The Federal Government on Monday extended by three months the 50 per cent discount it offered operators of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises to register their company names.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo announced this during the first quarter MSMEs stakeholders’ meeting, which was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He explained that the government’s action was informed by the success so far recorded in the 50 per cent discount window.

For instance, reports showed that small business registration grew from “54,000 to 163,000 within six months” of approving the discount.

The government, through the Corporate Affairs Commission, started applying the discount since in October 2018.

It involved reducing the fee for the registration of a business name from N10,000 to N5,000 to help MSMEs formalise their operations.

Osinbajo at the event also asked both the Standard Organisation of Nigeria and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control to quickly resolve issues relating to the overlapping of their functions to ease business operations.

The VP also challenged the stakeholders to rack their brains and come up with suggestions on how best to finance small business outlets in the country.

“Having listened to all the issues raised in the report and from your various contributions about funding, I think you should come up with suggestions on better funding for start-ups and MSMEs.

“We need to address this issue as quickly as possible”, a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, quoted the VP as saying.

The Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, Mr Kayode Pitan, at the session, called for “MSMEs to establish a company to de-risk BOI loans to MSMEs.”

Follow Our WhatsApp Channel _______________________________________________________________________ LAWBREED NEW WIG SPECIAL OFFER — Give a newly called lawyer a lasting professional gift. Get up to 20% off selected LAWBREED Supreme Court Reports, plus access to My S.C Extra, featuring Supreme Court judgments from 1972 to date. Call/WhatsApp: 08077011741 | 08077011755 | 08077011730 | 08023269613 Email: orders@lawbreed.com | mails@lawbreed.com LAWBREED — Equipping You For Greater Success! _______________________________________________________________________

“Order Justice Omolaye-Ajileye’s Electronic Evidence Books Now” — Essential Guides On Evidence Act, Case Law And Digital Proof

Two leading books on electronic evidence by Hon. Justice Professor Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, Rtd., PhD, FICMC, are now available for purchase. The publications, Electronic Evidence (Second Edition), With The Evidence Act, 2011 and Compendium Of Cases On Electronic Evidence, Volume II, 2020–2025, provide practical guidance, legal analysis and recent judicial authorities on electronic evidence in Nigeria.Order directly from the author here: https://velvety-cendol-7387ed.netlify.app/ _______________________________________________________________________

[A MUST HAVE] Evidence Act Demystified With Recent And Contemporary Cases And Materials

“Evidence Act: Complete Annotation” by renowned legal experts Sanni & Etti.

Available now for NGN 40,000 at ASC Publications, 10, Boyle Street, Onikan, Lagos. Beside High Court, TBS. Email publications@ayindesanni.com or WhatsApp +2347056667384. Purchase Link: https://paystack.com/buy/evidence-act-complete-annotation

______________________________________________________________________ “Enhance Legal Practice With Authoritative Reports” — Alexander Payne Offers Comprehensive Law Reports, Spanning Over A Century Of Nigerian Jurisprudence

Interested buyers are encouraged to place their orders and enquiries via: 0704 444 4777, 0704 444 4999, 0818 199 9888 Website: www.alexandernigeria.com

______________________________________________________________________ Groundbreaking Guide For Lawyers: Adigwe Publishes ‘Artificial Intelligence For Lawyers’ With Free Research eBook As an added bonus, every purchase comes with a FREE ebook titled: “How to use the AI in Legalpedia and Law Pavilion.” Ohio Books Ltd praises the publication, stating: "....this is the only Nigerian book I know of on the topic." How to Order: 📞 Call, Text, or WhatsApp: 08034917063 | 07055285878 📧 Email: benadigwe1@gmail.com 🌎 Website: www.benadigwe.com Ebook Version: Access it directly online at https://selar.com/prv626 Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACiarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.