News
FG Expresses Confidence in New NDIC Board
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed confidence in the ability of the new Board and Management of the NDIC led by Mrs Ronke Sokefun whom he described as an experienced lawyer and Umaru Ibrahim and experienced technocrat to steer the Corporation in the right direction.
VP Osinbajo made the comment during the courtesy call paid on him by the Board and Management of the Corporation in his office at the State House, Aso Rock, Abuja.
While congratulating the Chairman and other members of the Board for their appointment, Vice President Osinbajo also commended the Management of the Corporation for prioritizing the interests of Nigerian depositors in its choice of the Bridge Bank option for the resolution of many banks in liquidation.
Commenting further, the Vice President noted that a lot still needs to be done in the area of sanitizing the banking system. He also stressed the need for fresh ideas to produce a more resilient structure involving the NDIC and other relevant stakeholders to address the issue of Non-performing loans in the industry and warned that the federal government was not prepared to repeat the mistakes of the past.
On the issue of financial inclusion, the Vice President remarked that it was desirous for millions of poor Nigerians to be empowered through the extension of credit and urged for a sustainable framework to achieve the objectives set by the regulators.
He lamented that the current structure for the operation of Micro-Finance Banks (MFBs) had failed to achieve the desired goals and called for concerted efforts of the relevant institutions including CBN and NDIC to come up with a framework that would facilitate the funding of federal government social intervention programs such as the N-Power, Trader-Money, and Market-Money so as to alleviate the suffering of millions of Nigerians.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Board of the Corporation had thanked the Vice President for his warm reception and recalled that the NDIC as a critical player in the Nigerian financial safety-net, had achieved remarkable success in the execution of its primary mandates of effective supervision of the insured banks, timely payment of insured deposits and the implementation of a robust and efficient failure resolution regime.
The Chairman concluded her remarks by drawing the attention of the Vice-President to the NDIC Amendment Bill currently pending before the Senate and solicited for his assistance in ensuring a quick passage of the Bill before the expiry of the present legislative session.
In his remarks, the MD/CEO of the Corporation, Umaru Ibrahim, FCIB mni, joined the Chairman in seeking for the assistance of the Vice President towards the speedy passage the Bill to amend the NDIC Act pending at the Senate to strengthen the capacity of the Corporation effectively supervise insured financial institutions for a safe and sound banking system in the country.
Commenting further on the activities of the Corporation, the NDIC boss informed the Vice President that the NDIC undertakes periodic examination of banks in collaboration with the CBN and issues reports with far reaching recommendations to the Boards of banks for compliance to ensure the safety, soundness and stability of the Nigerian banking system.
The MD/CEO concluded his remarks by recalling the efforts of the regulatory/supervisory authorities to sanitize and strengthen the micro, small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs), through enhanced capital requirements of MFBs and the establishment of a National Microfinance Bank to enable that subsector play their role of providing credit.
Ogba Ogbaga, an Abuja-based lawyer, has said that he has been instructed to institute legal proceedings against MTN Nigeria, Airtel Nigeria, Globacom, 9mobile and MultiChoice Nigeria, operators of DStv, over what he described as unfair consumer practices relating to expiring data bundles and television subscriptions.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Ogbaga said his law firm, GIMBG Legals, received instructions from its client, KAA, also known as KaaTruths, to challenge the companies’ subscription policies in court.
According to him, the proposed suit will question whether telecom operators and DStv’s subscription models comply with provisions of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018 and other applicable laws.
Ogbaga alleged that telecom providers operate internet data services that are unfair to consumers, claiming subscribers sometimes do not receive the services they paid for but still lose their subscriptions once the validity period expires.
He also criticised DStv’s subscription model, arguing that consumers lose paid viewing time due to factors such as power outages, adverse weather conditions and service interruptions, while subscriptions continue to count down regardless.
“Our clients have complained that MTN data services are unduly one-sided,” Ogbaga said, adding that the legal action would also extend to other telecommunications providers and DStv.
He said the court action would seek judicial determination on whether the companies’ subscription practices comply with consumer protection laws.
The lawyer also invited interested legal practitioners to collaborate on the case, saying his firm would provide updates as the matter progresses.
In a separate Facebook post on Wednesday, Ogbaga said previous policy discussions, town hall meetings and debates at the National Assembly had failed to address the concerns raised by consumers.
He argued that telecom operators regularly carry out maintenance and network upgrades that temporarily disrupt services without extending customers’ subscription periods, while DStv subscribers also lose viewing time because of electricity outages and weather-related disruptions.
The National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) has commenced the issuance of new licence certificates to insurance companies that successfully met the industry’s new minimum capital requirements, marking the formal beginning of a new regulatory era aimed at strengthening the financial capacity, governance and global competitiveness of Nigeria’s insurance sector.
At a ceremony held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, the Commissioner for Insurance, Olusegun Ayo Omosehin, presented the new licence certificates to compliant operators, describing the exercise as a major milestone in the industry’s recapitalisation programme.
According to the Commission, a total of 43 insurance companies declared compliant with the new capital requirements are expected to receive the new licence certificates in phases.
Omosehin congratulated the successful companies, saying the issuance of the new licences signals the beginning of a stronger regulatory framework anchored on improved capitalisation, sound corporate governance, innovation and sustainable growth.
He urged operators to leverage their enhanced capital base to develop innovative insurance products, improve operational efficiency and deepen insurance penetration across the country.
The Commissioner said the Commission expects the recapitalised companies to deliver stronger financial performance while maintaining high standards of professionalism and customer service.
He also announced that NAICOM’s next major regulatory initiative would be the implementation of the Risk-Based Capital (RBC) framework, under which insurers’ capital levels would be aligned with the risks inherent in their respective business portfolios.
According to him, the new framework will further strengthen the industry’s resilience by ensuring that insurers maintain capital commensurate with the risks they underwrite, thereby enhancing policyholder protection and boosting market confidence.
Omosehin reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to removing regulatory impediments where necessary while maintaining effective oversight to safeguard policyholders and strengthen confidence in the insurance market.
The issuance of the new licence certificates marks the commencement of a phased transition to higher capital standards aimed at improving the financial capacity, solvency and claims-paying ability of insurance companies operating in Nigeria.
Management of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek Media has withdrawn its publication titled “Adefolarin Ogunsanya and the Allegations of Shareholder Interference and Self-Dealing at Pan African Towers,” which was published on its platform.
The decision to retract the story follows an editorial review to ensure that the platform maintains the highest standards of accuracy, fairness and responsible journalism in reporting matters that are the subject of ongoing judicial proceedings.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek acknowledges that the issues raised in the publication remain before the courts and have not been finally determined.
Accordingly, the organisation has decided to remove the article from its platforms pending the conclusion of the legal processes or the availability of additional verified information.
The publication regrets any inconvenience or misunderstanding the report may have caused to readers or any individuals or organisations mentioned in the story.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek remains committed to the principles of balanced, factual and ethical journalism and will continue to uphold professional standards in its coverage of judicial and corporate governance matters.
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