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FirstBank Launches 24/7 Digital Centre at BUK

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First Bank of Nigeria on Thursday inaugurated its state-of-the-art Digital Experience Centre at the Bayero University Kano (BUK), offering round-the-clock automated banking services.

The centre provides services such as cash deposits, withdrawals, and payment transactions through advanced ATMs without human assistance.

Bank’s Group Head of Branch Operations and Services, Abimbola Ajayi, said the centre showcased the bank’s digital transformation and makes banking more convenient for customers.

She added that the centre’s location within the university was strategic, given the tech-savvy nature of the academic community.

Ajayi explained that the centre, the second in Northern Nigeria, aimed to showcase the bank’s digital transformation and enhance banking convenience for customers.

She added that the centre offered a platform for customers to independently perform transactions in a friendly environment.

 Ajayi said the centre’s efficiency was demonstrated during the inauguration when the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Amina Mustapha successfully carried out a transfer and the students’ union President created an ATM card.

She assured the customers of seamless transactions, with support staff available when needed, and promised improved connectivity, reflecting the bank’s commitment to reliable digital service delivery.

Speaking earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof.  Haruna Musa, represented by Prof. Amina Mustapha, Deputy Vice -Chancellor, Research and Innovation, thanked First Bank for establishing a digital banking facility on campus.

She appreciated the bank’s management for the initiative, saying that it would benefit students who can now access banking services without leaving the campus.

Musa urged the members of staff and students to take care of the facility to ensure its sustainability.

BUSINESS

NNPC Posts N7.2trn Profit amid Revenue Decline

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The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPC Ltd.) recorded N7.2 trillion Profit After Tax (PAT) in 2025, a 33 per cent increase from N5.4 trillion.

Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a media briefing after the company’s AGM and second Earnings Call.

Revenue declined to N34.

5 trillion from N45.1 trillion in 2024.

Ojulari attributed the 24 per cent revenue decline to lower crude oil prices and reduced product volumes following market deregulation.

He said earnings per share rose to N35.

90 from N27.07, while return on equity improved by 200 basis points to 16 per cent.

The company’s declared dividend increased by 35 per cent to N5.8 trillion, while taxes, royalties and other government remittances rose 39 per cent to N22.3 trillion.

 “Stronger earnings in spite of this pressure demonstrate the resilience of NNPC Limited’s operations,” Ojulari said.

He said profit grew because NNPC had improved its operations and maintained discipline across its businesses.

Ojulari said crude oil and condensate production reached a five-year peak of 1.77 million barrels per day.

He added that gas supply reached a three-year high of 7.2 billion standard cubic feet per day.

“Stronger performance gives NNPC Limited more capacity to invest, contribute to public revenue and strengthen Nigeria’s energy security,” he said.

On infrastructure, Ojulari said the mainline of the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano gas pipeline had been completed.

He said work was ongoing on tie-ins to delivery points, beginning with Abuja, followed by Ajaokuta and Kaduna.

According to him, the next milestone is to commence gas flow through the pipeline to industries and power plants.

Ojulari said the company completed the Obiafu-Obrikom-Oben (OB3) gas pipeline in 2026 after several years of challenges.

On the refineries, he said prospective partners under NNPC’s technical equity partnership model had conducted a three-month onsite review.

He said more than 34 engineers participated in the review, adding that NNPC was now concluding the report.

Ojulari said the company was targeting self-sustaining and profitable refineries, with a pathway expected to be defined soon.

He reaffirmed NNPC’s target of producing two million barrels of crude oil daily by 2027 and three million barrels by 2030.

He said gas production targets were 10 billion cubic feet per day by 2027 and 12 billion by 2030.

“NNPC plans to mobilise over 60 billion dollars of investment across the energy value chain,” he added.

Ojulari said more than 1,000 newly recruited professionals joined NNPC in 2025 under its Talent to Value programme.

He said the recruits completed a one-year internship and training programme before being deployed across the company. (NAN)

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FCCPC Calls for Improved Capacity Building on Competition Reporting, Matters

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The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) says there is a need for sustained capacity building in competition reporting and issues.

The Executive Vice Chairman of FCCPC, Tunji Bello, said this in a statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

Bello described competition matters as a relatively new area in the country adding that it required specialised knowledge among journalists, regulators and other stakeholders.

He said that competition law and consumer protection regulations had made stakeholders’ education a priority for the commission.

Bello said that the FCCPC recently supported the training of judges through the National Judicial Institute (NJI) to deepen understanding of competition-related matters.

He noted that members of the judiciary also required exposure to the nuances of the emerging field.

“We recognised that because it is a new terrain, the judges themselves are not familiar with the nuances.

”So we brought in experts on competition,” he said.

Bello stressed that the media had a critical role in promoting public understanding of competition and consumer protection issues.

“If FCCPC is becoming more known to the public, it is as a result of the kind of publicity you have given us,” he said. (NAN)

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Fire Guts Customs Western Marine Command Office in Lagos

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Fire gutted the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Western Marine Command office in Apapa, Lagos, on Monday, destroying property worth millions of Naira.

The fire, which reportedly started at about 10:23 a.m. from an electrical surge in the conference room, spread to other sections of the building.

Officers on duty made frantic efforts to contain the fire before officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service arrived at about 10:45 a.

m.

The Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Timothy Jonah, who just resumed at the Command, to take over the affairs from his predecessor, described the incident as unfortunate.

He said: “I just resumed duty to take over, only to witness this fire outbreak.

“Every challenge, though negative, is an opportunity to strengthen our operations.

“In the meantime, we will set up a committee to investigate the cause of the fire.”

He commended the swift response of the personnel on duty and their collaboration with the fire service, saying measures would be taken to strengthen safety protocols and prevent a recurrence. (NAN)

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