Education
Union Bank’s Union Cares Initiative Celebrates Academic Excellence at Pacelli School for the Visually Impaired Graduation
Union Bank of Nigeria proudly participated in the graduation ceremony of the Pacelli School for the Visually and Partially Sighted on 23 July 2025, honouring the resilience and academic achievements of visually impaired students.
The event, held on the school premises, highlighted the importance of inclusivity and determination in education. As a 108-year-old institution committed to social responsibility, Union Bank’s involvement reflects its enduring support for Persons With Disabilities (PWD) and its dedication to fostering equitable access to education.
The Bank’s Chief Brand and Marketing Officer, Olufunmilola Aluko, expressed her admiration for the graduating students:
“Union Bank proudly stands as a champion of inclusiveness and equitable representation. Through our UnionCares corporate social responsibility initiative, we are committed to supporting vulnerable and underrepresented communities. We celebrate the incredible achievements of these students and reaffirm our dedication to empowering them to reach their full potential.”
UnionCares is Union Bank’s CSR Arm focused on creating sustainable social impact in key areas, including:
Support for Vulnerable Groups: Empowering persons with disabilities and other marginalised communities through inclusive initiatives.
Education and Skill Development: Facilitating access to education and practical skills that promote self-reliance and opportunity.
Community Well-Being: Enhancing the overall quality of life of communities through health, education, and social welfare projects.
Union Bank remains honoured to collaborate with institutions dedicated to uplifting less-recognised members of society. The Bank remains dedicated to championing initiatives that inspire positive change, and foster a more inclusive, enlightened community across Nigeria.
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Note to Editors:
About Union Bank of Nigeria Plc
Established in 1917, Union Bank is a leading provider of financial services in Nigeria, renowned for its “Simpler, Smarter Banking” philosophy. With a nationwide network and a strong focus on digital innovation, Union Bank continues to empower individuals, businesses, and the public sector to achieve lasting success.
The Bank is a trusted and recognisable brand with an extensive network of over 300 branches across Nigeria. The Bank offers various banking services to individual and corporate clients, including current, savings, and deposit account services, funds transfer, foreign currency domiciliation, loans, overdrafts, equipment leasing, and trade finance. The Bank also offers customers convenient electronic banking channels and products, including Online Banking, Mobile Banking, Debit Cards, ATMs, and POS Systems.
More information can be found at: www.unionbankng.com
Media Enquiries:
Favour Ayeni
+234 (0) 201 271 6800
Education
NFVCB Boss Urges Stronger Distribution Channels As Coal City Film Festival 2026 Opens In Enugu
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Dr Shaibu Husseini, has called for stronger distribution frameworks within Nigeria’s film industry to ensure that locally produced content achieves global visibility.
Dr Husseini made this call while delivering the keynote address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 edition of the Coal City Film Festival, held in Enugu.
Welcoming participants to the festival, Dr Husseini expressed his personal delight at hosting the event in Enugu, his birth state, noting the city’s rich cultural heritage and longstanding contributions to Nigeria’s creative landscape.
He commended the festival organisers, particularly the Festival Director, Uche Agbo, for their resilience and commitment in sustaining the initiative.
According to him, the Coal City Film Festival has grown into a significant cultural platform and a must-attend cinematic event in South East Nigeria.
Speaking on the festival’s theme, “Local Stories, Global Screens,” Dr Husseini emphasised the importance of authenticity in storytelling. He noted that films rooted in local realities, languages, and cultural truths often resonate more strongly with global audiences.
He cited notable Nigerian productions such as “King of Boys” by Kemi Adetiba, “The Wedding Party” by Mo Abudu, “Anikulapo” by Kunle Afolayan, “Black Book” by Editi Effiong, and “Lionheart” by Genevieve Nnaji as examples of culturally grounded stories that have gained international recognition on platforms such as Netflix and at global film festivals.
While acknowledging the growth in film production across Nigeria, the NFVCB boss identified distribution as a major bottleneck in the industry. He observed that many high-quality films struggle to reach audiences both locally and internationally due to limited distribution channels.
Dr. Husseini therefore urged film festivals across the country to evolve beyond networking platforms into active marketplaces where filmmakers can secure distribution deals. He stressed that festivals must attract distributors, exhibitors, streaming platforms, and marketers to create tangible opportunities for filmmakers.
“Film festivals must become gateways to distribution where filmmakers leave not just with applause, but with real opportunities,” he said.
Reaffirming the Board’s commitment to industry development, Dr. Husseini stated that the NFVCB has continued to reposition itself as a partner in progress by engaging stakeholders, improving classification processes, and promoting a balance between creative freedom and social responsibility.
However, he raised concerns over increasing non-compliance with regulatory requirements, noting that some filmmakers bypass the Board by releasing unclassified films or operating without proper licensing.
He reiterated that all films and video works must be submitted to the NFVCB for classification and registration before being released on any platform, including digital platforms such as YouTube.
“This is a legal obligation, and the Board will not hesitate to take decisive action against defaulters,” he warned, adding that regulation is essential for protecting the industry, audiences, and national values.
Looking ahead, Dr. Husseini assured stakeholders of the Board’s continued collaboration with filmmakers and festival organisers to build a structured, sustainable, and globally competitive Nigerian film industry.
He concluded by commending the organisers of the Coal City Film Festival for their vision and contribution to Nigeria’s cultural economy, urging filmmakers to continue telling authentic stories that can resonate across global screens.
-Leadership
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has issued a four-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding the immediate implementation of a newly approved salary structure for university lecturers nationwide.
ASUU President, Christopher Piwuna, made this known on Thursday while delivering a speech at a public lecture held at Sa’adu Zungur University, Yuli Campus, in Bauchi.
“We have issued a four-day ultimatum from today to the Federal Government to begin the payment of the newly approved salary structure. Failure to comply will attract a strong response from the union,” he said.
The ASUU president noted that the demand forms part of broader efforts to improve the welfare of university lecturers and address long-standing concerns about poor remuneration, which he said has contributed to brain drain and declining standards in Nigeria’s higher education sector.
Analysts at Afrinvest West Africa have warned that Nigeria’s inflation trajectory may reverse its recent disinflation trend, with headline inflation projected to climb to about 16 per cent in the near term, driven by the ripple effects of the escalating Middle East crisis on energy and domestic prices.
This is as they stressed that without swift policy responses, rising energy costs could deepen cost-of-living pressures and erode recent gains in price stability.
However, the analysts noted that the decline was weaker than expected, largely due to a resurgence in food inflation, which rose by 3.2 percentage points year-on-year to 12.1 per cent, offsetting gains in core inflation, which declined by 1.8 percentage points to 15.9 per cent.
On a month-on-month basis, inflationary pressures showed renewed volatility, with headline inflation rising by 2.0 per cent in February, a sharp reversal from the deflationary reading of negative 2.9 per cent recorded in January.
Despite this, analysts cautioned that underlying price pressures remain elevated, particularly from persistently high food costs and structural bottlenecks across the economy.
Looking ahead, Afrinvest highlighted that developments in the Middle East pose significant upside risks to inflation. According to the firm, crude oil prices have surged to about $105 per barrel from $72.69 at the end of February, triggering a sharp increase in domestic energy costs.
The report noted that the spike has already translated into higher retail prices of petroleum products, with petrol rising to about N1,350 per litre, diesel to N1,650 per litre, and cooking gas to N1,400 per kilogram in several states.
“These increases are expected to cascade across transportation, logistics, healthcare and food prices,” the analysts said, adding that existing structural challenges such as inadequate power supply, poor road infrastructure and insecurity could further amplify inflationary pressures.
In its baseline scenario, Afrinvest projected that the pass-through effect of the energy shock could drive headline inflation up by about 150 basis points to 16.6 per cent year-on-year, while month-on-month inflation could spike to 5.2 per cent.
The firm warned that a prolonged crisis could derail the Federal Government’s target of reducing average inflation to 16.5 per cent in 2026 from 23.3 per cent recorded in 2025.
To mitigate the impact on households, Afrinvest urged the government to implement targeted interventions, including the rollout of affordable mass transit systems, healthcare subsidies for low-income earners, and the temporary suspension of tariffs and related charges on food imports and other essential commodities.
-Leadership
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