Polaris Bank, Nigeria’s leading digital retail and commercial bank, has been honoured with the Private Sector Champion Award at the 2026 Jobberman Partners’ Convening held at Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, in recognition of the Bank’s outstanding and stellar contributions to youth employment, talent development, and workforce empowerment across Nigeria. The award recognises private sector organisations that have demonstrated exceptional commitment and leadership in advancing youth employability through impactful recruitment initiatives, graduate trainee programmes, executive hiring support, candidate assessment programmes, and strategic partnerships that create sustainable career opportunities…
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EFCC Declares Former Humanitarian Affairs Minister Sadiya Umar Farouq Wanted Over Alleged N37bn Fraud
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has declared former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, wanted over alleged abuse of office and diversion of public funds. The anti-graft agency made the announcement in a notice published on its official website on Saturday, stating that the former minister is being sought in connection with an ongoing investigation into alleged financial misconduct. According to the notice, Farouq, 52, is an indigene of Zamfara State, with her last known address listed as EN008, Okpo River, off Agulu Street, Maitama,…
Read MoreFirstHoldCo Sustains Strong Q1 Momentum As Gross Earnings Hit N942bn
…Profit Rises to N321bn; FY Revenue Tops N3.4tn First HoldCo Plc (FirstHoldCo) has sustained its strong financial momentum with gross earnings rising to N942 billion in the first quarter, while profit after tax stood at N321 billion, reinforcing investor confidence in the Group’s earnings capacity and balance sheet resilience. The Group also reported audited full-year 2025 gross earnings of N3.4 trillion, representing a 6.9 per cent year-on-year growth driven by strong net interest income and sustained expansion in digital and transaction banking activities. Speaking on the performance, Group Managing…
Read MoreFidelity Bank Provides Critical Funding Support to Abuja Special Needs Orphanage
Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, through the Fidelity Helping Hands Programme (FHHP), has funded critical support for the JKS Special Needs Academy in Abuja to ensure continued shelter and care for vulnerable children. The intervention was facilitated by a group of the bank’s newly recruited employees known as Team Valorem, as part of their induction activities. Through the FHHP, employees are empowered to actively contribute to social development by dedicating their time, resources and skills to impactful projects. Projects executed under the initiative are employee-driven, with…
Read MoreBANKING BEYOND THE BALANCE SHEET: UNION BANK’S ASBON RECOGNITION AND NIGERIA’S SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMY
Union Bank of Nigeria has been named winner of the Best SME Growth Banking Initiatives Award (2025) at the Nigeria National SME Business Awards, organised by the Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON) in partnership with the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment. The recognition arrives at a moment when the relationship between Nigerian banks and Nigerian small businesses is being quietly redefined. Awards in this space have historically rewarded scale and product breadth. The ASBON criteria, by contrast, ask a more…
Read MorePolaris Bank Supports the Launch of NACCIMA Call Center to Drive Growth for Nigerian Exporters
Polaris Bank, Nigeria’s leading digital retail and commercial bank, has proudly facilitated the launch of the NACCIMA Export Support Call Center, a vital initiative designed to provide comprehensive support to Nigerian exporters, especially those operating in the non-oil sector and enhance their ability to access global markets. This partnership marks a significant step in the Bank’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s export ecosystem. Chris Ofikulu, Executive Director of Polaris Bank, in his address, emphasised the Bank’s commitment to empowering Nigerian businesses for global markets. He highlighted the importance of the NACCIMA…
Read MoreXenophobic Attacks: Reps Call on FG to Suspend Business Permits for South African Firms Amid Rising Tensions
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to immediately suspend the issuance and renewal of business permits to South African companies operating in Nigeria, citing renewed xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in South Africa. The resolution followed a motion of urgent public importance raised during plenary and presided over by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, where lawmakers expressed deep concern over what they described as persistent and targeted violence against Nigerian citizens and businesses in South Africa. Leading voices during the debate condemned the attacks, noting…
Read MoreFirstBank Confirms Olayinka Ijabiyi as Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications
FirstBank has announced the confirmation of Olayinka Thomas Ijabiyi as its substantive Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, marking a strategic leadership consolidation in its ongoing transformation and growth agenda. The appointment, which takes immediate effect, underscores the bank’s continued emphasis on strong corporate governance, brand strengthening, and enhanced stakeholder engagement across its operating markets. Ijabiyi, a seasoned marketing and communications expert with over 25 years of professional experience, has been acting in the role since December 2024 before his formal confirmation. He brings extensive expertise in brand transformation, corporate…
Read MoreEDUCATING NIGERIA, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME: INSIDE UNION BANK OF NIGERIA’S APPROACH TO CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Nigeria’s economic ambitions, whether higher productivity, a more competitive private sector, or stronger household resilience, all eventually run through the same bottleneck: the quality of the country’s human capital. For a bank, that fact carries a quiet implication. The customers, entrepreneurs, and employees of the next two decades are sitting in classrooms today, and many of those classrooms are under-resourced. It is in that context that Union Bank of Nigeria has built its corporate social responsibility agenda around one of its major pillars – education. The thinking is not that…
Read MoreFidelity Bank Extends “Give Her Power” Initiative to Ikorodu
Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, has extended its flagship women empowerment programme, “Give Her Power”, to Ikorodu, Lagos State, empowering over 30 women with vocational tools to support their businesses and improve household income. The Ikorodu outreach, which marks the third phase of the Initiative’s nationwide rollout, saw the distribution of 12 sewing machines, 15 grinding machines among other items, to beneficiaries drawn from Ikorodu Central, Ikorodu West, and Ikorodu North Local Government Areas. Speaking at the event, Fidelity Bank’s Regional Bank Head, Victoria Island, Mr. Nnamdi Edekobi, who…
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