Banking
FCMB Opens Ultra-Modern Branch in Karu, Nasarawa State
Customers of leading financial services provider, First City Monument Bank (FCMB), and Nigerians in general, who reside or run businesses in Mararaba-Karu, a satellite settlement town in Nasarawa State, neighbouring Abuja environs, including Nyanya, now have an opportunity to enjoy the excellent services offered by the Bank.
This is because FCMB has opened an ultra-modern and full-service branch strategically located at Plot 35779, Mararaba Gurku Karu, Nasarawa State in the town.
The new branch was commissioned at an impressive ceremony on Tuesday, October 23, 2018, bringing to three the number of branches of the Bank in Nasarawa environs and 205 across Nigeria.
The development is in line with FCMB’s strategic expansion approach and commitment towards bringing banking services directly to the door steps of its existing and potential customers. The location of the branch takes into consideration convenience for residents and businesses in Karu and neighbouring communities in Nasarawa and it is expected to promote financial inclusion in the country.
Apart from the experienced financial experts at the branch, it is equipped with unique physical and technological infrastructures that will ensure convenient transactions and sundry financial service delivery to customers in a relaxed environment.
In his speech at the commissioning of the new branch in Karu, the Managing Director of FCMB, Mr Adam Nuru said, “This is due to the importance of this area, not just as a residential hub, but as a major gateway to other strategic places in Nasarawa state.
“Though, most of our customers prefer to carry out transactions from wherever they are, using our alternate channels such as FCMBMobile, FCMBOnline, USSD code and ATMs spread widely across Nigeria, some customers still prefer human interaction when banking. This additional customer touch point will further boost our commitment in providing customers with simple, helpful and reliable banking services, in a conducive and convenient environment.”
Also speaking, the Divisional Head, Service Management & Technology of FCMB, Mr Oluwakayode Adigun, re-iterated the Bank’s commitment to strategically grow its network to meet the individual and business aspirations of its growing customer base across segments.
He disclosed that, “The new Karu branch, just like other branches of FCMB across Nigeria, brings with it something special in terms of structure, aesthetics and above all, the excellent customer experience to be provided by our excellent team of professionals.
“While we strategically pursue our digital agenda as a forward looking financial services operator, we will continue to support the financial inclusion vision of the Central Bank of Nigeria where every customer is adequately served on any channel in which such services are provided to meet their respective lifestyles and needs.”
In his address at the ceremony, Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Mr Silas Agara, commended FCMB for its commitment to national development through various forms of support to the private and public sectors.
The Deputy Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Ayuba Ayenaje, said, “we are excited that FCMB has expanded its footprint in Nasarawa State and confident that this will go a long way to boost economic activities in our State. We are proud of the various initiatives of the Bank to support the people and government of Nasarawa state. With the opening of a branch in Karu town, the relationship will be taken to greater heights. On our part, we will support the Bank as much as we can”.
FCMB’s robust suite of financial solutions and award-winning service culture have continued to enhance its status as a leader in the Nigerian banking industry. Among other laurels, FCMB recently bagged the prestigious award of ‘’Excellence in Retail Banking’’ at this year’s edition of the New Age Banking Summit & Awards held from September 26 to 27, 2018 in Lagos. It has also been rated as the 3rd most customer-focused bank in retail banking (from 5th in 2017) by KPMG, a leading international consulting firm, in the 2018 Banking Industry Customer Satisfaction Survey (BICSS).
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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