Fidelity Bank Plc has won two honours at the 2026 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

The bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, received the Award for Excellence in Banking Leadership, while Fidelity Bank was named Best Bank in Oil and Gas Financing.

The awards were presented at the 14th BAFI Awards held recently at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

According to BusinessDay Media Limited, the leadership award recognises banking executives who have delivered institutional growth, strengthened shareholder value, promoted innovation and inclusion, and contributed to the development of Nigeria’s financial services sector.

Onyeali-Ikpe thanked the organisers and dedicated the award to Fidelity Bank’s customers, board, management and employees.

“I am deeply honoured to receive the Award for Excellence in Banking Leadership. I sincerely thank BusinessDay Media Limited for this recognition and dedicate it to our valued customers, whose trust and support have strengthened and inspired me throughout my career.

“The African philosophy of Ubuntu teaches us, ‘I am because we are.’ In that spirit, this honour also belongs to the board, management and staff of Fidelity Bank Plc, whose dedication and professionalism continue to drive our vision of a stronger, more innovative and customer-focused financial institution,” she said.

Onyeali-Ikpe has more than three decades of banking experience spanning retail, corporate and commercial banking, treasury and business development. Since becoming the Chief Executive Officer, she has led Fidelity Bank through sustained growth and an expansion of its international operations, including the acquisition of the former Union Bank UK, now FidBank UK Limited.

The Best Bank in Oil and Gas Financing award recognised Fidelity Bank’s support for projects across Nigeria’s energy value chain.

The bank financed the development of an onshore crude oil export terminal at the Otakikpo Marginal Field in Rivers State. It also supported the Pinnacle Oil and Gas Terminal in Lekki and part-financed a 23,000-cubic-metre liquefied petroleum gas carrier for Temile Development Company Limited.

Fidelity Bank also participated in the $3bn SNEPCo Contractor Finance Facility, which provides naira and dollar financing to indigenous contractors working on SNEPCo projects.

The projects are expected to strengthen local participation, petroleum product distribution, gas availability and critical energy infrastructure.

The two awards underscore Fidelity Bank’s growing profile in the financial services industry and its role in financing sectors critical to Nigeria’s economic development.

The United Bank for Africa (UBA) is poised to give five young Nigerians a shot at getting a share of N41million in educational grants towards their university education.

The Bank, through UBA Foundation National Essay Competition (NEC), is the much talked about life changing opportunity and it is back for with the 16th edition, and this year, with even more reason for young writers to put pen to paper and change their lives in the process.

Previously, there was a lot of talk around education not given priority or due reward as against reality shows or ephemeral activities. Now that talk is gone with the wind.

The UBA annual competition is designed to give senior secondary school students across Nigeria a platform to express their ideas, showcase their writing and critical thinking skills, which will see the top five finalists, receive financial support throughout their university education.

Most importantly, the prize pot has just gotten bigger as the first-place winner will receive a N15 million university grant, while the second and third-place winners will receive N10 million and N7.5 million respectively. It gets even more rewarding as the fourth and fifth-place winners – introduced for the first time ever in the competition – will also receive N5 million and N3.5 million each.

Participants will be expected to tackle a question that directly affects Nigeria’s future: “No nation can develop without food security. How can Nigeria deal with this problem?” That means this is a chance not just to write, but to think, question, and propose practical ideas for a challenge that affects everyone.

The opportunity is open to Nigerian every senior secondary school student.

According to a statement made available to this medium, applications close Friday, October 23, 2026.

The essay is expected to be handwritten and in not more than 750 words, with applications submitted through the competition’s digital portal, https://www.ubagroup.com/nec/

Dangote Petroleum Refinery has achieved a significant operational milestone, recording an average capacity utilization of 105.21 percent in August 2026, according to data released by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

The 700,000 barrels-per-day refinery processed an average of 736,470 barrels of crude oil per day in August, a substantial increase from 497,000 barrels per day in July when utilization stood at 71 percent.

The strong performance was supported by a rebound in domestic crude oil supply, with deliveries rising by 16.75 percent to 683,000 barrels per day during the month, enabling the refinery to ramp up throughput.

The improved throughput translated into average daily production of 84.43 million litres of refined white products, including Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, Automotive Gas Oil, AGO or diesel, and Aviation Turbine Kerosene, ATK, further reinforcing its role as a major supplier of refined petroleum products across Nigeria and the wider West African region.

Speaking on the development, the Dangote Group said the achievement underscores the refinery’s growing contribution to Nigeria’s energy security, foreign exchange conservation, and industrial growth agenda.

The refinery continued to significantly reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported petroleum products during the review period. Domestic PMS deliveries from the refinery rose by 39 percent month-on-month to 35.87 million litres per day in August, accounting for approximately 71 percent of total domestic petrol supply.

The increased local supply contributed to a sharp decline in fuel imports, with national PMS imports falling by 26 percent to 14.60 million litres per day, highlighting the refinery’s expanding impact on the domestic fuel market.

Beyond meeting a significant portion of Nigeria’s domestic fuel requirements, the refinery also strengthened the country’s export profile through robust shipments of refined products.

In August, the refinery exported an average of 9.73 million litres of PMS daily, alongside 8.75 million litres of diesel and 21.30 million litres of aviation fuel. These volumes further support Nigeria’s emergence as a net exporter of refined petroleum products and contribute to increased foreign exchange earnings for the country.

The refinery’s growing production capacity was particularly evident in the diesel market, where domestic AGO deliveries averaged 12.37 million litres per day. This level of output substantially reduced the need for imported diesel, with national diesel imports declining from 7.90 million litres per day in July to 1.30 million litres per day in August.

The development reflects the refinery’s increasing ability to support critical sectors of the economy, including transportation, manufacturing, agriculture, telecommunications, and power generation.

According to the Group, the ability to operate above nameplate capacity demonstrates the efficiency, reliability, and resilience of its operations. The milestone also reinforces investor confidence as the refinery’s ongoing public offering continues to attract significant market attention.

Dangote Group reiterated its commitment to maximizing local value addition, supporting economic diversification, and ensuring the sustainable supply of high-quality refined petroleum products to Nigeria, Africa, and global markets.