When the Central Bank of Nigeria's Monetary Policy Committee gathered in February 2026 for its 304th meeting, the mood was one of cautious optimism. Headline inflation had fallen for eleven consecutive months. Reserves had climbed to a 13-year high of $50.45 billion. The naira was holding. The committee voted, 10 to 1, to cut the …
It was set up in 2011 as a unit of the Imo State Police Command to fight kidnapping, armed robbery, and cultism. Today, Tiger Base — as residents call it — stands accused of abuses that eclipse even the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). This ICIR investigation tracks how the unit uses surveillance tools to …
Access Holdings Plc has crossed the ₦1 trillion profit threshold. But beneath the headline numbers lies a more nuanced story of transformation, risk, and strategic repositioning. Here are ten critical things every investor and market watcher must note. The ₦1 Trillion Profit Milestone Is Historically Significant For the first time in its corporate history, …
There is a paradox at the heart of Fidelity Bank Plc's 2025 full-year financial statements: a bank that has never been larger, never held more deposits, and never earned more gross revenue has nonetheless posted a lower profit than it did the year before. For investors, analysts, and regulators watching Nigeria's banking sector navigate one …
Nigeria witnessed one of its darkest weekends in recent months as coordinated attacks across several states left children abducted, teachers and security officers killed, and entire communities traumatised by fear and uncertainty. From the troubled communities of Borno State to the forests of Oyo State and the military corridors of Yobe State, armed groups unleashed …
Former Anambra State governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has warned that President Bola Tinubu’s disclosure that Nigeria will spend about $11.6 billion on debt servicing should alarm anyone concerned about the country’s future. In a statement posted on his X handle on Monday, Obi said the size of the planned debt …
How China's $180 billion bet on Africa — from Nigerian railways to Angolan oil — is rewriting the rules of global power, filling the void left by a negligent West, and raising urgent questions about who, ultimately, will pay the price. $180.87B Chinese loans to Africa 2000 – 2024; 1,319 loan commitments across 49 nations; …
Nigeria’s credit system is failing millions of small businesses and choking economic growth, the Alliance for Economic Research and Ethics has warned. The group pointed this out in a policy document titled 'A Policy Analysis on SME Credit, Development Finance, and the Imperative of Structural Reform', which it issued on Sunday, May 17. It blamed …
Amid the Peoples Democratic Party’s lingering leadership crisis, former President Goodluck Jonathan is emerging as a major option for the Seyi Makinde and Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the party. After months of quietly wooing the former president, sources close to his camp say Jonathan is now considering a return to the presidential race on the …
In 2025, Nigerian banks sharply increased the volume of bad loans written off compared with 2024, particularly among Tier-1 lenders, according to an analysis by Pinnacle Daily. Shareholders have described the rising bad loans as evidence of a long-standing weakness in credit discipline within the banking sector, warning that it must be urgently addressed. Pinnacle's …
