Banking
First Bank Expands Board With Three Executive Directors
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Three executive directors have been added to the board of First Bank Nigeria Limited, the flagship subsidiary of FBN Holdings Plc.
The financial institution said Mr Olusegun Alebiosu will join the board as the Executive Director, Risk Management & Executive Compliance Officer, Mr Oluwatosin Adewuyi as the Executive Director for Corporate Banking, and Mr Ini Ebong as the Executive Director for Treasury and International Banking.
Prior to this appointment, Mr Alebiosu was a Group Executive and the Chief Risk Officer of the First Bank Group, a role he had occupied since he joined the bank in September 2016.
As CRO, he was the Executive accountable for enabling the efficient and effective governance of significant risks, and related opportunities in First Bank and its subsidiaries.
Under his leadership, there has been a risk management transformation at the bank, significant improvement of our credit underwriting process with vintage NPL ratio of less than one per cent, reduction of our NPL ratio to sub-7% levels, significant recoveries, exemplary franchise protection and excellent stakeholder management.
In addition to his role as CRO, Mr Alebiosu is also the Executive Compliance Officer of the bank with the responsibility of ensuring the Bank complies with extant rules and regulations. With a career that has spanned about 30 years, he is an outstanding professional with a demonstrated commitment to the success of the franchise.
Prior to First Bank, he was the Chief Credit Officer at the African Development Bank (AfDB) where he led risk teams in various areas including financial institutions, trade finance (to support African Banks), and critical infrastructure projects across Africa.
Before then, he worked at the United Bank for Africa Plc in various risk capacities including credit policy, credit risk management, agriculture, trade, retail and specialized lending.
On his part, Mr Adewuyi was Group Executive, Corporate Banking where he was responsible for the bank’s corporate banking business following the exit of the previous Executive Director.
He was until recently Executive Director of FBNBank UK, a role he occupied when he joined the First Bank family in 2017. Under his leadership, the corporate banking franchise achieved significant growth in assets and net revenue.
He was also able to reposition the business and portfolio of FBNBank UK in line with the lender’s revised strategy for the franchise and pioneered collaborations between First Bank, FBNBank UK and its African subsidiaries via the Global Account Management program.
He is an international banker with over 20 years of experience covering sub-Saharan Africa. Tosin joined First Bank from J.P. Morgan, where he was a Managing Director and had been Head of its Nigeria Business for eight years.
In his role, he led the execution of J.P. Morgan’s strategy for Nigeria and managed key client relationships including the Central Bank of Nigeria, Ministry of Finance, Debt Management Office, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and top-tier Nigerian Banks.
In addition to his Nigerian role, he was also the Head of Treasury Services (Cash Management and Trade) for Sub-Saharan Africa with prior roles in trade finance, corporate banking, debt capital markets, financial institutions and correspondent banking.
Prior to J.P. Morgan, he worked at Standard Bank, London for about five years and qualified as a Certified Chartered Accountant during the four years he worked at KPMG.
As for Mr Ebong, he was the Group Executive in charge of the Treasury and International Banking at First Bank. In this role, he is responsible for the bank’s Treasury business, its international banking franchise across sub-Saharan Africa covering six countries (Democratic Republic of Congo, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Senegal and Sierra Leone), the bank’s custody business, servicing local and international clients, and the bank’s financial institutions business, which covers its relationships with domestic and international correspondent banks, multilateral agencies, development finance institutions and non-bank financial institutions. Until recently, he was also responsible for the Structured Trade and Commodity Finance business.
Prior to joining First Bank, Mr Ebong was the Head of African Fixed Income and Local Markets Trading for Renaissance Capital. Prior to joining Renaissance Capital, he had worked in Citigroup for 14 years, predominantly in a market-facing and trading role where rose to the Head of Sales and Trading, and Country Treasurer.
Throughout his career in financial services spanning more than 25 years, he has had extensive experience in investment banking, financial markets, equity and debt capital markets businesses, with work experience that covers trading, treasury, balance sheet management and finance.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Senate has demanded detailed explanation from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over the alleged non-remittance of N1.44 trillion in operating surplus.
The Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions, chaired by Mr Tokunbo Abiru, opened its statutory briefing with a firm call for transparency at the apex bank, noting that the Auditor-General’s query on the unremitted funds required a full, clear and documented response, insisting that public trust in monetary governance depended on strict accountability.
While acknowledging the CBN’s achievements in stabilising the foreign exchange market and reducing inflation, Mr Abiru underscored that such progress must be accompanied by institutional responsibility.
He stated the Senate expected the CBN to explain the circumstances surrounding the query, outline corrective steps taken and reveal safeguards against future lapses.
This came as the Governor of the central bank, Mr Yemi Cardoso, appeared before the senate committee and offered an extensive review of economic conditions, asserting that Nigeria was experiencing renewed macroeconomic stability across major indicators.
Mr Cardoso attributed the progress to bold monetary reforms, foreign-exchange liberalisation and disciplined liquidity management implemented since mid-2025.
According to him, headline inflation had declined for seven consecutive months, from 34.6 per cent in November 2024 to 16.05 per cent in October 2025, marking the steepest and longest disinflation trend in over a decade.
Food inflation accruing to him also slowed to 13.12 per cent, supported by improved supply conditions and exchange-rate predictability.
The CBN governor described the foreign-exchange market as fundamentally transformed, adding that speculative attacks and arbitrage opportunities had largely disappeared.
According to him, the premium between the official and parallel markets had fallen to below two per cent, compared to over 60 per cent a year earlier. As of November 26, the naira traded at N1,442.92 per dollar at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market, stronger than the N1,551 average recorded in the first half of 2025.
He also announced a sharp rise in external reserves to $46.7 billion, the highest in nearly seven years and sufficient to cover over ten months of imports.
Diaspora remittances, he noted, had tripled to about $600 million monthly, while foreign capital inflows reached $20.98 billion in the first ten months of 2025, 70 per cent higher than in 2024 and more than four times the 2023 figure.
Cardoso further confirmed that the CBN had fully cleared the $7 billion verified FX backlog, restoring investor confidence and strengthening Nigeria’s balance-of-payments position.
On banking-sector stability, he reported that recapitalisation efforts were progressing smoothly. Twenty-seven banks had already raised new capital, with sixteen meeting or surpassing the new regulatory thresholds ahead of the March 31, 2026 deadline, highlighting improvements in ATM cash availability, digital-payments oversight and cybersecurity compliance.
Despite the positive indicators, the Senate sought clarity on several policy decisions.
Mr Abiru pressed for explanations on the sustained 45 per cent Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR), the 75 per cent CRR applied to non-Treasury Single Account public-sector deposits, FX forward settlements, mutilated naira notes in circulation, excessive bank charges, failed electronic transactions and the compliance of CBN subsidiaries with parliamentary oversight.
He also requested an update on the activities of the Financial Services Regulatory Coordinating Committee, arguing that stronger inter-agency cooperation was necessary to maintain public confidence.
The session later moved into a closed-door meeting.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
About N3.6 trillion has been repaid to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) since its inception in 2010.
This information was revealed by the chief executive of AMCON, Mr Gbenga Alade, during a media parley to update the press on the activities of the agency.
Mr Alade said at the moment, the organisation still owes the central bank about N3 trillion for toxic assets of banks in the country.
He praised the organisation for its asset recovery drive, stressing that when compared with others across the world, Nigeria has done well.
“It is important to stress that the corporation has done tremendously well, especially when compared to other notable government-owned Asset Management Corporations around the world.
“Based on the balance at purchase, AMCON outperformed other Asset Management Corporations all over the world by achieving over 87 per cent in recoveries despite the unique challenges associated with debt recovery in Nigeria.
“The Malaysian Danaharta, which is adjudged one of the best performing Asset Management Corporation’s, only achieved 58 per cent. The Chinese Asset Management Corporation, despite its stricter laws, achieved just 33 per cent.
“Only the Korean Asset Management Corporation (KAMCO), South Korea, has achieved more recoveries than AMCON, with about 100 per cent. This was due to their brute force with which they chased the obligors.
“Despite KAMCO’s recovery records, the agency is still operational to date with slight realignments in its mandate.
“Other noted Asset Management Corporations that have transitioned into a perpetual institution of the various governments include, China Asset Management Company, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) USA, and KFW Germany.
“So, gentlemen, without sounding immodest, AMCON has done well, and we will not relent until all the outstanding debts are fully realized,” Mr Alade stated.
On the financial performance of AMCON, he said last year, the firm posted a revenue of N156.25 billion and operating expenses of N29.04 billion, while for the 2025 fiscal year should be a revenue of N215.15 billion and operating expenses of N29.06 billion.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
One of the non-interest banks in Nigeria, The Alternative Bank (AltBank), has opened a new branch in Effurun, Delta State.
The new office will serve the Edo-Delta region and provide purposeful banking and real financial empowerment for individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses, a statement from the firm stated.
The lender disclosed that the Effurun branch is a bold move in its mission to reshape banking in Nigeria.
The launch was graced by key dignitaries, including the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, Emmanuel Ekemejewa Sideso Abe I; the Chairman of Uvwie Local Government, Anthony O. Ofoni, represented his vice, Andrew Agagbo; and the Special Adviser to the Governor of Delta State on Community Development, Mr Ernest Airoboyi; amongst others.
The Divisional Head for South at The Alternative Bank, Mr Chukwuemeka Agada, emphasised the institution’s commitment to Warri and its surrounding communities.
“By establishing a presence here, we are initiating a transformation in the way banking serves the people of Delta. Our purpose-driven approach ensures that customers’ financial goals are not just met but exceeded,” he stated.
“This branch represents our pledge to empower Warri’s dynamic businesses and families, providing them with the tools to grow without compromise,” Mr Agada added.
“We understand the heartbeat of this community, and we are excited to integrate our bank into the fabric of this dynamic region,” he stated further.
On his part, the representative of the Ovie, Mr Samuel Eshenake, challenged the bank to facilitate development and employment within the Effurun community.
The Regional Head for Edo/Delta at The Alternative Bank, Mr Akanni Owolabi, embraced this challenge, pledging that the bank will work sustainably to drive local commerce.
“At The Alternative Bank, we are committed to being an active partner in the development of Effurun. We see this branch as a catalyst for creating opportunities, driving employment, and supporting the growth of local businesses.
“Our mission is to empower this community, ensuring that every step forward is one of progress, prosperity, and shared success.”
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