Featured

FirstBank Shareholders Plot to Remove Otedola As Chairman

Published

1 year ago

January 10, 2025

Eric

The crisis in the leadership of First Bank Holdings of Nigeria worsened on Wednesday, as a group of stakeholders called for the removal of its board chairman, Femi Otedola, and non-executive director, Mr. Julius B. Omodayo-Owotuga.

The group, therefore, called for an immediate Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in the next 21 days in line with section 215 (1) of CAMA.

The group shareholders alleged that FBN has not known peace since the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, influenced Otedola’s acquisition of a significant amount of shares that led to his emergence as Chairman of FBN Holdings in January 2024.

According to the shareholders, with Otedola as Chairman, his personal staff, Omodayo-Owotuga at the Holdco, and yet another personal staff at the bank, Otedola has seized full control of the bank and does as he pleases.

Thus, with the private placement of N360 billion shares, other shareholders fear he would clearly have absolute control, expressing fears of disregard for corporate governance principles.

“This is to enable him (Otedola) to take full control during the proposed N360 billion private placement. But some of the shareholders are saying instead of a private placement for shares of the bank, it should be by right issue or public offer,” a source who doubled as a stakeholder said anonymously.

However, it was further alleged that Otedola’s preference for private placement is seen as a ploy to gain control and run the financial institution as his private estate.

In the last months, FBN Holdings has been a subject of battle over who holds the single largest share of the institution.

The battle for the soul of FBH is between Otedola and Barbican Capital, which is affiliated with the Oba Otudeko-owned Honeywell Group.

First Bank Holdings, in its audited accounts for 2023, had put Otedola as the single largest shareholder with a 9.41 percent stake in the financial institution. Otedola, however, has recently increased his shareholding by massive acquisition of more shares. At the moment, his exact stake is unclear.

But data from the Central Securities Clearing System, CSCS, the widely accepted source for confirming share ownership, has Barbican Capital, which is affiliated with the Oba Otudeko-owned Honeywell Group, as the largest single shareholder with a 15.01 percent stake.

Records kept by the bank’s registrars, Meristem Registrars & Probate Services Ltd, also showed that Barbican Capital is the single largest shareholder with 5,386,397,202 shares (5.38 billion) as of May 23, 2024.

Consequently, Barbican Capital had sued FBN Holdings for wrongly stating its shareholding in its audited financial statement.

First Bank recently laid off about 100 senior staff members in a major organisational shakeup.

Reports had indicated that the bank’s top executives were asked to leave—as part of its corporate restructuring and repositioning plan for 2025—following the confirmation of Olusegun Alebiosu as FBN’s managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO) in June last year.

There were also allegations that the exits were part of a concerted effort by Otedola to introduce new hands into several leadership positions in the bankm

Meanwhile, it is still unclear what the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) would do in the wake of this CAMA-induced demand for an EGM called to remove Otedola and stop the private placement of the bank shares.

FBN has yet to issue any statement on the matter.

Featured

Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

5 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

Featured

Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

10 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

12 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.