Millions of customers of Fidelity Bank Plc have been stranded and not being able to access their funds for more than a week as the bank said it is undergoing system maintenance after customers complained of challenges across all its banking channels.

Customers of the bank who had taken to social media to register their complaints said they had been unable to access their funds through any of the channels or within the banking halls since last week.

LEADERSHIP findings also revealed that the customers are unable to make transfers via their mobile applications or make use of their debit cards. Within the banking halls visited, bank staff were helpless as they could not execute transfers or pay cash over the counter to customers.

Similarly, the ATMs of the banks were not paying. A customer, who was too distraught to identify himself, lamented that despite having funds in his account, he has been unable to settle his child’s medical bills. “How do they expect us to survive without access to our own money?”

An X user lamented that “it has been over seven days now and I cannot access my account via online or code.” The bank had not issued any notice to its customers prior to the disruption of service last week, leaving many customers stranded.

On Monday, the bank had sent an email  to customers, apologising for the service disruption, adding that it was working to fix it. The email had read “we sincerely apologise for the challenges you are experiencing while using our banking channels.

“We are working hard to resolve the issue and will provide you with an update as soon as normal service has been restored. We thank you for your understanding and assure you of our continued commitment to serving you.”

However, two days after the first email, customers are yet to get a respite or access their accounts with the bank. This had prompted the bank to send out another message to its customers via email and the social media platforms stating that due to the disruption of service, it had to embark on system maintenance.

“Following a recent service disruption we experienced on our banking channels, we have had to carry out a system maintenance exercise. We understand that this exercise has led to difficulties in transacting on your account in the last few days and we apologise deeply for this.

“The ongoing maintenance exercise is needed to help us to improve the performance of our banking channels and enhance our service delivery. We solicit your understanding during this period and wish to assure you that we are working hard to conclude the exercise as soon as possible.”

Last year, millions of bank customers had been stranded after three banks embarked on system upgrades, leaving customers without access to their accounts for days.

Edo State, the ‘heartbeat of the nation’ in the last week, has recorded well over 32 deaths across the state. Most of the deaths were caused by man, while one was a result of natural occurrence. The death, however, raised concern among residents of the state.

The latest orgy of the killing was in Okpekpe, a community in Etsako

East local government area of Edo state. Okpekpe became prominent for hosting the popular annual International Marathon race, sadly losing its reputation owing to the tragic killing of two indigenous people of the community by killer Herdsmen.

The victims, Batemue Philip Ebo and Christopher Bello were gruesomely butchered on Monday morning. The killing, considered strange in Okpekpe, left members of the community in utter shock and fear.
Also, in Ovia South West local government area of Edo State, a clash between cocoa farmers and some farm produce thieves left no fewer than 28-person deaths with properties worth millions of naira lost in the wake of the deadly attack.

The vigilantes were said to have killed four of the Izon boys. A development which led those sympathetic to the Izon boys to carry out a reprisal attack.

As the authorities battle to bring under control the wanton killings, another tragedy struck in the same week as a middle-aged man died after he was hit by a fallen broadcast mast at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium.

The mast had fallen on the man during a heavy breeze that preceded a heavy down, which disrupted a praise night planned as part of activities to mark Governor Monday Okpehbolo’s 100 days in Office.
In a similar development, the police also announced the arrest of one Kelvin Izekor for the murder of his wife, Success Izekor, aged 38.

In a viral video, police and residents of the area were seen taking the deceased, who had matches cuts on their head being taken from her apartment into the police Hilux truck.

The couple were said to be newly married, and residents were at a loss as to what could have happened between the couple that led to the killing of Success.

The police public relations officer (PPRO) of Edo State Police Command, Moses Yamu, who confirmed the incident in a statement, stated that the husband was about to be lynched by an irate mob before the police arrived and arrested the suspect.

The Defence Headquarters has said troops on internal security operations across the country have killed 82 terrorists and arrested 198 criminals within one week.

In a statement released on Friday, the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Markus Kangye, said the troops also rescued 93 kidnap victims in one week and recovered 86 high-calibre weapons and 2,040 weapons across the theatres of operation in the country.

According to the DHQ spokesman, 41 terrorists, comprising 10 males, 12 females, and 19 children, surrendered to troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the North East.

He said troops in the Niger Delta region seized crude oil and other products worth over N500 million.

According to him, the breakdown includes 366,530 litres of stolen crude, 117,320 litres of illegally refined diesel, and 600 litres of Kerosene.

He said, “Additionally, troops discovered and destroyed 38 crude oil cooking ovens, 27 dugout pits, 22 boats, three speedboats, 60 storage tanks, 34 drums, and 32 illegal refining sites.

“Troops arrested 22 oil thieves, recovered two and 152 assorted arms and ammunition as well as five magazines among others.”

Giving details on weapons seized, the defence spokesman said troops recovered 46 AK47 rifles, 18 locally fabricated guns, 19 Dane guns, and three pump action guns.

He said the ammunition recovered 1,165 rounds of 7.62mm special ammo, 128 rounds of 7.62mm NATO, 600 rounds of 7.62 x 12.7mm ammo, and 51 cartridges.

The Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, in collaboration with a non-governmental organisation, Photizo Life Foundation (organizers of African Hair Summit), has hosted the 2025 edition of the annual Creativity Week, which was themed “Transforming World, Promoting Sustainable Development”.

The ceremony which turned out to be a successful collaboration with the Ministry, was organised by Adanna Ifeoma Enwezor, founder of the African Hair Summit, as part of their annual community training programme to encourage creativity amongst the youth, opening up opportunities for them in the natural hair industry in Africa.

This ceremony took place at the main hall of Stella Maris College, Life Camp in Abuja, with over 250 students, and also had in attendance dignitaries from the arts and creative sector and parents of the students who were also active guests.

In his opening remarks, the Director overseeing the office of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Mr. Raphael Oremuno, expressed delight with the success of this year’s event, assuring that the ministry will continue to work for the promotion and propagation of Nigeria’s culture, creative arts and digital economy.

According to the Acting Permanent Secretary, the National Creativity Week is aimed at celebrating the power of creativity and providing empowerment, especially for youths of the country.

“In the light of this, it gives me great joy that this particular occasion is directed towards discovering, nurturing and showcasing the innate creative potentials as well as talent of this beautiful, young children of Stella Maris schools life camp Abuja,” he stated.

He acknowledged numerous efforts being made by critical stakeholders in the sector, in the person of Adanna Ifeoma Enwezor, the founder of the African Hair Summit, and also convener of the Afro-Hair Culture and Beauty Festival.

He said this year’s theme resonates with the ability of creativity to transform both the people’s mindset and the country’s economy.

“The theme of this year’s occasion is ‘Transforming the World, and Promoting Sustainable Development’. It is a testament to the ability of creativity to transform not only economically but also the mind, as well as empower everyone to imagine new ideas, make new decisions and take new steps towards making the world a better place through creativity and innovation,” he added.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr. Shuaibu Useni, said the Creativity Week is celebrated on January 18 annually around the globe, noting that it comes with huge potentials for Nigeria’s young population in the area of empowerment and capacity building.

“This event is not just about becoming an entrepreneur but also teaching the young generation how to take care of themselves. Understanding natural hair is very important for our African culture and beauty entrepreneurship.

“I like the fact that we are partnering with the African Hair Summit to get this job done. We need to begin to train our young people on how to maintain natural hair so that they don’t cause health hazards on themselves by using chemicals on their body, “he said.

Also, the Founder and CEO of the African hair summit and Afro-Hair and Beauty Festival, Adanna Ifeoma Emwezo, recalled her ugly experience with the use of inorganic relaxers and chemicals, a situation that became a turning point when she decided to venture into the business of advocating for the promotion and acceptance of natural hair not just in Nigeria but Africa in general.

She expressed delight in partnering with the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Digital Economy to teach and empower the young students.

“I’m passionate about this advocacy. I have been doing this for the past 8 years now, and the responses and results have been impeccably outstanding.

“I urge the Students to make judicious use of what they have been taught today. I thank the minister of Arts, culture and digital economy, and her team for this auspicious collaboration. I’m delighted about this partnership, and I’m happy that this event helped achieve our objectives in propagating the opportunities in the natural hair industry,” she said.

“We welcome more collaborations and partnerships in 2025. A lot of young people need to be empowered to be mentally and physically engaged and productive,” Enwezor added.

The Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy in collaboration with non-governmental organisation, Photizo Life Foundation (Organizers of African Hair Summit) hosted the 2025 edition of the annual Creativity Week, which had as the theme “Transforming World, Promoting Sustainable Development”.

The ceremony which turned out to be a successful collaboration with the Ministry, was organized by Adanna Ifeoma Enwezor, founder of the African Hair Summit as part of their annual schools community training program to encourage creativity amongst the youth opening up opportunities for them in the natural hair industry in Africa. This ceremony took place at the main hall of Stella Maris College, Life camp Abuja with over 250 students, and also had in attendance dignitaries from the arts and creative sector and parents of the students who were also active guests.

In his opening remarks, the Director overseeing the office of the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Mr. Raphael Oremuno expressed delight with the success of this year’s event, assuring that the ministry will continue to work for the promotion and propagation of Nigeria’s culture and creative arts and digital economy.

According to the Acting Permanent Secretary, the National Creativity Week is aimed at celebrating the power of creativity and providing empowerment, especially for youths of the country.

“In the light of this, it gives me great joy that this particular occasion is directed towards discovering, nurturing and showcasing the inate creative potentials as well as talent of this beautiful, young children of Stella Maris schools life camp Abuja”, he stated.

He acknowledged numerous efforts being made by critical stakeholders in the sector, in the person of Adanna Ifeoma Enwezor, the founder of the African Hair Summit, and also convener of the Afro-hair culture and Beauty Festival.

He said this year’s theme resonates with the ability of creativity to transform both the people’s mindset and the country’s economy.

“The theme of this year’s occasion is ‘Transforming the World, and Promoting Sustainable Development’. It is a testament to the ability of creativity to transform not only economically but also the mind, as well as empower everyone to imagine new ideas, make new decisions and take new steps towards making the world a better place through creativity and innovation”.

Also speaking, the Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) Dr. Shuaibu Useni said the Creativity Week is celebrated on 18th January annually around the globe, noting that it comes with huge potentials for Nigeria’s young population in the area of empowerment and capacity building.

“This event is not just about becoming an entrepreneur but also teaching the young generation how to take care of themselves. Understanding natural hair is very important for our African culture and beauty entrepreneurship.

“I like the fact that we are partnering with the African Hair Summit to get this job done. We need to begin to train our young people on how to maintain natural hair so that they don’t cause health hazards on themselves by using chemicals on their body, “he said.

Also, the Founder and CEO of the African hair summit and Afro-hair and Beauty Festival, Adanna Ifeoma Emwezo recalled her ugly experience with the use of inorganic relaxers and chemicals, a situation that became a turning point when she decided to venture into the business of advocating for the promotion and acceptance of natural hair not just in Nigeria but Africa in general.

She expressed delight in partnering with the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Digital Economy to teach and empower the young students.

“I’m passionate about this advocacy. I have been doing this for the past 8 years now, and the responses and results have been impeccably outstanding, ”

“I urge the Students to make judicious use of what they have been taught today. I thank the minister of Arts, culture and digital economy, and her team for this auspicious collaboration. I’m delighted about this partnership, and I’m happy that this event helped achieve our objectives in propagating the opportunities in the natural hair industry, “she said.

We welcome more collaborations and partnerships in 2025. A lot of young people need to be empowered to be mentally and physically engaged and productive.

In its current quest to rid the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of bad eggs, the anti graft commission has detained ten officers of the Lagos Zonal Command over an investigation of some missing items involving them.

This brings the total number of personnel disciplined this week to 37 after sacking 27 others on Monday.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale stated that the officers were arrested last week based on the directives of the executive chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede.

They are currently answering questions about the theft of some operational items they could not account for.

Oyewale stated that investigators are making good progress, and those found culpable will be subjected to internal disciplinary processes.

Just a few days ago, the EFCC announced the dismissal of 27 officers from its workforce who were indicted for fraudulent activities and gross misconduct.

However, the EFCC chairman, Olukoyede, reiterates the commission’s commitment to zero-tolerance corruption, warning that no officer is immune to disciplinary measures.

He said, “Every modicum of allegation against any commission staff would always be investigated, including a trending $400,000 claim of a yet-to-be-identified supposed staff member of the EFCC against a sectional head. The commission’s core values are sacrosanct and would always be held in optimal regard.”

Barring any last-minute change in plans, marketers and retailers of petroleum products will start lifting Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) from the Port Harcourt Refining Company this week.

The Publicity Secretary of the Petroleum Products Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria, Joseph Obele, disclosed this in an exclusive interview with our correspondent.

According to Obele, since the refinery commenced operations in November, it has been supplying fuel to retail outlets owned by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited only.

Though marketers still load fuel from the NNPCL, Obele clarified that the products marketers currently buy from the state-owned oil company were imported.

He expressed concerns that the NNPCL was selling PMS to retailers in Port Harcourt at prices higher than that of Lagos State, pleading that the refinery should sell at N899 per litre instead of N970.

“NNPC is still telling us to buy at a rate different from the rate they are selling to Lagos at the moment because of logistics. So, Port Harcourt retail outlet owners are not really comfortable with that. Hence, the Port Harcourt refinery will start servicing us this week.

“We are also requesting that the same rate NNPC is selling to our members at Lagos should be the rate they will be selling to us over here in Port Harcourt too. We are not really comfortable with that disparity,” he disclosed.

Asked whether or not marketers in Port Harcourt and environs have started buying directly from the NNPC refinery, he replied, “No, but it will commence this week. The trucks loading out are for the NNPC retail outlets only.”

In his request to the NNPC, Obele stated, “We in Port Harcourt, we plead with the NNPC to sell to us at the same rate they are selling fuel to Lagos marketers. The difference is too much. It is N899 per litre in Lagos but N970 in Port Harcourt. It is far higher than that of Lagos.

“The way they explain it, it is like their own vessel will be bringing it and shipping it over to Port Harcourt depot for us to buy. So, we are now saying that since you will be selling directly to us from the refinery, you now have the stock available. Sell to us at the same rate you are selling to Lagos marketers.

“So, that’s where we are right now. Our request is that the NNPC should sell to us from the Port Harcourt refinery at the same rate they are selling the product to those in Lagos.”

Asked if he meant the NNPC was still importing fuel to Lagos, the PETROAN spokesman replied in the affirmative, saying “The stocks in Lagos are imported stocks.”

After several postponements, the NNPC announced in November that the old 60,000 barrels per day Port Harcourt refinery had resumed operations.

The NNPC promised that rehabilitation works at the new Port Harcourt refinery with 150,000 barrels per day capacity would soon be completed.

NNPC spokesman, Olufemi Soneye, confirmed that the refinery currently produces naptha which it blends to produce petrol.