Business
Arewa, Oduduwa, Others Back Dangote’s Decision On Sack Of Employees
…Accuse PENGASSAN, NUPENG Of Plot To Introduce Corruption Into Private Refinery
…Urge Attorney General Of The Federation To Order Thorough Probe Of Union’s Financial Activities In The Last 10 Years
In a show of unprecedented unity across Nigeria’s diverse ethnic landscapes, prominent groups from the North, South-West, South-East and South-South have thrown their weight behind the Dangote Refinery’s recent decision to lay off over 800 employees amid escalating labour tensions.
The groups under the aegis of One Nigeria Movement (ONM) held emergency meetings in Kaduna, Lagos, Enugu and Port Harcourt respectively to accuse the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) of orchestrating a sinister plot to infiltrate and corrupt the operations of Africa’s largest private refinery.
The pan-Nigerian solidarity comes as PENGASSAN’s nationwide strike, declared on September 28, cripples crude and gas supplies to the facility, threatening fuel scarcity and power outages just as the nation edges toward energy self-sufficiency under President Bola Tinubu’s reforms.
The crisis, which has gripped the nation’s oil and gas sector for weeks, erupted when Dangote Refinery dismissed the workers on September 25, citing “repeated acts of sabotage” during an ongoing reorganization to repair a key gasoline unit shut down in late August.
PENGASSAN and NUPENG, which had earlier secured a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on September 9 allowing voluntary unionization after NUPENG’s initial strike threat, claim the layoffs were punitive retaliation for over 90% of staff joining their ranks, allegedly replacing Nigerians with over 2,000 Indian expatriates in violation of labor laws and International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions.
Dangote Industries, however, insists the affected employees numbered far fewer than reported and were let go to safeguard operational integrity, emphasizing that over 3,000 Nigerians remain in its workforce and that union membership is a protected individual right, not a prerequisite for employment.
Federal mediation efforts by the Ministry of Labour and Employment stalled on Monday, with talks set to resume today amid fears of broader economic fallout, including halted truck loadings and potential blackouts from thermal plant shutdowns.
In Kaduna, the Arewa Youth Forum decried the unions’ actions as a “deliberate assault on Northern economic aspirations.”
Led by convener Malam Idris Suleiman, the AYF framed the layoffs as a “defensive necessity to block infiltrators intent on reviving subsidy-era corruption in a private enterprise.”
Suleiman accused PENGASSAN and NUPENG of exploiting the MoU to “embed racketeers who siphoned billions from public refineries through ghost contracts,” warning that their strike threatens the refinery’s role in stabilizing the naira and curbing inflation, now below 20% for the first time in years.
“The Arewa Youth Forum unequivocally supports Dangote Refinery’s layoffs to purge saboteurs, safeguarding Northern hopes for economic revival.
“We accuse PENGASSAN and NUPENG of scheming to implant corrupt syndicates into this private enterprise, echoing their subsidy thefts, and urge Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi to launch an EFCC probe into their financial dealings from 2015 to 2025 to expose illicit gains.”
In Ibadan, the Oduduwa Peace Advocates (OPA) endorsed Dangote Refinery’s sackings as a “bold stand against labor-induced corruption.”
The high-level caucus, attended by over 120 Yoruba leaders, condemned PENGASSAN’s strike escalation on Monday, which halted field operations, as an “attack on Yoruba entrepreneurial spirit.”
OPA spokesperson Chief Tunde Afolabi highlighted the refinery’s role in strengthening Lagos-Ibadan trade corridors, now at risk from union-driven fuel shortages that could spike transport costs by 30%.
OPA traced the dispute to deliberate sabotage linked to the August gasoline unit failure, costing $100 million in repairs, and accused unions of using the MoU to “plant cronies mirroring NNPCL’s $20 billion subsidy heists.”
Afolabi praised Bola Tinubu’s deregulation, which has attracted $50 billion in upstream investments, and dismissed PENGASSAN’s claims of anti-Nigerian layoffs as “propaganda to mask their greed,” noting the refinery’s 3,000-strong Nigerian workforce.
The group urged Yoruba youth to rally behind Dangote, framing it as a symbol of regional innovation.
“These unions, silent during fuel queues that crippled Yoruba traders, now feign advocacy to line their pockets,” Afolabi declared.
Meanwhile the Igbo Young Professionals Forum (IYPF) assembled in Enugu for a stakeholder summit, endorsing Dangote Refinery’s layoffs as a “preemptive strike against corruption’s spread into Nigeria’s private sector.”
The forum, drawing tech entrepreneurs and youth leaders, slammed PENGASSAN and NUPENG’s strike as a “ploy to sabotage Igbo economic aspirations” by disrupting fuel supplies vital to Aba’s markets.
IYPF President Chidi Okonkwo tied the refinery’s stability to the potential for 100,000 Eastern jobs, now threatened by union actions risking the Q4 2024 N3.42 trillion trade surplus.
IYPF dissected the unions’ tactics, linking the sackings to sabotage behind the August unit failure and accusing PENGASSAN and NUPENG of exploiting the MoU to “embed agents who thrived on subsidy scams.”
Okonkwo criticized their opaque finances, including unaccounted dues from IOCs, and connected the crisis to PIA-driven gains like 1.4 billion barrels unlocked via field plans.
The group mobilized diaspora networks to pressure global labor bodies, arguing that PENGASSAN’s “prayer vigil” strikes violate voluntary unionization laws.
“Igbo ingenuity thrives on fairness; we stand with Dangote to block saboteurs prioritizing profit over progress,” Okonkwo affirmed, urging federal action.
On its part, the Niger Delta Peace and Development Assembly (NDPDA) convened a critical town hall in Port Harcourt, voicing robust support for Dangote Refinery’s sackings as a “stand against union sabotage threatening the Niger Delta’s economic lifeline.” The gathering, attended by oil community leaders and environmental activists, condemned PENGASSAN and NUPENG’s strike as a “betrayal of the region’s resource control struggle,” risking fuel shortages that could cripple Port Harcourt’s industrial zones.
NDPDA convener Mrs. Ebiere Okorie linked the refinery’s stability to equitable wealth distribution under the PIA, vital for fishing and trading communities.
NDPDA highlighted how the layoffs countered sabotage linked to the August shutdown, accusing unions of exploiting the MoU to “embed corrupt agents who profited from subsidy scams.”
“These unions ignored Niger Delta suffering under fuel scarcity while pocketing illicit gains; now they threaten our hope for self-sufficiency,” Okorie declared.
The assembly urged Niger Delta youth to reject union protests, framing Dangote as a partner in local refining capacity.
“Our region has bled from NNPCL’s failures; we won’t let PENGASSAN turn Dangote into another looting ground,” Okorie asserted, calling for a federal injunction to halt the strike’s “economic terrorism” before mediation resumes.
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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