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Lagos, April 17, 2026 – Fidelity Bank Plc, a tier one lender, has reaffirmed its commitment to health and social welfare with the donation of food and essential items to inmates at the Enugu Maximum Security Custodial Centre. The outreach was carried out by the newly inducted Legacy Class of 2026 and executed under the bank’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) platform known as the Fidelity Helping Hands Project (FHHP). Through the FHHP, staff identify areas of critical interventions in their immediate communities, raise funds and then receive matching financial …

Washington, April 17, 2026 – President Donald Trump struck an optimistic tone for prospects that the US and Iran could clinch a permanent ceasefire as the two sides discuss an extended truce ahead of its expiration next week. “It’s looking very good that we’re going to make a deal with Iran, and it’s going to be a good deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House Thursday. Talks between Washington and Tehran could resume this weekend, he said. Trump claimed, without evidence, that Iran had agreed to terms it has …

Perth, April 17, 2026 – Oil prices fell in early trade on Friday on optimism the Middle East conflict could ​be nearing an end after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon ‌and Israel took effect and President Donald Trump said the U.S. and Iran may meet for talks on the weekend. Brent crude futures declined by 61 cents, ​or 0.61%, to $98.78 a barrel at 0707 GMT. U.S. West Texas ​Intermediate crude futures fell 89 cents, or 0.94%, to $93.8 ⁠a barrel, trimming gains from the previous session. Addressing a key sticking ​point …

Lagos, April 16, 2026 – Polaris Bank has graduated 58 exceptional new hires from its flagship Polaris Graduate Intensive Training (PGIT) and Polaris Tech Ignite Programme (PTIP), reinforcing its commitment to building world-class talent in Nigeria. The ceremony, attended by senior leadership and invited guests, celebrated a highly selective cohort drawn from over 10,000 applicants – placing them among the top 0.58% who successfully made the cut. The milestone underscores the bank’s rigorous standards in identifying and grooming future leaders. Addressing the graduates, Managing Director/CEO, Mr. Kayode Lawal, delivered a …

Lagos, April 16, 2026 -Fidelity Bank Plc has extended its its recently lauched “Give Her Power” initiative to Ogun State, empowering 100 women with vocational tools designed to strengthen their economic independence and boost household income. The outreach is part of the Bank’s nationwide rollout of the initiative, which was unveiled earlier in March during the signing of strategic Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with partner organisations to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day. The event, which held at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta, featured the distribution of 50 …

Tehran, April 16, 2026 – The military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Wednesday warned that Iran would sink American ships in the Strait of Hormuz if the United States decided to “police” the key shipping bottleneck. The US is imposing a military blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Iran blocked shipping during over six weeks of war in a conflict which is on hold as a fragile two-week ceasefire remains in place. “Mr Trump wants to become the police of the Strait of Hormuz. Is this …

Abuja, April 16, 2026 – Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose to 15.38% in March 2026 from 15.06% in February 2026. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) disclosed this in its latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released on Wednesday. On month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in March 2026 was 2.17% higher than the rate in February 2026. This means that the rate of increase in the average price level in March 2026 was higher than the rate of increase in the average price level in February 2026. The core …

Abuja, April 16, 2026 – Nigeria’s public debt rose to N159.28 trillion in December 2025 from N153.29 trillion in September 2025 due to new borrowings. The public debt stood at N144.67 trillion in December 2024 from where it rose to N153.29 trillion in September 2025. The Debt Management Office (DMO) disclosed this on Tuesday in its latest statistics on the debt stock. It indicated that the new figure represented a quarter-on-quarter increase of N5.98 trillion, or 3.9 per cent, from N153.29 trillion recorded at the end of September 2025. The external debt rose to N74.43 …

Lagos, April 16, 2026 – Dr Muda Yusuf, the Chief Executive of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), a private think tank, has attributed the high inflation rate in March 2026 to the increasing energy costs caused by the Iran war. Yusuf made this observation on Wednesday in a policy brief on the inflation report. He said the inflation rate is largely reflective of renewed energy price pressures which continue to permeate production, transportation and distribution costs across the economy. “Energy remains a critical cost driver in …

Cotonou (Benin), April 16, 2026 – The ECOWAS Observation Mission for Sunday’s presidential election in Benin has congratulated opposition candidate Paul Hounkpe on conceding defeat and called for a national dialogue to promote political inclusion and social cohesion in the country. Hounkpe congratulated the Finance Minister and the ruling Coalition’s victorious candidate, Romuald Wadagni, before the National Electoral Commission, CENA, declared the provisional results, giving Wadagni 95.05% of the votes against Hounkpe’s 5.95%. In its 15-page Preliminary Declaration read in Cotonou on Tuesday, 14 April, by the Head of Mission, …