BANKING BEYOND THE BALANCE SHEET: UNION BANK’S ASBON RECOGNITION AND NIGERIA’S SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMY

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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…

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Polaris Bank Supports the Launch of NACCIMA Call Center to Drive Growth for Nigerian Exporters

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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…

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17 Reps Dump ADC for NDC, One Joins APC as Party Crisis Deepens

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No fewer than 17 members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), citing internal leadership crises rocking their former party. The defections were formally announced during plenary through separate letters read by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu, who presided over the session. According to the lawmakers, the lingering instability within the ADC made their continued membership untenable, prompting their decision to seek political alignment elsewhere. The development follows a similar move by prominent political…

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Seun Kuti Alleges 13-Year Blacklisting Over Anti-Government Music, Says Nigeria ‘Cancelled’ Him

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Grammy-nominated Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti, has revealed that his music career faced over a decade of restriction in Nigeria due to his outspoken criticism of government policies and social issues. Speaking during a recent episode of the Saleh Meditate podcast, the son of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti said he has effectively been “blacklisted” in the Nigerian music industry for about 13 years because of the conscious nature of his songs. According to Kuti, Nigerian authorities grew increasingly wary of protest music following the impact of his father and other artists…

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Xenophobic Attacks: Reps Call on FG to Suspend Business Permits for South African Firms Amid Rising Tensions

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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…

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Anglican Church Suspends Reverend For 6 Months Over Fake Miracles

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The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has suspended an Anambra-based cleric, Rev. Ifunanya Maduka, over allegations of staging fake miracles and manipulating prophetic activities within his parish. Rev. Maduka, Vicar of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Nteje, in Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, was handed a six-month suspension without pay following an internal investigation by the Diocese on the Niger. The action was approved by the Bishop on the Niger, Rt. Rev. Owen Nwokolo, who described the conduct as “grossly unbecoming of an ordained minister.” According to diocesan authorities,…

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FirstBank Confirms Olayinka Ijabiyi as Group Head, Marketing & Corporate Communications

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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…

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Lagos Socialite Ariket Gets 45-Year Sentence for Cocaine Trafficking After 9-Year Trial

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A Federal High Court sitting in Ikoyi, Lagos,  on April 26, 2026, sentenced a Lagos-based socialite, Funmilola Arike Ogbuaya, popularly known as Ariket, to a cumulative 45 years’ imprisonment for her role in the unlawful exportation of cocaine to Saudi Arabia. Trial judge Dehinde Dipeolu found Ogbuaya guilty on three counts bordering on conspiracy, possession, and illegal exportation of 1.595 kilograms of cocaine. The court imposed 15 years on each count, but ordered that the sentences run concurrently, meaning the convict will serve 15 years in total. Significantly, the court…

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17-Year-Old UTME Candidate Thompson Adams Allegedly Killed by Schoolmates in Lagos

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A 17-year-old Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) candidate, Thompson Adams, has been allegedly abducted and murdered by his former schoolmates in Ikorodu area of Lagos, in a case that has sparked outrage across the state. According to police authorities, the teenager had just completed his examination when he was contacted by individuals known to him. Trusting the familiarity, he reportedly agreed to meet them, unaware of the fatal plot. The suspects, identified as Ayomide Adebayo (21) and Sulaimon Quadri (23), allegedly lured Adams to a location where he was killed…

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EDUCATING NIGERIA, ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME: INSIDE UNION BANK OF NIGERIA’S APPROACH TO CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

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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…

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