Nigeria’s Fidelity Bank is on course to becoming a tier 1 bank in the next few years, as outgoing CEO Nnamdi Okonkwo tells us in this exclusive interview.
In September Fidelity Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest banks in terms of deposits, announced record half-year results despite a challenging operating environment.
Fidelity is not as boisterous as some of the bigger Nigerian banks but has gained a solid reputation for its work in serving the real economy and the unserved by growing its SME lending and also its digital services. The bank is known for its prudent philosophy and governance.
Share
It is becoming clearer that drug abuses and self-medication are more pronounced among the young especially those with hearing-impairment. A recent study, published in labblog.uofmhealth.org reads, “People under age 50 with hearing loss misuse prescription opioids at twice the rate of their hearing peers and are also more likely to misuse alcohol and other drugs.” Interestingly, a recent survey, credited to Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics, (NBS) and the Centre for Research and Information on Substance Abuse, identifies the non-medical use of prescription opioids as one of the widely used drugs by people, aged between 25 and 39.
The identified ugly trend is fueled by several factors including acute economic challenges and medical experts, claiming to treat every type of ailment especially in rural areas. Mike Ogirima, a former President of the Nigerian Medical Association, (NMA), reportedly affirms, “Based on complaints we receive as an association, I think qu
By Ayobami Akinyode OLUNLOYO
When one has a passion, inspiration seems to materialise from thin air! So, if you donât have one, or have not discovered yours, make haste to find it; for to be consumed by your passion, is a critical part of your âIKIGAIâ â a Japanese concept meaning âa reason for beingâ (see below). Iâve found mine, and it is NIGERIA. Maybe it is also my mission, however, it is neither (yet) my profession nor my vocation. For those, according to Ikigai, Nigeria would also have to be what Iâm paid to âdoâ â perhaps in due course.
Content warning: This story contains graphic details of abuse that some readers may find disturbing. Names marked with asterisks have been changed to protect the identity of the child victims.
One Friday in September Adara finally went to the police station in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria, to report the rape of her 12-year-old son.
The boy had been suffering from repeated night terrors, she told officers. Upon examining him some months back, it had taken her a moment to digest what she had seen. He had a festering wound and his underwear was stained with semen, she told Al Jazeera.
Nigerian employees of the Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell ordered the deliberate vandalisation of oil pipelines for personal gain, a documentary in the Netherlands has reported.
Dutch television documentary programme Zembla, together with Dutch environmentalist organisation Milieudefensie, reported in a programme to be aired on Thursday that “multiple witnesses declared that SPDC, a subsidiary of Shell, caused the oil leaks”.
“According to sources, Shell employees profit from these intentional oil leaks by pocketing money from clean up budgets,” Zembla said in a press release summarising an 18-month investigation of various leaks between 2010 and the present day.
Zembla added the SPDC, along with the Dutch embassy in Nigeria, were aware of the accusations but had failed to address them.