In a show of confidence in the management, corporate governance, and future of BusinessDay Media Limited, stockbrokers in Nigeria’s capital market, Wednesday urged the company to list its shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
Sam Ndata, the doyen of stockbrokers made the request at the Nigerian Stock Exchange shortly before the management of BusinessDay sounded the Closing Gong on the trading floor of the NSE in commemoration of the company’s 15th year anniversary.
The stockbrokers were unanimous in their submission that evidenced in the acceptability of the newspaper’s content in the financial markets, investors would gladly welcome the media house’s share sale on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
On the trading floor, the stockbrokers were proud to showcase their copies of BusinessDay newspapers, noting that as a leading financial and business oriented daily newspaper, it has made enviable impact in influencing government policies, while also stimulating business and economic growth.
Interestingly, yesterday’s ceremony made BusinessDay the first Media house to sound the closing gong of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
Ade Bajomo, Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, Nigerian Stock Exchange, said, “BusinessDay is the first media house to sound the closing gong on the NSE.” Bajomo said BusinessDay has consistently followed the Exchange, its transactions, governance, committed leadership and market innovations, which resulted to a very solid platform seen today.
“We are extremely delighted that people can now trade on this market from anywhere around the world in a very transparent manner”, he added.
Frank Aigbogun, publisher/CEO, BusinessDay said, “For us, it is very exciting to be here. When we started 15 years ago, we thought the whole business of financial reporting needed to align with the happenings in the local environ, other than getting more feed from foreign news. We thought we could give businesses what could help them capture the local economy. We are proud to be associated with what is happening in the market in terms of growth. At BusinessDay, we have no business deriding the market or the managers.
“The work that the NSE has done around transparency is being recognised across the globe. We hope that at the appropriate time, we see the need to come to the market to list. I think it is a privilege to come to the market to sound the Closing Gong,” Aigbogun added.
Haruna Jalo-Waziri, Executive Director, Business Development, NSE said, “BusinessDay is easy to read and its stories, opinion and articles are highly insightful.”
Within 15 years of its existence, the newspaper with faster growth has received much local and international recognition in Nigeria’s newspaper industry, while it also prides itself as parading some of the best business and financial journalists who are committed in providing reliable, insightful, and analytical content to their readers.
With its first newspaper roll out on July, 2, 2001 the dependable business newspaper which has achieved milestones and soaring readership in all strata of the society, set for itself a vision to create a platform that engages the society, providing the heart of business news and canvassing innovation and changes in the society.
The newspaper came in to the news market when there were few business newspapers such as Business Times, a publication by the famous Daily Times and Financial Standard, both of which dominated the market then.
At this time, BusinessDay was not easily accepted in the market but through determination, focus and analytical niche, it found a space which it dominates today and has become an authority in the market.
Since then, BusinessDay has won several awards including the Diageo Media of the Year 2010 award and had severally won the First Bank Prize for Business Publication of the Year award, organised by the Nigerian Media Merit Award (NMMA).
In addition to the Citi Journalists awards, BusinessDay journalists have also beat the record when they won the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) capital market competition awards consecutively over the three years of the award’s reign.
BusinessDay from inception has embraced integrity, fairness, balance, trust and capability, as its core values. In addition, the newspaper has empowered its journalists to always set standards and high benchmark in the industry.
Iheanyi Nwachukwu
