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Unity Bank Foreign Investor To Inject $200m

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16 years ago

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Two strategic investors, one local and the other foreign, are set to buy into Unity Bank Plc Managing Director of the bank, Alhaji Falalu Bello disclosed this to The Tide source in an exclusive interview in Lagos Monday.

The two strategic investors are coming on the heel of the bank’s quest to raise about N40 billion to shore up its capital and to attain the required capital adequacy ratio set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). But the N40 billion will be about N8 billion above the N32 billion the CBN said the bank needs after the CBN/NDIC joint audit of the bank and other banks in the country. After the audit, the CBN had directed that the bank must shore up its capital by June, this year.

But Alhaji Bello said the bank will achieve the required N32 billion set by the CBN by March, three months before the June deadline. He said that the bank is looking at a number of options through which this would be achieved. The first of the plans, he revealed, is rights issue and an offer. He said that already, the planned offer has been underwritten to the tune of 71 per cent, clearly indicating that there is a guarantee that the money needed would be raised.

He said that strategic investor option is also being considered. According to him, a foreign strategic investor has been approached to bring in N150 million.

But the strategic investor, he said, wants to bring in $200 million instead. And a local investor that has already opened account with the bank since December 2009, wants to bring in anything from N10 billion. “Banking on the strategic investor option alone, he said, the bank would be able to raise the N40 billion that it is looking for.

Alhaji Bello said the bank is also selling off some of its physical assets, especially residential houses to raise some money. He said the bank embarked on this exercise because it is no longer the vogue for banks to provide residential accommodation for their staff.

According to him, the bank has 40 units of residential houses in Kano alone. He said that some of the houses have already been sold. With the money realised from this exercise, the amount of money that needs to be raised from rights issue offer, and through strategic investors will be reduced.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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11 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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11 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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11 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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