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CBN To Set Guidelines On Margin Lending

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16 years ago

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Central Bank of Nigeria on Thursday said it would soon issue guidelines on margin lending to prevent the kind of reckless lending that contributed significantly to the crisis in the Nigerian banking sector.

The CBN Governor, Mr Lamido Sanusi, said, during a news conference that the sector entered a crisis situation, partly because the CBN, as the regulator, lacked both the capacity and will to supervise the banks.

Banks lost about N1m after the stock market bubble, fuelled by a lending spree to stockbrokers, bank subsidiaries and individuals for stock purchases, burst in 2008.

Citing examples of regulatory lapses, Sanusi said there had been no guideline on margin trading, adding that “for instance, the Financial Sector Regulatory Committee did not meet for three years and no one talked.

He observed that the major issues in sector centred around corporate governance, saying banks were controlled by their chief executive officers rather than the boards.

He said, there was no risk management framework, and there was lack of investor/consumer sophistication. People were buying bank’ stocks without knowing the reasons for doing so.

He added, when you have someone responsible for financial system stability or surveillance, who has never worked in a bank, it is difficult to expect him to  now what makes the banks run.

Sanusi noted that the reforms in the sector were based on four pillars enhancing that quality of banks ensuring financial stability, ensuring good financial sector evolution and putting in place a system to ensure that the financial sector continued to contribute to the economy.

He said the financial market division of the CBN had been strengthened,adding that the apex bank was also working closely with the Ministry of Finance to ensure stability.

The CBN governor said the Asset Management Company, expected to take toxic assets off banks balance sheets, would take off with N1m when the bill was passed.

In his speech, the Minister of State for Finance, Mr Remi Babalola, said to initiate the kind of reforms embarked upon by the CBN governor required an unusual boldness and the kind of political zeal you don’t find in environments like this.

He also disclosed that the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation had alerted the Ministry of Finance of developments in the banking sector before the recent crisis.

The NDIC wrote to us to tell us that there were serious issues in the banking industry. They named specific banks and talked about the proportion of loan book in the capital market, he said, adding that in circumstances like this, discussions were stalled because the other regulator would not agree with the others position.

He, however, expressed the ministry’s full support for the banking reforms, saying that, we are committed to higher regulatory and supervisory standards in all segments of the financial services industry.

Our overall focus is economy. We will collaborate with the CBN to fast track the establishment of the AMC and ensure that we safeguard the banks.

We will give the CBN that governmental support it needs at any point in time without jeopardising confidence in the system. On his part, Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, NDIC, Alhaji Umaru Ibrahim said 89 NDIC examiners, in addition to those CBN, were currently in the 24 banks to re-ascertain the financials of the banks.

He also said the corporation had already set in motion, the process of reviewing its act to accommodate provisions that would enhance its effectiveness.

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Boat Mishap Kills Pastor, Wife And Church Members  In Brass Water

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6 days ago

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May 18, 2026

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A boat accident in Bayelsa state has killed a serving Pastor, Wife and other church members along Brass waterways
The sad incident happened at Odioama in Brass local government area of Bayelsa State when the Pastor, wife and  members of his church were in a programme.
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?Tide confirmed that the lifeless body of the Pastor’s wife has been found and deposited in a mortuary while the remains of her husband ,the Pastor is yet  to be recovered
as search party are still ongoing.
Although the real cause of the boat Mishap is not yet known as at the time of this report,  our Correspondent gathered  that the identities of the Pastor, wife and church members were not disclosed to the public.
The mishap, Tide gathered occurred on Friday morning when the church members were on a boat transit
The Bayelsa State government and the state police command are yet to issue official statement’s  on the sad accident
By: CHINEDU WOSU
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Rivers Workers Seek Scrapping Of Contributory Pension Scheme

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6 days ago

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May 18, 2026

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The Rivers State Council of  Nigeria Civil Service Union has called on the State Government to urgently scrap the contributory pension scheme, describing it as unfavourable to long-serving civil servants in the state.
Chairman of the union, Chukwuka Osuma, said this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt,  recently.
Osuma said the current pension structure has continued to worsen post-retirement hardship for workers.
He noted that  the contributory pension scheme had failed to provide adequate retirement security for workers who had spent many years in service, especially those approaching retirement age.
According to him, civil servants who had served for more than 20 years were among the worst affected under the scheme, insisting that many retirees could no longer cope with prevailing economic realities.
He also  informed that the Union has made moves to showcase their concerns, pleading with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to abolish the pension policy and introduce a more favourable arrangement for affected workers.
“The union was not opposed to pension reforms, the contributory scheme should only apply to newly employed workers or those with fewer years in service”, he said.
Osuma explained that workers who had already spent decades in the civil service ought to remain under a more secure pension structure capable of guaranteeing stability after retirement.
The labour leader further noted that inflation and the rising cost of living had continued to erode the value of retirement savings, thereby increasing the suffering of pensioners across the country.
He also appealed to the state government to consider extending the years of service in the civil service from 35 to 40 years and the retirement age from 60 to 65 years.
Osuma argued that such adjustment had become necessary in view of present-day economic realities and changing conditions in the workplace.
The unionist also reviewed that similar policies had already been adopted in some sectors and jurisdictions, expressing optimism that the State could also implement the reforms for the benefit of workers.
He however, commended Governor Fubara for approving an N85,000 minimum wage for workers in the state, noting that the amount was above the national benchmark of N70,000.
Osuma also acknowledged the government’s efforts in the area of workers’ promotions and bonuses, but insisted that pension reforms and extension of years of service remained critical to the long-term welfare and stability of civil servants in Rivers State.
By: King Onunwor
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FG Begins South-West Tour To Promote New Cooperative Bank

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2 weeks ago

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May 13, 2026

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The Federal Government has launched the South-West zonal engagement and ministerial advocacy tour on the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria share capital mobilisation, sensitisation and cooperative sector digitalisation.
 Reports say the initiative was launched through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
According to reports, the advocacy tour, organised by the ministry’s Federal Department of Cooperatives, began on Monday in Lagos.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security and Supervising Minister of Cooperative Affairs, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, said the initiative was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Abdullahi described the exercise as a strategic effort to reposition the cooperative sector as a key driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity.
“Today represents a defining moment in our collective determination to reposition the cooperative sector as a major driver of inclusive economic growth, financial inclusion, enterprise development, food security and national prosperity,” he said.
The minister noted  the modern cooperative movement in Nigeria originated in the South-West following the 1934 Strickland Report, which led to the enactment of the Cooperative Societies Ordinance of 1935.
According to him, the decision to commence the sensitisation and share capital mobilisation tour in the region is symbolic, as it marks a return to the roots of cooperative development in the country.
Abdullahi said the advocacy tour was a direct outcome of resolutions reached at the 8th Regular Meeting of the National Council on Cooperative Affairs held in Abuja in March 2026.
He said the council approved the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme, a comprehensive framework designed to strengthen the cooperative sector and align it with the administration’s goal of building a one-trillion-dollar economy.
“The reform programme focuses on seven strategic pillars, including governance reforms, cooperative financing and the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria, digitalisation, capacity building, value chain development, inclusion of youths, women and persons with disabilities, and strategic partnerships,” he said.
He said the establishment of the Cooperative Bank of Nigeria and the digitalisation of the cooperative sector were the two major transformational initiatives under the programme.
“The Cooperative Bank of Nigeria is aimed at rebuilding a strong cooperative financial system capable of supporting cooperators, farmers, artisans, traders, SMEs, youths, women and persons with disabilities with accessible and affordable financial services,” he said.
Abdullahi emphasised that the proposed bank would be government-enabled but not government-funded.
“Government is not establishing the bank as an owner, nor will it rely on Treasury Single Account funds.
“The role of government through the FMAFS is to provide policy support, stakeholder coordination, regulatory facilitation and an enabling environment under the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme,” he said.
Also speaking, the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Mrs Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to cooperative sector transformation.
She described cooperatives as critical tools for promoting inclusive growth, grassroots productivity, food security, financial inclusion and community wealth creation.
Ambrose-Medebem said Lagos State would continue to support reforms and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the Renewed Hope Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme (2025–2030).
“Together, let us build a cooperative ecosystem that is modern, transparent, digitally enabled, financially inclusive and globally competitive.
“Let us build cooperatives that not only mobilise savings, but also mobilise prosperity,” she said.
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