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GTCO Reports 181.87% Rise In Profit To N367bn

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Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc has reported a 181.87 per cent rise in its profit after tax, to N367.42 billion for the period ended September compared to N130.35 billion as of September 2022.
This was revealed in the  Unaudited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements submitted to the Nigerian Exchange Limited yesterday.
The rise was driven by net interest income which rose by 56.85 per cent in the period under review to N297.54 billion, Net fees and commission income rose by 17.71 per cent to N82.48 billion. The lender’s foreign exchange revaluation gains also appreciated significantly as it moved from a loss position of N7.39 billion as of September 2022 to a gain of N334.35 billion.
Recall that in September, the Central Bank of Nigeria directed Deposit Money Banks to stop using gains from their foreign exchange revaluation for dividends and operational expenditures in a bid to shore up the Naira.
In a circular, the central bank said changes to the currency regime have impacted banks to varying degrees and that “banks are required to … set aside the FCY revaluation gains as a counter-cyclical buffer to cushion any future adverse movements in the FX rate.”
Meanwhile, the nine-month report stated that GTBank Nigeria had restricted balances of N1.297 trillion with the CBN as of 30 September 2023 (December 2022: N1.014 trillion), which is the CBN cash reserve requirement. The cash reserve ratio represents mandatory total Naira deposits which should be held with the Central Bank of Nigeria as a regulatory requirement.
In its half-year report, GTCO reported profit before tax of N327.4 billion, representing an increase of 217.1 per cent over N103.2 billion recorded in the corresponding period ended June 2022. The Group’s loan book (net) increased by 22.8 per cent from N1.89 trillion recorded as of December 2022 to N2.32 trillion in June 2023, while deposit liabilities grew by 37.0 per cent from N4.61 trillion in December 2022 to N6.32 trillion in June 2023.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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