Business
5 things You Should Know About the death of APC LG chairman’s candidate, Muiz Bello. + his last interview with us
Facts file about MB’s death:
- He clocked 39 on the very day he died, Saturday, March 28, 2015.
- He was in the boat with his wife when the incident occurred. He died but his wife survived and has been admitted in the hospital.
- He has just been promoted in his place of work, chevron.
- He was billed to travel to England on Sunday, March 29, 2015 to relax and celebrate his birthday.
- He has three kids, a boy and two girls.
Sadly, Muiz Bello, the APC candidate of Epe LG chairman candidate, died on the very day he clocked 39, Saturday, march 28, 2015 in a boat tragedy in Epe area of Lagos. The boat is said to have capsized while coming from the riverine area where they have gone to cast their votes.
The amiable lawyer turned politician was in the boat with eight others which included, the owner of the boat and his two sons, his wife and personal assistant, the first son of olu of Epe, Prince Azeez Adewale and two others.
MB as Muiz is fondly called and Prince Adewale were said to be returning from a riverine area in Epe where they had gone to cast their votes before the unfortunate incident occurred Saturday afternoon. Sadly, they both died in the unfortunate incident.
Bello’s Personal Assistant was also among the people that lost their lives in the incident.
The lawyer’s wife, who was with them, survived the incident; she is recuperating at the General Hospital in Epe.
Here was his last interview with Sahara weekly in his palatial home at VGC, Lagos weeks before his sudden death.
MUHEEZ BELLO EXCLUSIVE! ‘Why I am the most suitable candidate for Epe LG Chairmanship” + Reasons Ambode should be voted in
Sahara Weekly
38 year old Muheez Olayinka Bello widely known as MB is a trained lawyer and was called to bar in 2003. He has had experience in the public sector working as advisor to the Governor of Lagos on Students affairs. He was also a foremost entertainment lawyer providing legal and financial advisory services for entertainers such as 2face, Eldee and the rest. He moved into oil and gas industry in 2008 as a government Relations Advisors to a foremost multi-national oil company. In an exclusive chat with Sahara Weekly, MB, who is married to Monsura, a lawyer, opened up on why he is the most qualified to become Epe L:G chairman in 2015
You are contesting the seat of Epe Local Government Chairmanship, what informed your political aspiration?
It all began with my passion for development. I have always endeavored to support the less privilege in the society. And to a large extent, I have tried within my own capacity to support different initiatives that will improve the well being of different people. I discovered that much as I love doing that in my own way, the opportunities are huge and the challenges enormous especially in a society where poverty is endemic. I realized that the best way to go about it with a genuine commitment to be involved with public service. Aside that, the world economy is being driven by young person using the social media and technology to move the world forward. I was convinced that young people like us have a responsibility to move the country forward.
What are your plans for Epe community?
I have a lot of plans determined by the challenges and problems of the society. There is a team of young people who needs motivation and someone to help them interpret their dreams to reality. There is the issue of electricity. The problems are enormous. I am not deterred by that. Those challenges spur me into actions and enables me contribute my own quota by showing good examples. That would enable me present a template for growth at the grassroots’ level.
What’s your take on professionals and technocrats taking over politics?
If you compare our world with United Kingdom, you will find out that for you to join the political train, you must be well schooled and exposed professionally. For instance, in United States of America, you must be successful in your chosen field. However, in Nigeria people see it as a means of amassing wealth to themselves. It’s high time we allowed professionals and technocrats do the magic. They are better equipped and skilful to move the society forward. For instance, Governor Babatunde Fashola was not a core politician but he came and turned things around. If you are talking about transformation in Nigeria, it resides in Lagos.
Why should Epe people elect you?
If we consider competence, compassion, commitment, professionalism amongst other things, I qualify. I am simply the best hand for this lofty position. I am a qualified lawyer. I was among the first telecoms lawyers in Nigeria. I have adequately handled the power sector in terms of academic or professional competence. Politically, I have been working as an adviser to the commissioner for Sports. I was part of the team that spearheaded a public private partnership model for sports development in Lagos State. Since 2008 till date, I have been working at the highest level and these are the things we should consider. Of a truth, none of my rivals have such enviable credentials. Beyond that, in Epe I have the reputation for being a philanthropist. I have spent my money to support the people and various projects for the growth of the community. If you consider my pedigree, why would someone want to leave an enviable position in a prestigious organization like Mobil to become a Local Government chairman? It was borne out of the need to lead by example. Public service is all about sacrifice.
But so many people are as committed as you are but without resources, what’s your take on the notion that politics is all about money?
The truth is that politics require a lot of money. And that’s because in the third world continent, poverty is endemic. Politics should be about the people and not about money. Politics is quite expensive. And this is why I call on Nigerians especially the upwardly mobile young people to embrace politics. We should all work together. I can’t continue to use my own money. It should be a joint project. If you allow someone else to do the funding and the candidate gets into power, he has no choice but to compensate his godfather because he who pays the piper dictates the tune.
Why the choice of APC?
The party represents true change. It has come to be known with development and growth. If I have not been in APC, there is no way I could have been in PDP. The leadership of that party is grossly incompetent. It’s the worst president we have ever produced. Their actions and utterance best suit the ghettos. Is it Koro or Bode George that I will bow down to as my leaders?
What’s the response like in Epe?
It has been awesome and you can see for yourself. They are so happy because I represent a new wave of fresh breath and change.
Don’t you think what happened in Ekiti might play itself out in Lagos?
Don’t forget that in 2007, Obanikoro want about terrorizing people but our people stood their ground and beat them to it. I felt sorry for Jimmy Agbaje. With all the goodwill he has impacted, he has chosen the wrong set of people and political party to associate with. What’s Obanikoro”s political achievement?
What was your wife’s reaction?
She has always been very supportive. She is a lawyer, too. We discussed it and she gave me her blessing. She is also part of our campaign team.
If you are to advise the president on one pressing issue, what would that be?
I would ask him to be more presidential in the way he handles ethnic issues. Chief Edwin Clark has done the country a lot of damage with his utterances. He always takes ethnic dimensions to national issues and the president has kept quiet. Asari Dokubo has threatened to split Nigeria if Jonathan was not reelected and the president kept mute on such statement. I believed the president has nothing new to offer us. He has always depended on Goodluck all his life. There is a limit to which goodluck can take you to.
Business
BUA Foods Records 91% Surge in Profit After Tax, Hits ₦508bn in 2025
BUA Foods Records 91% Surge in Profit After Tax, Hits ₦508bn in 2025
By femi Oyewale
Business
Adron Homes Unveils “Love for Love” Valentine Promo with Exciting Discounts, Luxury Gifts, and Travel Rewards
Adron Homes Unveils “Love for Love” Valentine Promo with Exciting Discounts, Luxury Gifts, and Travel Rewards
In celebration of the season of love, Adron Homes and Properties has announced the launch of its special Valentine campaign, “Love for Love” Promo, a customer-centric initiative designed to reward Nigerians who choose to express love through smart, lasting real estate investments.
The Love for Love Promo offers clients attractive discounts, flexible payment options, and an array of exclusive gift items, reinforcing Adron Homes’ commitment to making property ownership both rewarding and accessible. The campaign runs throughout the Valentine season and applies to the company’s wide portfolio of estates and housing projects strategically located across Nigeria.
Speaking on the promo, the company’s Managing Director, Mrs Adenike Ajobo, stated that the initiative is aimed at encouraging individuals and families to move beyond conventional Valentine gifts by investing in assets that secure their future. According to the company, love is best demonstrated through stability, legacy, and long-term value—principles that real estate ownership represents.
Under the promo structure, clients who make a payment of ₦100,000 receive cake, chocolates, and a bottle of wine, while those who pay ₦200,000 are rewarded with a Love Hamper. Payments of ₦500,000 attract a Love Hamper plus cake, and clients who pay ₦1,000,000 enjoy a choice of a Samsung phone or a Love Hamper with cake.
The rewards become increasingly premium as commitment grows. Clients who pay ₦5,000,000 receive either an iPad or an all-expenses-paid romantic getaway for a couple at one of Nigeria’s finest hotels, which includes two nights’ accommodation, special treats, and a Love Hamper. A payment of ₦10,000,000 comes with a choice of a Samsung Z Fold 7, three nights at a top-tier resort in Nigeria, or a full solar power installation.
For high-value investors, the Love for Love Promo delivers exceptional lifestyle experiences. Clients who pay ₦30,000,000 on land are rewarded with a three-night couple’s trip to Doha, Qatar, or South Africa, while purchasers of any Adron Homes house valued at ₦50,000,000 receive a double-door refrigerator.
The promo covers Adron Homes’ estates located in Lagos, Shimawa, Sagamu, Atan–Ota, Papalanto, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Osun, Ekiti, Abuja, Nasarawa, and Niger States, offering clients the opportunity to invest in fast-growing, strategically positioned communities nationwide.
Adron Homes reiterated that beyond the incentives, the campaign underscores the company’s strong reputation for secure land titles, affordable pricing, strategic locations, and a proven legacy in real estate development.
As Valentine’s Day approaches, Adron Homes encourages Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to take advantage of the Love for Love Promo to enjoy exceptional value, exclusive rewards, and the opportunity to build a future rooted in love, security, and prosperity.
Business
Why Nigeria’s Banks Still on Shaky Ground with Big Profits, Weak Capital
*Why Nigeria’s Banks Still on Shaky Ground with Big Profits, Weak Capital*
*BY BLAISE UDUNZE*
Despite the fragile 2024 economy grappling with inflation, currency volatility, and weak growth, Nigeria’s banking industry was widely portrayed as successful and strong amid triumphal headlines. The figures appeared to signal strength, resilience, and superior management as the Tier-1 banks such as Access Bank, Zenith Bank, GTBank, UBA, and First Bank of Nigeria, collectively reported profits approaching, and in some cases exceeding, N1 trillion. Surprisingly, a year later, these same banks touted as sound and solid are locked in a frenetic race to the capital markets, issuing rights offers and public placements back-to-back to meet the Central Bank of Nigeria’s N500 billion recapitalisation thresholds.
The contradiction is glaring. If Nigeria’s biggest banks are so profitable, why are they unable to internally fund their new capital requirements? Why have no fewer than 27 banks tapped the capital market in quick succession despite repeated assurances of balance-sheet robustness? And more fundamentally, what do these record profits actually say about the real health of the banking system?
The recapitalisation directive announced by the CBN in 2024 was ambitious by design. Banks with international licences were required to raise minimum capital to N500 billion by March 2026, while national and regional banks faced lower but still substantial thresholds ranging from N200 billion to N50 billion, respectively. Looking at the policy, it was sold as a modern reform meant to make banks stronger, more resilient in tough times, and better able to support major long-term economic development. In theory, strong banks should welcome such reforms. In practice, the scramble that followed has exposed uncomfortable truths about the structure of bank profitability in Nigeria.
At the heart of the inconsistency is a fundamental misunderstanding often encouraged by the banks themselves between profits and capital. Unknown to many, profitability, no matter how impressive, does not automatically translate into regulatory capital. Primarily, the CBN’s recapitalisation framework actually focuses on money paid in by shareholders when buying shares, fresh equity injected by investors over retained earnings or profits that exist mainly on paper.
This distinction matters because much of the profit surge recorded in 2024 and early 2025 was neither cash-generative nor sustainably repeatable. A significant portion of those headline banks’ profits reported actually came from foreign exchange revaluation gains following the sharp fall of the naira after exchange-rate unification. The industry witnessed that banks’ holding dollar-denominated assets their books showed bigger numbers as their balance sheets swell in naira terms, creating enormous paper profits without a corresponding improvement in underlying operational strength. These gains inflated income statements but did little to strengthen core capital, especially after the CBN barred banks from using FX revaluation gains for dividends or routine operations. In effect, banks looked richer without becoming stronger.
Beyond FX effects, Nigerian banks have increasingly relied on non-interest income fees, charges, and transaction levies to drive profitability. While this model is lucrative, it does not necessarily deepen financial intermediation or expand productive lending. High profits built on customer charges rather than loan growth offer limited support for long-term balance-sheet expansion. They also leave banks vulnerable when macroeconomic conditions shift, as is now happening.
Indeed, the recapitalisation exercise coincides with a turning point in the monetary cycle. The extraordinary conditions that supported bank earnings in 2024 and 2025 are beginning to unwind. Analysts now warn that Nigerian banks are approaching earnings reset, as net interest margins the backbone of traditional banking profitability, come under sustained pressure.
Renaissance Capital, in a January note, projects that major banks including Zenith, GTCO, Access Holdings, and UBA will struggle to deliver earnings growth in 2026 comparable to recent performance.
In a real sense, the CBN is expected to lower interest rates by 400 to 500 basis points because inflation is slowing down, and this means that banks will earn less on loans and government bonds, but they may not be able to quickly lower the interest they pay on deposits or other debts. The cash reserve requirements are still elevated, which does not earn interest; banks can’t easily increase or expand lending investments to make up for lower returns. The implications are significant. Net interest margin, the difference between what banks earn on loans and investments and what they pay on deposits, is poised to contract. Deposit competition is intensifying as lenders fight to shore up liquidity ahead of recapitalisation deadlines, pushing up funding costs. At the same time, yields on treasury bills and bonds, long a safe and lucrative haven for banks are expected to soften in a lower-rate environment. The result is a narrowing profit cushion just as banks are being asked to carry far larger equity bases.
Compounding this challenge is the fading of FX revaluation windfalls. With the naira relatively more stable in early 2026, the non-cash gains that once flattered bank earnings have largely evaporated. What remains is the less glamorous reality of core banking operations: credit risk management, cost efficiency, and genuine loan growth in a sluggish economy. In this new environment, maintaining headline profits will be far harder, even before accounting for the dilutive impact of recapitalisation.
That dilution is another underappreciated consequence of the capital rush. Massive share issuances mean that even if banks manage to sustain absolute profit levels, earnings per share and return on equity are likely to decline. Zenith, Access, UBA, and others are dramatically increasing their share counts. The same earnings pie is now being divided among many more shareholders, making individual returns leaner than during the pre-recapitalisation boom. For investors, the optics of strong profits may soon give way to the reality of weaker per-share performance.
Yet banks have pressed ahead, not only out of regulatory necessity but also strategic calculation.
During this period of recapitalization, investors are interested in the stock market with optimism, especially about bank shares, as banks are raising fresh capital, and this makes it easier to attract investments. This has become a season for the management teams to seize the moment to raise funds at relatively attractive valuations, strengthen ownership positions, and position themselves for post-recapitalisation dominance. In several cases, major shareholders and insiders have increased their stakes, as projected in the media, signalling confidence in long-term prospects even as near-term returns face pressure.
There is also a broader structural ambition at play. Well-capitalised banks can take on larger single obligor exposures, finance infrastructure projects, expand regionally, and compete more credibly with pan-African and global peers. From this perspective, recapitalisation is not merely about compliance but about reshaping the competitive hierarchy of Nigerian banking. What will be witnessed in the industry is that those who succeed will emerge larger, fewer, and more powerful. Those that fail will be forced into consolidation, retreat, or irrelevance.
For the wider economy, the outcome is ambiguous. Stronger banks with deeper capital buffers could improve systemic stability and enhance Nigeria’s ability to fund long-term development. The point is that while merging or consolidating banks may make them safer, it can also harm the market and the economy because it will reduce competition, let a few banks dominate, and encourage them to earn easy money from bonds and fees instead of funding real businesses. The truth be told, injecting more capital into the banks without complementary reforms in credit infrastructure, risk-sharing mechanisms, and fiscal discipline, isn’t enough as the aforementioned reforms are also needed.
The rush as exposed in this period, is that the moment Nigerian banks started raising new capital, the glaring reality behind their reported profits became clearer, that profits weren’t purely from good management, while the financial industry is not as sound and strong as its headline figures. The fact that trillion-naira profit banks must return repeatedly to shareholders for fresh capital is not a sign of excess strength, but of structural imbalance.
With the deadline for banks to raise new capital coming soon, by 31 March 2026, the focus has shifted from just raising N500 billion. N200 billion or N50 billion to think about the future shape and quality of Nigeria’s financial industry, or what it will actually look like afterward. Will recapitalisation mark a turning point toward deeper intermediation, lower dependence on speculative gains, and stronger support for economic growth? Or will it simply reset the numbers while leaving underlying incentives unchanged?
The answer will define the next chapter of Nigerian banking long after the capital market roadshows have ended and the profit headlines have faded.
Blaise, a journalist and PR professional, writes from Lagos and can be reached via: [email protected]
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