Gold prices rebounded Saturday morning, reversing a slip earlier this week.

Saigon Jewelry Company gold bar jumped 0.95% to VND159.8 million (US$6,082.99) per tael. A tael equals 37.5 grams or 1.2 ounces.

Gold ring was steady at VND156.8 million per tael. Bullion has risen 84% year-on-year.

Globally gold prices rose on Friday and were on track for a weekly gain, as investors weighed weaker-than-expected U.S. payrolls data along with broader policy and geopolitical uncertainty, Reuters reported.

Spot gold was up 0.5% at $4,496.09 per ounce and was set for about 3.9% weekly gain. Bullion hit a record high of $4,549.71 on Dec. 26.

“Payrolls are showing us a poor job creation environment. Potentially more (geopolitical tension), somewhat higher oil prices, which are inflationary, uncertainty and an easing Fed – all a combination for precious metals,” said Bart Melek, global head of commodity strategy at TD Securities.

Market participants continued to factor in at least two Federal Reserve rate cuts this year, a backdrop historically favorable for gold.

By Ambrose Nwaogwugwu | December 23, 2025

The Imo State Government has formally flagged off the resumption of production at the Imo Aluminum Extrusion Industries Limited, ALEX, Inyishi, Ikeduru Local Government Area, marking the full revival of one of the state’s most historic industrial assets.

Speaking at the event on Tuesday, the Honourable Commissioner for Trade, Commerce and Investment, Chief Barrister Rex C. Anunobi, described the occasion as a defining moment in the state’s industrial rebirth.

He recalled that ALEX was established in 1983 under the administration of the late Chief Samuel Onunaka Mbakwe and once stood as a leading producer of aluminum longspan, profiles, and accessories across Nigeria, operating profitably at full capacity for many years.

Chief Anunobi said the industry later fell into decline due to poor and fraudulent management by its former technical partners, Tower Aluminium Plc and its foreign collaborators, who abandoned the company in a moribund state. The development, he noted, placed over 200 workers, largely Imo indigenes, at the risk of job loss and economic hardship.

He stated that the intervention of Governor Hope Uzodimma, CON, followed a detailed briefing on the near collapse of the company. According to him, the Governor moved swiftly to prevent total extinction, leading to the state takeover and eventual resuscitation of the facility. He praised the Governor for succeeding where previous administrations failed to act.

The Commissioner further commended the indigenous management staff, workers, and the host Inyishi community for protecting the company’s equipment during the years of inactivity, noting that their discipline and loyalty played a key role in the successful revival. He urged staff to cooperate fully with the new management, assuring them that the state government would continue to prioritize their welfare.

Chief Anunobi also disclosed that the Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Investment has begun engaging other government ministries and agencies to patronize ALEX for their construction needs, as part of efforts to guarantee steady demand and sustained production.

In a related development, the Acting Managing Director of ALEX, Sir Amaihe Levi, announced that the company will commence full commercial production from tomorrow, following today’s official flag-off by the Imo State Government.

He expressed confidence that the revived plant would once again deliver high-quality aluminum products to the market and contribute meaningfully to employment and industrial growth in the state.

The revival of ALEX adds to the growing list of state-owned assets restored under the Uzodimma administration, reinforcing the government’s focus on industrialization, job creation, and economic self-reliance in Imo State.

Veteran gospel musician, Pa Nweze Edmund Echendu, has shared deep revelation and cultural insights into destiny and spiritual calling. He made comparisons between the Igbo Agwu and divine calling to be gospel minister.

According to Pa Nweze, in Igbo land, Agwu represents a spiritual mantle or ancestral calling that runs in certain families. He explained that when such a calling exists in a lineage, an individual chosen to bear it cannot thrive in life until the mantle is accepted and embraced.

“In Igbo land, there is what we call Agwu. Anybody it is meant for in a family is expected to take up that mantle,” he said. “Even if the person goes to work at the World Bank, he will not be successful until he comes back to answer that call.”

Pa Nweze likened this traditional belief to the Christian understanding of divine calling, noting that a person called by God into ministry may also struggle in life until they obey and answer that call.

He further shared his personal experience as a testimony of destiny alignment. Before venturing into music, the gospel singer said he was engaged in the transportation business, a venture that ended in repeated losses.

“Before I started music, I did transportation business, but I didn’t succeed in it. All my buses were destroyed on the road,” he recounted.

Following these setbacks, Pa Nweze said he began to experience recurring dreams that revealed his true calling. According to him, people appeared to him in dreams, telling him he was destined to be a musician.

In one particularly striking experience, he said he saw birds singing to him in his dream.
“That was how I knew that music is my destiny,” he said.