Union Bank of Nigeria proudly participated in the graduation ceremony of the Pacelli School for the Visually and Partially Sighted on 23 July 2025, honouring the resilience and academic achievements of visually impaired students.

The event, held on the school premises, highlighted the importance of inclusivity and determination in education.

As a 108-year-old institution committed to social responsibility, Union Bank’s involvement reflects its enduring support for Persons With Disabilities (PWD) and its dedication to fostering equitable access to education.

The Bank’s Chief Brand and Marketing Officer, Olufunmilola Aluko, expressed her admiration for the graduating students:

“Union Bank proudly stands as a champion of inclusiveness and equitable representation. Through our UnionCares corporate social responsibility initiative, we are committed to supporting vulnerable and underrepresented communities.

We celebrate the incredible achievements of these students and reaffirm our dedication to empowering them to reach their full potential.”

UnionCares is Union Bank’s CSR Arm focused on creating sustainable social impact in key areas, including:

• Support for Vulnerable Groups: Empowering persons with disabilities and other marginalised communities through inclusive initiatives.
• Education and Skill Development: Facilitating access to education and practical skills that promote self-reliance and opportunity.
• Community Well-Being: Enhancing the overall quality of life of communities through health, education, and social welfare projects.

Union Bank remains honoured to collaborate with institutions dedicated to uplifting less-recognised members of society. The Bank remains dedicated to championing initiatives that inspire positive change, and foster a more inclusive, enlightened community across Nigeria.

Kevin Ugwuoke, Executive Director and Chief Risk Officer of Fidelity Bank Plc, has formally assumed office as President of the Chartered Risk Management Institute of Nigeria (CRMI).

His leadership promises a reform-focused era anchored on policy advocacy, ethical standards, and digital innovation to deepen risk governance across sectors in the country.

Speaking during the presidential handover ceremony in Lagos over the weekend, Ugwuoke — who also doubles as acting President of the Federation of African Risk Management Associations (FARMA) — described his election as “a call to action.”

He pledged to reposition CRMI as a thought leader and institutional partner in shaping the future of risk management in Nigeria’s national development.

“Our mission is more than just certification; it’s about strengthening the culture of risk governance across sectors. We will collaborate with regulators, raise awareness, and provide practical tools to help organizations embed risk discipline at all levels.”

Ugwuoke outlined a five-pronged strategy to guide his administration: strengthening professional education and certification; deepening policy and regulatory engagement; accelerating digital transformation; integrating ESG and climate risk into corporate strategies; and mentoring the next generation of risk practitioners.

He explained that CRMI will align its initiatives with key policy institutions — including the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, the National Assembly, and sub-national governments — to help embed robust risk frameworks into economic development plans.

“We must integrate risk thinking into how we plan, govern, and invest. We will advocate for more inclusive regulations to empower small and medium enterprises, improve macroeconomic stability, and foster institutional resilience.”

Ugwuoke also announced plans to revise the Institute’s curriculum, introduce specialized certifications to reflect emerging risks, and implement a new National Risk Observatory to provide real-time risk data to both the public and private sectors.

“Digital innovation will be central to how CRMI operates going forward. We are automating our backend, delivering more virtual training, and employing technology to scale our impact across the country and beyond.”

In his remarks, the outgoing President of CRMI, Ezekiel Oseni, challenged the new leadership to consolidate on the achievements made under his tenure — from securing chartered status and strengthening partnerships to gaining greater international recognition — and take the Institute to the next level.

Also speaking on the occasion, Chukwuma Nweke, deputy managing director of United Bank for Africa (UBA), delivering a goodwill message on behalf of Group Managing Director, Oliver Alawuba, described Ugwuoke as a worthy successor. “As Professor Oseni hands over the baton to Kevin Ugwuoke — a well-respected leader in the risk management ecosystem — we are assured CRMI is poised for greater achievements under his watch.”

Nweke stressed that growing economic uncertainties — from inflation and exchange rate volatility to growing debt — underscore the need for a more strategic view of risk. “Risk must be recognized not as a compliance obligation or a cost center but as a key enabler of resiliency and growth. Institutions that embed risk into their strategies will absorb shocks more effectively, unlock value, and inspire investor confidence.”

As part of the day’s ceremonies, 11 distinguished practitioners were conferred with the Fellow of Chartered Risk Manager (FCRMI) award, while 21 new members were formally inducted as Chartered Risk Managers (CRM).

Furthermore, a new Governing Council was inaugurated to oversee the affairs of the Institute for the 2025–2027 term, marking a decisive step forward in institutional renewal and policy direction.

L-R: Registrar/Chief Executive, Chartered Risk Management Institute of Nigeria (CRMI), Victor Olannye; Divisional Head, Risk Management Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Grace Abioye; Immediate Past President, CRMI, Ezekiel Oseni; President, CRMI and Executive Director/Chief Risk Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc, Kevin Ugwuoke; Director, Enterprise Risk Management, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Amal Haruna; and Rep. Keynote speaker, Deputy Group Management Director, United Bank of Africa (UBA), Chukwuma Nweke; at the CRMI Conferment Handover/Sent-Forth ceremony, held in Lagos recently.

Shareholders of United Bank for Africa have enjoyed 375 per cent capital gains in nearly five years.

Official data at the Nigerian stock market at the weekend indicated that investors in UBA have continued to earn an average annual return of about 75 per cent over the last five years. This highlights UBA’s impressive records as a high-yielding, inflation-hedging stock.

The trading report for the period between December 31, 2019, and December 06, 2024, showed that UBA recorded a cumulative capital gain of 374.83 per cent during the period, representing an average annual gain of 74.97 per cent.

UBA’s share price opened in 2020 at N7.15 per share and closed the weekend at N33.95 per share, 35.26 per cent above its 2024 opening price of N25.10 per share.

An analysis of the data showed that an investor who had advanced N500,000 in the shares of UBA at the year’s opening price for 2020 now has a real, immediate market value of more than N2.374m due to accumulated capital gains. This excludes accrued cash dividends over the period under review.

UBA is currently offering existing shareholders exclusive opportunities to increase their shareholdings in the bank with its ongoing N239.4bn rights issue.

The pan-African banking group is offering 6.84 billion ordinary shares of 50 kobo each to existing shareholders at N35 per share. The rights issue is pre-allotted based on one new ordinary share of 50 kobo each to every five ordinary shares held as of November 05, 2024. The rights issue is scheduled to close on December 24, 2024.

Speaking on the significance of the share price movement, market analysts were unanimous that share prices are illustrative of the fundamental values of quoted companies.

Managing Director, Arthur Steven Asset Management, Mr. Olatunde Amolegbe, said share pricing at the stock market thrives on a concept of a “forward-pricing mechanism,” where investors take into consideration the potential future return based on available track records and emerging developments.

Managing Director, HighCap Securities Limited, Mr. David Adonri, said share price is a reflection of the market value for a company, comprising both past performances and future expectations.

Meanwhile, for the nine months ended September 30, 2024, UBA reported 83.2 per cent growth in gross earnings to N2.39tn, almost double the N1.31tn recorded in the third quarter of 2023.

Profit before tax increased to N603.48bn compared with N502.09bn recorded in the third quarter of 2023. Profit after tax also rose from N449.26bn in the third quarter of 2023 to N525.31bn in the third quarter of 2024.

The group balance sheet size expanded by 54 per cent to N31.80tn by September 2024 as against N20.653tn recorded at the end of December 2023 as the bank benefitted largely from its technology-led initiatives targeted at improving customer experience over the past few years, with total deposits rising to N26.50tn, representing a 52.7 per cent rise from N17.355tn at the end of December 2023.