Business

FG Unveils Governance Scorecard To Accelerate $1 Trillion Economy Vision

Published

7 months ago

April 8, 2025

Joel Ajayi

The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Mr Wale Edun has spotlighted corporate governance as a key lever in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s push to build a $1 trillion economy, urging state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to meet global standards of transparency, ethics, and performance.

Speaking at the MOFI Corporate Governance Forum in Abuja on Monday, the Honourable Minister described the newly introduced MOFI Scorecard as a vital benchmark for institutional health—designed to position SOEs for investment, growth, and long-term value creation.

This scorecard is not just a document—it’s a test, Edun said. He added that *Strong governance attracts capital, builds trust, and delivers real economic returns.

The two-day forum, themed *Ensuring Value Creation in State-Owned Enterprises Through Better Corporate Governance,* brought together CEOs, regulators, and development partners to examine how better oversight can unlock Nigeria’s public asset potential.

Referencing entities like NNPC Ltd, Edun noted that SOEs must be investor-ready as the government shifts from debt-heavy budgets to equity-based growth. He also pointed to positive macro signals and falling food and fuel prices—as early signs of a stabilising economy.
MOFI Chairman Dr. Shamsudeen Usman confirmed that the scorecard will be enforced through independent assessments, including MOFI itself. *We are not asking others to do what we haven’t already done,* he said.

MOFI CEO Dr. Armstrong Takang outlined a rollout that includes third-party evaluations, remediation plans, and public recognition through the annual MOFI Excellence Awards.
Backed by the World Bank, the initiative marks a shift in how Nigeria manages public wealth—with governance now central to growth, resilience, and investor confidence.

The introduction of the governance scorecard is a testament to the Federal Government’s commitment to transforming Nigeria’s economy. As the country moves forward, one thing is clear: transparency, accountability, and growth will be the guiding principles for the SOEs.

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Business

TAJBank Emerges Nigeria’s Biggest Non-Interest Bank

Published

2 weeks ago

October 23, 2025

The Gleamer

Cyril Ogar

After five years of operations in Nigeria’s rapidly evolving non-interest banking (NIB) space, TAJBank Limited has become the biggest player in the NIB subsector based on its total assets and gross earnings values.

Disclosing this during his paper presentation on the key performance indices in the non-interest banking space over the past few years at a seminar organized by Leaders Corporate Services with the theme “Roles of Non-Interest Banks In SMEs’ Financing” for SME entrepreneurs yesterday in Abuja, an investment expert, Mr. Olabode Akeredolu-Ale, maintained that based on the non-interest banks’ approved financial statements for the half year 2025, TAJBank currently remained the biggest in terms of its total assets.

The expert, a chartered stockbroker, specifically confirmed that his recent investment researches on the NIBs and their financial performances showed that TAJBank, with its total assets rising to N1.017 trillion in half year 2025 up from N953.098 billion as of December 2024, which is about N53 billion higher than the nearest NIB’s assets, now ranked top in the banking subsector.

According to him, TAJBank’s gross earnings for H1 2025 also surged to N53.752 billion from N32.86 billion as of December 2024, representing a 64% growth, and higher than the nearest NIB’s gross earnings in the period under review.

This is even as he disclosed that on the NIBs’ earnings per share during the half year, TAJBank reported N61.36 kobo earnings per share, about 92% higher than the earnings per share of the next NIB during the period.

Akeredolu-Ale, who is also a chartered accountant, clarified: “The figures I am reeling out here on the NIBs are sourced from the banking and capital market regulatory institutions’ platforms, which anyone can access to verify.

“I am part of this event because of my research interest in non-interest banking and how the players in the subsector in Nigeria can help to leverage their competencies in innovation and ethical banking to support our MSMEs.

“Today, the MSMEs cannot access DMBs’ loans due to high lending rates and other inclement macroeconomic factors. This is where I think the NIBs have become very crucial to Nigeria’s economic growth.

“Overall, my findings on the NIBs indicated that they are all trying their best with non-interest loans to support entrepreneurs, particularly the MSMEs owners. I have advised those of them at this seminar to explore the cost-friendly financing options of the NIBs to grow their businesses by opening accounts with the NIBs”, the expert added.

Another speaker at the event, Benjamin Chukwudi, also commended the NIBs for their “catalytic roles in helping SMEs to access interest-free loans and providing them the needed financial management advisory, which have been helping them in sustaining their operations in the face of rising cost of doing business in the country.”

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