General News
Allianz Risk Barometer Says Corruption, Burden on Nigerian Businesses
The Allianz Risk Barometer 2018 report has revealed that theft, fraud and corruption as the top risk in Nigeria with 38% of responses, up from #4 in 2017.
Market developments remains unchanged at #2 at 36% of responses and changes in legislation & regulation also remains unmoved at #3 with 33% of responses.
Fire, explosion and power blackouts (both #7 with 16% of responses) emerged as two new risks in the top 10.
Cyber incidents remains at #5 at 29%, political risks and violence is unmoved at #6 with 24%, macroeconomic developments is #4 at 31% of responses down from #1 in 2017, business interruption moves down slightly from #8 to #9 with 16% responses and new technologies maintains the 10th position at 11%. The report is published annually by Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty (AGCS), and is based on the insight of a record 1,911 risk experts from 80 countries.
Studies show that corruption is a significant obstacle to business in Nigeria. Companies are very likely to encounter bribery and other corrupt practices.
Corruption also features as a top 10 risk in West African countries, Togo and Ivory Coast, which participated in the survey for the first time.
To provide financial protection for managers against the consequences of actual or alleged “wrongful acts” when acting in the scope of their managerial duties, companies may consider taking up Director & Officers (D&O) insurance.
The D&O policy will pay for defense costs and financial losses. In addition, extensions to many D&O policies also cover costs for managers generated by administrative and criminal proceedings or in the course of investigations by regulators or criminal prosecutors.
The market and economic conditions are improving. “Recently, Nigeria resolved a six-quarter recession and an exchange rate crisis. A better business environment, as well as the recovery of oil prices should help accelerate growth in 2018 to over 2.5% from 0.8% in 2017. However, the inflation persistence to around 12.9% in 2018 may well trigger another depreciation pressure on the Naira,” said Stéphane Colliac, Senior Economist from AGCS sister company, Euler Hermes.
Businesses’ perception of the threat posed by political risks and violence remains relatively unchanged year-on-year. However, respondents are more worried about terrorism. Businesses do not have to be the direct victim to feel the effects. If an attack occurs nearby, the surrounding area may be closed, impacting operations. Globally, a general trend of increased political activism can be anticipated, causing further disruption.
Business interruption (BI) can have a tremendous effect on a company’s revenues. Yet its impact is one of the hardest risks to measure. “No business is too small to be impacted,” says AGCS Africa CEO Thusang Mahlangu, “A severe interruption can even have a terminal impact, particularly for smaller companies. But as many businesses transition from being rich in physical assets to deriving more value from intangibles and services, increasingly, BI is being triggered by non-traditional risk exposures which don’t cause physical damage but result in lost income – so-called nondamage business interruption (NDBI).”
Fire, explosion, which is a major source of BI, is a serious concern for Nigerian businesses, especially considering the many incidents that occurred in 2017. As one of the world’s largest oil and gas producers, the country is highly susceptible to accidental fires that may interrupt power supplies. It is a known fact that power blackouts are prominent in the region. In fact, in a recent outage across the country, the ministry of power blamed it on a fire at a gas pipeline system that interrupted gas supply and affected the national transmission grid. Local businesses should ensure they have a sufficient backup or risk management plan for the production halt.
Cyber incidents through events such as WannaCry and Petya ransomware attacks brought significant financial losses to a large number of businesses. Cyber threats also vary according to company size or industry. “Small companies are likely to be crippled if hit with a ransomware attack, while larger firms are targets of a greater range of threats, such as the DDoS attacks which can overwhelm systems,” says AGCS Cyber Insurance Expert Nobuhle Nkosi.
New technologies rank as the second top risk for the long-term future after cyber incidents globally, with which it is closely interlinked. Vulnerability of automated or even autonomous or self-learning machines to failure or malicious cyber acts, such as extortion or espionage, will increase in future and could have a significant impact if critical infrastructure, such as IT networks or power supply, are involved.
“Although there may be fewer smaller losses due to automation and monitoring minimizing the human error factor, this may be replaced by the potential for large-scale losses, once an incident happens,” explains Michael Bruch, Head of Emerging Trends, AGCS. “Businesses also have to prepare for new risks and liabilities as responsibilities shift from human to machine, and therefore to the manufacturer or software supplier. Assignment and coverage of liability will become much more challenging in future.”
Union Bank of Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment through its alpher initiative by sponsoring the Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) Women and Youth Entrepreneurship Development Centre (WYEDC) Cohort 2 Programme, which has graduated 125 entrepreneurs who have benefited from firsthand entrepreneurship training and business grants.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria account for more than 50% of industrial employment and contribute approximately 48% to the country’s GDP.
This makes entrepreneurship one of the economy’s building blocks and is a testament to Union Bank’s unwavering dedication to national development in partnership with NBCC.
In her welcome speech, the Director General of NBCC, Dr. Ebere Njoku, reiterated NBCC’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, and youth empowerment, citing these as catalysts for economic development and sustainability.
She appreciated the sponsors, partners and facilitators who devoted their resources and time to upskilling the participants.
The entrepreneurship initiative stemmed from the visionary goal of Mr. Ray Atelly, President and Chairman of the Council, NBCC, FRPA, to provide entrepreneurship and grant opportunities to Nigerian women and youths.
Mr. Atelly told the graduates in his speech, “This is your chance, make sure you take it. Don’t let any obstacle stop you because there will be many; if you let it stop you, your dreams are not strong enough. You need to keep pushing, someday you will sit at the top of a conglomerate and people will aspire to be like you.”
Also in attendance was the NBCC’s Patron, Senator Akin Odunsi, FRPA, who congratulated the Cohort 2 graduates.
He said, “I encourage all of you not to take the training you have received for granted. Use it as a landmark opportunity to be a beacon of hope to others who look up to you.”
He also urged the Chamber to provide internship opportunities after the six-month entrepreneurship training in organisations for the incoming Cohort 3 and beyond.
He added that the internship experience will give trainees the unique chance to practice what they learned and, in return, benefit the organisations from their acquired skills.
The goodwill message at the graduation ceremony was delivered on behalf of Mrs. Yetunde Oni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank of Nigeria, by Mrs. Vivian Imoh-Ita, the Bank’s Head of Retail and SME Business, who appreciated NBCC for the life-transforming training they are providing to the youth and women entrepreneurs.
She further stated, “As a Bank, we understand that when we invest in women and youth entrepreneurs, we are investing in the most powerful catalysts of economic transformation. Through the Bank’s alpher initiative, we have enabled success for women-led businesses. In a volatile economy like Nigeria, the challenges facing entrepreneurs are dynamic and significant. As a Bank, we intend to prove that these barriers are not unconquerable and are growth opportunities.”
Three entrepreneurs, namely Evelyn Ekene Ani of Evani.Ng (First place), Martha Padonu of Beyond Photography (Second place), and Therietta Vershima of La Teriz (Third place) were declared winners of the Union Bank Business Pitch competition held during the graduation ceremony and were rewarded with funding for their businesses.
The Bank’s sponsorship of the training demonstrates its commitment to fostering a vibrant, innovative, and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem for women and all individuals.
The trial of three employees of Wema Bank Plc and four others accused of orchestrating N8.9 billion cyber heist has been stalled due to the Eid-el-Kabir public holiday.
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned the bank staff—Samuel Asiegbu, Fabian Onyeimachi, and Kingsley Kejim—alongside four alleged accomplices: Hannah Okunlola Adesokan, Hamza Zakariya, Achionu Ubaku, and Sunday Osademe, before Justice Chukwujekwu Aneke of the Federal High Court in Lagos on May 25, 2025.
The seven defendants face an eight-count charge bordering on conspiracy, cybercrime, and obtaining money under false pretences. They were accused of hacking into Wema Bank’s computer systems in January 2025 and unlawfully transferring N8,568,090,500 to various accounts.
According S.O. Larry Peters, counsel, EFCC, the defendants acted in concert with two other suspects—Nurudeen Ibrahim and Alhaji Sulaiman—who are currently at large. The syndicate allegedly manipulated the bank’s data using sophisticated digital tools to cause financial loss and confer illegal economic gains on themselves.
Peters further revealed that two of the defendants—Hannah Okunlola and Sunday Osademe—provided personal bank accounts for the illicit proceeds. Investigators traced N199 million to Okunlola’s UBA account registered under Search Light Media Concept, and N2.25 million to Osademe’s Union Bank account.
The offences, according to the charge sheet, violate Sections 6(2), 8, 14(1), 14(5), and 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act, 2015, as well as Sections 17(a)(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004.
All seven defendants pleaded not guilty. Following their plea, the court remanded five of the accused in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Services, while Kingsley Kejim continued on existing bail terms.
The court granted a special request by defence counsel to remand Hannah Okunlola in EFCC custody due to medical concerns.
Justice Aneke had adjourned the matter to June 6, 2025, for commencement of trial. However, due to the nationwide Sallah holiday declared by the federal government, the proceedings could not go ahead as scheduled.
A charge reads: “That you, Samuel Ihechukwu Asiegbu, Ejim Kingsley Kelechi, and others now at large, in January 2025, conspired to alter Wema Bank data to cause the loss of N8.568 billion in order to benefit economically, thereby committing an offence under Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrimes Act, 2015.”
The case has drawn significant attention as one of the most audacious cybercrime cases involving bank insiders in Nigeria’s recent history.
The 2025 Ojude Oba celebrations kicked off on Friday evening with “Evening with Glo,” a special event organized by Globacom and headlined by Juju music legend Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi and Fuji maestro Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM 1)
This year marks a significant milestone: Globacom’s 20th anniversary as sponsors of the Ojude Oba festival, an event it has helped transform into a globally recognized cultural spectacle.
The “Evening with Glo” was a vibrant mix of live music, delicious food, and captivating comedy from Gbenga Adeyinka, Bash, and Kiekie. The Conference Hall venue was packed as guests enjoyed more than two hours of Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi’s timeless hits, with the audience singing along and dancing.
Globacom organized the event as a gesture of appreciation to the Ijebu community for their unwavering support over the past two decades of the Ojude Oba festival. “We decided to bring together great sons and daughters of Ijebuland to celebrate our shared heritage, and indulge in the melodious rhythms that resonate deeply throughout Yorubaland,” the company stated.
The company explained their choice of musical icons, noting that the “ageless icon and Juju music maestro, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey, has contributed decades of good, sonorous and philosophical songs to our society. His songs are still as fresh and full of inspirational messages as they were yesterday.”
Regarding KWAM 1, the company highlighted that “For decades, King of Fuji, K1 De Ultimate, the Fuji master, has been a great part of the music firmament in Nigeria, with his unique brand of Fuji that has elicited huge interest.”
The event saw a strong turnout of prominent Ijebu figures, including the Olori of Oba Awujale, Chief Mrs. Olukemi Adetona; the Coordinator of Ojude Oba Festival Planning Committee, Professor Fassy Yusuff; and a committee member and Iyalode of Ijebuland, Chief Mrs. Bisi Osibogun.
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