Business
FCMB Records N16.8bn Profit In Nine Months
The First City Monument
Bank Group (FCMB) Plc has said it recorded a profit before tax of N16.8 billion in its unaudited nine months results for the period ended 30 September 2014.
This represents an increase of 14 per cent over the N14.7billion realized in the same period prior year.
Also, the Group’s Gross revenue grew by 10 per cent to N106.7billion as against the amount recorded in the comparable period of 2013.
However, FCMB Limited, the commercial banking subsidiary was pivotal to the performance as strategic initiatives to improve service and customer experience, helped optimize its 274 branches and cash-centres serving 2.5million customers, notably in the retail segment.
A statement from the financial institution explained that strong performance in fees also helped to buoy its revenue as CSL Stockbrokers Limited grew its market share.
The statement also noted that FCMB Limited leveraged the services of the investment banking business, FCMB Capital Markets to generate record investment banking revenues.
Consistent with efforts to be supportive to its customers, FCMB Limited extended credit to customers growing its loans and advances by 29 per cent to N565 billion compared to the same period prior year.
“Loans accounted for 54 per cent of the Group’s total assets as against 45 per cent for the same period in the year thereby improving the Group’s earning capacity. The quality of the loan book was sustained with non-performing loans total loans at 2.7 per cent for both the current and prior periods,” it explained.
Managing Director of FCMB Group Plc, Mr Peter Obaseki said across all of the institution’s businesses, during the period, the strategy it pursued were designed to create a business which can accommodate external pressures whilst still being able to deliver sustainable performance.
This according to him, seems to have started paying off.
On his part, the Group Managing Director/CEO of FCMB Limited, Mr Ladi Balogun said the commercial and retail banking arm of FCMB Group Plc. made profit before tax of N157billion, up by 20 per cent from the N13 recorded in the comparable period of 2013.
“For the rest of 2014, we will continue to focus on improving operating efficiency and net interest margins whilst also continuing with our steady customer acquisition drive and migration to alternate service and distribution channels,” he said.
Some Commercial drivers in Port Harcourt have said that the Federal Government’s N1,350 fuel discount is yet to reduce their daily operating cost.
A cross session of commercial drivers who spoke to The Tide correspondents in Port Harcourt said they are yet to feel the impact of the government discount, adding that most filling stations in the city are even selling above the pump price
A driver Jude Ogbo who operates the mile 1 Rumuokoro axis of Port Harcourt said plies the discount has not reflected in his daily fuel expenses.
“Since the discount was announced, many filling stations still sell at the old price. When you go there, you discover they sell you two litres at the price of one. For now, we have not seen any reduction,”_ he said.
Another commercial driver, Comrade Ishmael Uzeho who operates within the Port Harcourt metropolis, said the discount is not being implemented across the country.
“How has the discount affected us? I will say it has not. Many stations are not working. Only NNPC is working and that is just one person in the whole country. If government really wants to help, let the fuel price go down properly,”_ he said.
Uzeho added that if the price of fuel goes down, transport fares will also go down. He noted that his route fare has remained at N500.
On his part, Mr. Moses Dapa, Supervisor at Sam Jaja Foundation Transport Company, said the company has not increased its fares despite the high cost of fuel.
“We are still running normal price. We charge N2,000 and N5,000 depending on the destination. We will not increase our price. I don’t know about other parks, but for Sam Jaja, we are maintaining normal price,”_ Dapa said.
He appealed to passengers to understand that drivers are not using high fuel price as an excuse to charge excessive fares.
Other drivers who spoke said the federal government should monitor the NNPCL retail stations to ensure that the directive is implemented.
Recalled that The Federal Government in abid to reduce transportation cost in the country had announced a 30-day margin discount at NNPC Retail stations across the country from October 1 to 31,
However investigation revealed that the policy is yet to affect transportation cost in the country.
By; Stephens Sopakriba and Saint Davies
In a press statement released to The Tide’s source on Friday in Abuja, the group said Nigeria had a significant resource advantage due to its vast natural gas reserves.
“At a time when global energy markets face unprecedented volatility and rising operational costs, Nigeria stands on a massive resource advantage with its vast natural gas reserves,” the group said.
Highlighting this potential, Alfa Designs urged the nation to move past complaints over energy costs and aggressively embrace Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) as a sustainable engine for economic growth.
While federal policy adjustments have sought to cushion the impact of global energy shocks, industry experts emphasised that long-term relief hinges on a rapid, nationwide transition to gas.
“Transitioning away from expensive traditional petroleum products promises to ease the financial burden on ordinary citizens.
“It will also reposition Nigeria as an attractive industrial hub capable of drawing foreign direct investment and driving job creation,” it said.
To demonstrate the practical feasibility of this transition, the group said it recently partnered with a global Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) to lower the entry barriers for commercial drivers.
“By negotiating directly with the manufacturer, we reduced the total cost of acquiring and installing a CNG conversion kit for commercial tricycles (commonly known as Keke NAPEP) from up to N700,000 down to under N450,000.”
The group said this shift offers dramatic immediate financial benefits for local operators, with petrol currently selling at roughly N1,390 per liter.
It said that, in comparison, at a CNG equivalent price of about N98 per liter, a daily commercial driver using 10 liters of fuel reduces its daily energy expenditure from N13,900 to N3,980.
“This represents a daily net savings of N9,920, or more than 71 per cent.
“Over a standard 26-day working month, drivers save over N257,000, allowing them to fully recover the cost of the CNG conversion in less than 46 operational days.”
The company further stated that when scaled nationally, the economic implications are monumental.
“Nigeria consumes approximately 50 million liters of gasoline daily, costing roughly N69.5 billion per day.
“A nationwide 71 per cent reduction in fuel expenditure would generate daily national energy savings of N49.6 billion.
“On an annualised basis, this shift equates to approximately N18.1 trillion, or $13.5 billion, kept within the domestic economy.”
The group added that those recurring national savings would offer a vital mechanism to help address Nigeria’s estimated $2.3 trillion infrastructure deficit.
It said reinvesting those funds into the economy helps eliminate the 30 to 40 per cent operational overhead currently consumed by imported fossil fuels.
“The resulting boost to corporate margins expands the national tax base, generates reliable user-fee revenues to make major transit projects bankable, and creates a self-sustaining financial cycle,” it said.
