The board of Unity Bank Plc is said to have perfected plans to sack the bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Oluwatomi Somefun, as the fortunes of the financial institution continues to sink.

Inside sources disclosed that board is said to have lost confidence in the leadership of Somefun as she has failed to turn around the fortunes of the bank.
The bank’s board is also said to be in talks with a director in one of the first-tier banks in Nigeria to replace Somefun who has led the bank into many troubles.

Recall, the National Industrial Court of Nigeria recently commenced committal proceedings against the bank’s chief to commit her to prison for flouting orders made by the court in a motion filed by 25 ex-staff of the bank, in whose favour the Lagos division of the court had given a monetary judgment on July 3, 2019.

Also, as part of its many troubles is the personal data breach suit filed by the Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative against the lender following the unauthorized exposure of over 53,000 job seekers on the bank’s job portal.

In Suit No. FHC/AB/CS/85/2020, filed few months ago, the applicant sought: “A declaration that the Respondent’s privacy policy on its website – “https://www.unitybankng.com/privacy” violates the provision of regulation 2.5 of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019.

Also recall, an online financial newspaper had reported in late 2020 that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is considering revoking the operating license of Unity Bank Plc over its failure to meet regulatory benchmarks.
The website quoting inside sources said the regulator has been so worried about the poor performance of the bank for some years now which has made it unable to meet key regulatory requirements.
The CBN, it was gathered, may be left with no option than to withdraw the bank’s license and nationalize it to safeguard depositors’ funds as its share capital has continued to run into the negative territory.

In April 2020, Unity Bank’s auditors, KPMG, raised a red flag over its ability to continue operations because its liabilities exceeded its assets, resulting in a negative capital. 
Agusto & Co. had also assigned a “Bb-” rating to the bank, meaning that it is junk, which is below investment grade.

…more to come

Shareholders of Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) Plc, at the weekend unanimously endorsed the payment of a total dividend of N3.00 per share to shareholders for the financial year ended Dec. 31, 2020.

This endorsement was made on Friday, April 9th, 2021, at the Bank’s 31^st Annual General Meeting (AGM) held in Lagos. The bank had proposed a final dividend of N2.70 per unit of ordinary share held by shareholders in addition to the interim dividend of 30k interim dividend earlier paid in June 2020. GTBank according to the results presented to and applauded by shareholders at the AGM, recorded an increase in all performance indicators despite the challenging operating environment that prevailed in 2020.

Speaking at the meeting, a shareholder, Mr. Tunji Bamidele, commended the bank’s board and management for sustaining profit and dividend payment in spite of the harsh and challenging economy experienced in the year 2020 as a result of the pandemic that challenged the world.

Applauding the Managing Director’s leadership acumen and dexterity, Bamidele noted that the MD/CEO’s steering of the bank in the past 10 years has been a blessing to shareholders and the bank’s well-meaning stakeholders.

L-R: Managing Director/CEO, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje; Chairman, Mrs. Osaretin Demuren and Company Secretary, Mr. Erhi Obebeduo at the bank’s 31st Annual General Meeting held at the weekend in Lagos.

In his comments, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Segun Agbaje, noted that the year 2020 was arguably the most challenging year that the world has faced in decades and that in such unprecedented times, the bank has been at the forefront of safeguarding lives and livelihood across the communities where it operates.

“We continue to receive positive and goodwill messages for the role we played at the height of the pandemic; especially for putting together very timely, a 110-bed Isolation Centre, with an intensive care unit, in partnership with the Lagos State Government,” he said, citing the Bank’s Excellence in Leadership in Africa Award which was specially created by the renowned Euromoney Magazine to spotlight private institutions at the forefront of tackling the pandemic.

Mr Agbaje also spoke about GTBank’s solid performance in a very challenging year and his confidence in the organization’s ability to keep delivering for all its stakeholders. His words, “The strength, scale and liquidity of our balance sheet, coupled with the quality of our past decisions and the efficacy of our digital-first customer-centric strategy gave us the resilience and flexibility to navigate the economic shocks and market volatility that dominated the year.”

“Amidst the many challenges that persist, we remain ardent believers in Africa’s growth potential. Our world is increasingly digital, and we see it opening new and exciting opportunities for empowering people and uplifting our communities. With our commitment to deepening customer relationships and intense focus on delivering innovative financial solutions, we enter 2021 well-positioned”, he added.

GTBank is one of Africa’s most profitable financial institutions. In 2020, the Bank reported Profit before tax of ₦238.1billion, representing a growth of 2.8% over ₦231.7billion recorded in the corresponding year ended December 2019. The Bank also continues to post the best metrics in the Nigerian Banking industry in terms of key Financial Ratios i.e. Post-Tax Return on Equity (ROAE) of 26.8%, Post-Tax Return on Assets (ROAA) of 4.6%, Full Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 21.9% and Cost to Income ratio of 38.2%.

The Registrar/Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), ‘Seye Awojobi has called on graduands of Ecobank Nigeria Academy to make their word their bond to excel in the banking profession.

The CIBN Registrar who gave this charge at the virtual graduation of the Ecobank Management Development Programme (EMDP) Batch 3 trainees in Lagos, emphasized integrity, honesty, trust as principal values to excel in their chosen career. He enjoined them to imbibe the ethics of the profession.

The EMDP batch 3 comprises 16 graduates who were trained at the Ecobank Nigeria Academy for 21 months. The Ecobank Graduate and Management Development programs develop officers and young graduates to become experts in the financial industry and model citizens of the country.

As of December 2020, 55 graduate trainees and 70 management trainees respectively have been placed in strategic roles across the Bank.

According to Awojobi: “You should really be grateful and count yourself lucky for this platform extended to you by Ecobank to make a life career. Know that a career is not an activity but a journey; a marathon, not sprint. keep a tenacity of purpose; remain focused, be ready for challenges and enhance your skills and knowledge to excel in this profession.

“I commend Ecobank Nigeria’s various initiatives targeted at building the capacity of its workforce. Over the years, the bank has accorded priority to various learning and development initiatives which exposes staff to new career development within the banking industry. Such competency improvement is important for the banking sector; it aligns with the current dynamics of the industry and global best practice.”

In his contribution, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan, reiterated that the Bank’s deliberate policy to train and equip its workforce was in line with its transformation drive to make the financial institution the most preferred in the country.

He admonished the graduands to remain ethical and diligent in the delivery of the vision of the bank to become the most preferred financial services payments brand in Nigeria to support the economic development of households and growth of trade, manufacturing and commerce in Nigeria and Africa.

“My advice to you is to imbibe the values of this great institution. Live the values of Respect, Accountability, Customer Centricity, Integrity, Excellence and Team work as encapsulated in RACEIT. Be courageous, rise above fears and do what is right at all times.

“Be ready to learn and unlearn to reach your envisaged destination. To make a difference as a banker, you must have willingness to adapt and take ownership of yourself. Keep your bonding and use it positively not only professionally but in your personal life and be a good Ecobanker at all times,” he stated.

Also speaking, Group Executive, Human Resources, Yves Mayilamene, represented by Group Head, Talent Learning and Organisational Development, Simon Rey advised the graduands to always strive for excellence in their respective roles. While assuring them of the Bank’s support to grow in their career, he tasked them on sustainable results.

Welcoming the graduands to the bank, Head, Human Resources, Ecobank Nigeria, Kunle Adewuyi, emphasized that Ecobank is a performance-based organization, urging them to focus on their job and be result oriented.

He added: “I want all of you to look at the future and decide where you will be in the next five years or so in this great institution. I see future managing directors, Treasurers and others among you. But you have to decide that from today. You must imbibe the culture of the bank and I can assure you that the future is bright.”

Unity bank down at -9.86% to close at N0.64 was only second in position to Guinness among the list of 14 top Losers, showing a bullish movement by the NSE ASI recent survey.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange market made a bullish run at the end of the trading session today. The All-Share Index increased by +0.17% to close at 38,866.39 from 38,799.83 index points. Overall, a total volume of 160 million shares valued at N1.28 billion in 3,507 deals was exchanged on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

Nigerian Stock Exchange market value currently stands at NGN 20.31Tr. Its Year-to-Date (YTD) returns currently stands at -3.49%.

The market closed in profit as at Friday April 9, 2021. Honeyflour led 14 Gainers, and Guinness topped the list of 14 Losers, showing a bullish movement by the NSE ASI.

Top gainers
HONYFLOUR up +8.85% to close at N1.23
SOVRENINS up +8.70% to close at N 0.25
JAPAULGOLD up +8.62% to close at N0.63
LIVESTOCK up +7.22% to close at N1.96
FCMB up +6.57% to close at N2.92
Top losers
GUINNESS down -10.00% to close at N29.70
UNITYBNK down -9.86% to close at N0.64
ABCTRANS down -9,09% to close at N0.30
MBENEFIT down -7.14% to close at N0.39
UAC-PROP down -6.25% to close at N0.75

An expert in in the stock market Ogunwale Oluwadamilola, Research Analyst, Edgefield Capital Management Limited.

She opines that the bullish momentum will continue on Monday saying: “We expect another positive trend in the overall performance of the market by next week, since this marks the end of trade this week.”

She also drew attention to stocks in the Consumer and financial services saying, “Stocks in the consumer and financial services sector seem to be performing well.

Not too long, National Industrial Court of Nigeria commenced committal proceedings against the bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Oluwatomi Somefun to commit her to prison for flouting orders made by the court in a motion filed by 25 ex-staff of the bank, in whose favour the Lagos division of the court had given a monetary judgment on July 3, 2019.

Also, as part of its many troubles is the personal data breach suit filed by the Digital Rights Lawyers Initiative against the lender following the unauthorized exposure of over 53,000 job seekers on the bank’s job portal.

In Suit No. FHC/AB/CS/85/2020, filed few months ago, the applicant sought:
“A declaration that the Respondent’s privacy policy on its website – “https://www.unitybankng.com/privacy” violates the provision of regulation 2.5 of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation 2019.

Not too long, the Maiduguri Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arraigned one Adam Kaka Adam before Justice Ibrahim Jauro of the Yobe State High Court, Damaturu, on one-count charge, bordering on criminal misappropriation to the tune of N11, 657, 500.00 (Eleven Million Six Hundred and Fifty-seven Thousand Five Hundred Naira).

Adam was a former Service Manager, in charge of Vault Room and Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in Unity Bank Plc, Damaturu Branch, Yobe State.

Trouble started for him when the EFCC received a petition against him from his employer (Unity Bank Plc), alleging criminal misappropriation of the said sum, meant to be fed the ATM machines of the branch which he is alleged to have dishonestly converted to his personal use.

All theses indices, ranging from stocks plunging, breach of customers contracts and financial misappropriation by their staffs, experts say may have resulted in the decline in fortune of the bank.

In continuation of its focus on African change makers who are making positive impacts in different areas of life, African Voices on CNN International will this weekend showcase two rugby players and their impactful lives on and off the pitch.

The 30-minute programme which is sponsored by telecommunications giant, Globacom, will feature Tendai Mtawarira, Zimbabwean-born former rugby player resident in South Africa, and Kenyan Humphrey Kayange, also a former player.

Mtawarira, 35, began donning the South African colours in 2008. He gained 117 caps to become the most capped prop in South African history and the third most capped Springbok of all time. He had the most Super Rugby caps by a South African with 160 caps and was also a 2019 Rugby World Cup winner.

Nicknamed ‘Beast’ during his career, Mtawarira, upon retirement in 2020, established The Beast Foundation through which he builds a community of enthusiastic young people who aspire to find their feet in sports and education.

His counterpart, Kayange, was born in 1982. He bagged a degree in Organic Chemistry from Jomo Kenyatta University, Juja, Kenya, before venturing into rugby. He was in the Kenyan squad at the Rugby World Cup Sevens which reached the semifinals of the game, and in 2009 was nominated for the International Rugby Board Sevens Player of The Year.

The ardent player was awarded the Kenyan Presidential Order of Golden Warriors (OGW) in the 2008/2009 IRB world series alongside his brother who is equally an accomplished rugby player. He runs the Atlas Foundation which is a platform for mentoring and advocating for Kenyan athletes and young sports prospects in his country.

Both remarkable rugby greats will be on CNN on DSTV Channel 401 on Saturday at 9.30 a.m., while repeats of the programme will be shown on Sunday at 4.30 a.m., 7.30 a.m., 12.30 p.m., 7.30 p.m. and on Monday at 5.30 a.m.

President Muhammadu Buhari says Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote group, is a key partner and warrior in the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria.

In a statement on Saturday, Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, said Buhari gave the commendation in commemoration of Dangote’s 64th birthday.

Dangote Group is a member of private sector-led coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID).

Buhari said the “corona warrior” has continued to show consistent faith and belief in Nigeria.

He said the burden of the coronavirus pandemic has been lighter for both the citizens and government because people like Dangote provided needed support and cooperation.

“He also commended the President of Dangote group for giving wings to the aspirations of many youngsters and professionals in Nigeria and the rest of the continent, urging him to continue to do more,” the statement said.

“President Buhari added that these exemplary efforts will go down in history and will be remembered by future generations.

“He wished him many more years of healthy life and service to nation and humanity.”

Dangote is one of the three dollar-billionaires in Nigeria, according to Forbes 2021 world billionaires list released on Tuesday.

The industrialist retained the top spot of Africa’s richest person with a net worth of $11.5 billion, making him the 191st wealthiest person in the world.

He owns 85 percent of publicly-traded Dangote Cement through a holding company, and has shares in publicly-traded salt and sugar manufacturing companies.

Wema Bank, Nigeria’s leading innovative and digital-driven financial institution has reassurance its esteemed customers and shareholders that it remains standing on strong financial fundamentals and reliable performance metrics, riding on the back of seasoned and astute leadership.

The bank gave this reassurance, through its Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Ademola Adebise, while reacting to a recent publication in the media purportedly alleging a dip in its liquidity status following the unaudited report for 2020 with the MD/CEO saying the report is only a deliberate campaign to create panic among its stakeholders using false news, and therefore should be discountenanced,

He said, “The strength and viability of financial institutions are not measured on the isolated performance of one outlier year. The said report based a lot of its false allegations on the unaudited 2020 financial year. But that was a year when COVID-19 induced a lockdown and a disruption of such magnitude that negatively impacted businesses, industries and economies the world over.

“Wema Bank has continually exhibited not just resilience, but admirable viability over the years with a 30.95% increase in earnings recorded in just 2019. Then came 2020, and in spite of the difficulties, we succeeded in achieving impressive results in key areas such as net earnings from fees and commissions, while growing the Bank’s asset base significantly.

“That’s not all, customer credibility in the bank was also accentuated with a massive increase in customer deposits over the previous year. This is an audacious show of confidence from the customers of Wema Bank

“These performance metrics amongst others, are testament to our smart balance sheet optimization approach which will be affirmed by the time the audited and official 2020 Financial Report is released in the coming weeks “

The CEO also referenced how well the Bank’s performance in the said 2020 makes it one of the best performing financial institutions in the land.

“We won the BusinessDay award for the Best SME Bank of the Year for 2020. A recognition of our unrivalled support for small and medium scale businesses through loans, business advisory, and ease of payments and transactions.

“Also, the recently published 2020 KPMG Customer Experience Survey, showed Wema Bank making significant growth in the retail category, climbing up ten (10) places from the previous year to 2nd position, with an above industry average of 74.6% Customer Experience score. This achievement is a mark of dedication to excellent customer service and refreshing support for all our customer categories.”

The KPMG Customer Experience Survey grades banks over six universal pillars of Personalization, Integrity, Expectations, Resolution, Time & Effort and Empathy, and Wema Bank has showed a mastery of these pillars and have been outstanding at all of them.

Furthermore, in line with the bank’s sustainability goal of developing digital solutions for societal impact, it successfully organized the second edition of Hackaholics, a radical gathering of developers, web designers and creative thinkers to develop solutions around key themes of Education, Health, Agriculture, Fintech, Gaming & Betting.

These are intentional measures put in place to sustain an institution’s legacy of economic evolution and social inclusion.

“We are a responsible corporate citizen with empathy as a core pillar of our personality. Thus, we stood by the nation in the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic with significant support for governments at both the federal and state levels.

“Particularly to prevent severe food shortages and align with the SDG of Zero Hunger, we supported State Governments with food palliatives donation which alleviated the conditions of over 80,000 households of the most vulnerable segments of the population.”

With all these financial and non-financial performance metrics, it is not in doubt that Wema Bank is not only standing strong, it is also among the best performing financial institutions in Nigeria, in 2020.

“I’ll take this opportunity to commend our customers for their sustained trust in us. A support that has remained a critical pillar of our stability and growth over the years, especially as we celebrate our 76th anniversary.

For us as a responsible and visionary organization, we are staying committed to our corporate purpose of making life easier and better through innovation and digital-driven lifestyle solutions for Nigerians and their businesses.” hardworking Adebise concluded.

Stanbic IBTC has organised its fourth edition of its Youth Leadership Series.

It took place on Thursday.

The event, which was themed: “Winning,” was held virtually with speakers such as Olumide Soyombo; Debo Adebayo aka Mr Macaroni; and Tracy Batta.

The Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, Ola Sogunle, in his opening speech urged the participants to pay close attention to the discussions and gain knowledge as the speakers share from their wealth of experience.

Sogunle said: “Distinguished guests, esteemed speakers and valued youth joining us from every part of Nigeria and the world, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the 2021 edition of the Youth Leadership Series (YLS).

“In 2018, the YLS was birthed as an avenue to engage and empower young Nigerians to become future business leaders.

“Four years on, we are still committed to the vision with every subsequent edition surpassing the achievements of the previous.

“I am confident that this year’s programme will be beneficial to everyone present at this virtual edition.

“According to statistics, youth make up over 50 percent of Nigeria’s population.

“Therefore, as a nation, we should accord priority to harness their potentials and accelerate the country’s economic growth.

“The Nigerian youth require support, guidance and empowerment to propel them to the pinnacle of their various fields.

“The innovative projects and tech disruptions championed by the youth in virtually every sector are proof of their ingenuity, skill, brilliance and resourcefulness.

“At Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, we believe in breaking boundaries, hence our tagline, IT CAN BE, which is hinged upon the premise that everything is possible as long as we are dedicated and put in requisite effort to make it work.

“The theme of this year’s edition of the Youth Leadership Series is ‘Winning’, and it promises to be exciting.

“It is specifically designed to etch a winning mentality in the attendees’ and empower them to become future business leaders.

“We will have three exciting and engaging breakout sessions: ‘Winning with Entrepreneurship, ‘Winning with Social Media’ and ‘Winning with Investment’.

“Our carefully selected speakers will be sharing their experiences and expertise at the various sessions for you all to learn from.

“Let me at this point thank the panelists who have taken the time from their schedules to speak to us today.

“Our Corporate Social Investment initiatives at Stanbic IBTC are hinged on three pillars: Health, Economic Empowerment and Education.

“The Youth Leadership Series rests on our Economic Empowerment and Education pillars.

“Other youth interventionist initiatives worthy of mention are our university scholarship scheme and Together4ALimb, our flagship CSI initiative.

“Eighty-Eight students who gained admission into several tertiary institutions across the country benefitted from the university scholarship scheme

“As I declare the fourth series of the YLS 2021 edition open, I would like to reiterate that at Stanbic IBTC, our continued commitment and unwavering support for Nigeria and its citizens most especially the youth is paramount to us because Nigeria is our home, and we drive her growth.”

The Chief Executive Officer, Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, Wole Adeniyi, also thanked the participants on behalf of the bank for their presence at the event.

Adeniyi said: “I would like to thank you all, on behalf of Stanbic IBTC Holdings PLC, for taking time out of your busy schedules to be with us today.

“We are delighted that you joined the session and we hope that you had a number of take outs from the specially selected breakout session of your choice.

“Our profound gratitude goes to our various panelists today for their support and willingness to accept to share from their wealth of experience to inspire the younger generation.

“It is our vision at Stanbic IBTC to keep creating possibilities for the younger generation.

“With our continued commitment to helping people achieve their career goals, we hope that we have been able to spark your entrepreneurial mind to achieve your greatest aspirations.”