By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Some food items and essential supplies have been given to children living with disabilities at the Oluyole Cheshire Home, Ibadan, Oyo State by Fidelity Bank Plc.

The donation was made by the financial institution under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the Fidelity Helping Hands Programme (FHHP).

The gesture was in the spirit of the festive season to reaffirm the bank’s commitment to inclusive community support through a charitable outreach.

With this, Fidelity Bank continues to strengthen its legacy of community support, inclusion, and shared progress—demonstrating that impactful giving remains at the heart of its corporate culture.

Items donated included foodstuffs, toiletries and other essential supplies intended to ease the home’s operating costs during the festive season and beyond.

Receiving the items on behalf of the home, Caregiver and a senior representative for the organisation, Mr Jimoh Taiwo, expressed deep appreciation for the gesture while calling on Nigerians and organisations to emulate such acts of kindness.

“We sincerely appreciate Fidelity Bank for this gesture. It means a lot to the children and to the home.

“We want other stakeholders to support us like Fidelity Bank has done. Well-meaning individuals and organisations should emulate this gesture by putting smiles on the faces of the less privileged during this period,” he said.

At the presentation of the supplies, the Divisional Head for Brand and Communications Division at the lender, Mr Meksley Nwagboh, emphasized that the exercise was not just an act of seasonal giving but part of the bank’s broader mission to advance social inclusion and welfare.

“Under the Fidelity Helping Hands Programme, our staff-led CSR initiative, we empower our employees to participate in community development projects; and one of such projects is our donation here today to the home.

“This home caters to children with special needs who are some of the most deprived members of our society and we just want to contribute our quota towards their welfare,” Mr Nwagboh said, explaining that the outreach which was spearheaded by the Visionary Team of newly inducted employees, forms a key component of Fidelity Bank’s onboarding programme. Through this platform, new staff are introduced to the bank’s CSR values and immediately tasked with identifying and executing impactful community projects.

“At Fidelity Bank, our CSR pillars are education, health, social welfare, the environment, and youth empowerment; and we ensure every new staff member is grounded in these principles. The Visionary Team has done an excellent job by showing that beyond banking, we owe society a duty of care,” he stated.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

Bondholders who validly tendered their notes ahead of the February 2026 maturity date have been fully repaid by Ecobank Nigeria Limited.

The company issued a $300 million Eurobond with an original maturity date of February 16, 2026.

The notes were originally issued by EBN Finance Company B.V., with limited recourse to the issuer, for the sole purpose of financing the purchase of the $300 million 7.125 per cent Senior Note due 2026 issued by Ecobank Nigeria Limited.

But on November 27, 2025, Ecobank Nigeria launched a tender offer to eligible noteholders in respect of the outstanding $150 million on the bond, providing them with an opportunity to redeem their holdings ahead of maturity.

The early and late tender participation deadlines were December 11, 2025, and December 29, 2025, respectively.

Business Post reports that investors responded positively, with about $245 million of the $300 million Eurobond, representing more than 80 per cent of the total issuance, fully repaid.

It was learned that holders of notes validly tendered and accepted, received a cash consideration of $1,000 per $1,000 in principal amount, in addition to accrued interest from the last interest payment date up to, but excluding, the final settlement date of December 31, 2025.

Following completion of the offer, the outstanding principal amount of the notes has been reduced to approximately $55.092 million, reflecting the lender’s proactive approach to liability management and prudent balance sheet optimisation.

The tender offer was conducted with Renaissance Capital Africa (Renaissance Securities Nigeria Limited) acting as financial adviser and dealer manager, while Sodali & Co Limited served as tender agent.

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

One of the leading financial institutions in the country, First Holdco Plc, has confirmed that its banking subsidiary, First Bank of Nigeria, has met the capital base for tier-1 lenders set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The central bank asked banks in Nigeria to shore-up their capital base from N25 billion to a new threshold, depending on their scope of coverage.

They were given till March 31, 2026, to meet the new regulatory capital requirement, with options to merge if necessary.

For First Bank and its peers, which also operate outside Nigeria, they were asked to raise their capital base to N500 billion, while those with national licence must get at least N200 billion. Regional banks must have N20 billion, non-interest banks with national licence are to raise capital base to N20 billion, while regional non-interest lenders must get N10 billion.

Last week, the company achieved this threshold and has informed the regulator of this.

In a notice to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), First Holdco disclosed that its commercial banking arm reached this milestone through the completion of a series of strategic capital initiatives, including a rights issue, a private placement, and the injection of proceeds from the divestment of the group’s merchant banking subsidiary.

“The recapitalisation strengthens the group’s overall financial resilience, providing a robust platform for earnings growth through business expansion, technological innovation, and the pursuit of new opportunities,” a part of the statement said.