News
Verve Rewards Customers to Mark 10TH Year Anniversary

Verve, a leading payments technology and card business in Africa established by Interswitch Group in 2009, rewards its customers as it celebrates 10 years of breaking boundaries.
The celebration kicked off officially on Friday, September 27, 2019, with a press launch at the George Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos.
The event which saw members of the press, partner banks, regulators and other stakeholders come together for the noteworthy milestone, paved way for a series of activities to celebrate with customers.
In his keynote address, Mike Ogbalu III, CEO Verve International revealed that Verve owes its success story to its customers, partners, the press and other stakeholders.
He said: “ We are 10 today and we have a lot of people to thank for our journey so far – our partner the banks, our cardholders, the press, regulators, the Verve business & marketing team, other stakeholders,…Thank you for keeping the Verve dream alive, thank you for your resilience and thank you for always raising the bar.”
To appreciate its customers for their support, the brand is rewarding them across several of its touchpoints. One of such exciting customer reward initiatives is the Verve Free Toll activation: For 10days, Verve will give free toll passage from 10am to 10.10am.
This activation is available to both Verve Card holders & non-Verve holders, reinforcing the brand’s key benefit as “The Rewarding Way To Make Payments”. This Verve toll-free access started on Friday, September 27, 2019, and will last till Tuesday, October 8, 2019.
In addition to the free toll-gate pass, Verve cardholders who purchase at least N3,000 worth of petrol will be rewarded with free 5 litres at select Oando stations from 6 am to 8 pm every Friday. The reward is valid till November 8, 2019.
Also, every Saturday, for the next 10 weeks, 10 lucky Verve cardholders will be gifted with N10,000 prepaid card in 10 supermarkets. Saturday, September 28, 2019, was the first of such Saturdays. 10 lucky Verve cardholders won N10,000 prepaid card each at Spar supermarket, Ilupeju, Lagos. Opebi Spar SuperMarket Lagos comes next after this. As the Verve “train” continues to move across Spar Supermarkets, it will also reach Verve Card Holders in PortHarcourt, Abuja, Enugu, & Calabar.
Speaking on these activities, Cherry Eromosele, The Chief Group Marketing & Corporate Communication Ofiicer said: “We are celebrating our 10th year anniversary and the role our customers play in this journey cannot be overemphasized. On behalf of Verve International, I would like to thank all our customers for believing in us and giving us the opportunity to serve them.
“Everytime a customer brings out his/her Verve Card to pay for a transaction, it’s a statement of trust & loyalty. It is only right to give back to the very people who believed in us right from the get-go till date. That is why we will continue to roll out these and other reward schemes from time to time”. Afterall, Verve is “the rewarding way to make payments”.
News
DBN Awards N13m in Grants to Tech Startups

Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN) has awarded a total of N13 million in grants to three standout tech startups at the 2025 Techpreneur Summit held in Lagos, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and inclusive growth among Nigeria’s micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The winners include: BuyScrap, a digital marketplace for recyclable materials – N6 million; Qiqi Farms, which connects local farmers to hospitality and export markets – N4 million; Eco-Cyclers, a youth-led recycling initiative based in Enugu – N3 million
Alongside the grant awards, DBN also launched a new digital data asset, a first-of-its-kind platform aimed at enabling data-driven decisions within the MSME ecosystem.
The platform offers deep insights into business trends, sector-specific challenges, and growth opportunities—supporting smarter policymaking and targeted investments.
In his keynote address in Lagos, Tony Okpanachi, managing director/ CEO, DBN, described the event’s theme, “CTRL + SHIFT: Tech Empowered Movement for Naija,” as a strategic call to reimagine enterprise development in Nigeria.
“This isn’t just a keyboard shortcut,” he said. “It’s a mindset reset—powered by technology—to build a more inclusive, innovative, and resilient business landscape. From financing to innovation, DBN remains committed to enabling MSMEs to thrive.”
Okpanachi emphasized that the Summit aligns with DBN’s AMPLIFI Strategy, which integrates digital transformation, sustainability, and scalability into its core programs.
He highlighted initiatives such as the Digital Shift Workshops and the Eco-Innovation Challenge as key steps toward embedding innovation in Nigeria’s MSME sector.
Encouraging young innovators, he added: “The future belongs to those bold enough to imagine and build it. DBN is proud to support the ideas that will shape tomorrow.”
A major highlight was the unveiling of the DBN Data Asset—a digital platform designed to provide real-time, evidence-based insights into Nigeria’s MSME landscape.
The platform combines DBN’s proprietary data with external sources like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) to offer a comprehensive view of MSME performance by region and sector.
Jeremy Dan Okayi, DBN’s Head of Strategy, Policy & Innovation, described the platform as: “A reservoir of insight, potential, and direction—built on two years of collaboration and shared vision. This tool will support informed decision-making across the public and private sectors.”
News
FCCPC Shuts France, Belgium, and Italy Visa Centres in Abuja Over Alleged Consumer Rights Violations

In a bold enforcement action, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), supported by the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), has sealed off the visa application centres of France, Belgium, and Italy in Abuja over alleged consumer protection breaches and obstruction of regulatory investigations.
The affected centres—located at Mukhtar El-Yakub House in the Central Business District and operated by TLS Contact, a Teleperformance Company—were shut down following reports that they refused to accept formal correspondence from the FCCPC regarding a consumer complaint. The Commission cited further infractions, including obstruction of investigation and alleged assault of its officers during lawful duties.
Speaking to journalists at the scene, Mrs. Boladale Adeyinka, Director of Surveillance and Investigations at the FCCPC, explained: “This is an enforcement operation against TLS. On March 25, 2025, we served them a letter to address a consumer complaint, which they refused to accept. Instead, TLS officers assaulted our team, and in a subsequent visit on June 17, they also allegedly assaulted uniformed police officers.”
Citing Section 33 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Mrs. Adeyinka emphasized that failure to comply with Commission directives constitutes a criminal offense, punishable by imprisonment, fines of up to ₦20 million, or both.
TLS has been ordered to appear before the Commission on June 20, 2025, to provide testimony, submit evidence, and make formal depositions. The company may be held liable for any financial losses suffered by applicants due to the disruption of visa services.
Despite multiple requests for comment, management at TLS Contact declined to respond as of press time.
News
How and Why N210 Trillion is Missing in NNPCL – CFO

Adedapo Segun, chief financial officer (CFO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), has explained why there is a missing sum of N210 trillion in the company’s audited financial statement spanning from 2017 to 2023.
According to Segun, the missing funds are cash calls requested by joint venture (JV) partners and settlement to the JVs.
He spokeat a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts chaired by Aliyu Wadada.
Segun was responding to an alarm raised by the committee over missing N210 trillion in NNPCL’s audited financial statement.
Recall that Wadada issued a one-week ultimatum to NNPCL to account for the missing N210 trillion.
Reacting, Segun said, “The N103 trillion and N107 trillion are made up of joint venture cash calls that have been requested by the JV operators and JV cash call payments made by NNPCL, which are yet to be reconciled because governance procedures were not done at that time.
“That is why you see the description reflecting those two items would be washed out because they are two sides of the same transaction, which is the cash calls by JV partners and the settlement by NNPCL.”
However, Habu Sadeik, a financial analyst, in a post on X on Thursday, said Segun’s response was unsatisfactory.
Saidik faulted NNPCL’s response about the fund discrepancies, noting that something is not right with the audited financial statement.
“Forget about the senators’ lack of knowledge.
“The CFO’s response is not satisfactory. Are you saying that cash calls worth hundreds of trillions are just appearing on your FS only in 2024 without 31 disclosure?
“If it’s a cash call, why hasn’t the disclosure said so?
“Which cash call is over 100 trillion?
“Something is definitely not right, and I hope they retrospectively correct that FS.
“Someone somewhere did a chef’s work,” he wrote on X.
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