Business
Skye Bank’s Shares Drop Further By 8.42%
Skye Bank’s shares on Fri
day on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) have dropped further by 8.42 per cent following investors continued reaction to removal of the bank’s board and executive management.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) removed the board and management of the bank on Monday, and replaced them with another, a measure it said, was to redirect the bank.
The Tide reports that the bank trading last week, lost 8k to close at 87k per share. The bank’s shares had depreciated by 9.5 per cent.
A breakdown of the activity chart on the Exchange showed that investors sold 21.59 million shares of Skye Bank valued at N18.79 million.
Alhaji Rasheed Yussuf, immediate past President, Association of Stockbroking Houses of Nigeria (ASHON), said that the shares of the bank were on offer but nobody was buying.
Yussuf urged the new management of the bank to map out strategies to assure and reassure shareholders and investors.
Meanwhile, the new management of Skye Bank Plc has said that they would shore up the bank’s liquidity to enhance its profitability within the shortest period.
Mr Tokunbo Abiru, Skye Bank new Managing director, made the declaration during a courtesy visit to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in Lagos to address the market on the status of the bank.
Abiru said that the new management came on an intervention mission and would work on key areas to boost the bank’s confidence.
He stated that the bank’s cost per income ratio would be brought to an acceptable level.
Alhaji MK Ahmad, the bank’s new Chairman, assured the shareholders, depositors and customers that the bank was not in distress and would be stabilised.
Ahmad explained that the bank had just corporate governance issues which would be addressed within the shortest period.
Ahmad said the past management had to go because they tried their best in addressing the issues but could not solve them.
He said that the apex bank had stated categorically that it would support the bank no matter “whatever it takes”.
Alhaji Rasheed Yussuf, the doyen of stockbrokers, called on the management to work on strategies that would turn round the bank.
“You need to work very hard and fast to assure the shareholders on strategies to revitalise the bank.
“You have a lot of the bank’s share on offer and nobody is buying,” Yussuf said.
He said that the management needed to come out with its plans to assure the shareholders.
Yussuf said stockbrokers would work with the management team to boost investor confidence.
It would recalled that the apex bank on July 4 sacked Skye Bank’s chairman, Mr Olatunde Ayeni, and Mr Timothy Oguntayo, the Managing Director.
The apex bank appointed Mr Tokunbo Abiru as new MD, and Alhaji M K Ahmad as Board Chairman.
Mr Godwin Emefiele, CBN Governor, said that Skye Bank’s non-performing loan ratio had been above the regulatory limit for a while and it had met with Skye’s board to resolve the issue,
“The basic issue is capital adequacy and liquidity. From what we see adequacy ratio in the bank has been weakening and we don’t want it to get to a point where depositors will be at risk,” Emefiele said.
Skye Bank is designated as one of Nigeria’s systemically important banks due to the size of total sector deposits it holds after the acquisition of Mainstreet Bank. This means it has to hold more capital.
Emefiele said the central bank had conducted a stress test and decided to replace the chairman, chief executive and all non-executive directors after they failed to recapitalise the bank.
He said Skye had been a net borrower from its rediscount window for “sometime.”
Credit to Nigeria’s private sector rose to N83.26 trillion in June 2026 from N81.04 trillion in May, signifying a positive balance of N2.22 trillion month-on-month.
Year-on-year, the figure represents a nine per cent increase compared with the N76.13 trillion recorded in June 2025. The latest figures come as the CBN continues to balance efforts to control inflation with the need to support economic growth and expand credit to businesses.
The CBN data shows that credit to Nigeria’s private sector increased by approximately 2.74 per cent month-on-month between May and June 2026. Also, the CBN data noted that credit to the government fell slightly to N40.03 trillion from N40.38 trillion. Other assets, net, dropped to N10.76 trillion from N12.63 trillion.
The credit surge signifies sustained growth in lending to businesses and other private-sector borrowers during the month. The rise in private sector credit was recorded alongside an increase in net domestic credit, despite declines in credit to government and other assets.
Further analysis of the report says that compared with June 2025, private sector credit rose by about N7.13 trillion yea-on-year but net domestic credit increased by approximately N1.87 trillion during the month.
The CBN’s relatively tight monetary policy stance notwithstanding, more banks still loaded funds to the private sector within the period. The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) held its 306th meeting on July 20 and 21.
The Committee reviewed recent developments in the global and domestic economies, assessed emerging risks to the outlook and considered their implications for monetary policy and retained all rates.
The Committee decided to retain the Monetary Policy Rate at 26.5 per cent; the Standing Facilities Corridor around the MPR at +50/-450 basis points and retain the Cash Reserve Requirement (CRR) for Deposit Money Banks at 45.00 per cent, Merchant Banks at 16.00 per cent, and non-TSA public sector deposits at 75.00 per cent.
The MPC decision means that credit extension in the private sector will likely continue to rise because of rising confidence in the sector and calls by stakeholders for banks to invest in the private scetor instead of government securities.
