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CBN to keep Dormant Accounts Money in UBTF for investing in TBs 

Justifying this move, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, said that monies in dormant accounts in banks are susceptible to fraud.

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The CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso says that the monies in dormant accounts and unclaimed balances with banks for at least 10 years will be warehoused in a dedicated account known as the Unclaimed Balances Trust Fund Pool Account (UBTF).

According to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System, the number of dormant bank accounts in Nigeria is over 19.69 million, with an estimated over N850 billion deposits.

According to the NIBSS data, dormant accounts remained above 19 million every month since February 2024, with December closing at 19,697,125 inactive accounts.

This represents an increase of 1,205,000 from January’s figure of 18,492,169, marking a 6.51 percent rise over the year.

The peak was recorded in May and June when the number reached 20.57 million before dropping slightly in the second half of the year.

The data further shows that there was an increase of 2.08 million dormant accounts between the first six months of 2024 before the CBN’s July directive on such accounts.

The apex bank explains that the funds from dormant accounts, and unclaimed balances may be invested in Nigerian Treasury Bills and other government securities.

The CBN, in its new guidelines, which is a review of the guidelines issued in October 2015, exempted dormant accounts and unclaimed balances under litigation and investigation.

The guideline reads, “CBN shall treat unclaimed balances (dormant accounts and financial assets) as follows:

“Open and maintain the ‘UBTF Pool Account’, maintain records of the beneficiaries of the unclaimed balances warehoused in the UBTF Pool Account.

“Invest the funds in Nigerian treasury bills (NTBs) and other securities as may be approved by the ‘Unclaimed Balances Management Committee.

“Refund the principal and interest (if any) on the invested funds to the beneficiaries not later than 10 working days from the date of receipt of the request and where it is imperative to extend the timeline, a notice of extension shall be communicated to the requesting FI stating reasons for the extension.”

Justifying this move, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, said that monies in dormant accounts in banks are susceptible to fraud.

At the end of the 296th meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee in Abuja, Cardoso said,

“Concerning dormant accounts, what I found personally is if you leave accounts dormant in banks, sometimes more than when you don’t leave them dormant in banks. In fact, most times, they are more susceptible to fraudsters copying your identity and trying to gain hold of the system to grab your money. So, that is a problem I think most money banks face.”

“The policy and the directive are meant to ensure that all those monies come to the central bank for safekeeping and it is at zero cost to the beneficiaries.

All that will happen is that the central bank will manage the money within our possession and when the rightful owner surfaces, the money is returned plus whatever income is accrued to you.”

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Business

Dangote refinery gets new CEO

David Bird is the former head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery

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The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has appointed David Bird, the former head of Oman’s Duqm Refinery, as its new Chief Executive Officer.

A report by S&P global on Friday said, Bird heads the refinery’s petroleum and petrochemicals division in a strategic move to overcome production challenges and advance its next wave of expansion.

Effective from July 2025, the former Shell head of operations at its Balau Pokom refinery stepped in as CEO of the Dangote Group’s fuels and petrochemicals business, which commissioned the world’s largest single-train refinery last year.

The CEO participated at the just concluded Dangote Leadership Development Program Graduation Ceremony.

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Business

Trump Imposes 15% tariff on Nigerian Imports

Under the revised tariff schedule:15% tariffs now apply to Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, South Korea, Turkey, Japan, Israel, Norway, and several others.10% tariffs target countries such as the Falkland Islands, the United Kingdom, and others not explicitly listed.

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US President Donald Trump has approved a 15 percent import tariff on Nigeria and dozens of other countries.

The White House announced the implementation of the new reciprocal tariff rates on Thursday.

In April, Trump imposed a 14% tariff on Nigerian imports, citing the need for fairer trade terms.

That move was followed by a 90 – day grace period to allow time for bilateral trade negotiations, pushing the final decision deadline to August 1.

However, the majority of talks failed to result in new trade agreements.

As a result, the new tariff rates are now being implemented, with Nigeria among dozens of countries facing increased duties under the revised plan.

African countries, including Nigeria, were unable to secure individual trade deals with the United States despite urgent efforts from both sides.

During the negotiation window, Trump also reintroduced travel restrictions targeting several African nations. Though Nigeria was initially exempt, it was later added to the list as the policy evolved.

Under the revised tariff schedule:15% tariffs now apply to Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, South Korea, Turkey, Japan, Israel, Norway, and several others.10% tariffs target countries such as the Falkland Islands, the United Kingdom, and others not explicitly listed.

Tariffs climb to 18% for Nicaragua, 19% for countries like Indonesia and Pakistan, and 20% for countries like Indonesia and Pakistan, and 20% for Bangladesh, Vietnam, and others.

10% tariffs target countries such as the Falkland Islands, the United Kingdom, and others not explicitly listed.Tariffs climb to 18% for Nicaragua, 19% for countries like Indonesia and Pakistan, and 20% for Bangladesh, Vietnam, and others.

More severe penalties include 25–41% tariffs for countries like India, South Africa, Iraq, and Syria.

Switzerland faces a steep 39% duty, while Laos and Myanmar are hit with 40%.Syria tops the list at 41%.

Meanwhile, negotiations are still ongoing with China, Washington’s main trade rival.

Canada is facing a 35% tariff, while Mexico was hit with a trio of levies, including a 50% duty on metals. Brazil, previously under a 10% tariff, was slapped with an additional 40% charge on Thursday, bringing its total to 50%.

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Business

EU accuses online giant Temu of selling ‘illegal’ products

EU regulators believe Temu is not doing enough to protect European consumers from dangerous products and that it may not be acting sufficiently to mitigate risks to users.

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The European Union accused Chinese-founded online shopping giant Temu on Monday of breaking the bloc’s digital rules by not “properly” assessing the risks of illegal products.

AFP reports that TEMU, wildly popular in the European Union despite only having entered the continent’s market in 2023, Temu has 93.7 million average monthly active users in the 27- country bloc.

EU regulators believe Temu is not doing enough to protect European consumers from dangerous products and that it may not be acting sufficiently to mitigate risks to users.

Evidence showed that there is a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products on the platform,” the European Commission said in its preliminary finding.

It pointed to a mystery shopping exercise that found consumers were “very likely to find non-compliant products among the offer, such as baby toys and small electronics.”

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