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Union Bank Share Floats to Remain Below 20% Unless…

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union bank nigeria

By Daily Times

Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank Plc, Mr Emeka Emuwa, has disclosed that the lender, which is currently on breach of regulatory prescribed 20 percent share flotation, may sustain the tempo until trends in the market improves.

Mr Emuwa made this disclosure on Wednesday, at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) during the bank’s presentation of ‘Facts Behind the Offer’ of its ongoing N50 billion rights issue, which closes this month.

He said that the state of the market has made it impossible for shareholders not to trade their shares in the market.

According to him, the prevailing low pricing of equities has not been attractive enough for shareholders to trade their shares and boost flotation of the bank’s shares in the market.

Responding to question on why the bank has failed to comply with the NSE’s regulation on 20 percent share float for main board listed companies, the union bank’s chief said that though the NSE granted the bank a waiver, but holders of the bank’s shares have not deemed it fit to trade their shares in order to boost share flotation.

He said, “When the market is sufficiently attractive, people will trade their shares if the pricing is right.”

He added that the stand point of the shareholders of the bank may have been responsible for the scarcity of the bank shares in the market, hence, people complained that the prevailing rights offer has been reported to be relatively unavailable in the market.

He said that the bank is positioned to pay dividend, but its negative retained earnings’ financial standing did not empower for dividend payment, adding that until this is sorted out, dividend payment would not be affected.

He, however, promised that the bank is currently working towards clearing the negative retained in order to commence dividend payment to shareholders.

Mr Emuwa further disclosed that 80 percent of proceeds from the ongoing right issue will be used for working capital. He said that 12 percent of the proceeds would be invested in technology, innovation and digitalization. While 8 percent is for customer touch points.

On the working capital, he said the bank would focus on six priority areas which includes, agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals.

Other areas are services like health, education, construction and real estate, oil and gas. Responding to questions on what percentage will be deployed into manufacturing and agriculture, he said it depends on the opportunities available before the bank in the economy.

Details of the offer shows that the issued share size is N49.7 billion, number of shares is 12.1bn ordinary shares of 50 kobo each at N4.10 per share on the basis of 5 new ordinary shares for every 7 ordinary shares held as at August 21, 2017.

The offer opens on September 20, 2017 and closes October 30, 2017.
Earlier in his address, the CEO of NSE, represented by Mr Ade Bajomo, Executive Director, Market Operations and Technology, lauded the bank on its 100 years anniversary and contributions to the development of the market.

He lauded the bank’s financial performances, transformation; and its ongoing rights’ issue, which he said is expected to be successful.

Modupe Gbadeyanka is a fast-rising journalist with Business Post Nigeria. Her passion for journalism is amazing. She is willing to learn more with a view to becoming one of the best pen-pushers in Nigeria. Her role models are the duo of CNN's Richard Quest and Christiane Amanpour.

Banking

Stanbic IBTC Bank Assures Continued Strategic Investment in Artists, Designers

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By Aduragbemi Omiyale

The creative industry in Nigeria may have nothing to worry about with the likes of Stanbic IBTC Bank around the corner.

The financial institution, which has not hidden its love for the sector, has promised to continue with its strategic investment in the country’s designers and artists.

Speaking at an event, An Evening of Fashion, Art & Lifestyle, the Executive Director for Personal and Private Banking at Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mr Olu Delano, represented by the Head of its Private Banking Segment, Ms Layo Ilori-Olaogun, said the company was proud to be associated with the programme, which it also sponsored.

“At Stanbic IBTC, we recognise Nigeria’s creative sector as a vital driver of economic diversification, employment, and global cultural influence.

“We are proud to support the individuals behind these platforms that elevate African excellence and provide visionary talents the visibility that they deserve.

“Nights like this reaffirm our commitment to continued strategic investment in our artists and designers,” he stated.

The invitation-only ceremony, which was held at The Garden, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, hosted by Africa’s leading luxury fashion house, 2207bytbally, in collaboration with the acclaimed art collective Torrista, brought together high-net-worth individuals, art collectors, designers, media personalities, and luxury brand executives for an unparalleled showcase of creativity and sophistication.

The evening opened with a breathtaking runway presentation featuring three signature segments from the Evolve collection by 2207bytbally: Denim, Ethnic, and 2207 Prints. Each piece exemplified the meticulous craftsmanship, bold innovation, and cultural storytelling that has established the brand as a standard-bearer in African luxury fashion.

Complementing the couture was a curated exhibition by Torrista, transforming the venue into an immersive gallery. Commissioned artworks exploring themes of culture, femininity, and evolution created a robust visual dialogue with the collections, demonstrating the seamless harmony that can result when fashion and fine art converge.

“This evening was about more than clothes or canvases; it was about showing the world that African creativity is limitless. When fashion and art share the same space, magic happens, and tonight, Lagos felt that magic,” the Creative Director of 2207bytbally, Tolu Bally, stated.

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Secure IT, StockMed, 18 Others Make Wema Bank Hackaholics 6.0 Top 20 List

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Wema Bank Hackaholics 6.0

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.

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Customs to Penalise Banks for Delayed Revenue Remittance

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edo Revenue Collection

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.

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