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Nigerian stars are set to take centre stage in this week’s UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 fixtures, with in-form Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen spearheading Galatasaray’s bid to maintain their impressive European run.

Osimhen, who has found the net three times in two Champions League appearances this season, will aim to extend his scoring streak when Galatasaray visit Ajax Amsterdam at the Johan Cruyff Arena tomorrow night.

After an opening 5-1 defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt, the Turkish champions bounced back with successive wins – a hard-fought 1-0 triumph over Liverpool followed by a 3-1 victory against Bodø/Glimt. The resurgence has been driven by Osimhen’s brilliance in attack, as he scored the winner against Liverpool and bagged a brace against Bodø/Glimt while assisting the third goal.

Despite enduring a slow start to the season due to transfer uncertainties and injury setbacks, the Nigerian striker has rediscovered his rhythm, netting six goals in ten appearances across all competitions. A win in Amsterdam could push Galatasaray closer to sealing a spot in the knockout rounds.

Elsewhere, several other Nigerians will also feature prominently across Europe’s biggest stage.

At the Fortuna Arena in Prague tonight, Igho Ogbu and David Moses will line up for Slavia Prague against an in-form Arsenal side that has yet to drop a point in the group stage. The Gunners have scored eight goals and kept a perfect defensive record in Europe, marking them as one of the competition’s top contenders. Slavia Prague, still seeking their first win of the campaign, will need something special to stop Mikel Arteta’s high-flying side and revive their hopes of progressing.

Beyond these headline fixtures, other Nigerian internationals will also be in action. Bruno Onyemaechi’s Olympiacos face PSV Eindhoven tonight.

In Belgium, Raphael Onyedika is expected to return to Club Brugge’s midfield when they host Barcelona tomorrow. The Belgian side will be desperate to respond after a 4-0 drubbing by Bayern Munich in their last group match. Barcelona, however, arrive in strong form, having recorded back-to-back Champions League victories and a 3-1 La Liga win over Elche at the weekend.

Ademola Lookman’s Atalanta clash with Olympique Marseille tomorrow, while George Ilenikhena’s Monaco travel to Norway for a tricky tie against Bodø/Glimt tonight.

In Portugal, Bayer Leverkusen with Nathan Tella will strive to return to winning ways after their 3-0 mauling at Bayern Munich when they face Jose Mourunho inspired Benfica tomorrow.

As Matchday 4 unfolds, all eyes will be on Victor Osimhen – the man in form and at the heart of Galatasaray’s European dream – as he leads Nigeria’s contingent into another crucial week of Champions League football.

UCL: TODAY’S MATCHES

Napoli vs. Frankfurt

Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal

Atletico vs. Saint-Gilloise

Juventus vs. Sporting CP

Liverpool vs. Madrid

Olympiakos vs. PSV

PSG vs. Bayern

Tottenham vs. Copenhagen

The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has supported indigent detainees with free legal representation and works to speed up criminal trials.

The organisation said that it achieved this through its ongoing Reform Pre-Trial Detention Project that is helping to ensure that all Nigerians, regardless of their social status, have access to justice without financial barriers.

The organisation added that the initiative had already provided legal aid to over 20,900 indigent detainees, resulting in several being granted bail, discharged, or convicted after delayed cases were finally heard.

Head of Programmes for PPDC, Aniekwe Ogechukwu said this during a Justice Walk in Abuja at the weekend ahead of the Access to Justice Parley next week.

Ogechukwu decried the loss of public trust in the judiciary.

He said many Nigerians now believe justice can be bought, a perception he said the organisation was determined to change through its interventions.

Ogechukwu explained that the Reform Pre-Trial Detention Project-a three-year initiative that began in 2023-operates across five states: Plateau, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Kaduna, and the Federal Capital Territory.

‘The project ensures that, no matter your background or status, you still have the right to justice. It is free, and it helps those who cannot afford legal fees,’ he said.

He revealed that through the deployment of a new case management system and virtual court hearing technology, delays caused by logistics challenges-such as lack of transport from custodial centres to courts-had been drastically reduced.

‘We can now pull up case files in four minutes, and judges can preside virtually from anywhere in the world,’ he noted.

The programme, supported by the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), also focuses on educating citizens about their rights during arrests and trials.

Ogechukwu stressed that the PPDC’s goal was to make justice accessible to the poor and marginalised, not just the elite.

‘Many interventions in Nigeria tend to benefit the powerful. Our aim is to take justice to the grassroots and empower citizens to speak out for themselves,’ he said.

In another twist to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis, Vice Chairman (Northcentral) Abdulrahman Mohammed, accompanied by supporters, yesterday swept into the Wadata Plaza National Secretariat and moved into the National Chairman’s office.

He was proclaimed acting National Chairman by a faction on Friday following the suspension and counter-suspension by National Working Committee (NWC) member.

Mohammed belongs to the National Secretary’s faction in the Samuel Anyanwu versus National Chairman Iliya Damagum’s face-off.

The face-off was escalated after Friday’s judgment by Justice James Omotoso of the Federal High Court which invalidated the November 15-16 National Convention of the party and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to recognise the convention if held.

The take-over was not without a drama as some national secretariat staff members loyal to Damagum, who was not in office yesterday, attempted to forcibly remove Anyanwu from the Secretariat.

The Police moved in and calmed the situation before eventually ordering all staff members and visitors out of the secretariat after which the main gate was shut.

On arrival, Mohammed was received by Anyanwu, who conducted him round the offices in the secretariat.

However, a group within the party, the ‘PDP Patriots,’ flayed Mohammed and pledged its support and loyalty to the Damagum camp.

Led by the former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr. Mike Omeri, they said it was curious that Mohammed who was suspended turned around to proclaim himself as national chairman.

There were speculations that Damagun, who was suspended by the Anyanwu faction, earlier met his faction of the NWC.

Mohammed said: ‘Today is another good day for the PDP family across Nigeria. You can see that everyone is happy to have a new leadership in the PDP. I am here as the Acting National Chairman of our great party, and by the grace of God, under my leadership, I will do everything possible to bring everyone together under one umbrella.

‘PDP is beyond one individual. We will work as a team to ensure a smooth process that will lead to a successful outing in 2027.’

He pledged to engage stakeholders across the country to heal divisions within the party and restore the confidence of members and supporters.

Mohammed added: ‘We will liaise with everyone, hear from them, and receive their guidance to make PDP one united family again. By the grace of God, we will sustain our slogan – power to the people – because power belongs to the people. We are confident that we will reclaim power in 2027.’

On how the party plans to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), despite the internal crises, Mohammed said his faction would be guided by the party’s constitution.

He said: ‘We are assuring Nigerians that by 2027, power will return to the PDP. We are currently reviewing our constitution to ensure that all organs of the party function effectively. We will normalize structures across the 36 states and the FCT to guarantee a smooth internal process.’

Mohammed expressed optimism that his leadership would mark a turning point, saying: ‘We are determined to rebuild the PDP as a credible opposition. We will not allow internal conflicts to distract us from our goal of reclaiming power and delivering better governance to Nigerians.’

‘BoT should intervene in crisis’

The ‘PDP Patriots,’ which reiterated its support for Damagum, urged the Board of Trustees (BoT) to urgently find a lasting solution to the crisis.

Omeri told reporters in Abuja that as the custodians and conscience of the party, the BoT should, as a matter of urgency, intervene and restore order.

He said: ‘We wish to unequivocally dissociate ourselves from the so-called suspended members of the party who inadvertently claimed to be acting National Chairman of the party.’

‘This was done without consultation, and the defendants in the case unashamedly converted themselves to plaintiffs in a case they sought to prosecute in the interest of members of the party nationwide. In addition, they invaded the party headquarters, promoting thuggery and attempting to take over the party unlawfully.

‘In this regard, we call on members of the PDP Board of Trustees, who are the custodians and conscience of the party, to, as a matter of urgency, step in and find a lasting and remedial solution to the current affairs of the party.’

Thus, Justice Salami declared, with measured finality: ‘Consequently, the hue and cry that there has been a retroactive legislation is most unjustifiable.’

Now, Justice Salami is retired. So, this could be a mere legal opinion, to which serving jurists could differ. Yet, such is his sure-footed references that a fit may be seizing the Jonathan camp!

Which is why Dr. Jonathan would naturally permit himself to wonder: is that jurist after me, for past wrongs done him when I was president? Ha!

In fairness to Dr. Jonathan, it was strictly a judicial affair, though triggered by the excitable politics of the moment. Seeing the Salami Court of Appeal retrieving PDP stolen votes in the then Yoruba opposition bastion of the South West, Iyiola Omisore, then a senator, penned a controversial piece in The Guardian.

That piece – more angry than sober – insinuated Justice Salami might be an Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) judicial mole, an insinuation not only reckless but almost equating an apostasy, given Justice Salami’s whistle-clean image.

Somehow, however, the late Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, came up with a ‘promotion’ for the PCA: a seat on the Supreme Court, at which Justice Salami balked.

The CJN called it promotion. Justice Salami called it elimination – elimination from the Court of Appeal, because that court had retrieved stolen votes from the ruling PDP!

Omisore was clearly peeved, because the last retrieval was in Osun: the judicial sacking of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola, for ACN’s Rauf Aregbesola, the rightful winner of the 2007 election – but three-and-a-half years after, in November 2010!

After CJN Katsina-Alu found Justice Salami would not be bullied, his deus-ex-machina, staged at the National Judicial Council (NJC) absurd theatre, was a sudden suspension from office, after an alleged misdemeanour, by Salami.

The trigger was another Sokoto gubernatorial judicial challenge. In the ensuing exchange, CJN claimed PCA had ‘lied’ against him. That stalemate lasted between August 2011 and May 2013.

Dr. Jonathan’s role was how his government hurried to affirm Salami’s ‘suspension’, but tarried to obey his reinstatement, by the same NJC, after it found the jurist did no wrong.

But by then, CJN Katsina-Alu had retired, and new CJN Dahiru Musdapher crested Nigeria’s judicial system. PCA Salami statutorily retired, with his honour intact, on 15 October 2013.

Which is why Jonathan would wonder: is Salami after me? Again, not likely; though the mind of the guilty, who are always afraid (to filch the title of one of James Hadley Chase’s crime fiction thriller novels), could run that way.

But whatever the jurist’s motive by his legal opinion, it could well help to jar Jonathan back into the stark reality, from his reported latest dreamy fixation.

Smell the coffee: the PDP, that staged the 2007 vote heist, is in disarray. The ADC door is slammed shut – isn’t ADC an Atiku Abubakar special purpose vehicle (SPV)? The old South East/South-South alliance, that served Jonathan rather well, is all but vanished. Now, Salami has added dreary tales on the legal front!

Old Greek philosopher, Heraclitus was right: you can’t step in the same driver twice! So, on what basis might Jonathan want to run? Well, it’s a democracy!

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun has warned non-state actors planning to disrupt Saturday’s Anambra governorship election to stay away, saying any interference will be met with decisive force.

Egbetokun, represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Department at the signing of the National Peace Accord in Awka yesterday, cautioned the state vigilante group Ebube Agu, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and the Eastern Security Network (ESN) against involvement in election activities.

He said election security rests solely with federal security agencies, warning that anyone bearing arms or obstructing lawful voting would face immediate law enforcement action.

‘Any attempt by IPOB, ESN, or any other non-state actor to interfere with the election shall invite an immediate, coordinated, and overwhelming response,’ the IGP said. ‘The peace of Anambra State shall not be negotiated.

Egbetokun stated that unauthorised persons performing security duties or brandishing weapons would be treated as armed non-state actors and prosecuted under the Firearms Act, the Criminal Code, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

He said the police have activated a zero-tolerance enforcement protocol to ensure full compliance with the Electoral Act, noting that offences such as ballot snatching, vote buying, and voter intimidation are felonies. Officers, he added, had strict orders to arrest offenders immediately and ensure swift prosecution through the Electoral Offences Desk.

The IGP also revealed that specialised cybercrime units had been deployed to counter misinformation, fake news, and online propaganda.

On Election Day, no political appointee, candidate, or VIP would be allowed to move with armed escorts. Only accredited INEC officials, observers, and journalists may move freely between designated areas, while campaigning and partisan displays near polling units remain prohibited.

‘The responsibility for peace rests heavily on political leaders,’ he warned. ‘The police will hold them accountable for the conduct of their supporters.’

The Chairman of the National Peace Committee, former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, represented by General Martin Luther Agwai, said democracy thrives only where human lives are valued.

INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, reaffirmed the commission’s readiness to deliver free, fair, and credible polls, disclosing that 24,000 personnel would be deployed across 5,718 polling units in 21 local governments. He added that 2.8 million voters and 16 political parties would participate in the election.

Eddie Hearn has revealed that Anthony Joshua is set to return to the ring before the end of the year.

The British boxing star last fought in September 2024, when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley.

Despite more than a year away from the ring, where the 36-year-old underwent elbow surgery, promoter Hearn has now issued a positive update on Joshua’s return.

He suggested that the heavyweight could return before the end of the year.

When asked if Joshua will fight on one of three Matchroom events on November 15, December 13 and December 27, Hurn replied: ‘Yes’.

The promoter added: ‘All I’m saying is, if he fights this year, it will just be a run out fight.

‘Because, coming back and fighting in a big arena, in a tough fight after being out for a year and a half, it’s not easy.

‘And it isn’t about the money in this fight this year.’

The Briton was rumoured to be eyeing up a fight against rival Tyson Fury, who has retired from the sport.

AJ has also been heavily linked to events in Africa during early 2026, with several opponents putting their names forward, including Tony Yoka.

He could appear on the undercard of Chris Eubank Jr’s fight against Conor Benn in a huge rematch on November 15.

If the turnaround is too tight, the former World Heavyweight Champion could also be lined up to appear in the US on the undercard of Diego Pacheco vs Kevin Lele Sadjo on December 13 in California.

As this year’s edition of annual FirstBank Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship gathers momentum, top amateur golfers and aspiring golf professionals have taken to golf courses across country horning their skills in preparations for this year’s championship, even as the tournament sponsor, FirstBank of Nigeria Limited promises exciting week for participants.

Played over 54-holes, the Lagos Open Golf Championship, a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) event, administered by the R and A and USGA, attracts top amateur golfers from Nigeria and around the world. Over the years, golfers from far flung South Africa, West Africa sub-region and Kenya have participated in competition.

The championship; which is the longest running amateur golf tournament in the Nigeria, has turnout to be a nursery of some sort for aspiring golf professionals and has produced successful professional golfers.

In 2018, visiting Kenya amateur golfer; Samuel Njoroge stole the show in Ikoyi winning the 57th edition of the championship and has gone on to become a successful professional golfer competing on the European Tour. Others like Andrew Odoh, Willy Gift, Ikoyi Club based Monday Eze are all former winners doing well in the professional elite class. Others like Port Harcourt based Sam Amadi, Peter Eben-spiff, Muyideen Olaitan are renowned top amateurs doing well in their businesses.

Over the years, FirstBank has remained the biggest promoter of golf in Nigeria, transforming the Lagos Amateur Open Golf Championship into a globally recognized event on the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

For two consecutive days last week, US President Donald Trump found time for Nigeria. Piqued by reports of orchestrated killings of Christians in the country, he warned the Nigerian government to do something about it or he will order an invasion of the country by US Forces.

It is not the first time that President Trump will bring his considerable bully pulpit to bear on the internal affairs of an African country. He was only weeks in office, in 2025, when he dragged South Africa through the mud for ‘genocide against White South Africans’. Not stopping at using his Truth Social platform to ventilate his feelings, he signed an Executive Order stopping foreign aid to South Africa and imposed other sanctions. He then proceeded to offer sanctuary to White South Africans under a refugee resettlement scheme. Shaken by the public hostility, President Cyril Ramaphosa scurried to the White House to plead the case of his country.

Trump was also engaged in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the war in the eastern part of the country escalated. Through diplomatic efforts, he brought both sides to the table and brokered a peace deal. While the deal has not completely ended the war, the ferocity seems to have been tempered.

Nigeria is therefore not the first African country that he has come at. In fact, it can be argued that given the country’s strategic importance and the long running security problems in the country, Trump’s intervention is neither surprising nor hasty. What is however peculiar is the context of his intervention and his proposed actions.

First, President Trump declared Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern’. He anchored this decision on the ‘existential threats’ faced by Christians in the hands of ‘Radical Islamists’, and the over 3000 Christians reportedly killed. He mandated a team of congressmen to investigate the matter and report to him. He followed this up a day later with an even more threatening message. In it, he warned that the US will invade the country to wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are killing Christians if the Nigerian government fails to bring an end to the killings.

There are many dimensions to the rather sudden international escalation of the security crisis that Nigeria has faced for nearly two decades now. Each is worth exploring.

First, is there a Christian genocide going on in any part of Nigeria? The answer is no. Available evidence does not support this charge. Across Nigeria, insurgents, bandits and various outlaws have waged a war against peoples and communities. The victims have been largely indiscriminate, distinguished more by choreography than creed. In areas where Christians dominate (like Benue and Plateau states), they have borne the brunt of the attacks that have wasted hundreds of lives. Where Muslims are dominant (like Zamfara, Borno, Yobe and Katsina States), they account for the majority of victims.

By anchoring his intervention on ‘genocide against Christians’, the US President got off on the wrong foot. Indeed, by doing so, he unwittingly caused further division in the country; for while some Nigerian Christians hailed him, Muslims who have also been at the receiving end of this near-collapse in security legitimately feel further victimised. President Trump would have served the cause of peace and security by not making it a ‘Christian genocide’ matter.

In the same vein, the threat to invade the country, ‘guns-a-blazing’, is uncalled for. As the US itself has found out in its invasions of several countries, including Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq, ‘fast, vicious and sweet’ attacks hardly make for long term solutions. The enemies of Nigeria are amorphous and hydra-headed. Some are driven by religious zealotry, some by long-running squabbles over land and resources, and yet others by atavistic pursuits. No fast and sweet attacks will succeed in ending these. The solution will be painstaking, collaborative and combinative.

But is Trump’s intervention all negative? No. In fact one of the positives from his intervention is how it will force the Nigerian government to sit up and face the security challenges of the country. For too long, past and present governments have clearly not done enough to rid the country of these outlaws. In the Northwest, road travel is impossible in large parts. Outside of Kano and Jigawa states, all the remaining five states in the zone have pockets of bandits that regularly terrorise our citizens. The same is true for the Northeast and the North-central. The Southeast, for a decade now, has been held hostage by elements of IPOB, an organisation that seeks the realisation of a break-away Republic of Biafra. Everywhere one turns, the security situation in the country is dire and the efforts, from strategy to tactics to operations, have been clearly inadequate to birth long term peace and end the waste of lives.

How can the US truly help?

President Trump must first get the facts of Nigeria’s insecurity situation right. To do so, he must utilise and prioritise the intelligence-gathering expertise of the career and military diplomats that America has in abundance. He must shun the charlatans and paid agents who are determined to add to the problems for their selfish goals, and those who see the issues purely from the narrow prism of Muslim vs Christian conflict.

Furthermore, he must come around to the reality that what is needed in Nigeria is more and better support for the Nigerian government. For too long, accessing military hardware from the US has been extremely difficult for Nigeria. It is often a surprise that while America eagerly sells military hardware to countries in the Middle East, to India, to South Korea and many others, it is very reluctant to sell to Nigeria. Even worse, intelligence support is virtually unavailable to Nigeria. These are the areas where Trump can bring America’s power to bear on the Nigerian problem. Rather than threaten an invasion, he should find ways to offer the Nigerian military support with easier access to weaponry, as well as intelligence on locations, movements and plans of our enemies.

In the final analysis, the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu now, more than ever before, needs to do better. Over the past two years, focus has been almost exclusively on the economy – with ground breaking policies and programmes designed to unlock Nigeria’s economic potentials. Other critical responsibilities of government have, however, not received the same attention. Diplomacy, in the last two years, has been largely operational and lacking in foresighted strategy. Our embassies have been reduced to providing consular services and little else. Equally, the military continues to mostly run on the same principles and strategies that were inherited from the previous government, principles and strategies that have failed to produce the desired results. This cannot be allowed to continue.

May Nigeria succeed over its many enemies.

Singer Waje has dismissed rumours of a romantic relationship with rapper M.I Abaga, attributing the speculation to their collaborative work on a romantic song in the past.

In a recent episode of The Honest Bunch podcast, Waje clarified that she and M.I were merely friends who came together to create a compelling love story through music.

Waje explained that their hit song ‘One Naira’ sparked the rumors due to its romantic theme, but she emphasised that their collaboration was strictly professional.

‘Because of the rollout and romantic theme of my collaborative song with M.I, One Naira, a lot of people speculated that we were dating. But we never dated. We were just friends who saw how great a love story in a song could be, so we created characters that would help drive the song,’ she said.

She also revealed that M.I’s then-girlfriend equally contributed to the song, providing the voice-over.

‘His then-girlfriend was even the one who did the voice-over, not me,’ she explained.

Waje also expressed unwillingness to settle for an unsuccessful partner, citing her age and the value she places on building a meaningful connection.

Total assets base of Nigeria’s six biggest and main tier 1 banks expanded by about N20.1 trillion in the first nine months of this year to cross the N200 trillion mark, underlining a major expansion in the banking industry.

Official data on the state of the banking industry yesterday showed that total assets of nation’s six largest banks increased from N186.83 trillion in December 2024 to N206.90 trillion by the end of third quarter 2025. This represented an increase of 10.7 per cent of N20.07 trillion.

The six banks are: United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO), Zenith Bank, Access Holdings, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI) and First HoldCo Plc.

The six banks control more than three-quarters of the country’s banking industry assets and are regarded as strategically important to stability of the nation’s financial services sector and the economy. They are euphemistically referred to as ‘first tier’, ‘too big to fail’ banks, which underscore their strategic importance to the economy.

The data, verified by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), indicated that all the banks recorded considerable increase in assets, with the exception of First HoldCo, which suffered a marginal contraction.

The increase in total assets reflected substantial improvements in customers’ deposits across the banks, with total customers’ deposits for the six main banks rising by 17 per cent from N124.81 trillion in December 2024 to N146.01 trillion in September 2025. This represented nominal increase of about N21.2 trillion.

Experts said the increase in the nation’s banking balance sheet was a good development for the economy and reflective of the intrinsic improvement in the overall economic outlook.

Chief Executive Officer, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), Dr. Muda Yusuf said the banks’ balance sheet has correlation with the overall economic outlook.

He said: ‘This is perhaps an indication of the progressive recovery of the economy, because one of the ways in which we know that economic activities are gaining increasing momentum is through their financial transactions. So it’s a reflection of the fact that the economy is recovering, financial and economic activities are increasing, which is reflecting in the financial transactions, which is also reflecting in the total assets of the banks.

‘Secondly, it’s also a reflection of the fact that government revenues are also increasing, because these revenues are also largely within the banking system, and all the transactions, procurements and all of that also go through the banking system.

‘So, generally the portfolios across practically all asset classes have increased significantly, and that is what is reflecting in the total assets of the banks. So it’s something positive, it’s a very good indicator of economic activities and economic recovery’.

He however noted the need for a more active synergy between the banking sector and the real sector of the economy.

According to him, the linkage or synergy between the banking system and the real economy, especially small businesses, is still relatively weak.

‘That is still a challenge, because we have a banking system that is generally risk averse, and the segments of the economy that are job elastic, that deliver more jobs, that deliver more inclusion, are generally sectors that are risky in terms of investment.

‘So, we need to bring some alignment to that, to ensure that the banks align a lot more with the real sector of the economy and small businesses, that way we can see a banking system that is promoting development and not just promoting profitability. We need a banking system that will be ready to at least take some risk exposure, not a banking system that is completely risk averse.

‘A risk averse banking system is not good for economic development, it’s not good for entrepreneurial development, it’s not good for small and medium enterprises (SME_ development, and more importantly it’s not good for real sector development. So we need to have that alignment so that this growth in bank assets can rub off on the real sector of the economy,’ Yusuf said.

Managing Director, HighCap Securities, Mr David Adonri, said the increased in balance sheet base was a ‘good development’.

He however noted the need for the quality of assets and the deployment of the assets as important factors in determining the state of the industry.

He said: ‘The quality of the assets is also important for measuring the soundness of their balance sheet’.

He pointed out that with yield on public debt declining and absence of further foreign exchange (forex) windfall, banks are no longer posting extraordinary income.

He said while the size of the banks are important to the economy, investors would be more concerned with the profitability of such assets.

‘For the economy, bigger banks is excellent but right now for the investors, reduced earnings per share is worrisome,’ Adonri said.

A breakdown showed that UBA’s total assets increased from N30.32 trillion in December 2024 to N32.49 trillion by third quarter 2025. Zenith Bank’s assets rose from N30.38 trillion to N31.18 trillion. Ecobank’s balance sheet size expanded from N43.30 trillion to N47.98 trillion.

Access Holdings maintained the lead from N41.50 trillion to N52.20 trillion. GTCO’s total assets rose to N16.66 trillion as against N14.80 trillion at the beginning of the year. However, First HoldCo’s total assets slipped from N26.52 trillion in December 2024 to N26.40 trillion in September 2025.