BEVERLY HILLS, July 6, (THEWILL) – Heritage Bank has debunked an online report that Senate President Bukola Saraki is a co-owner of the financial institution, stressing that the lawmaker has no share or ownership stake in the bank and that the rumour emanated from those who do not wish the nation’s economy well.
The bank’s leading shareholders, who spoke to newsmen on Tuesday, maintained that all insinuations and reports about the bank’s health are false, even as it frowned at the attempt to use a section of the media to deliberately de-market it.
In the words of a leading shareholder, Alhaji Musa Ibrahim Misau, “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, 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.
“This is most mischievous and totally out of order. It is a glaring case of de-marketing and we have since drawn the attention of the CBN to this very dangerous trend,” he said.
Misau continued that the shareholders are particularly saddened by the deliberate falsehood being spread that Heritage Bank is “co-owned” by Dr Tunde Ayeni and Dr Bukola Saraki.
His words, “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 share or any form of ownership stakes in Heritage Bank.
“It is not a secret that the owners and key shareholders of Heritage Bank bought off the defunct Societe Generale Bank (SGBN) which was owned by the Saraki family. The family, including Dr. Bukola Saraki, does not have a dime in Heritage Bank.”
