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Bank MD Urges DFIs To Contribute To Real Sector Dev

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The Managing Director of
Infrastructure Bank, Mr Adeleke Oyinloye, has advised Development Finance Institutes (DFIs) in Nigeria to re-evaluate their roles in the nation’s development.
Oyinloye made the call in Lagos during his investiture as Chairman, Association of Nigerian Development Finance Institutions (ANDFI).
He stressed the need for a new advocacy for finance institutions’ sustainable participation in the real sector development and for government’s appreciation of their role.
Mr Oyinloye described DFIs as the engine of economic growth through the provision of long-term finance, expertise and skills.
“You can see the fact that the real sector has not grown as expected. It might also be directly or indirectly traceable to DFIs.
“If we know our roles as DFIs, we double and recommit ourselves; we might be able to impact on the development of the real sector
According to him, when members know and appreciate their mandates, they begin to articulate policies and structure themselves to meet the needs of developing the real sector.
“Nigeria is at a turning point which not only makes demands on us all to contribute our quota, but also creates an opportunity to redirect our energy towards actualising our set goals.
“The tasks before us are enormous, but we must refocus ourselves towards achieving our collective and individual mandates.
“This will naturally give us a platform to further transform ANDFI into a key player to address issues concerning the real sector of the economy,’’ he said.
He pledged that ANDFI would partner governments at the various levels for development and stressed that the partnership would be in the areas of policy formulation and financing of development projects.
Mr Oyinloye urged the various states’ investment companies to seek membership and benefit from ANDFIs’ coordinated development policy and project finance initiatives.
He said that the four development banks: Bank of Agriculture, Bank of Industry, Nigerian Export-Import Bank and Infrastructure Bank were members of ANDFI.
Oyinloye identified one of the challenges facing the association as the absence of internal cohesion as strong partners of government.
The new chairman also pledged to make ANDFI a strong voice in the development of the nation’s real sector.
The immediate past chairman of ANDFI, Dr Mohammed Santuraki, said that Oyinloye’s appointment was significant following the defined role of development finance.
Santuraki, who is the Managing Director of Bank of Agriculture, said that the recent failure in global economy had made allocation of resources for the promotion economic development a challenge.
Santuraki, who was represented by Mr Abiodun Adedeji , an Assistant General Manager, Odu’a Investment Company, said that the Nigeria DFIs were being restructured for partial privatisation and to create mega cross-sectoral wholesale DFIs.
“We believe that all these changes would energise the DFIs’ space in Nigeria.
The association is currently governed by the general assembly, executive council and electoral committee.

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Mile 2-Jetty Toxic Leakage: SEREC Worries Over Environmental Pollution 

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The Sea Empowerment and Research Center (SEREC) has raised alarm over the environmental pollution at Mile 2 Jetty following a sunken barge which cargo is leaking.
SEREC noted that the sunken barge has led to chemical pollution at the Mile 2 Jetty adding that the continued rainfall has worsened toxic leakage into the waterways, threatening marine life and public health.
In a Press Statement, the Head of Research, SEREC, Dr. Eugene Nweke, said the incident calls for immediate institutional reform of Nigeria’s barge operations.
According to him, independent findings showed that industrial chemicals stacked at a “shipping terminal and nearby bridge locations have been seeping into surrounding waters, with minimal visible regulatory response”.
He said the development was a wake-up call to strengthen the governance and administrative architecture of Nigeria’s barge operations adding that they are currently weakly coordinated across multiple agencies.
This, he said, has left gaps in safety enforcement, vessel standards, environmental control as well as emergency response.
In direct response to this and similar recurring incidents, SEREC strongly advocates the creation of a Directorate of Barge Operations and Logistics Services (DBOLS) within the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy to be headed by a Director and operationally driven by a Deputy Director of Barge Operations and Logistics Services.
This specialized Directorate would, “Enforce mandatory registration, inspection and certification of all commercial barges and tugs operating along Nigerian inland and coastal routes.
“Institute safety, loading, and environmental standards for barge construction, cargo handling and waste management.
“Develop digital traffic monitoring systems (AIS/GPS) for barge movements to prevent congestion and accidents”, Nweke said
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
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“FCCPC Approves Sale Of Chivita|Hollandia To UAC Nigeria PLC 

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UAC of Nigeria PLC (UAC) has announced the completion of it’s in a press release on October 3, 2025, that it has completed the acquisition of Chivita|Hollandia (CHI Limited), following approval from the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC).
Revealing this in a Press Release, at the Weekend, UAC said the transaction, first disclosed on July 30, 2025, involved the transfer of ownership of CHI Limited, a leading Nigerian food and beverage company best known for its market-dominant Chivita juice and Hollandia dairy brands, to UAC.
Commenting on the development, the Managing Director, CHI Limited, Eelco Weber, expressed optimism in the company’s future under UAC’s ownership.
“We are pleased to have received regulatory approval for this transaction. We look forward to a smooth transition and to seeing Chivita|Hollandia thrive under UAC’s ownership,” he said.
Group Managing Director of UAC, Fola Aiyesimoju, highlighted the strategic importance of the acquisition saying “We are excited to officially welcome the Chivita|Hollandia team and brands into the UAC family, and we are eager to work together to build on their strong legacy and market leadership”.
The acquisition is expected to strengthen UAC’s position in Nigeria’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, expanding its footprint into the growing juice and dairy markets.
UAC further said that the acquisition aligned with its growth agenda by adding two market-leading brands and a well-established distribution network to its por.
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PenCom Reintroduces Gratuity For Federal Civil Servants

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The National Pension Commission has said it has deployed a framework to restore gratuity for Federal Civil Service under the Contributory Pension Scheme.
Director-General of PenCom, Omolola Oloworaran, disclosed this at a Stakeholders’ Conference on the Workings of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) for Employees and Pensioners of Federal Government Treasury-Funded Ministries, Departments and Agencies, in Abuja, last Thursday.
Represented by the Acting Commissioner, Technical, PenCom, Hon. Hafiz Kawu Ibrahim, Oloworaran said, “Working with the office of the Head of the Civil Service, a framework has been developed to restore gratuity benefits for federal workers under CPS, in line with Section 4(4) of the PRA 2014.”
The PenCom DG added that “PenCom has enhanced pensions for over 241,000 retirees, representing 80% of those under Programmed Withdrawal. Monthly pensions rose from N12.157 billion to N14.837 billion, effective June 2025.
“Also, since July 2025, no retiree waits to access their pensions. Payments are now immediate, aligned with monthly salary releases from the Federal Ministry of Finance”.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, stated that the Commission would partner PenCom to examine the current rate of retirement benefits and recommend appropriate mechanisms for periodic reviews of retirement benefits.
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