Since my brother passed and I became surrogate to the children he left behind, they have alternated between calling me Dad or Uncle depending, usually, on how happy they are with me.

I have never really minded because my own biological children sometimes call me Toni Kan as the spirit moves them.

So, I was a bit apprehensive when I got a Whatsapp message from one of them, an undergraduate at Augustine University, Ilara-Epe, Lagos.

“Uncle, please call me!”

“Are you alright?” I asked when I finally dredged up courage to call.

“Some people from your village came to our school today.”

“Which village?” I asked.

“Ibusa,” came the answer.

“You are from Ibusa too and it is not a village,” I tried to explain as I have done a hundred times.

The “people from my village” were Sir Walter and Dame Winifred Akpani who it turns out had attended the dedication of the Chapel they built, furnished and donated to Augustine University under the Lagos Archdiocese.

It must have been a moment of pride for a child who has always claimed Lagos as home and perpetuated the city and village binary.

Described as “something out of this world” by the priest who anchored the event, the chapel of Mary Mother of the Church which can seat 1,200 people was dedicated on Monday December 16, 2024 on the campus of Augustine University, Ilara-Epe.

The dedication offered an opportunity for a comingling of Archbishops and faithful’s drawn from the Lagos, Abuja and Ijebu-ode dioceses.

According to the University’s website, “The dedication was presided over by the Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos and Proprietor of Augustine University, His Grace, Most Rev. Dr. Alfred Adewale Martins, who delivered a profound homily. He was supported by the Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, His Grace Most. Rev. Dr. Ignatius Ayau Kaigama and the Bishop of Ijebu-Ode Catholic Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Francis Obafemi Adesina.”

They were joined by the Visioner of Augustine University and Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, His Eminence Anthony Cardinal Okogie and over 100 priests in the celebration of the Holy Mass followed by the “sacred anointing of the altar and walls of the church, as well as the decoration and incensation of the altar and the entire chapel, symbolizing the consecration of the space as a place of worship and reflection.”

The foundation of the chapel was laid in 2019. It was created by Teresa Mallamaci, an acclaimed Italian architect based in Rome and has been realised as “a harmonious blend of Christological and Mariological motif” with the resulting edifice seamlessly melding “aesthetic elegance with spiritual symbolism.”

The brand new Chapel of Mary Mother of the Church features two distinct side Chapels; one dedicated to Eucharistic Adoration with a sacred space for prayers and meditation and another which will be used for celebrating weekday masses or for smaller congregations.

Rev. Fr. Andrew Toye was unveiled as the new Chaplain of the Chapel and he takes over from Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Ogundele, who had served with dedication in an acting capacity.

The Chaplain has a purpose built home contiguous to the chapel and both facilities have been provided with generators to ensure round-the-clock power,

Sir Walter Akpani who holds a Master of Science degree in Finance from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland is the Managing Director / CEO of wave-making Providus Bank which inked a celebrated merger with Unity Bank in mid-2024.

With over 30 years of financial experience, Walter Akpani was a pioneer staff of ICON Stockbrokers, before joining the restructuring team at Commercial Trust Bank, becoming a pioneer staff at Standard Trust Bank Plc now United Bank for Africa (UBA) as well as at Platinum Bank Ltd which he left as Vice President, Institutional Banking, to set up United Mortgage Bank Limited, which has now metamorphosed into Providus Bank. He is a respected Treasurer in the Nigerian banking industry and a committed change agent.

A devout Catholic, Walter Akpani was invested as a Knight of St. Sylvester in September 2024 when he received papal honours from Pope Francis alongside others – Lady Christine Doja Otedola, Mr. Julius Olufunsho Britto, Mr. Peter Amangbo and Mr. Peter Nwanze – in recognition of “their dedication and exceptional service to the Church in different Apostolates.”

Dame Winifred Akpani, a Member of the Governing Council, Augustine University and past chairman of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) is a graduate of Mathematics from the University of Benin. Driven, diligent and resilient, she is the founder and CEO of Northwest Petroleum & Gas Ltd, Rosarium Lubricants, Northwest Energy Ltd, Millennium Oil & Gas Ltd with interests in the upstream and downstream sectors of the Nigerian oil and gas industry. Northwest Petroleum & Gas Ltd is one of Nigeria’s biggest downstream players and owns two tank farms, 200 distribution trucks and over 100 petrol stations spread across the country.

Those are the people from my village who went to spread Christmas cheer at St Augustine University.

***Toni Kan Onwordi is a PR expert and financial analyst.

Our attention has been drawn to a video circulating online and on social media on the boarding of Air Peace passengers on flight P47123 from Abuja to Lagos on December 20, 2024. This report is false, mischievous and misleading.

The false video post was designed by some faceless individuals with the intent of misleading the flying public to cause confusion and distraction for management of Air Peace and its stakeholders including the regulators.

On the day in question, there were flight delays because of poor weather conditions, specifically harmattan-induced haze and fog, which is common at this time of the year, and which significantly limits visibility and impacts flight operations nationwide.

To ensure that passengers continued their journeys with minimum disruptions, Air Peace deployed three aircraft to Abuja to evacuate all the passengers. While processing them for their flights at the boarding gate, passengers overwhelmed both the FAAN and boarding officers and rushed to the airside. Duty managers and ramp officials then had to mount barricades in front of the motorized step to differentiate passengers on flights.

While we empathize with you, our loyal customer, we condemn in very strong terms the misinformation, insults and deliberate falsehood disseminated in the video post. Such representations are not reflective of our values or operations.

There is no truth in the allegation, and we urge the public to disregard the report in all its entirety.

We appreciate your understanding and patience during this period and sincerely regret any inconvenience these delays may have caused you. The safety of our passengers and crew is our utmost priority.

At Air Peace, safety is not just a priority but a fundamental precondition for all our activities. We remain committed to maintaining safe and timely operations.

For further assistance or inquiries, please contact us via callcenter@flyairpeace.com.

SIGNED

Dr. Ejike Ndiulo

Head, Corporate Communications

Let us look at a few figures……..

Nigeria’s population is put at a little over 200 million people while the UK population is about 68 million. This means that the Nigerian population is about three (3) times that of the UK.

As at June 2023, the UK banking system had about 49,421 Automatic Teller Machines and almost 2.3 million Point of Sales Terminals.

By contrast, the Nigerian banking system had a little over 22,600 ATMS according to TechCabal and is projected to reach 29,000 by 2029 according to Statista. Conversely, Nigeria boasted 1,665,664 POS terminals as at December 2022. Meanwhile, figures attributed to Inlaks, which is described as Nigeria’s biggest ATM operator, suggest that Nigeria needs at least 60,000 ATM machines to serve its population of over 200 million.

Where is all this going? Well to borrow a phrase from the comedian, Jeff Foxworthy; hold my beer, sir!

Those who know me well know what my favourite Igbo proverb is. It goes something like this in translation – “the disease that gives you warning, does not kill you!” It is a proverb that underlines the imperative of proactivity, what the Igbo people might call igba mbo.

So, I was really pleased when I read that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was taking a proactive step to ensure that there is no cash scarcity this Christmas.

Nigerians love cash and that love can become obsessive and reach fever pitch at festive periods. Have you been to Abeokuta during Ojude Oba? Or to Kano during the Durbar? Or Onitsha during Ofala? Those are regional festivities. So, you can imagine what happens at Christmas!

All efforts at driving a cashless policy and economy seem to collapse when festivities come around the corner and this year, the CBN was quick to take proactive action weeks before the festivities reach fever pitch. But the apex bank’s interventions seem to be having unintended consequences even though as at the time of writing this, the apex bank had put out three (3) different circulars and one press release around the issue.

First, is a not-so-surprising pushback from the banks and then a seeming lack of understanding by the general public no thanks to rampant mis-information.

The issue of cash scarcity around the Christmas period worsened under the sway of Godwin Emefiele at the CBN. The fall-out from the disastrous naira redesign he superintended over at the apex bank continues to haunt our banking vaults but Olayemi Cardoso and team are focused on making sure we turn that dark corner.

Let us begin with the first circular dated November 29, 2024: “Cash Availability Over the Counter in Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).” The circular had two sections: DMBs were directed to ensure efficient cash disbursement to customers Over the Counter (OTC) with the CBN insisting that it will enforce the directive and ensure compliance.

Secondly, members of the general public were encouraged to report instances where they are unable to get cash Over the Counter or through ATMs. The CBN ended with a list of 37 email addresses and phone numbers across the 36 states and FCT for reporting issues.

On paper, it looked like Nigerians and the cash worries were all sorted this Christmas but it didn’t take time for the expected pushback to occur. News reports began to circulate of long queues at banks and of ATMs struggling to dispense more than N10,000. “NAN reports that long queues have emerged at ATM stands around the city as residents struggle to have access to cash…Meanwhile POS operators are currently taking advantage of the situation to demand exorbitant charges on transactions.”

While Nigerians were still trying to make sense of the reason behind the long queues, another report had an official of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions (ASBIFI) pointing fingers. According to the report, “ASSBIFI President, Olusoji Oluwole, told the Punch that “Banks have only two sources of cash: the CBN and retailers. The CBN has not met banks’ demands, and retailers often sell cash for profit, making it harder for banks to access funds.”

As if in response to the charge, the apex bank responded “with their full chest” as we say on social media with a December 13, 2024 circular – Updated Penalty on Inappropriate Cash Disbursement Practices by Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) in which it condemned the “illicit flow of mint banknotes to currency hawkers and other unscrupulous economic agents that commodify naira bank notes thus impeding efficient and effective cash distribution to banks’ customers and general public.”

Giving bite to the circular the CBN said any bank found culpable of “facilitating, aiding or abetting, by direct actions or inactions, illicit flow of mint banknotes” would be fined N150m and then hit with the full weight of the relevant provisions of BOFIA 2020.

This time no pointing fingers were seen but the CBN was not done. Eager to completely squelch rumours around “the validity or lack thereof of the old ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 banknotes” the refusal of which was contributing to the long queues, the CBN issued a press release shutting it down: “The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has observed the misinformation regarding the validity of the old ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 banknotes currently in circulation….the CBN wishes to reiterate that the subsisting Supreme Court ruling granted on November 29, 2023, permits the concurrent circulation of all versions of the ₦1000, ₦500, and ₦200 denominations of the Naira indefinitely.”

The third circular from the CBN which it said was in line with its “ongoing efforts to advance a cash-less economy” seems to have hit a raw nerve among Nigerians who, as we have already noted, love their cash even though it is now an offence to spray the naira.

News outlets also seemed to also get it wrong. The CBN circular of December 17, 2024 did not put a limit on how much cash you and I can withdraw from banks. The limits imposed in the circular titled – CIRCULAR ON CASH-OUT LIMITS FOR AGENT BANKING TRANSACTIONS – are “for agency banking operations” and as reported by TheCable is among interventions intended to address “identified challenges, combat fraud and establish uniform operational standards across the industry.”

Now, can I have my beer back as I attempt to outline how easily well-intentioned policies are rubbished by that euphemistically named malady known as the “Nigerian factor”.

The ASBIFI official was quick to point fingers even though simple logic can show that Over the Counter cash scarcity and at ATMs has little to do with the CBN or its cash distribution operations but with our Nigerian any-how-ness.

Let’s consider this. How is it that banks cannot fill up 22,600 ATMS, most of which are within or in close proximity to their branches but can afford to give cash to 1.6m PS operators? Doesn’t this seem to suggest that someone is out to make sure that the ATMs don’t have cash while the PoS operators continue to make a killing?

And why does it seem right that Nigerians should continue to pay between N250 and N400 per N10,000 withdrawals to PoS operators when ATM charges are far lower at N35 and only after you have made multiple withdrawals from other bank ATMs?

Oh, bankers have said ATMs are difficult to maintain on account of several factors and this takes us back to the figures we shared from the UK. Of the 49,421 ATMs in the UK, “78% were free to use” during the period under reference. So, why do we always talk about maintenance when it comes to Nigeria? Imagine if we paid N10 per ATM transaction, wouldn’t that be better than paying N250 to a PoS operator for every N10,000 withdrawn?

And for context, in 2014, data on various e-payment channels indicated that Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) remained the most patronised payment mode in Nigeria accounting for 89.7% of all electronic transactions with PoS transactions accounting for just 4.58 per cent. Today, the reverse is the case and the question to ask remains; what changed? The answer has something to do with financial inclusion but that is a topic for another day.

As you ponder that poser, ask yourself why is it always difficult to get mint bank notes over the counter in the banks meanwhile, step into any event center and you will see some hawker waving bright new notes in your face. Surely, they don’t get those notes from the CBN.

When the CBN referenced the Supreme Court ruling granted on November 29, 2023 to the effect that the old notes are still legal tender, their X Formerly Twitter page was filled with bile. But what many are failing to contend with is that the current leadership is only trying to make sure the mess they inherited doesn’t get worse.

As we prepare for Christmas and the New Year the advice is simple; go to your bank and ask for your money or withdraw from the ATMs and if you suspect any funny business, email or call the hotlines provided by the CBN.

Say no to any-how-ness this yuletide.

Toni Kan is a PR expret and financial analyst.