brand
NCOY: FirstBank is powering the Next Generation of Nigerian Innovators and Entrepreneurs
What did (the various territories that were later to be amalgamated into) Nigeria look like in 1894? How about a hundred years later in 1994? And what could Nigeria look like in the year 2094? History provides elaborate answers to the first two questions. Answers – accurate or near-accurate answers, that is – to the third, however, will rely entirely on the ability to predict/envision the future and work to invent and create the predicted future.
With a continuing shining legacy of nation building – supporting innovative financial, commercial and other developments in Nigeria and even Africa – one bank is already projecting beyond today to the year 2094 – exactly 200 years from its founding in 1894. The bank, First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, is not just predicting a bright, innovative future for Nigeria but is going all out to foster what is required to invent it. FirstBank is putting its money where its mouth is. The bank has been betting the farm on Nigeria’s young and emerging generation for decades.
Take the last two decades, for example. FirstBank has been involved with Junior Achievement Nigeria (JAN) for over twenty years as one of the many ‘fronts’ in the bank’s engagements with the next generation of Nigerians to collaboratively create the bright, innovative future that Nigerians dream of. For ten years now, FirstBank has been supporting the National Company of the Year (NCOY) competition, an extension of the JAN Company Programme, designed to help senior secondary school students better understand how businesses are organised and operated. The students will be required, during the course of the competition, to develop a business plan, establish production and sales of goods and services for their company, monitor progress toward goals at regular department and company meetings, maintain complete financial records, compile a report to stockholders, and liquidate the company at a given period with the support of a volunteer.
FirstBank’s partnership with JAN on the National Company of the Year competition has meant a decade of impact and innovation illustrated by the very nature of innovative products and services created by young minds to solve real problems facing society and the business systems they put in place in form of student companies to successfully produce and market the products and services sustainably and to impact their local communities. Consider the growing problem of fire accidents and deaths from gas explosions resulting from gas leakage in homes, offices and industries. The students from Taidob College, Abeokuta, through their student company, TC Achievers, created an innovative solution to address it.
TC Achievers produced a domestic and industrial gas leakage detector – a device which raises an alarm and sends SMS to the owner’s mobile phone once there is any gas leakage. Their innovative device fetched TC Achievers first position in the regional competition in Ogun State and at the national level in Lagos, earning them the right to represent Nigeria in Ghana at the 2019 African Company of the Year competition. Taidob College emerged from Ghana with four awards, the most by any of the participating Junior Achievement member countries, including Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Nigerian representatives won the following: Client Focus Award, Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, Facilitator of the Year Award and were second runners-up for Company of the Year Award.
The 2018 National Company of the Year competition winners who went on to emerge the grand winners at the Africa Company of the Year competition in Ghana same year, Inventive Explorers from Caro Favoured College, Ajegunle, Lagos were concerned about traffic accidents, especially in areas with school children crossing busy streets. Their innovative device, a rechargeable handheld LED traffic light, was designed to solve this real problem faced by various congested communities. Besides the grand prize at the Africa Company of the Year competition, they also brought back home the Access Award, given to the business that best exhibits the principles of global connectivity.
Guided by the same spirit of innovativeness and enterprise and a passionate desire to solve a real problem facing society that were at work when TC Achievers and Inventive Explorers devised their award-winning innovative solutions, the first runners-up in 2018, Brain Max, the student company formed by student representatives of Government Girls Secondary School, Abaji, Abuja designed a website and software application for connecting local produce farmers directly to their customers. Brain Box also won Best Corporate Social Responsibility Project Award on account of which they visited camps of Nigeria’s internally displaced persons (IDPs) to provide financial literacy and entrepreneurship education to occupants, including helping the IDPs to secure seed funding. It was the same inspiration for the second runners-up, Sharon Glory Ventures, the student company formed by students of Sharon Rose College, Saki, Oyo State who produced a water-level indicator to enable homeowners to determine the level of water in their tanks. Sharon Global Ventures also received the award for the Most Innovative Product.
In 2020, given the global COVID-19 pandemic, the FirstBank-sponsored National Company of the Year competition will be conducted virtually. The virtual format will, however, not take anything away from the allure and competitiveness that the competition has been noted for over the years. This year’s unique competition, holding on Saturday, 12 December 2020 at 3 p.m. (West/Central African time), will bring together six outstanding student companies across Nigeria to lock horns for a lifetime opportunity to carry Nigeria’s flag at the JA Africa Company of the Year competition later in the year, and possibly repeat the feat achieved by the 2018 Nigerian representatives.
The Virtual Company of the Year (VCOY) competition is the culminating point for the implementation of the Virtual Company Programme. The goal of the VCOY is to create a signature showcase for JAN and the students who benefited from the impact of the digital JA Company Programme. This pilot programme will be in two stages where the first stage will identify the top business ideas from each region and select the top five most viable business ideas and reward them with seed funding to fully develop their ideas into businesses. The second stage of this competition sees the introduction of top professionals across different sectors who would serve as the panel of judges to determine each student company’s performance against a set of established criteria. Judges look out for evidence of innovation and application of new ideas in all aspects of business and select the best team to represent Nigeria at the Africa Company of the Year competition.
Whichever student companies emerge as winners of the 2020 National Company of the Year competition, one thing is certain: All the participants, not just at the national level but also at the regional levels, will join the ever-growing and rapidly-expanding crop of young minds engaged, trained, prepped and reoriented in a FirstBank-sponsored empowerment programme to become innovative and entrepreneurial thinkers and problem solvers. The bank is supporting such programmes so the young participants will join it in the arduous task of nation building and inventing the desired future for Nigeria. FirstBank is confident that the young minds who come through the JAN Company of the Year competition will be Nigeria’s future Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. In their time and in the envisioned future for Nigeria, the country will stand tall, unintimidated by her Western counterparts, having been catapulted to the status of a leading developed nation by the young and emerging generation FirstBank has been betting big on for years.
brand
JIM OVIA: FOUNDER/CHAIRMAN ZENITH BANK, REAFFIRMS STRONG COMMITMENT TO SHAREHOLDER VALUE AT THE NGX CLOSING GONG CEREMONY
L-R:GMD/CEO, Nigerian Exchange Group, Mr. Temi Popoola; Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON; Chairman and Founder, Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR; Group Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Group, Alhaji (Dr.) Umaru Kwairanga; Director General, Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama; CEO, Nigerian Exchange (NGX), Mr. Jude Chiemeka; and CEO, Central Securities Clearing System Plc, Mr. Haruna Jalo-Waziri at the Closing Gong Ceremony of the Nigerian Exchange Limited, yesterday.
Zenith Bank Plc’s Founder and Chairman, Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR, accompanied by the bank’s Group Managing Director/CEO, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, carried out the prestigious closing gong ceremony at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX), marking a significant milestone in the bank’s continued partnership with the capital market and the official closing of the trading day. The ceremony highlights Zenith Bank’s strong relationship with the NGX and its commitment to transparency, accountability, and bolstering investor confidence. While speaking at the Nigerian Exchange, Dr. Umeoji expressed her delight in participating in the closing gong ceremony, acknowledging the NGX’s visionary leadership and innovative initiatives. “We are delighted to be here today to perform the closing gong ceremony – a symbol of shared progress and enduring partnership,” Dr. Umeoji said. “The NGX’s leadership has been very creative and innovative, and their electronic trading platform – X-stream played a pivotal role in the success of our recapitalization exercise, which achieved a 160% subscription. The bank’s stock price has doubled since the recapitalization exercise, from N36.50 per share to N68. Zenith Bank has also reported impressive financial results for the Half Year (H1) of 2025, becoming the most profitable bank in Nigeria and paying the highest dividend in the industry for the half year.””We are committed to creating value for our stakeholders and will continue to partner with the NGX to boost the Nigerian economy,” Dr. Umeoji added. “Our expansion strategy is focused on following our customers’ businesses and ensuring that we go to countries and economies where we can scale and provide more returns for our shareholders.”She stressed that the bank plans to make good on its promise of being investors’ delight by paying quantum dividends to its shareholders by year end. According to her “For us in Zenith, we are looking forward to paying more based on the confidence the market reposed on us. We are working assiduously to ensure that we do not disappoint the Market. We are going to continue to be the investors’ delight, and we assure the market that we would continue to pay enhanced dividends come end of the year.”Also commenting, the Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama emphasised the role of the NGX in creating value in the Nigerian economic space. He said, “I want to thank you all for making the market what it is. Without you, the market wouldn’t have seen the leap that it has achieved in the last one-and-half year. I spoke earlier that at my assumption of office, market capitalization stood at N55 trillion, today it is hovering around 89 trillion and 93 trillion. That was not done by a spirit, it was done by you. Your ability, tenacity, courage, vision and transparency have moved the market where it is. Our vision is that by next year, we will have the market at 200trn.”
The Doyen of the NGX, Alhaji Rasheed Yusuf while giving his remarks, lauded the Founder & Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR for his vision and leadership. He ended by referring to him as the “Doyen of the Commercial banking sector”.Zenith Bank remains committed to creating long-term value for its stakeholders while driving economic development in Nigeria. As the bank continues on its growth trajectory, it has its sights set on global expansion. The bank intends to strategically leverage the capital raised from the Market to enhance its scalability and deliver enhanced services to its valued customers.The Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards, including being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the sixteenth consecutive year in the 2025 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The Banker and “Nigeria’s Best Bank” at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025. The Bank was also awarded Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards for 2020, 2022 and 2024; Best Bank in Nigeria from 2020 to 2022, 2024 and 2025, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards; Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Nigeria in the Euromoney Awards 2023; and was listed in the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023.Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for five consecutive years from 2021 to 2025 in the World Finance Banking Awards and Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker 2023 and 2024 Banking Awards. Additionally, Zenith Bank has been acknowledged as the Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards for four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025 and ‘Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’ Africa for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023 by the Ethical Boardroom.The Bank’s commitment to excellence saw it being named the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021, Bank of the Year 2023 to 2025 at the BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, and Retail Bank of the Year for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025 at the BAFI Awards. The Bank also received the accolades of Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards.Zenith Bank was also named Most Responsible Organisation in Africa, Best Company in Transparency and Reporting and Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment at the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024; Bank of the Year 2024. by New Telegraph Newspaper; and Best in MSME Trade Finance, 2023 by Nairametrics. The Bank’s Hybrid Offer was also adjudged ‘Rights Issue/ Public Offer of the Year at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025.
Zenith Bank Plc, on Friday, October 10, 2025, made good on its promise as it paid a total interim dividend of N51.3 billion to its shareholders for the Half Year (H1) 2025, at N1.25 per share. This significant payout represents over 60% increase from the N31.4 billion paid in H1 2024, demonstrating the bank’s commitment and enhanced capacity to continually generate value for its shareholders amidst a challenging macroeconomic environment.The dividend payment comes on the heels of the bank’s audited financial results for the half-year ended June 30, 2025, released to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) in September 2025, which showcased a robust financial position and growth trajectory.Commenting on the dividend payout, the Group Managing Director/CEO, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, said, “We are pleased to have paid this significant interim dividend to our valued shareholders. Our half-year results underscore our resilience and commitment to our stakeholders. Based on the momentum achieved in H1, we are confident in our full-year outlook and expect to exceed shareholders’ expectations by year end.”The substantial dividend payout reflects exceptional underlying performance as the Bank recorded a robust 20% year-on-year increase in gross earnings, rising from N2.1 trillion to N2.5 trillion in H1 2025. Interest income drove this performance with an impressive 60% growth, climbing from N1.1 trillion to N1.8 trillion. The Bank achieved this impressive increase in interest income through strategic repricing of risk assets and effective treasury management.The Bank’s total assets also expanded to N31 trillion in June 2025, representing steady growth from N30 trillion in December 2024, underpinned by a robust and well-structured balance sheet. Customer confidence remained strong, with deposits growing by 7% from N22 trillion to N23 trillion in June 2025.Zenith Bank’s shareholders can be assured of the bank’s continued focus on delivering exceptional value and growth, driven by its strong financial fundamentals and strategic initiatives.The Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards, including being recognised as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the sixteenth consecutive year in the 2025 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The Banker and “Nigeria’s Best Bank” at the Euromoney Awards for Excellence 2025. The Bank was also awarded Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards for 2020, 2022 and 2024; Best Bank in Nigeria from 2020 to 2022, 2024 and 2025, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards; Best Bank for Digital Solutions in Nigeria in the Euromoney Awards 2023; and was listed in the World Finance Top 100 Global Companies in 2023.
Further recognitions include Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria for five consecutive years from 2021 to 2025 in the World Finance Banking Awards and Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria in the International Banker 2023 and 2024 Banking Awards. Additionally, Zenith Bank has been acknowledged as the Best Corporate Governance Bank, Nigeria, in the World Finance Corporate Governance Awards for four consecutive years from 2022 to 2025 and ‘Best in Corporate Governance’ Financial Services’ Africa for four consecutive years from 2020 to 2023 by the Ethical Boardroom.The Bank’s commitment to excellence saw it being named the Most Valuable Banking Brand in Nigeria in The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands for 2020 and 2021, Bank of the Year 2023 to 2025 at the BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, and Retail Bank of the Year for three consecutive years from 2020 to 2022 and 2024 to 2025 at the BAFI Awards. The Bank also received the accolades of Best Commercial Bank, Nigeria and Best Innovation in Retail Banking, Nigeria, in the International Banker 2022 Banking Awards.Zenith Bank was also named Most Responsible Organisation in Africa, Best Company in Transparency and Reporting and Best Company in Gender Equality and Women Empowerment at the SERAS CSR Awards Africa 2024; Bank of the Year 2024 by ThisDay Newspaper; Bank of the Year 2024 by New Telegraph Newspaper; and Best in MSME Trade Finance, 2023 by Nairametrics. The Bank’s Hybrid Offer was also adjudged ‘Rights Issue/ Public Offer of the Year’ at the Nairametrics Capital Market Choice Awards 2025
……Reaffirms Support for Women Entrepreneurs
Tier One Lender, Fidelity Bank Plc, has commenced the disbursement of the Federal Government of Nigeria’s (FGN) MSME Intervention Funds, administered by the Bank of Industry (BOI), to qualified SMES with a strategic focus on empowering women-owned businesses across the country.
The FGN MSME Intervention Fund is designed to provide accessible financing to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across all 36 states of the federation.
The intervention aligns with Fidelity Bank’s commitment to inclusive economic growth and its long-standing support for Nigeria’s SME sector. In this phase of the disbursement, the bank is prioritizing women entrepreneurs, reinforcing its belief in the catalytic role of women-led enterprises in driving sustainable development and job creation.
Speaking on the development, Osita Ede, Divisional Head, Product Development at Fidelity Bank Plc, said, “As a bank deeply committed to the growth of SMEs, we are proud to partner with the Federal Government and the Bank of Industry on this critical intervention. For this phase, we are placing women at the forefront because we recognize their resilience, innovation, and pivotal contributions to wealth creation and employment generation in Nigeria.”
Fidelity Bank has also put in place a robust structure to ensure seamless onboarding and fund disbursement. Leveraging its nationwide branch network, digital banking platforms, and experienced relationship managers, the bank is poised to reach and support entrepreneurs across urban and rural communities.
The bank’s emergence as a critical player in the disbursement of the FGN MSME intervention Fund strongly aligns with its ongoing initiatives as the leading supporter of SMEs in Nigeria. Recently, the Fidelity SME Empowerment Programme (FSEP) was launched at its Gbagada SME Hub in Lagos.
This flagship initiative provided 100 growth-ready SMEs with ERPRev-enabled POS systems, business software, receipt printers, barcode scanners, inventory support, bookkeeping and branding training, three-day masterclasses, and six months of post-installation monitoring—all at no cost.
Earlier in May 2025, Fidelity Bank also signed an MoU with SMEDAN, Nigeria’s Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, to deliver SME-friendly low-interest financing, capacity-building support, and market access for SMEs referred under the agreement.
“Our vision goes beyond financing. We are building an ecosystem of support for SMEs by offering capacity-building programs, mentorship opportunities, and market access. Women entrepreneurs, in particular, will benefit from a larger share of the fund as part of our broader strategy to promote gender inclusion,”Ede added.
The FGN MSME Intervention Fund will further advance the bank’s commitment to empowering small and medium-sized enterprises by expanding access to affordable financing and strategic support. Through this fund, Fidelity Bank aims to deepen its impact on Nigeria’s MSME ecosystem, fostering sustainable growth, job creation, and economic resilience across the country.
Ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 9.1 million customers through digital banking channels, its 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
The Bank is the recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine.
Additionally, the Bank was recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and as the Export Financing Bank of the Year by the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.
-
news5 years agoUPDATE: #ENDSARS: CCTV footage of Lekki shootings intact – Says Sanwo – Olu
-
lifestyle5 years agoFormer Miss World: Mixed reactions trail Agbani Darego’s looks
-
health5 years agoChairman Agege LG, Ganiyu Egunjobi Receives Covid-19 Vaccines
-
lifestyle4 years agoObateru: Celebrating a Quintessential PR Man at 60
-
health5 years agoUPDATE : Nigeria Records 790 new cases of COVID-19
-
health5 years agoBREAKING: Nigeria confirms 663 new cases of COVID-19
-
entertainment9 months agoAshny Set for Valentine Special and new Album ‘ Femme Fatale’
-
news5 months agoBREAKING: Tinubu swears in new NNPCL Board