Banking
$225.8m Debt: GHL Claims First Bank Put 93 Workers At Risk
By Adedapo Adesanya
The continued tussle over an alleged $225.8 million debt between General Hydrocarbons Limited (GHL) and top Nigerian lender, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, showed no signs of abating as the energy company accused the lender of recklessness.
GHL, owned by the chairman and editor-in-chief of ThisDay Media Group and Arise News Channel, Mr Nduka Obaigbena, in a statement Wednesday morning, said the bank’s failure to pay GHL pending request as per the agreed terms led to an international incident on October 7, 2023, “when the drilling rig, Blackford Dolphin, ran out of fuel, food, water and other critical supplies with 93 souls on board, and the rig was on the verge of declaring MAYDAY.”
“First Bank keeps talking about the diversion of funds by GHL without providing any evidence,” the statement said.
It alleged that all GHL contracts and invoices were vetted and paid by FBN through their Credit and Risk teams directly to all service providers, noting that the bank’s alleged repeated failures to pay on time within the contractual framework of five days which became up to 70 days or not at all, in a clear breach of its Tripartite Agreement obligations.
Recall that the issue commenced when First Bank of Nigeria Limited and FBN Quest Trustees Limited on December 27, 2024, approached the Federal High Court in Ikoyi to seek orders in respect of a total claim of $225.8 million being alleged outstanding indebtedness on General Hydrocarbons’ account with First Bank as of September 30, 2024.
The Ikoyi court granted an order restraining all commercial banks in Nigeria from releasing or dealing in all monies and assets up to $225.8 million due to Mr Obaigbena.
The court also blocked all commercial banks from releasing or dealing in all monies and assets up to the said amount belonging to Efe Damilola Obaigbena, Olabisi Eka Obaigbena and General Hydrocarbons Limited, an oil and gas firm in which all three are directors and shareholders.
Another order barring the banks from dealing in or releasing such monies and assets due to the company, its agents, privies, subsidiaries and sister companies with the banks up to the same sum was issued.
Yesterday, First Bank responded that it didn’t abuse court processes in the ongoing legal battles with General Hydrocarbons Limited, adding that its opponent’s claims were misleading and incorrect.
The bank said it performed its obligations under the loan agreements but trouble started when it demanded good governance and transparency in the transaction, which GHL rejected.
However, in the latest right of reply, GHL said it will meet FBN in court with daily reports and log details to debunk, what it called “this continuing misinformation of diversion.”
“GHL acted to save 93 souls, most of them foreign nationals, who had begun contacting their embassies and home governments, and to save Nigeria from an international incident offshore Nigeria,” the statement said.
“This 2nd Right of Reply has become necessary, again, in view of FBN’s continued misstatement but they have failed to debunk or deny the foundational material facts and seeking to eating their cake and having it. Luckily, FBN has not denied the Subrogation MOU and the benefits it got upfront from GHL’s intervention. They should meet their obligations and all will be well,” it added.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The six edition of the Hackaholics of Wema Bank Plc has produced 20 top finalists shared equally between two streams, Ideathon and Hackathon.
The Hackathon finalists are Rapid DEV, Secure IT, Neurafeed, Trust Lock Babcock, Pulse Track, IlluminiTrust, Trust Lock FUTA, Fix Fraud AI, KASH Flow and VOC AI.
The Ideathon finalists include PLOY, Fertitude, VarsityScape, Mama ALERT, StockMed, Chao, All Arbitrate, FarmSlate, Sane AI and Cycle X.
They emerged after a two-day pre-pitch held on December 16 and 17, 2025, for the grand finale slated for Friday, December 19, 2025.
They grand finale of Hackaholics 6.0 will convene the top players in Africa’s tech and innovation ecosystem, creating an avenue for these finalists to not only put their creativity to the ultimate test but also give their solutions visibility to potential investors for additional funding opportunities beyond the prizes to be won.
The prizes to be won for the Ideathon include N25 million for the winner, N20 million for the first runner-up, N15 million for the second runner-up and N5 million each for two women-led teams.
In the Hackathon category, the first to fourth-place winners will receive N20 million, N15 million, N10 million and N5 million, respectively.
The pre-pitch saw the top 43 contenders battle in a game of innovation and problem solving, presenting compelling pitches for a chance to make it to top 10 in their respective streams.
After a rigorous stretch of pitches and presentations, the top 20 emerged, securing their spot in the grand finale of Hackaholics 6.0.
“Hackaholics started off as a hackathon and morphed into an ideation. For Hackaholics 6.0, the sixth edition, we decided to give both the builders of new solutions and the refiners of existing ones, an opportunity to make meaningful impact.
“For us at Wema Bank, we understand that innovation isn’t just building from scratch. Sometimes, it’s looking at what exists and developing new ways to optimise that and create more efficiency. This is the idea behind our two-stream Ideathon-Hackathon structure.
“Every year, Hackaholics shows us just how eager and motivated Nigerian youth are when it comes to exploring creativity and innovation, and we are honoured to be the institution that provides them with the platform and resources to put this drive to good use.
“We toured seven cities, indulged 1,460 participants and discovered hundreds of remarkable ideas; some of which needed some refining and some of which deserved to move to the next stage.
“For those who needed to go back to the drawing board, we provided useful guidance and for the top contenders, we were able to shortlist to the top 43, who proceeded to the pre-pitch. To every participant, Wema Bank is proud of you. This is just the beginning,” the chief executive of Wema Bank, Mr Moruf Oseni, said.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it will enforce penalties against designated banks that delay the remittance of customs revenue, in a move aimed at strengthening transparency and safeguarding government earnings.
This was disclosed in a statement on the NCS official account on X, formerly known as Twitter and signed by its spokesman, Mr Abdullahi Maiwada, who said the delays undermine the efficiency, transparency, and integrity of government revenue administration.
“The Nigeria Customs Service has noted instances of delayed remittance of customs revenue by some designated banks following reconciliation of collections processed through the B’odogwu platform,” the statement read.
“Such delays constitute a breach of remittance obligations and negatively impact the efficiency, transparency, and integrity of government revenue administration.
“In line with the provisions of the Service Level Agreement executed between the Nigeria Customs Service and designated banks, the Service hereby notifies stakeholders of the commencement of enforcement actions against banks found to be in default of agreed remittance timelines.”
Mr Maiwada disclosed that any bank that fails to remit collected Customs revenue within the prescribed timeline will be liable to penalty interest calculated at three per cent above the prevailing Nigerian Interbank Offered Rate for the period of the delay.
He added that affected banks would be formally notified of the delayed amounts, the applicable penalty, and the deadline for settlement.
“Accordingly, any designated bank that fails to remit collected Customs revenue within the prescribed period shall be liable to penalty interest calculated at three per cent above the prevailing Nigerian Interbank Offered Rate for the duration of the delay.
“Affected banks will receive formal notifications indicating the delayed amount, applicable penalty, and the timeline for settlement,” the statement read.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The deputy managing director of First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Limited, Mr Ini Ebong, has offloaded some shares of FBN Holdings Plc, the parent firm of the banking institution.
A regulatory notice from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited confirmed the development on Thursday.
It was disclosed that the transaction occurred on Friday, December 12, 2025, on the floor of the stock exchange.
The sale involved about 11.8 million shares, precisely 11,783,333 units traded at N31.14 per share, amounting to about N366.9 million.
Mr Ebong, who studied Architecture from University of Ife and obtained Bachelor and Master of Science degrees, became the DMD of First Bank in June 2024. Prior to this appointment, he was Executive Director, Treasury and International Banking since January 2022.
He was previously the Group Executive, Treasury and International Banking, a position he held since 2016 after serving as the bank’s Treasurer from 2011 to 2016.
Before joining First Bank, he was the Head of African Fixed Income and Local Markets Trading, Renaissance Securities Nigeria Limited, the Nigerian registered subsidiary of Renaissance Capital. He also worked with Citigroup for 14 years as Country Treasurer and Sales and Trading Business Head.
He has a passion for market development and has worked actively to drive change and internationalisation of the Nigerian financial markets: foreign exchange, fixed income and securities.
He has worked closely with regulatory bodies such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Debt Management Office (DMO) in assisting with the development of fresh monetary and foreign exchange policies, to broaden and deepen markets and open them up to international practices.
At various times he has facilitated and delivered courses and seminars on a wide variety of subjects covering Money Markets, Securities and Foreign exchange trading and market risk management subjects to regulators, corporate customers, banks and market participants.
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