said April 1that it is unable to issue March 31 its audited financial statements for thefinancial year ended Dec. 31, 2015.

Thebank expects the approved 2015 financial statements to be made available on orbefore April 30.

Theauditors have concluded the review of the 2015 financial statements, which weresubmitted to the Central Bank ofNigeria for approval. The lender was informed that due to the stageof the central bank's review of the accounts, it is unlikely that the processwill be concluded in time for the March 31 publication deadline as required by theNigerian Stock Exchange and other regulatory rules.