14th BAFI Awards: Fidelity Bank Recognized For Leadership And Oil & Gas Support

14th BAFI Awards: Fidelity Bank Recognized For Leadership And Oil & Gas Support

*By Prince Benson Davies*

Fidelity Bank Plc has emerged double winner at the 2026 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions Awards, BAFI.

 

The bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, was honoured with the Award for Excellence in Banking Leadership, while the bank itself clinched the award for Best Bank in Oil and Gas Financing.

 

The awards were presented at the 14th edition of the BAFI Awards, which held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

 

The BAFI Awards, organized by BusinessDay Media Limited, is one of Nigeria’s most prestigious platforms for recognizing outstanding performance and innovation in the banking and financial services industry.

 

According to the organizers, the Excellence in Banking Leadership award celebrates banking chiefs who have demonstrated exceptional institutional growth, enhanced shareholder value, driven innovation and financial inclusion, and contributed significantly to the development of the financial services sector.

 

In her acceptance remarks, Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe expressed appreciation to BusinessDay and dedicated the award to the bank’s stakeholders.

 

She said, I am deeply honoured to receive the Award for Excellence in Banking Leadership. I sincerely thank BusinessDay Media Limited for this recognition and dedicate it to our valued customers, whose trust and support have strengthened and inspired me throughout my career.

 

She added, The African philosophy of Ubuntu teaches us, I am because we are. In that spirit, this honour also belongs to the board, management and staff of Fidelity Bank Plc, whose dedication and professionalism continue to drive our vision of a stronger, more innovative and customer-focused financial institution.

 

Dr. Onyeali-Ikpe brings over three decades of experience spanning retail, corporate and commercial banking, treasury and business development. Since assuming leadership, she has steered Fidelity Bank through a period of sustained growth and strategic international expansion, including the acquisition of the former Union Bank UK, now FidBank UK Limited.

 

On the corporate award, Fidelity Bank was recognized as Best Bank in Oil and Gas Financing for its consistent support for critical projects across Nigeria’s energy value chain.

 

Among the projects highlighted were the bank’s financing of an onshore crude oil export terminal at the Otakikpo Marginal Field in Rivers State, support for the Pinnacle Oil and Gas Terminal in Lekki, Lagos, and part-financing of a 23,000 cubic metre liquefied petroleum gas carrier for Temile Development Company Limited.

 

The bank was also a participant in the 3 billion dollars SNEPCo Contractor Finance Facility, which provides both naira and dollar funding to indigenous contractors engaged in Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company projects.

 

The facilities are aimed at boosting local content participation, improving petroleum product distribution, enhancing gas availability and strengthening critical energy infrastructure in the country.

 

The double honours at the 14th BAFI Awards further underscore Fidelity Bank’s rising profile in the financial services sector and its strategic role in financing key sectors critical to Nigeria’s economic growth and energy security.