficult to conclude the implementation of the capital component before the existing September 30 deadline.
ALSO READ: Senate Approves Bill to Create Agency for Recovered Assets
He said the extension was necessary to ensure that incomplete implementation would not be attributed simply to the expiration of the deadline previously approved by the National Assembly.
The House subsequently fast-tracked the bill through first, second and third readings before approving the extension.
The Senate also passed the measure, allowing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) additional time to complete capital projects for which funds had already been appropriated and released.
Why the projects remain unfinished
Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele gave further details on the factors affecting implementation, pointing to procurement, contract execution, mobilisation, certification of completed works and payment processes.
According to Bamidele, these stages can affect the ability of MDAs to complete projects within the existing budget implementation timeframe.
He said the extension was intended to protect ongoing public investments, facilitate the completion of critical projects and prevent the waste of public resources already appropriated and released.
The latest decision therefore gives government agencies another three months to complete eligible projects and utilise funds already provided for the 2025 capital programme.
Fourth extension of 2025 capital budget
Tuesday’s decision marks the fourth extension of the implementation deadline for the 2025 capital budget.
The National Assembly first moved the deadline from December 31, 2025, to March 31, 2026.
It subsequently extended the deadline to June 30 and later to September 30.
The latest extension now moves the deadline to December 31, 2026.
The repeated extensions have kept portions of previous capital allocations in the implementation cycle while the government works through outstanding projects and obligations.
Earlier in June, lawmakers had cited procurement timelines, project implementation challenges and administrative processes as reasons for extending the capital budget deadline to September.
Previous budget pressures
The issue has also been linked to the backlog of capital projects from previous budget years.
A recent analysis reported that about ₦16.8 trillion in capital expenditure from the 2024 and 2025 budgets had been rolled into the 2026 fiscal year, with funding constraints and delays in releases contributing to the backlog.
The report said the 2026 capital budget was partly structured to address outstanding obligations from previous years.
President Bola Tinubu had also acknowledged in his 2026 budget speech that the implementation of the 2025 budget faced competing execution demands and the transition between budget years.
He disclosed that only ₦3.10 trillion, representing about 17.7 per cent of the 2025 capital budget, had been released as of the third quarter of 2025, while priority was given to completing 2024 capital projects.
The new December 31 deadline is therefore expected to provide additional time for MDAs to complete projects already at various stages of execution.
The House adjourned plenary until October 13, 2026, after considering the budget extension.
The Malindi Environment and Land Court in Kenya has directed that the construction of the proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu County be placed on hold until further hearing.
The development came after some farmers and local inhabitants of Chandavai, an area in Lamu County, opposed the move, citing cases of “forceful eviction” and the destruction of their properties.
According to a Bloomberg report on Monday, Judge Jane Onyango ordered that “the status quo prevailing” be maintained.
The report noted that the court will provide further directions on the case on October 14, according to the order, which was issued on September 25 but made public on Monday.
A lawyer representing the petitioners, George Wakahiu, told Bloomberg that the ruling means no construction of the project should begin until the court meets on October 14.
The Dangote refinery project entails “forceful eviction of the plaintiffs from their lands, damage and destruction of their properties and yet there is no resettlement plan for them,” according to the petitioners. Dangote and the Kenyan authorities have yet to comply with the nation’s environmental code that requires “a mandatory environmental impact assessment be done before the implementation of any major project,” they said.
READ ALSO: Adeleke Hails Osun’s NECO Performance
The refinery also fails to comply with Kenya’s constitution, “which requires that the necessary public participation” be conducted, according to the court filings, the report stated.
However, in a report by Reuters on Tuesday, the business conglomerate of Africa’s richest man, Dangote Group, said in a statement that the court was yet to stop the refinery’s groundbreaking ceremony.
It noted that activities at the proposed refinery site would be affected pending the October 14 court hearing.
“The court has not halted the groundbreaking ceremony of the refinery at this stage. However, activities at the site may be affected by the ruling, as both parties are required not to carry out activities until the case is heard on 14th October,” the statement read.
The PUNCH reports that Kenyan President William Ruto said his government was fast-tracking administrative processes for the proposed Dangote refinery in Lamu. This is as Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, said the planned facility would be bigger than the existing Nigerian plant.
Ruto spoke on Friday during a tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, ahead of the September 30 groundbreaking ceremony for the proposed 700,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Lamu, Kenya.
The Kenyan President said his government had already secured the land for the project and is working on other requirements to eliminate bureaucratic bottlenecks and ensure that construction and subsequent operations are not delayed.
He described the proposed refinery as a regional project that would expand industrial activities in East Africa, create employment opportunities and improve the technical skills of the region’s workforce.
Courtesy – The PUNCH
Ekuafeh Explores Human Uniqueness, Bond, Connection in Unity Forged in Clay
Tinubu Signs 2025 Budget Amendment Into Law
FG Reveals Six Locations for Proposed 24-Hour Power Supply Zones
2027 Election: Wike Sets Resignation Date If Tinubu Loses Rivers, FCT
NNPC Flaunts $800m Ima FID, as Affirmation of Upstream Viability
NMDPRA Poised to Curb Under-dispensing at Petrol Stations
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Tems Sets New Record On Billboard Hot 100 Chart
