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Experts laud NNPC’s acquisition of 20% stake in Dangote Refinery

Published

5 years ago

August 9, 2021

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NNPC Tower

They made their views known in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos.

NAN reports that Chief Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, announced the approval after the virtual FEC meeting on Wednesday in Abuja.

Sylva said the acquisition was in the sum of $2.76 billion.

Reacting to the development, Prof. Chris Onalo, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer, Institute of Credit Administration, said oil and gas sector remains the major source of revenue for the government and requires massive investment.

Onalo said the Dangote Group had taken the bull by the horns by making a huge investment that was needed to jumpstart the industry.

He said the company needed the support of all and sundry including the government.

Onalo said the investment from the NNPC was to support the billions already committed by Dangote Group in the world largest single-train refinery.

“The refinery is an expression of massive confidence in the oil and gas economy of this country.

“It shows that the sector can take Nigeria out of economic woes.

“I think it is a welcome development and those of us who are in the public domain cannot wait too long to see that happening.

“So, I will say kudos to the Dangote Group for its investment drive across the economy of this country,” Onalo said.

He added that the NNPC’s support to the refinery and others coming on stream soon would increase investors confidence in the sector, thereby attracting more investments.

Also, Mr Muda Yusuf, an economist and immediate-past Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the Dangote Refinery was of strategic national importance.

“My views have always been that even though this is a private-sector project, it makes both commercial and nationalistic sense for NNPC to express an interest in it.

“This project has a good prospect to put an end to fuel importation and the associated leakages of public funds, while also preserving our foreign exchange reserves,” Yusuf said.

He said the refinery would also stimulate the economy in areas such as job creation, agriculture and exportation of petrochemicals to other countries.

Similarly, Mr Wilson Opuwei, Chief Executive Officer, Dateline Energy Services Ltd, said the approval was a step in the right direction for the country.

“It makes sense for the NNPC to invest in ventures that will bring returns to the company.

“Every business needs good investments and this is what the NNPC is doing with the Dangote Refinery,” Opuwei said.

NAN reports that the Chief Operations Officer, Dangote Oil Refining Company, Mr Giuseppe Surace, said the refinery had been designed to process a variety of light and medium grades of crude, including petrol and diesel as well as jet fuel and polypropylene.

He said the refinery was billed to produce up to 50 million litres of petrol and 15 million litres of diesel a day, roughly 10.4 million tonnes of the product, 4.6 million tonnes of diesel, and four million tonnes of jet fuel yearly.

According to him, this is in addition to having a fertiliser plant, which will utilise the refinery by-products, as raw materials.

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Fidelity Bank, Humanitarian Affairs Ministry Support Vulnerable Households in Abuja

Published

1 day ago

October 31, 2026

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Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation to provide support to vulnerable households in Abuja through its Food Bank programme.

Launched in April 2023, the Fidelity Food Bank is one of the bank’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The programme seeks to combat hunger and malnutrition by supporting communities affected by food insecurity. Since its introduction, more than 300,000 food packs have been distributed to beneficiaries across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

Speaking at an event held recently in Abuja to commemorate the 2026 International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, represented by the bank’s Divisional Head of Public Sector, Richard Madiebo, said the bank’s interventions extended beyond food distribution to entrepreneurship support and other empowerment programmes designed to help individuals and families achieve economic independence.

According to Onyeali-Ikpe, Fidelity Bank’s commitment to community development spans approximately three decades, reflecting its longstanding dedication to improving the wellbeing of its host communities.

“Fidelity Bank has always aligned its CSR programmes with the needs of its host communities. We understand the importance of private sector participation in addressing poverty and promoting inclusive development.

“We have delivered 2,000 food packs to residents of Abuja. There are several other initiatives that the ministry and the bank are discussing, and we will allow the ministry to provide further details at the appropriate time,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Bernard M. Doro, commended Fidelity Bank for contributing to efforts to improve the welfare of vulnerable Nigerians. He also called for stronger collaboration between the government and the private sector to address multidimensional poverty.

According to Doro, with 63 per cent of Nigeria’s population living in multidimensional poverty, a significant proportion of citizens remains excluded from economic activity, limiting businesses’ access to potential customers and employees.

“When 63 per cent of the population lives in multidimensional poverty, a substantial number of people are excluded from economic participation. This also means that businesses are unable to reach a large segment of their potential customers.

“Our responsibility as a ministry is to unlock partnerships with the private sector. Such collaboration is critical to expanding economic opportunities and bringing more people into productive economic activities. We are pleased that Fidelity Bank is fully committed to this effort,” Doro stated.

The minister urged stakeholders to move beyond declarations and ensure that poverty reduction initiatives deliver measurable and sustainable improvements in the lives of vulnerable households.

Ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 9.1 million customers through digital banking channels, its 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.

The Bank is a recipient of multiple local and international awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook; and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine. Additionally, the Bank was recognised as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and as the Export Financing Bank of the Year by the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

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FIDELITY BANK PLC REDEEMS US$400 MILLION EUROBOND AT MATURITY

Published

3 days ago

October 29, 2026

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LAGOS, NIGERIA – Fidelity Bank Plc has successfully redeemed its 5-Year US$400 million Senior Unsecured Notes at maturity, reaffirming its commitment to meeting its obligations to investors and reinforcing its track record in the international debt capital markets.

Issued on 28 October 2021, the 5-year Eurobond matured on 28 October 2026 and carried an annual coupon of 7.625 per cent, payable semi-annually. Fidelity Bank met all scheduled coupon payments throughout the life of the instrument and has now fulfilled its final repayment obligation in full, covering both principal and accrued interest.

The redemption was funded from internally generated liquidity as part of the Bank’s forward-looking liquidity management strategy. Through a dedicated sinking fund, Fidelity Bank progressively provided for the maturing obligation, enabling the Bank to meet its commitment while maintaining business-as-usual operations and compliance with applicable regulatory liquidity requirements.

Commenting on the development, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr/Mrs Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, said the successful redemption reflected the Bank’s disciplined approach to financial management and its commitment to delivering on its obligations.

“This successful redemption demonstrates the strength of our franchise, the discipline of our balance sheet management and our commitment to honouring our obligations to investors and other stakeholders. We anticipated this maturity from the outset and planned accordingly, which reflects our commitment to responsible financial management,” Onyeali-Ikpe said.

The redemption further strengthens Fidelity Bank’s record in the international debt capital markets. The 2021 issuance marked the Bank’s third Eurobond transaction, following earlier issuances in 2013 and 2017, wherein the Bank raised $300 million and $400 million respectively. The 2021 offer attracted investor orders exceeding US$700 million, reflecting strong demand for the Bank’s international debt offering.

The successful Eurobond redemption follows the completion of Fidelity Bank’s recapitalisation programme ahead of the regulatory deadline. The Bank’s capital-raising efforts increased its eligible regulatory capital to approximately ₦533 billion, exceeding the ₦500 billion minimum capital requirement for banks with international authorisation.

The completion of these milestones underscores Fidelity Bank’s strong capital position, prudent liquidity management and disciplined approach to financial execution. It also reinforces the Bank’s capacity to meet its financial obligations while pursuing its strategic growth objectives across domestic and international markets.

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GTCO Brings Google Pay to Both Sides of the Checkout As Google Pay launches in Nigeria

Published

5 days ago

October 28, 2026

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…….GTBank customers can now pay with it and businesses on HabariPay’s Squad gateway can now accept it.

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or “the Group“) today announced that two of its subsidiaries are live with Google Pay on the day it launches in Nigeria. Customers of Guaranty Trust Bank Limited (“GTBank”) can add their GTBank debit cards to Google Wallet and pay with Google Pay online, in Nigeria and internationally. Businesses that use Squad, the payment gateway run by the Group’s payments subsidiary HabariPay, can now offer Google Pay to their customers at checkout.

The Group is therefore present at both ends of the same transaction: with the person paying and with the business being paid.

For GTBank customers, the change is simple. They add their GTBank debit card to Google Wallet once. After that, they choose Google Pay at checkout, pick the card and confirm, without typing a card number, expiry date or CVV again. Google Pay replaces the card number with a secure digital token, so the merchant does not receive the actual card details. The card can be used wherever Google Pay is accepted online, including for subscriptions, travel bookings, food delivery, bills and digital services.

For businesses on Squad, “Pay with Google Pay” now sits at the top of the Squad checkout, alongside card, bank transfer, USSD, bank payments and Squad’s buy-now-pay-later options. A customer with a card in Google Wallet selects Google Pay, chooses the card, confirms, and is returned to the merchant’s site once the payment is verified. Google Pay is switched on by default for every business on Squad, and a merchant can choose to turn it off. Merchants set up for international payments can accept Google Pay from customers anywhere in the world, which opens Nigerian businesses to buyers abroad, including the diaspora. Fewer fields mean fewer points at which a customer can abandon a purchase, which matters most to the small and growing businesses that make up much of Squad’s merchant base.

Commenting on the launch, the Group Chief Executive Officer of GTCO, Mr Segun Agbaje, said: “Most failed online payments are not refused, they are abandoned. Somewhere along the way the customer gives up, and the business never learns about the sale it lost. As a customer centric Financial Services Group, we are committed to ensuring that we continue to deliver payment solutions that make transacting safe and simple for our various customer Groups. With Google Pay, what matters to us is that we are ready on both sides from the first day: a GTBank customer can pay with it, and a business on Squad can accept it.”

He added: “This is what a group structure is for. Our Bank and our Payments Business were built to do different jobs, and today they meet at the same checkout. We will keep putting the full weight of the Group behind those small moments where people decide whether paying digitally is worth the effort. When it is, everyone in the transaction wins: the customer, the merchant and the wider economy that depends on both.”

The Managing Director of HabariPay, Mr Eduofon Japhet, said: “For a merchant, every extra field at checkout is a reason for a customer to leave. Squad businesses now get Google Pay inside the checkout they already use, so their customers can pay in a few taps with a card they have already saved. A merchant set up for international payments can now be paid with Google Pay by a customer anywhere in the world, with nothing new to integrate.”

Availability. GTBank customers can add an eligible GTBank debit card through the Google Wallet app on Android or through their Google Account. From today, Google Pay is on by default for all businesses on the Squad payment gateway, and merchants can choose to turn it off. Squad merchants set up for international payments can accept Google Pay from anywhere in the world. More information is available at www.gtbank.com and www.squadco.com.

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