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ABUJA – Dr. Kingsley Isitua Obiora has formally assumed office as Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), replacing Dr. Okwu Joseph Nnanna, who exited from the Bank on February 2, 2020. Welcoming Dr. Obiora on board, on Monday, March 2, 2020, the Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, congratulated him on his appointment, noting that he was assuming duty at a time when his experience was needed to ensure stability in the Nigerian economy. Assigning the new Deputy Governor to the Economic Policy Directorate, Mr. Emefiele charged him to go beyond upholding the interest of the CBN to upholding…

Guaranty Trust Bank plc has released its audited financial results for the year ended December 31, 2019, to the Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges. A review of the results shows positive performance across all financial indices, reaffirming the Bank’s position as one of the most profitable and well managed financial institutions in Nigeria. Profit before tax stood at ₦231.7billion, representing a growth of 7.5% over ₦215.6billion recorded in the corresponding year ended December 2018. The Bank’s Loan Book grew by 19.0% from ₦1.262trillion in December 2018 to ₦1.502trillion in December 2019, while customers’ deposits increased by 11.4% to ₦2.533trillion from…

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo should, as an elder statesman, do and say things that will help build a strong and united nation, rather than beating drums of war or inciting the populace against the government. The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said Chief Obasanjo’s comment at the first memorial lecture of Dr Frederick Fasehun, the founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), was not the kind of things one would expect from a man who had been at the helm of affairs of this nation on two different occasions. The group noted that Obasanjo’s comments during the lecture amounted to a…

The Lagos Bus Services Limited (LBSL) says 20 of its current 400 drivers are female, and its target is to make women account for 10 per cent of its drivers in the future. The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the LBSL, Mr Idowu Oguntona, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos. LBSL runs high-capacity Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses that ply various routes in the state. “Currently, we have 20 female captains within our employment; our target is to have about 10 per cent of our drivers as female,” Oguntona said.…

Amidst the levels of insecurity facing the country for over a decade, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has clarified that its role in Nigeria does not involve taking part in the negotiation process between the federal government, its military and the insurgents neither does it take any side of the party, maintaining that its mandate is to bring succour to civilians in conflict. The Communications Coordinator, ICRC Nigeria, Mr. Vincent Pouget, who spoke with PRNigeria, made these clarifications while clarifying on the processes that led to the release of some kidnapped of Chibok and Dapchi girls in…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an open letter to the Senate President Dr Ahmad Lawan, urging him to use his leadership position to “ensure that the bill that would allow ‘repentant Boko Haram terrorists’ opportunities to access public funds to enjoy foreign education is immediately dropped, and to sponsor bills that would ensure access to justice and reparation for the victims of Boko Haram terrorist group.” According to SERAP, “the bill, which has passed the first reading at the Senate would give opportunities to ‘repentant terrorists’ to receive foreign education including by accessing funds from the Universal…

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Saturday said that repair works on a 600-metre stretch outbound the Kara Bridge section of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway had been completed. Fashola said that the completed portion would be opened to traffic on Sunday because President Muhammadu Buhari had a special interest in the important highway. The minister, represented by the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, during the final inspection of the section, thanked road users and commended their patience during the construction period. Motorists had on many days spent hours in gridlock on the road…

ABUJA – The FCT Administration has commenced massive regularization of Area Council and Mass Housing land titles within the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The project which is being carried out under the Accelerated Area Councils and Sectional Titles Re-Issuance Scheme (AACSTRIS) will be given a massive boost as budgetary allocation in the 2020 appropriation and manpower have been deployed to fast track the implementation process. Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Abuja Geographic Information Systems (AGIS), Dr. Isa Ibrahim Jalo, disclosed this in an interaction with newsmen at the weekend in his office at No. 4, Peace Drive, Central Business District,…

Dr Bashir Bello, the Oyo State Commissioner for Health, says the state government is on a high level of preparedness for any possible outbreak of coronavirus in the state. Bello stated this in Ibadan while briefing newsmen on the reported outbreak of the disease in neighbouring Lagos State. He said the state government had put its facilities on high alert with the deployment of adequate resources. The commissioner said the Ministry of Health was partnering with the 2 Division of the Nigerian Army, Odogbo, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control and other relevant health agencies in readiness for a possible…

United Bank of Nigeria (UBA) Plc has posted a profit after tax of N89.1 billion for the financial year ended Dec. 31, 2019. The profit after tax represented a growth of 13.3 percent to N89.1 billion compared with N78.6 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2018. Its profit before tax stood at N111.3 billion against N106.8 billion achieved in the comparative period of 2018. The result posted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange website shows that the bank’s gross earnings grew by 13.3 per cent to N559.8 billion in contrast with N494.0 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2018.…