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Jaiz Bank Rebranding Saga: An Intellectual Sparring Between Professionals

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4 months ago

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Jaiz Bank rebranding of its logo has sparked series of debates in the past few days among professionals. Most engaging of all the discourse was that of Aliyu Jalal, a communication specialist and Safwan Idris, a brand designer.

Safwan Idris, from his years of experience as a brand designer, argued that the new choice of design by the bank is below par, and even posited that the management could be sued for a copyright violation owing to the fact that a flip of the bank’s new logo design resembles that of Bixby Samsung. Not only that, he also critiqued the use of lowercase for the letter ‘j’ which starts the bank’s name, Jaiz. Safwan, in his criticism, added that the rebranding has got too much colors on the logo which has made it look unfit for such an establishment.

Aliyu Jalal on the other hand, while responding to Safwan’s criticisms, expressed shock as to why such an acclaimed brand designer would be ignorant of things that he is to know even better. In his rebuttal, Aliyu highlighted that the adoption of the lowercase instead of the conventional uppercase which many brands are used to is a step toward solidifying their ideology of operating differently in the banking industry.

The communication specialist went further to juxtapose brands like adidas, spotify, reddit, tajbank, paypal, and others that have adopted the same lowercase; citing reasons for such an adoption to be the fact that it looks more aesthetically appealing, softer, friendlier, and less rigid.

Furthermore, Aliyu countered the designer’s claim that the new logo of the bank is a “flipped” version of Samsung’s Bixby; reiterating that such claim is weak. He justified his position by sharing that what it’s considered a legal breach in Corporate Law is a “near-identical copying”, stressing that “mere resemblance is not an issue.”

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He buttressed further that logos are symbols, and that symbols are drawn from shared ideas in which a bit of research would have him find out that there are “resemblance for almost every logo in the world.”

Responding to the “too much color” criticism by the designer, Aliyu pointed out that big brands like Google and Microsoft are using four different colors whereas the antagonized bank adopted only three which, by all means, still serve the simplicity purpose as expected.

Not relenting, Safwan held a space on the X app(formerly Twitter) yesterday evening on Thursday with the topic: Logo Design Process: Avoiding Copyright Breach and IP Lawsuit, where he expantiated more on his claims about the rebranding of Jaiz Bank.

The brand designer, once again, faulted the person whom the bank contracted for the job, remarking that no professional designer would come up with a word mark logo that’s in lowercase with the ‘j’ having the dot that it originally has. He emphatically conveyed that even though the person wish to use the word mark in lowercase, the ‘j’ should not have appeared with the dot on it.

Secondly, he argued that rebranding is not always about changing everything that a brand is already known with; that such move is risky as customers have known the brand with certain features already. Safwan noted that since Jaiz Bank, which is an Islamic bank, had adopted green which is globally recognized among Islamic countries as the favorite color of Islam; and that customers have acquainted themselves with already, it was unnecessary for the bank to replace that with yellow which, according to him, means nothing deducing from their unveiling ceremony clip that he watched online.

Lastly, he remarked that Jaiz Bank is known for its unique way of banking, hence, that should have made the designer to have avoided coming up with any logo that is in existence already; and which wouldn’t have made people debate on whether it resembles the Samsung Bixby or not.

Safwan ended the space with the mentioning of some tenets of trade mark, how copyright really works, and how it could be avoided.

Moreover, a staff of this very Jaiz Bank, Ameer Lukman Haruna, in his reaction to the online debate, shared that though he has received and seen quite a number of logo proposal for the bank, the management has reasons to stick to what it has now, while urging the youths to continue in their show of talents; that it might actually inspire the bank’s future decision to rebrand again if such opportunity arises. He also acknowledged the fact that the debate, being an intellectual discourse, is a way to keep the bank visible and relevant.

Are you a Jaiz Bank customer? If yes, what’s your take on the issue: should the bank stick to its current design or it should go back to the old one? Let’s know your thoughts!

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Court Restrains Anti-Corruption Commission, Others from interfering in MAAUN’s Affairs

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2 hours ago

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December 13, 2025

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A Kano High Court has granted an interim injunction restraining the Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) and four other parties from interfering in the internal and external affairs of Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria (AAUN), Kano.

Justice Sanusi Ado Ma’aji of the High court of Kano Judicial Division issued the order, while ruling on a motion of ex parte filed by the management of the university.

The respondents in the suit are the Kano State Government, PCACC, Kano State House of Assembly and the state’s Attorney-General and concerned parents of the institution.

Justice Ma’aji in the court order dated December 11, 2025, restrained the respondents or any other person acting on their behalf from inviting officials of the institution or interfering in the administrative and academic activities of the intuition, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

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The court also directed all the parties to maintain status quo in relation to the matter between the applicant and the first respondent, pending the determination of the originating summons.

Speaking after the ruling, MAAUN’s counsel Zahraddeen M. Bello, said that the court’s decision reaffirmed the rule of law and the need for due process, saying the university will continue to operate within the confines of law, while the case is pending.

However, the court granted leave to the applicant to serve court processes on the fifth respondent at its office located at No. 224 Sabo Bakin Zuwo, Kano.

The matter was adjourned to December 29, 2025 and the order was given under the hand and seal of the presiding judge and was duly endorsed by the Principal Registrar of the court.

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Jigawa Trains Local Government Chairmen on 2025 Tax Reform Act

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2 hours ago

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December 13, 2025

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The Jigawa Joint Task Committee has commenced a two-day capacity-building training for local government chairmen and policymakers. The two-day capacity program focused on the new Nigeria Tax Reform Act (NTA) 2025, which is scheduled to take effect nationwide on January 1, 2026.

The training gathered a contingent of state and local revenue stakeholders, including all 27 local government chairmen of Jigawa State, led by the Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), revenue officers, and key policy and tax experts.

The core objective of the session was multifaceted: to enhance understanding of the NTA 2025 and its specific implications for local government administration, strengthen collaboration between state and local tiers for revenue harmonization and joint administration, and improve the technical capacity of local government leaders in deploying modern revenue processes and digital systems.

During the event, the Executive Chairman of the Jigawa Internal Revenue Service (JIRS), Dr. Nasir Sabo Idris, commended the state government’s leadership for its commitment to fiscal autonomy.

“I wish to acknowledge the immense support of His Excellency, Governor Malam Umar Namadi, FCA,” Dr. Idris said.

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According to Dr. Idris, Jigawa Governor’s commitment to revenue generation has been unwavering, ensuring a consistent improvement in the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

Dr. Idris pointed out that the upcoming launch of JigiTax, a wholly digital platform designed to streamline and modernize revenue collection across Jigawa State, is underway.

He said the move is seen as a direct response to strengthening transparency and blocking revenue leakages.

On his part, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Local Government, Ibrahim Graba Hannun-Giwa, whose address was delivered by the Director of Research, Malam Samaila Yusuf, said:

“The Ministry of Local Government is doing all it takes to continue supporting the visionary policies of Governor Namadi and driving policies that will shore up the revenue base of our local governments,” Malam Yusuf stated, emphasizing a unified approach to fiscal strength.

The dividends of the collaborative efforts were highlighted by the ALGON Chairman, who also serves as the Chairman of Dutse Local Government.

Speaking to newsmen, he asserted that the state’s disciplined approach had fundamentally altered the financial landscape at the grassroots level.

“With the commitment shown by Governor Namadi and the diligent efforts of the Jigawa Joint Revenue Committee, no local government in Jigawa now seeks intervention,” the ALGON Chairman declared.

He said, “Revenue loopholes are being systematically blocked, and improved compliance by different stakeholders, including markets and motor parks remitting their taxes, has significantly boosted our revenue drive.”

He further confirmed that the local governments had already undertaken a series of awareness trainings for all relevant stakeholders to ensure a seamless transition to the NTA 2025.

Barrister Aliyu Abdullahi said the in a paper presentation titled “State and Local Government in the Law,” by a legal practitioner. The paper specifically called for the legislative institutionalization of the Jigawa Joint Revenue Committee by the State House of Assembly. This institutional backing, the practitioner argued, would solidify the collaborative framework for revenue harmonization and ensure its longevity beyond the current administration.

 

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Former President Obasanjo Endorses Turaki’s Faction of PDP

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8 hours ago

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December 13, 2025

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By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo hosted the national working committee (NWC) of a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at his residence in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The PDP faction visited the former president on Saturday, and Kabiru Turaki led the delegation.

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Those among the delegation are: Muazu Aliyu, former Niger governor; Jonah Jang, former governor of Plateau; Adolphus Wabara, former senate president, and many more.

Interacting with the delegation, Obasanjo commended the faction’s effort, adding that its members should “soldier on”.

The former president also urged the faction to remain steadfast in instilling discipline in the party, adding that:

“anybody who wants to belong to a political party must adhere strictly to its rules and regulations”.

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