Business
#CustomerServiceWeek: Unity Bank Boss Restates Commitment to Customers, Rewards Frontline Staff
In a bid to firmly entrench a customer-first attitude with enduring service culture, Unity Bank has launched a new service charter and Hall of Fame for staff. This is to create an exceptional customer experience as the Bank celebrates the 2021 Customer Service Week.
Unveiling the Service Charter, the Managing Director/CEO of Unity Bank Plc, Mrs Tomi Somefun applauded “customers and Frontline Staff who have promoted professional, courteous, positive and friendly environment; thus provided service that is personalised, empathic, competent, convenient and proactive”.
The Customer Service Week is a week-long celebration, which will hold across the Bank’s over 200 branches from Monday, October 4 to Friday, October 8, 2021. This year’s Customer Service Week is themed “The Power of Service, which is to spotlight the imperatives of service as the world battles a global pandemic and the people on the frontlines who made a difference in the lives of their customers.
The Bank has lined up several activities. The Hall of Fame is the major highlight; to make the week exciting, memorable by rewarding staff who have created exceptional customer service experience in the Bank. Restating the commitment of the Bank to providing excellent customer service, Mrs Somefun said the service charter will drive achieving the bank’s vision and guarantee customer satisfaction.
She said: “We celebrate all our customers for remaining loyal and devoted to us. You have choices of different institutions from which you can choose to do your transactions, but you chose us. Thank you for choosing Unity Bank.
“We appreciate you and remain committed to serving you better. We are not a perfect institution but take our word that we are committed to making sure that we delight you, by investing in continuous improvement and expanding our platforms to enhance service delivery efficiency’’, she reasserts.
“The last couple of months especially have been challenging, but we thank God that we are all alive, and we are still here to serve you and you are still available to be our customers. We believe that we will continue to ride the waves of the pandemic and come out even much better”, she reaffirms further.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to evolving work culture, but the Bank has also evolved with the tide and deployed new customer service experience strategies to mitigate the impact that the new normal may bring to bear in access to its services.
The lender continues to maintain its focus on strategies for technological innovation through which it has evolved digital products such as the USSD banking *7799# in local languages, anti-fraud USSD channel, *7799*9# and mobile banking solution, UniFi which have boosted customers’ access to the Bank’s services, while facilitating convenience and security.
Also speaking, the Chief Customer Service Officer, Unity Bank Plc, Mrs. Titilayo Abraham said: “This year, as we inaugurate this Hall of Fame, we celebrate individuals and teams for their efforts in delivering excellent service to our customers. We will celebrate them particularly for their display of exceptional professionalism in providing great service without borders, going the extra mile to meet and surpass our customers’ needs.
In doing this, they have enhanced customer satisfaction thereby carving a niche for our brand in the industry.”
She added: “Becoming the retail bank of choice in Nigeria is a journey. We shall relentlessly strive to improve service and ensure our customers come first at all times.”
Sterling Bank, on Wednesday, announced the removal of account maintenance fees on all personal accounts, describing the decision as a “gift” to Nigerians in celebration of the country’s 65th Independence Day.
The decision, which follows the abolition of transfer fees on local online transactions in April 2025, was outlined in a statement shared by the bank. The bank said the policy would allow customers to keep more of their earnings, framing it as a step toward financial freedom.
“Every fee we remove is one less barrier between our customers and true financial freedom. This was the rationale behind eliminating transfer fees in April, and it is the same principle we uphold as we eliminate account maintenance fees,” Sterling Bank’s Managing Director, Abubakar Suleiman, said.
The statement highlighted that in 2024 alone, tier-1 banks in Nigeria earned over ₦650 billion from account maintenance and e-banking charges. “This decision cuts at the heart of a revenue model that has long cost Nigerian customers dearly,” the bank noted.
Obinna Ukachukwu, Sterling’s Growth Executive for Consumer and Business Banking, said the initiative was intended to strengthen long-term relationships with customers. “This initiative is about building lasting relationships that fuel sustainable growth. We put transparency and customer value first, and in doing so, we are building a foundation that serves both our customers and Sterling’s future,” he said.
Sterling Bank also framed the removal of fees as part of a broader strategy to make banking more inclusive and customer-focused. The April 2025 transfer fee abolition had already eliminated charges on all local online transactions, easing costs for individuals and small businesses. At the time, Ukachukwu described the move as a values-driven decision aimed at ensuring fair access to money.
“Access to your own money shouldn’t come with a penalty. This is more than a financial decision—it’s about redefining banking to put customers first,” Ukachukwu said.
The latest move aligns with Sterling’s positioning as a bank committed to transparency, customer value, and digital innovation, and it signals a continued effort to reshape banking practices in Nigeria.
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc has reported a profit before tax of N600.9 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2025.
The figure is contained in the company’s audited consolidated and separate financial statements, which were released to the Nigerian Exchange Group and the London Stock Exchange.
The group stated that the performance was driven by growth in core earnings lines, including interest income and fee income, which rose year-on-year by 31.5% and 33.0%, respectively.
It explained that the growth helped to cushion the absence of N493.01 billion in fair value gains recorded in 2024, resulting in a 40 per cent decline.
GTCO stated that its total assets stood at N16.7 trillion, while shareholders’ funds totaled N3.0 trillion during the review period.
It added that its balance sheet remained strong, diversified, and de-risked across operating jurisdictions, as well as its payments, pension, and funds management businesses.
The group disclosed that its Capital Adequacy Ratio closed at 36.2 per cent, while asset quality improved with IFRS 9 Stage 3 loans declining to 3.2 per cent.
At the group level, Stage 3 loans stood at 4.5 per cent, compared with 5.2 per cent in December 2024.
Similarly, the cost of risk improved to 1.7 per cent from 4.9 per cent recorded in December 2024.
The company stated that its net loan book increased by 20.5 per cent, from N2.79 trillion in December 2024 to N3.36 trillion in June 2025.
Deposit liabilities also increased by 16.6 per cent from N10.40 trillion to N12.13 trillion during the same period.
The board of GTCO approved an interim dividend of N1.00 per share for the half year ended June 30, 2025.
Commenting on the results, Segun Agbaje, Group Chief Executive Officer, said the half-year performance reflected business strength and progress towards building a diversified financial services ecosystem.
He said beyond last year’s extraordinary one-off gains, the group was now driving sustainable growth with recurring earnings that demonstrated the resilience and scalability of its model.
Mr Agbaje noted that continued investment in technology, particularly in core banking upgrades, was delivering stronger uptime, efficiency, and greater capacity to scale with a growing customer base.
He added that across banking, funds management, pension, and payments, GTCO was leveraging a de-risked balance sheet to reinforce its market position while maintaining strategic flexibility. According to him, this foundation positions the group to seize emerging opportunities and deliver lasting value for all stakeholders.
Mr Agbaje stressed that GTCO had continued to post some of the best metrics in Nigeria’s financial services industry in terms of key financial ratios. He said the group recorded Pre-Tax Return on Equity of 60.4 per cent, Pre-Tax Return on Assets of 10.6 per cent, Capital Adequacy Ratio of 36.2 per cent, and Cost-to-Income ratio of 30.1 per cent.
NAN
In line with its commitments of promoting sports and developmental initiatives at all levels, First Bank of Nigeria Limited is partnering the organizers of the first of its kind E1 Lagos GP an all-electric powerboat racing championship, set to hold between the 3rd and 5th of October 2025.
Disclosing this at the E1 Lagos GP Stakeholder Immersion session in Lagos recently, Olayinka Ijabiyi, the Acting Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communication of FirstBank, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to supporting initiatives that engender human development across the country while cementing legacies.
“Our involvement in the E1 Lagos GP is about driving legacy and enabling the passions and aspirations that unite Nigerians. We are a bank that has been in business for over 131 years and we recognize that sports drives us as a country, which is why through our First@Sports initiative, we continue to invest in platforms that inspire and elevate our people. We have been supporting legacy sport tournaments like the Georgian Polo Cup which we have hosted for 105 years, and the Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship for 64 years now,” Ijabiyi said.
With the event slated for the start of the fourth quarter, FirstBank is aligning its partnership with the annual DecemberIssaVybe initiative, a campaign that celebrates the vibrant spirit of Nigerians during the festive season by curating unforgettable experiences that blend culture, entertainment and lifestyle. “FirstBank is deeply woven into the fabric of society and the lives of our customers. As presenting partner, we are creating meaningful touchpoints with customers and prospects, offering them a world-class experience of relaxation and celebration that captures the true essence of Lagos during the festive season,” he added.
Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, who was also at the event, described the initiative as an event that will grow not just the sports but also showcase Lagos’s vibrant culture, dynamic people, and global relevance, while commending FirstBank for their support.
The teams owned by notable stars like Tom Brady, LeBron James, Didier Drogba, Will Smith, Marc Anthony, Steve Aoki, Rafael Nadal will compete in the Lagos leg before the 2025 season of the competition terminates in Miami in the United States.
