Banking
Court Flings Skye Bank Suit Against Centrespread Advertising
By Dipo Olowookere
The suit brought against Centrespread Advertising by Skye Bank at a Lagos High Court has been dismissed for lack of admissible evidence.
Skye Bank had filed a preliminary application for an order compelling Centrespread Advertising to pay N525 million as outstanding indebtedness to it.
In a motion for interlocutory injunction in suit No: LD/2362GCMW/16 in which Centrespread is challenging Skye Bank’s claim of its continued indebtedness, counsel to the lender, Mr Solomon Mbadiwe, had prayed the court rule that Centrespread had, in a letter dated June 16, 2015 and Claimant of Affidavit of June 22, 2016, admitted and proposed the payment of the sum of N525 million to Skye Bank as final settlement of the loan agreement between the two parties.
He had asked the court to compel Centrespread to make full payment of the stated sum to Skye Bank while hearing continues in the original suit.
But in his judgement on the application at the resumed sitting of the court in May, the trial judge, Justice A. M. Lawal, threw out the Skye Bank application on the ground that it was based on inadmissible evidence.
He held that, “The letter dated June 16, 2015, from the caption and the contents of the letter, it is written towards settlement of the dispute existing between the parties.
“Letters written towards settlement are classified as ‘without prejudice’ and the privilege that attends ‘without prejudice’ communication will not be denied to a document simply because it is not captioned without prejudice.
“As the letter of June 16, 2015 was written with proposals for the settlement of the loan dispute, such is not admissible and cannot be the foundation of an application for Judgment upon admission.”
The trial judge noted that the court was not unmindful that the figure of N525 million said to have been admitted by Centrespread are found at paragraphs 5, 6 and 16 of the Claimant’s pleadings and paragraphs 9, 11 and 13 of the Claimant Affidavit of June 22, 2016 filed in support of the motion of June 22, 2016 for Interlocutory Injunction.
He, however, added that ‘a readings of these traced the source of the said admitted figure of N525 million to no other source other than the letter of June 15, 2016”, adding that “since the letter is not admissible being covered by the ‘without prejudice’ privilege, the said paragraphs of the pleadings and Affidavit are also not admissible for the purpose of an application for judgment based on admission”.
In the Statement of Claim filed by Centrespread in the originating suit, the frontline advertising agency averred that while it is true that a transaction was carried out between it and Skye Bank Plc in 2007, it had made good on the terms of the agreement to pay back the principal borrowed loan which, according to the terms of agreement, would expire in the year 2020.
Centrespread further averred that a few years ago, when it felt that it was being subjected to exorbitant charges by Skye Bank, it employed the services of forensic financial analysts who confirmed its concerns as true.
Centrespread is therefore praying the Court to, among other reliefs, declare Skye Bank’s claim that it still owes the total amount declared in its record as null and void since, according to it, a substantial part of the figure being touted as standing against its name has been discovered to be illegal charges.
Alternatively, the Claimant is also praying the honourable court to compel Skye Bank to release the claimant’s loan account statement and for the loan account statement to be analyzed by a forensic analyst to be appointed jointly by both parties for the determination of the Claimant’s actual indebtedness to the defendant.
Further hearing in the matter was adjourned till August 12, 2017.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Sterling Financial Holdings Company Plc has allotted shares from its public offer of 2025 to investors with valid applications.
The allotment follows the earlier receipt of final approval from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the recent clearance by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In September 2025, the financial institution offered for sale about 12,581,000,000 ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N7.00 per share in public offer.
However, the exercise received wide participation from the investing public, with the company getting 18,280 applications for 16,839,524,401 ordinary shares valued at approximately N117.88 billion.
Following a thorough verification process, valid applications were received from 18,276 shareholders for a total of 13,812,239,000 ordinary shares, representing a subscription level of 109.79 per cent and reflecting sustained confidence in Sterling Holdco’s strategic direction, governance, and long-term growth prospects.
The firm approached the capital market for additional funds for the recapitalisation of its two flagship subsidiaries, Sterling Bank and The Alternative Bank.
The capital injection will support the commencement of full operations and contribute to the group’s revenue diversification objectives.
In line with the guidelines set out in the offer prospectus, Sterling Holdco confirmed that all valid applications will be allotted in full. Every investor who complied with the terms of the offer will receive all the shares for which they applied.
A very small number of applications were not processed or were partially rejected due to non-compliance with the offer terms, including duplicate payments and failure to meet the minimum subscription requirement of 1,000 units or its multiples, as stipulated in the offer documents.
The group ensures a seamless post-offer process, with refunds for excess or rejected applications, along with applicable interest, to be remitted via Real Time Gross Settlement or NIBSS Electronic Funds Transfer directly to the bank accounts detailed in the application forms.
Simultaneously, the electronic allotment of shares has be credited to successful shareholders’ accounts with the Central Securities Clearing System (CSCS) on February 17, and for applicants who do not currently have CSCS accounts, their allotted shares will be temporarily held in a registrar-managed pool account pending the submission of their completed account opening documentation to Pace Registrars Limited, after which the shares will be transferred to their personal CSCS accounts.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
To drive inclusive growth, strengthen financial stability, and deepen global financial integration across developing economies, there must be coordinated reforms in digital cross-border payments.
This was the submission of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr Olayemi Cardoso, at the G‑24 Technical Group Meetings in Abuja on Thursday, February 19, 2026.
According to him, high remittance costs, settlement delays, fragmented systems, and heavy compliance burdens still limit the participation of households and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in global trade.
The central banker emphasised that efficient payment systems are essential for economic inclusion, highlighting that global remittance corridors still incur average costs above 6 per cent, with settlement delays of several days, excluding millions from modern economic activity.
Mr Cardoso cautioned that while digital payments present significant opportunities, they also carry risks such as currency substitution, weakened monetary transmission, increased FX volatility, capital-flow pressures, and regulatory fragmentation.
The G-24 TGM 2026, themed Mobilising finance for sustainable, inclusive, and job-rich transformation, convened global financial stakeholders to advance the modernisation of finance in support of emerging and developing economies.
The CBN chief reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to working with G-24 members, the IMF, the World Bank Group, and other partners to build a more inclusive, resilient, and development-oriented global financial architecture.
“We have strengthened our AML/CFT frameworks in line with FATF guidelines, requiring strict dual-screening of cross-border transactions to mitigate risks.
“To deepen regional integration, the CBN introduced simplified KYC/AML requirements for low-value cross-border transactions to encourage broader participation in PAPSS, easing processes for Nigerian SMEs and enabling faster intra-African trade payments.
“We have also embraced fintech innovation through our Regulatory Sandbox, allowing payment-focused fintechs to test secure, instant cross-border solutions under close CBN supervision,” he disclosed.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The merger and business combination between Unity Bank Plc and Providus Bank Limited remains firmly on course, a statement from one of the parties disclosed.
According to Unity Bank, there is no iota of truth in reports in certain sections of the media suggesting that the merger process had stalled, as the transaction remains firmly on track.
It was disclosed that the necessary regulatory steps have been completed, but only a few other steps to finalise the transaction, especially the final court sanction.
There had been speculations that both lenders may not meet the new minimum capital requirement of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) before the March 31, 2026, deadline.
However, it was noted that the combined capital base of Unity Bank and Providus Bank exceeds N200 billion, which is the minimum requirement to retain a national banking licence under the CBN’s recapitalisation framework.
When completed, the Unity-Providus merger is expected to deliver a stronger, more competitive, and customer-centric financial institution — one with the scale, innovation, and reach to redefine the retail and SME banking landscape in Nigeria.
“The merger with Providus Bank significantly enhances our capital base, operational capacity, and strategic positioning.
“We are confident that the combined institution will be better equipped to support economic growth and deliver innovative financial solutions across Nigeria,” the chief executive of Unity Bank, Mr Ebenezer Kolawole, stated.
Recall that a few months ago, shareholders authorised the merger between the two entities at Court-Ordered Meetings. They also adopted the scheme of merger at their respective Extraordinary General Meetings (EGMs) in September 2025,
The central bank also backed the merger, with a pivotal financial accommodation to support the transaction. The merger also received a further boost with a “no objection” nod from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The regulatory approvals form part of broader efforts to strengthen the resilience of Nigeria’s banking system, reinforce capital adequacy across the sector, and mitigate potential systemic risks.
The development positions the combined entity among the 21 banks that have satisfied the apex bank’s new capital threshold for national banking operations.
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