Banking
TPT’s Adetokunbo Modupe Walks Tall at Marketing Edge Awards
**Emerges PR Personality of the Decade
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Lead Strategist and Chairman of TPT International Limited, Mr Adetokunbo Modupe, has emerged Outstanding PR Personality of the Decade.
His overwhelming recognition was the highpoint of the 2017 Marketing Edge Awards, held last weekend in Lagos at the Federal Palace Hotel.
According to the organisers, the programme is aimed at recognising and rewarding excellence in Nigeria’s Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing Communications sectors.
Toks, as he is fondly called, has earned himself and his agency a reputation for creativity and daring spirit, some of the attributes that have seen his agency consult for top-notch brands and win awards for campaigns.
Toks’ active years in Public Relations and marketing entrepreneurship practice spans over two decades during which period he has introduced innovative style which has made him actively relevant in the industry.
With Toks at the helm, TPT International has provided services for various clients in Telecommunications, Energy, Banking, Food and Beverages, Pharmaceuticals, Media, Real Estate, Education and Government.
He commended the award organisers and explained that the honour remained a confirmation of his team’s focus in running a perception management firm with a globally aligned structure that has enabled TPT International transformed into one of Africa’s most sought-after PR agencies.
“In today’s PR world, content is a major driver of perception which I and my team have used in firming our belief in innovation and professionalism in the practice. Our edge in the industry is our creative solution to clients’ briefs,” he said.
Some of the companies TPT International has worked for and still working for include Nigerian Breweries Plc, Promasidor Nigeria Limited, Reckitt Benckiser, Lagos Business School, Buildcon Global Services, British American Tobacco Company, Pfizer, Federal Government of Nigeria, Lagos Lotto, Guinness Nigeria, Procter and Gamble West Africa, British Council, Starcomms Plc, MasterCard, Heritage Bank, General Electric West Africa, WFM 97.1 radio and many others.
Toks was Secretary General of Public Relations Consultants Association of Nigeria (PRCAN) from 2005 to 2007, a period the association regained its voice as a professional body.
Other major winners at the night of honour included Toyota (Outstanding Auto Brand of the Year); Insight Publicis, DDB Lagos, Noah’s Ark Communications and X3M Ideas (Outstanding Creative Agencies of the Year); Emeka Okeke, Managing Director of Media Fuse Dentsu Aegis Network (Outstanding Media Personality of the Year); Ikechi Odigbo, Managing Director of DDB Lagos, Lanre Adisa of Noah’s Ark and Steve Babaeko of X3M Ideas (Outstanding Advertising Personalities of the Year); Brooks and Blake and Integrated Indigo Limited (Outstanding PR Agencies of the Year); and Modion Communications (Outstanding Young PR Agency of the Year).
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An initiative known as Nigeria Lightning Rounds, designed to expand funding opportunities for Nigerian startups and small businesses by connecting founders with local and international investors, has been launched by ProvidusUnity Bank, in partnership with US-based global venture firm and accelerator, gener8tor.
Scheduled to be held on July 15, 2026, Nigeria Lightning Rounds will feature carefully selected startups engaging with targeted investors who have expressed interest in supporting Nigerian innovation.
Participating founders will have the opportunity to pitch their businesses through focused 15-minute virtual sessions facilitated by gener8tor and ProvidusUnity Bank’s networks.
The program will focus on high-growth sectors including fintech, healthtech, manufacturing, sustainability, and AI, but welcomes SMEs from all industries, with intending participants urged to apply via https://www.gener8tor.com/lightning-rounds/nigeria.
“We recognise that access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Through our partnership with gener8tor, we are creating a platform that connects promising Nigerian founders with investors who can provide the support required to scale their businesses,” the Head of Business Development at ProvidusUnity Bank, Mr Ernest Elue, stated.
“The partnership reinforces ProvidusUnity Bank’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting innovation, enabling access to opportunities, and creating pathways for businesses with high-growth potential,” he added.
Also commenting, the Director of Lightning Rounds at gener8tor, Ms Elizabeth Larios, said, “gener8tor is thrilled to partner with ProvidusUnity Bank to extend the Lightning Rounds model into Nigeria.
“This collaboration reflects our commitment to building equitable ecosystems and driving capital to the most promising and underrepresented entrepreneurs.”
Lightning Rounds are a signature initiative of gener8tor’s investment platform, which has facilitated thousands of investor-startup meetings globally. The format is optimised to eliminate friction, reduce bias in early-stage fundraising, and help founders secure capital from investors aligned with their mission and stage. gener8tor’s previous Lightning Rounds for Nigerian Founders in 2025 featured 18 participating Investors and led to 50 investment meetings facilitated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The verification of the depositors of the 46 microfinance banks, whose operating licenses were revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over a week ago, has commenced.
The exercise, aimed at refunding those whose funds were trapped in the small lenders, is being conducted by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
In a statement on Thursday, the agency said its staff members have been positioned at the offices of the affected banks across the country to attend to depositors.
It was disclosed that depositors of the defunct banks, who had their Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) linked to their accounts in the failed banks, will be paid through their alternative accounts in existing banks.
However, depositors whose BVNs were not linked to their accounts in the failed banks have been encouraged to visit the affected banks’ offices with proof of account ownership, a passport photograph, verifiable means of identification (Driver’s Licence, Permanent Voter’s Card, International Passport or National ID Card) and BVN.
NDIC also stated that depositors can alternatively file their claims online through its website: www.ndic.gov.ng, to complete the Pre-Verification Claims Form by clicking on the Search Bar, and typing Pre-Verification Claims Form; opening the Form and filling in their details. They can also do so by clicking the link: https://ndic.gov.ng/ndic-pre-verification-claims-form/ or by visiting any of the NDIC offices closest to them to file their claims.
For further enquiries, the corporation can be reached on any of the following lines: 09037273810, 09038197064, 08104220807, 09064657140.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolment has slowed significantly in 2026 following the introduction of a stricter regulatory framework by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), with the latest data from the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) showing that registrations are on course to fall well below last year’s record.
The BVN database stood at 69.55 million as of July 5, 2026, up from 69.32 million in June, indicating that only 228,947 new registrations were recorded over the period. Since the end of 2025, when the database stood at 67.8 million, total enrolments have increased by 1.75 million.
At the current pace, however, BVN registrations are unlikely to match the 4.3 million new enrolments recorded in 2025, suggesting a sharp deceleration in growth this year.
The slowdown comes after the CBN introduced a revised BVN regulatory framework in March, with the new rules taking effect on May 1, 2026. The framework tightened controls around enrolment, identity verification and fraud monitoring as part of efforts to strengthen the integrity of the banking system.
Among the key changes was the introduction of a minimum enrolment age of 18 years, effectively preventing minors from registering for a BVN.
The new framework also limits customers to a one-time change of the phone number linked to their BVN and requires financial institutions to place BVNs linked to suspected fraudulent transactions on a temporary watch-list for up to 24 hours while investigations are carried out.
The stricter rules contrast with last year’s surge in registrations, which was largely driven by the introduction of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative that enabled Nigerians in the diaspora to complete BVN enrolment remotely, removing physical barriers and expanding access to the financial system.
Launched on February 14, 2014, the BVN scheme was introduced by the CBN in collaboration with the Bankers’ Committee, NIBSS and German technology firm Dermalog to assign every bank customer a unique biometric identity that can be verified across Nigeria’s banking industry.
