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COVID-19: Ecobank Launches “StaySafeNigeria” Media Campaign

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Online Banking: Ecobank Remains the Best, With easy Access to Mobile banking ....written by Sunday Adeyemi

Ecobank Nigeria has launched a ‘StaySafeNigeria’ media campaign being part of its corporate actions to support measures to check the rising spread of Coronavirus in Nigeria. The integrated media campaign is a call to action, creating awareness and educating the populace on safety measures to adopt against the dreaded Coronavirus disease (COVID -19).

Flagging off the campaign in Lagos, Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan, said the “StaySafeNigeria” campaign is designed to mobilise the entire citizenry to adopt safe conduct and healthy habits to help contain the spread of Coronavirus in Nigeria. He emphasised that with a population of about 200 million, prevention is better than cure and indeed in the case of COVID-19, prevention is much better than “no cure”. We must therefore place top priority on getting everyone to stop the spread or minimise the spread of the virus now, pointing out that we cannot risk a full pandemic in Nigeria as our health infrastructure and personnel will be easily overwhelmed if that should happen.

He explained that the messages will be in Pidgin, Ibo, Hausa, Yoruba and English on radio, electronic and social media to take the message to the grassroots whilst ensuring a contactless deployment in line with “StaySafeNigeria” ethos.

“All hands must be on deck to check the spread of the COVID-19. We have no choice as a caring and responsible corporate organisation than to rise up to this challenge of our generation and make every contribution to check the spread and save lives. Our media campaign will engage people in very simple language on important tips to stay safe. The campaign will be sustained to continue promoting good hygiene conduct even after we overcome Coronavirus,” he said.

Mr. Akinwuntan disclosed that the bank had engaged in many advocacy measures to protect its staff, customers and other stakeholders since the outbreak of the disease, stating that the bank evoked its business continuity plans, suspended all non-essential travels, cancelled physical meetings and resorted to virtual/digital meetings. He also emphasized strong hygiene habits by encouraging frequent washing of hands with soap and water, provision of alcohol based hand sanitizers in all its locations, temperature checks and mandated employees to respect the mandatory self-isolation/quarantine for 14 days if they have been exposed in any manner. The staff of the Bank also advised customers to maintain social distancing whilst Tellers and front office employees attending to customers wear face masks with gloves in addition to social distancing.

It will be recalled that Ecobank had before now, also encouraged its customers to avoid non-essential contacts in achieving their banking needs by utilising digital solutions to easily access their bank accounts, make contactless payments, transfer funds and carry out other ancillary banking transactions from the comfort of their homes and offices without visiting the branches. Some of the digital platforms include *326#, Ecobank Mobile App, Ecobank Online, EcobankPay, Ecobank OmniPlus, OmniLite and the Rapidtransfer App.

The StaySafeNigeria campaign is in line with the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) which seeks to intervene and contribute to the wellbeing of the people where it operates.

Na Ecobank say make una StaySafe o. #StaySafeNigeria #StaySafeNaija #StaySafe

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Fidelity Bank grows PBT by 167.8% to N105.8 billion in Q1 2025

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Fidelity Bank grows PBT by 167.8% to N105.8 billion in Q1 2025

Lagos, Nigeria – May 1, 2025 – Fidelity Bank Plc, one of Nigeria’s leading Tier-1 financial institutions, has announced a remarkable financial performance for the first quarter of 2025, recording a Profit Before Tax (PBT) of N105.8 billion, representing an impressive growth of 167.8% compared to N39.5 billion in Q1 2024.

The bank’s unaudited financial statements, released on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) on April 30, 2025, highlight a substantial increase in Gross Earnings, which rose to N315.4 billion, marking a year-on-year growth of 64.2% from N192.1 billion in the same period last year. Growth in interest income was primarily led by 38.6% yoy (7.4% ytd) expansion in earning assets base, while the increase in non -interest revenue came from FX-related income, trade and commission on banking services, etc., supported by increased customer transactions.

Commenting on the bank’s performance, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe,OON, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, stated, “We started the year with triple-digit growth in profit and sustained the momentum in our earning assets growth. This performance shows the resilience of our business model and reinforces our confidence in delivering a better result in the 2025 financial year.”

Other areas of the unaudited financial statements, equally show a marked improvement with Total Deposits growing by 11.1% ytd to N6.6tn from N5.9tn in December 2024, driven by 10.6% ytd growth in low-cost deposits to N6.1tn, which represents 92.2% of total customer deposits. Local currency deposits increased by 2.0% ytd while foreign currency deposits increased by 21.4% from $1.9bn in December 2024 to $2.3bn.

Net Loans and Advances increased by 5.0% ytd to N4.6tn. The growth in the bank’s Loan Book was skewed to LCY Loans as cost of risk declined to 0.6% from 1.5% in 2024FY.

“Beginning the year with such positive momentum reinforces our commitment to supporting the growth of individuals and businesses, while enhancing our financial sustainability. As we go into the rest of the year, we remain focused on building a resilient banking franchise with a diversified earnings base,” Onyeali-Ikpe added.

Ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 9.1 million customers through digital banking channels, its 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.

The Bank is the recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine. Additionally, the Bank was recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and as the Export Financing Bank of the Year by the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

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GTCO vs. Very Dark Man: Why Nigerians Must Stop the Judgment of Emotions

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*GTCO vs. Very Dark Man: Why Nigerians Must Stop the Judgment of Emotions*

By Osho Oluwatosin

The internet has literally been on ‘fire’ since Friday following the arrest of self-acclaimed Nigerian activist, Martins Vincent, also known as Very Dark Man. He was reportedly picked up by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for reasons yet unknown.

While it’s not the first time VeryDarkMan or any prominent Nigerian would be arrested by the EFCC — a government agency not under the authority of any private organization — it seems some Nigerians are passionately trying to push a narrative that his arrest was orchestrated by one of Nigeria’s biggest financial institutions, Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO).

Although this narrative isn’t far-fetched — VDM had criticized the bank due to ‘mysterious’ deductions from his mother’s bank account for unjustifiable reasons. He approached the bank’s branch in Abuja to make an official complaint and, afterwards, he was picked up by the EFCC. But what many Nigerians have failed to realize is GTCO may not even be involved in his arrest.

VeryDarkMan was seen in the bank, quite alright, but in a CCTV released by the bank, he was seen moving out of the bank when he finished. He even had a celebrity moment with some of his followers who took pictures with him before he was arrested. So I’m wondering, what has GTB got to do with his arrest? That someone got knocked down by a vehicle after leaving church, does it mean the church orchestrated the accident? That someone got attacked after leaving a lecture room, does it mean the lecturer orchestrated it? That someone even got attacked in a courtroom, does it mean the judge orchestrated it? Absolutely not.

Although it would have been better if the EFCC had come out to clear the air regarding the reason for VDM’s arrest, because in the absence of information, rumours are bound to thrive. In fact, the commission should have actually released a statement regarding these rumours, not to vindicate GTB, but to keep Nigerians informed.

Let’s even think about it logically: what can warrant GTCO to order VDM’s arrest by the EFCC? Did he defraud GTCO? Did he steal from a GTB customer? Did he launder money through a GTB account? These are questions that should be asked before passing judgments. But Nigerians are always emotional when it comes to issues like this, and that’s why people who are culpable in serious crimes get away with anything as long as they get involved in charity or activism.

GTCO has been a very friendly organization, and in 2024 alone, the bank paid a record dividend of N8 per share. The bank is happy, shareholders are happy, customers are happy — who is Very Dark Man?

Osho Oluwatosin is a Nigerian journalist and writes from Lagos.

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Can We Have More Bankers Like Victoria Mulero? An epitome of ‘omoluabi’

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Can We Have More Bankers Like Victoria Mulero? An epitome of ‘omoluabi’

In February of this year, I needed to open a new bank account for salary purposes, as required by the management of the new company I had just joined.

I considered First Bank, Access Bank, and Sterling Bank. After some thought, I chose Sterling Bank—not because I found them superior—but because I believed they had fewer customers, which I hoped would save me from long queues and unnecessary delays.

I visited the Sterling Bank branch at Akowonjo to open the account. Unfortunately, the staff member who attended to me didn’t inspire confidence. She appeared distracted—smiling at her phone, clearly engrossed in a private chat—far from the level of professionalism one would expect in a bank setting. I had a feeling this would lead to problems down the line.

 

When my first salary was paid into the account, my suspicion was confirmed. Sterling Bank restricted access to my funds—I couldn’t transfer money or make withdrawals at the counter. I visited their Fatai Atere branch at Ladipo, Mushin to complain, where I was informed that the account opened for me was a “Kaikai” account—a type I had never heard of. Apparently, this account type is meant for individuals who lack the required documents during account creation. But I had submitted all necessary documents, so why was such an account opened for me?

Can We Have More Bankers Like Victoria Mulero? An epitome of 'omoluabi'

At the Fatai Atere branch, I was attended to by a remarkable banker named Victoria Mulero. She requested my NIN, which I didn’t have on me at the time. Rather than send me back home, she asked if I had a digital copy. I did, and she graciously gave me her email address so I could forward it to her. With that, she resolved the issue promptly and professionally.

However, the following month, in March, the same restriction happened again. I returned to the Fatai Atere branch, and once again, Victoria Mulero handled my complaint with efficiency and kindness, resolving it without delay.

I hoped the matter was finally settled, but when my April salary arrived, the restriction was imposed yet again. This time, I was beyond frustrated and ready to replace Sterling Bank as my salary account. Still, I visited the Fatai Atere branch one last time. Once more, Victoria Mulero resolved the issue with grace and determination.

This write-up is a tribute to Victoria Mulero of Sterling Bank, Fatai Atere branch. She is a rare gem—respectful, diligent, and genuinely customer-focused. She went above and beyond, following up with the Akowonjo branch through calls and emails until the matter was fully resolved. She handled every situation with patience and empathy, treating the job as if the bank belonged to her family.

To be honest, I’ve had unpleasant experiences with many bankers, especially female staff. Too often, they carry personal frustrations into the banking hall and take it out on customers. But Victoria is different. She exemplifies what true customer service should be.

We may not all be the same, but treating people with respect and kindness is a skill that can be learned—and Victoria clearly has. Let’s celebrate her for being a model professional and a beacon of hope in an industry that too often lacks empathy.

Without any fear of contradiction, I say boldly that Victoria Mulero is a good ambassador of Sterling Bank and her parents too deserve encomium for raising a well trained daughter and impacting an attitude of ‘ omoluabi’ in her. We need more of Victoria Mulero in our banking industry.

Seun Jacob Ogunbiyi
Known as Olùkọ́, the therapeutic writer and Lagos based journalist

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