Business
Again, NNPCL Discovers Oil In Nasarawa communities
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, has said preliminary findings by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) has revealed that there is crude oil in Agwatashi and Assakio communities in Obi Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
The NNPCL had found oil in Keana LGA and preparations are on to commence its drilling by March.
Speaking during an interactive session with All Progressives Congress (APC) Stakeholders in Obi LGA yesterday, Governor Sule said his administration will not relent until Nasarawa State begins to enjoy the 13 percent derivation as an oil producing state.
The Governor further said the State Government would sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the NNPCL on February 18, 2023, to enable them commence the drilling of the oil in Keana LGA without any hitches.
He appealed to the APC stakeholders to re-elect him during the 2023 general election, promising to bring more dividends of democracy to the people of the state.
He also called on the stakeholders to elect all other candidates of the APC from top to bottom.
“Preliminary findings have shown that there is oil in Obi LGA. This Saturday, February 18, the NNPCL and the Nasarawa State Government will sign an MoU to drill the oil in Keana LGA.
“In 2019, when I came out to campaign and mentioned oil, a lot of people assumed it was mere politics. That time, I promised that, by the grace of God, I will use my experience that I acquired from my stay in Houston, Texas, global headquarters of the oil, to try.
“As at that time, oil was discovered only in Keana. A lot of people didn’t even know the extent of the oil discovery. The issue of oil has now become a reality. Now NNPCL will drill the first oil well in March.
“I will not rest until we finally join the league of oil producing states and we begin to enjoy the 13 percent derivation. We expect to see appreciable progress by May this year”, he stated.
The Tide’s source reports that as part of his campaign, Sule paid homage to the palaces of the Osuko of Obi, HRH Alhaji Aliyu Dangiwa Ogiri and the Emir of Azara, HRH Alh. Dr. Muhammad Kabiru Ibrahim II.
The APC stakeholders in Obi LGA vowed to mobilise support for all candidates of the party to ensure that they emerge victorious in the 2023 general election.
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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.
