Business
Nigeria’s Refineries Lose 218 Workers, Post N69bn Loss
Nigeria’s three refineries lost a total of 218 of their workers to layoff within a year, while the facilities posted a cumulative comprehensive loss of N69.03bn during the review period, according to data from their financial statements released by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
The three refineries are: the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC), Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), and Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC).
The financial statements of the three refineries indicated that while KRPC reduced its workforce by 105 workers, WRPC cut down its staff by 113. PHRC, on the other hand, did not lay off any staff in the stated period.
In the same vein, the comprehensive loss at KRPC during the period under review was put at N22.89bn, WRPC was N19.63bn, while PHRC posted a loss of N26.51bn.
In the annual report/financial statement of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company for the year ended December 31, 2021, the firm stated that one major area of challenge had been the low operational funding for the company.
On personnel, it stated that the staff strength of Kaduna Refinery reduced from 630 in the first quarter of 2021 to 525 in the fourth quarter, representing a reduction by 105 workers.
The report showed that KRPC’s staff strength at the end of Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4 2021 were 630, 580, 551 and 525 respectively.
On the operational performance, the firm stated that in the year 2021, no crude oil was received or processed in KRPC due to preparations for the upcoming rehabilitation of the refinery.
For KRPC’s financial performance, the report stated that “the company posted an operational loss before tax of N36.66bn, which represents an increase of 29.83 per cent from N28.23bn in 2020.
“This was largely due to a surge in depreciation charges as more fixed assets were transferred from CHQ (Corporation’s Headquarters) during the period under review.
“However, adjusting for other comprehensive income, the company posted a total comprehensive loss of N22.89bn as against N55.77bn in 2020, representing a decrease of 58.96 per cent in its loss performance”.
The report added, “It is important to state that the decrease in loss after tax is due to the reduction in general and administrative expenses.”
It stated that the asset base of Kaduna refinery increased by 952 per cent, from N20.5bn in 2020 to N195.3bn as at December 31, 2021.
For the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited, its financial statement for the year ended December 31, 2021, showed that its total comprehensive loss for last year was N19.63bn, down from the N44.13bn recorded in 2020.
The financial statement also showed that the workforce at WRPC was reduced from 444 in 2020 to 331 in 2021, indicating a reduction by 113 workers.
The financial statement for the Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited for the year ended December 31, 2021, stated that the loss by PHRC, which was transferred to what it described as reserves in 2021, was N26.51bn.
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Business
BVN Enrolments Rise 6% To 67.8m In 2025 — NIBSS
The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said that Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments rose by 6.8 per cent year-on-year to 67.8 million as at December 2025, up from 63.5 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.
In a statement published on its website, NIBSS attributed the growth to stronger policy enforcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the expansion of diaspora enrolment initiatives.
NIBSS noted that the expansion reinforces the BVN system’s central role in Nigeria’s financial inclusion drive and digital identity framework.
Another major driver, the statement said, was the rollout of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative, which allows Nigerians in the diaspora to obtain a BVN remotely without physical presence in the country.
A five-year analysis by NIBSS showed consistent growth in BVN enrolments, rising from 51.9 million in 2021 to 56.0 million in 2022, 60.1 million in 2023, 63.5 million in 2024 and 67.8 million by December 2025. The steady increase reflects stronger compliance with biometric identity requirements and improved coverage of the national banking identity system.
However, NIBSS noted that BVN enrolments still lag the total number of active bank accounts, which exceeded 320 million as of March 2025.
The gap, it explained, is largely due to multiple bank accounts linked to single BVNs, as well as customers yet to complete enrolment, despite the progress recorded.
