TheCable

Heritage Bank says Senate President Bukola Saraki does not have a dime in the bank, denying allegations that the bank is co-owned by the senator.

Its leading shareholders said on Tuesday that all insinuations and reports about the bank’s health are false, saying it is “one of the healthiest and fastest growing banks in the country”.

“We are thoroughly miffed by the attempt by certain persons or groups, who do not mean well for the economy of our great country and indeed the economic agenda of our dear President,” Musa Ibrahim Misau, a leading shareholder, said in Abuja.

He added that it is mischievous “to negatively target Heritage Bank, a bank that the Central Bank of Nigeria and several local and internal rating agencies have ranked among the healthiest banks in Nigeria, as a struggling bank”.

He said the shareholder are particularly saddened by the deliberate falsehood being spread by an that Heritage Bank is “co-owned” by the former chairman of Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni and Saraki.

“It is a lie that can only emanate from persons who do not wish the economy of Nigeria well. For your information, Tunde Ayeni has less than one per cent share in Heritage Bank and Bukola Saraki has no shares or any form of ownership stakes in Heritage Bank.

“It is not a secret that the owners and key shareholders in Heritage Bank bought off the defunct Societe Generale Bank (SGBN) which was owned by the Saraki Family.

“The Saraki Family was outrightly bought out. The family, including Dr. Bukola Saraki does not have a dime in Heritage Bank.

“We have in just a few years built this bank to a colossus that has become the envy of the sector and we are not going to sit by and allow ill-intentioned persons to de-market Heritage bank. No, it will not happen.”

Misau insisted that CBN has no plans to take over Heritage Bank, like it did with Skye Bank on Monday.

“It is so far from the truth. But you are all journalists and have access to the CBN, please go and get the correct facts, figures and data from the CBN,” he said.

“I cannot imagine how normal persons can conceive and concoct such evil. The fact that Tunde Ayeni is a very marginal shareholder in the bank does not at all mean that what happened at Skye Bank would necessarily happen at Heritage Bank.

“The two banks are not in any way related, the two banks do not have similar ownership structure or management model. Tunde Ayeni obviously has marginal shares in other healthy banks in Nigeria. Does that now mean that the CBN would sack the management and board of these banks as well?

“What is the basis of the claim by this online news medium that Heritage Bank is being targeted by CBN?”