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PEARL Awards Nigeria has shortlisted companies quoted on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) for its 2026 corporate performance awards, with the winners to be announced on November 29 in Lagos.
The nominees include Zenith Bank Plc, Wema Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Nigerian Breweries Plc, BUA Foods Plc, Aradel Holdings Plc, Seplat Energy Plc, MTN Nigeria Communications Plc and Okomu Oil Palm Plc.
The President/Chief Executive Officer of PEARL Awards Nigeria, Tayo Orekoya, disclosed this at a press conference in Lagos on Tuesday, where he also called for stronger corporate governance, regulatory innovation and policy consistency to support the development of Nigeria’s capital market.
“The ultimate winners are determined by performance outcomes, not by corporate influence, sponsorship considerations or popularity,” Orekoya said.
Orekoya said the selection process was based on measurable financial and market performance, using 10 indices to assess the companies rather than subjective considerations, corporate influence or popularity. The assessment framework covers turnover growth, return on equity, earnings yield, share price appreciation, current ratio, return on assets, dividend yield, net asset ratio, dividend growth and profit margin ratio. According to Orekoya, the Research and Collation Sub-Committee obtains data from the published annual reports of quoted companies filed with the NGX and the exchange’s Daily Official Lists.
The results are reviewed and verified by the Board’s Technical Committee before submission to the Board of Governors for final approval.
He said the methodology was central to maintaining the credibility of the awards, which have recognised corporate performance in the Nigerian stock market since 1995. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) endorsed the awards in 2003.
The 2026 nominees cut across the Sectoral Leadership, Market Excellence and Special Recognition categories. Among the companies shortlisted for sectoral awards are Zenith Bank, Wema Bank and Guaranty Trust Holding Company in banking; Nigerian Breweries, Champion Breweries and Guinness Nigeria in breweries; and Ellah Lakes, Okomu Oil Palm and Presco in agriculture.
For the Market Excellence Awards, MTN Nigeria Communications, Berger Paints Nigeria and Okomu Oil Palm are nominated for return on equity, while Guinness Nigeria, Eunisell Interlinked and Seplat Energy are shortlisted for turnover growth. Aradel Holdings, Guinness Nigeria and Okomu Oil Palm are also competing for the Corporate Governance Award. The identities of the winners, including the recipient of the overall award, the PEARL of the Nigerian Stock Market, will be announced at the ceremony.
Orekoya said the Nigerian capital market continued to offer opportunities for expansion, capital formation and wealth creation, citing the proposed N2.15 trillion Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals initial public offering (IPO) as a development that could increase market capitalisation and broaden investor participation, subject to the successful completion and eventual listing of the offer.
He also identified Nigeria’s growing role in regional capital-market cooperation as an opportunity to attract investment and improve cross-border market integration. This follows the election of the Chief Executive Officer of Nigerian Exchange Limited, Jude Chiemeka, as president of the African Securities Exchanges Association.
Orekoya said sustained cooperation among government, regulators, securities exchanges, market operators, quoted companies and investors would be necessary to realise the market’s potential. He added that PEARL Awards Nigeria was extending its activities beyond the annual ceremony through research, publications and stakeholder engagement.
The 2026 PEARL Awards Nite will hold at The Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, under the theme, “Celebrating Excellence, Inspiring the Future.” The special recognition categories include Stockbroking Firm of the Year, Issuing House of the Year and Corporate Governance Award.
Orekoya said the awards would continue to promote corporate accountability, healthy competition and sustainable value creation among companies quoted on the Nigerian stock market.
