C&I Leasing Posts N3.9bn Profit as Revenue Climbs to N50.2bn

Kayode Tokede

C&I Leasing Plc has announced a profit after tax of N3.9 billion for the financial year ended 31 December 2025, more than double the N1.6 billion recorded in 2024, as the company pushed through one of the most testing operating environments Nigeria’s business community has faced in recent memory.

The results, drawn from the company’s December 2025 audited financial statements, show gross earnings rising 36.5 per cent from N36.7 billion in 2024 to N50.2 billion in 2025. Lease income, the core of the business, grew from N31.1 billion to N44.5 billion over the same period, while net outsourcing income rose 26.2 per cent to N1.7 billion. Shareholders’ fund closed the year at N51.1 billion, up from N48.2 billion in 2024. Basic earnings per share stood at 122.77 kobo, compared with 38.58 kobo a year earlier.

The profit growth came even as the operating climate applied pressure from several directions. Rising interest rates, exchange rate exposure and high inflation all weighed on costs. Profit before tax came in at N3.0 billion against N2.7 billion in 2024, while the net profit margin after tax improved to 7.8 per cent from 4.4 per cent. The EBITDA margin eased to 52.9 per cent from 58.1 per cent, reflecting the broader cost environment, though the company’s asset turnover held firm at 0.39 times.

“Despite significant macro and micro economic trends in 2025, the company has been able to deliver an impressive set of results anchoring on our key strategic goal of continuously improving operational efficiency in anticipation of unforeseen circumstances,” said Lenin Ugoji, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of C&I Leasing Plc.

Ugoji did not shy away from the difficulties the group confronted during the year. “The year 2025 was a particularly challenging year for the company and operational service businesses in general and highlights the resilience of our business model in spite of prevailing harsh market conditions which ranged from rising interest rates, exchange rate revaluation risks to key economic parameters including high inflation which put some pressure on cost of doing business in the country,” he said.

Beyond the economic headwinds, the company also dealt with compliance pressures across its operating footprint, which spans marine services, vehicle fleet management, personnel outsourcing and asset tracking across Nigeria, Ghana, the UAE and the soon-to-launch Sierra Leone operation. The range of jurisdictions subjects the group to varying regulatory requirements, and filings in some locations experienced delays. The board has since established a dedicated Compliance Unit to bring structure and consistency to regulatory reporting in 2026. Management restructuring has also taken place, with senior members of the team elevated to executive positions to strengthen the group’s leadership capacity.

Looking ahead, the company’s chief executive struck a tone that carried both caution and conviction. “2026 into 2027 is expected to be one of national growth, especially in the oil and gas sector and this is anchored on the country’s targeted oil production of 3 million barrels per day by 2030 and this is expected to usher in increased long-term tenders in the sector, thereby facilitating the basis for long-term investment in production and aggressive marginal oil and gas field expansion,” Ugoji said.