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How FirstBank Employees are Making a Difference in their Immediate Environments Through the SPARK Initiative
Every other day, social media brings us a picture or video of a dilapidated school somewhere in Nigeria or shares images of a distraught widow, a struggling roadside trader or street hawker, or some other hapless victims of the extremely harsh realities of living in Nigeria.
Immediately, as if on cue or automated, viewers launch into stinging attacks of government, public officials, the privileged class and even Nigeria itself. The attacking mob wastes no time in calling for the government’s head or the heads of public officials with responsibilities in the jurisdiction or sector where the unfortunate sights surfaced from.
The online mob seems unconcerned that while its eyes and ears, aided and locked in by the binoculars and headsets of social media, are completely focused on distressing situations it may not be able to help other than rant about, countless situations that it can help are calling for attention in its immediate neighbourhood every single day. Focusing on things so far away while ignoring or pretending not to see the things in one’s immediate vicinity is a human tendency which is well recognised. Journalists even have a term for a similar or related behaviour among their own. “Afghanistanism” is the tendency of the media to focus on news and happenings in remote places and other parts of the world to the exclusion or neglect of covering happenings and problems in the local environment of the media. It is like the psychological or emotional equivalent of the eye defect medical practitioners refer to as hyperopia or farsightedness. Sufferers can see objects that are far away but have difficulty focusing on objects that are up close.
By focusing on faraway objects people do not have to offer to give a helping hand but can offer their finger to point at others and their tongue to criticise and pontificate. Everyone can criticise and pontificate online or become an “e-warrior”, like Nigerians like to call it, fighting government and whoever and whatever in society they are unhappy with from the comfort and safety of their bedroom and behind their keyboard. It is the easiest of things to do but not the noblest or kindest. It is the well-trodden path but should never be confused with taking the high road in reaching out with compassion to people around whose lives and circumstances could do with some kindness.
Taking the high road rather than practising Afghanistanism or psychological hyperopia is the approach adopted by First Bank of Nigeria Limited, the premier bank in West Africa with its impact woven into the fabric of society. This approach has played an important role in sustaining FirstBank’s development-oriented services for over 127 years as the region’s foremost financial inclusion services provider. It has been a driving motivation for how the bank operates. FirstBank always considers the impact of all its operations and actions on customers and other stakeholders, including the environment, to ensure it is making a net positive difference in the end. And this orientation has attracted to the bank people who share a similar outlook – whether as employees, partners or other stakeholders. They look forward every year to an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the bank and make a net positive difference in their own immediate environments. These men and women do not pretend that they can solve or intervene in all the challenging situations confronting people in their immediate environments but they do not refrain whenever they can lend a helping hand and make a difference.
Through an Employee Giving and Volunteering programme employees of FirstBank find a ready platform to fully identify with the compassionate disposition of the bank, which further has a number of initiatives that enable employees to give expression to this identification. The Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK) Initiative is but one such initiative. Aimed at expanding and deepening FirstBank’s involvement within the communities of its various stakeholders, SPARK seeks to do so by integrating and institutionalising random acts of kindness in society. Among employees SPARK has inspired and encouraged kindness and empathy as well as consideration for others. It has also contributed to employee bonding and teamwork, which have been critical to enhancing work performance.
This year’s implementation of the SPARK Initiative has seen employees under the banner of their various departments make choices regarding the specific nature of intervention they would want to undertake and the specific group of people or institutions within their immediate communities that they would want to extend the milk of human kindness to. Employees and their departments could choose any one of the four areas that constitute FirstBank’s corporate responsibility and sustainability (CR&S) pillars: Education, entrepreneurship, health and welfare, and environment. Under education, they have had a choice to make between support for infrastructural facilities in schools, such as renovation of dilapidated buildings, painting of school buildings, and provision of laptops and desktops; or donation of items such as classroom chairs and tables, books and stationaries; or provision of scholarships for best students, feeding of school students per day or week, funding of a school initiative such as JETS club, bootcamp, space club, etc. If employees and their departments were interested in supporting entrepreneurship, then they had the chance to empower through entrepreneurship programmes of their choosing such as sponsoring youth and women to acquire skills like fashion designing, baking, hairstyling, make-up artistry, electrical repairs, event decoration and planning, catering, etc., or enabling entrepreneurs with tools and equipment to work or supporting SMEs and start-ups.
Where the health and welfare area was their preferred area of intervention, employees and their departments could choose from: donations to orphanages (selected from an approved list of orphanages); support to a good cause, for example lending a helping hand to the Down Syndrome Foundation; support to widows; support to people with health-related issues; and off-setting medical bills. And if employees and their departments were to decide to go for the environment, then they could choose from: support to environmental issues, such as support to Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) initiatives; donation of garbage cans to a community; partnership with a recycling firm to recycle waste; support to LAWMA such as donating cleaning tools (brooms, dustbin parkers), etc.
While several departments in FirstBank did things worth showcasing so the good citizens of Nigeria (individual and corporate) can emulate, this piece has just enough space to accommodate the activities of only three departments: Human Capital Management and Development (HCMD), Compliance, and Marketing and Corporate Communications (M&CC) departments. The employees in these departments seemed involved in efforts to outdo each other in acts of kindness, which made more sense and would leave a real difference on the ground as against criticising and pontificating online on faraway issues.
The Human Capital Management and Development department decided that reaching out to one of the most vulnerable groups in Nigeria – underprivileged widows and their underfed children – was the best way they could stay true to the “Human” in their name. And employees in the department moved beyond their Marina location to the nearest environment where some of the most vulnerable widows are to be found to go show kindness. The Makoko community situated in Lagos Mainland and which CNN once described in a report as “Nigeria’s floating slum” was overwhelmed to receive the august visitors from HCMD bearing so much food stuff to benefit their widows and children. What they did not realise was the overwhelming sense of gratitude felt by their benefactors for the opportunity to be able to give back.
Tagged “Feed a Widow Initiative”, the undertaking was HCMD employees’ way of putting a smile back on the faces of widows in impoverished communities and they got more than they could ever have imagined. Their hosts received them with the broadest of smiles and said goodbye to them with the grandest of gratitude; and they left with very broad smiles on their own faces. The jury is still out on who between the hosts and their guests ended up with the broadest of smiles on the day. And given the “fierce contest” to outdo the other in smiling, one is again forced to wonder why people labelled e-warriors would choose to forfeit this kind of real joy for the joyless world they have locked themselves in by clinging on to Afghanistanism and psychological hyperopia.
Not so for employees in the Compliance department. Not to be outdone and, in fact, as though going up the hierarchy of human needs, Compliance employees decided that they would focus on the education need of their beneficiary community. HCMD had done an excellent job of providing the basic “stomach infrastructure” without which it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get any of the beneficiaries interested in any talk about more sublime matters like education and mental development. So, employees of Compliance department, in order to encourage pupils to continue their pursuit of education, procured Mathematics and English Language textbooks for 617 pupils who would be in senior secondary (SS) 1 and 2 classes of Gbara Community Secondary School in Jakande, Ajah in the next academic session. The visit to the school and book donation were undertaken when the pupils were in the third term preceding the new academic session.
The gesture was Compliance employees’ own way of giving back in such a manner as to relieve the pupils of this public school, particularly those from indigent homes, and their parents or guardians of the financial burden involved in providing textbooks for the two core subjects. It was also, in an uncanny way, an attempt by the employees to ensure the pupils were in full compliance with the requirements for taking on the two most important subjects in the secondary school curriculum, putting the pupils at a vantage position to excel in these two essential subjects. There were other benefits of the engagement that the employees noted. They observed that their presence in the school inspired the children, giving them “hope that a better life was within reach and could be achieved.” The employees thus expressed optimism that the engagement boosted the children’s interest in succeeding in life through the pursuit of education.
For employees of the Marketing and Corporate Communications department (M&CC), entrepreneurship was the area they decided to focus on, to make a difference in their own immediate environment. Every day they came to their office on Broad Street or the bank’s head office in Marina, they passed by a number of roadside traders around the various office buildings in the locations. They observed that some of these traders were exposed to the elements or having difficulties in their business and struggling to make ends meet, and decided that they would do something about it. And true to their word, they did something about it that made so much difference in the businesses and circumstances of the traders. They provided the traders the following: branded umbrella to offer shade from both sun and rain, improving the conditions under which they operated and their quality of life; branded chairs and tables to accommodate more customers in their corner as well as grants to boost their business capital.
Anyone who has met with employees in the corporate communications department of any major bank in Nigeria would readily admit that these professionals have among them some of the most skilful digital marketers around. So, it is not for lack of skills to be e-warriors that M&CC employees chose to extend the milk of human kindness flowing in them to roadside traders around their office rather than practise Afghanistanism. They could have chosen to concentrate all their time and resources on attacking the government online and blaming public officials for all the challenges in the economy and the spate of insecurity all over the nation and whatever else would make M&CC employees true champions of Afghanistanism and psychological hyperopia. But would that make any difference to the lot of the roadside traders around them and lessen their burden? So, M&CC employees chose the road less travelled but one that could deliver the desired impact, and it did.
There are so many lessons to draw and feelings to take away from the examples demonstrated by employees of these three departments in Nigeria’s foremost lender. Besides committing their time and resources to their chosen humanitarian initiatives using the platform of the SPARK Initiative that places FirstBank at the forefront of the social impact space through employee advocacy, the employees have shown that they have the milk of human kindness flowing through their veins. They have demonstrated that they would rather consider how they could extend kindness to people around them and make a difference than pretend not to see the situations affecting those around them while playing Afghanistanism and psychological hyperopia online.
For the rest of us who are not FirstBank employees, the message could not be clearer: The next time we feel like we must share on social media distressing images to provoke government-bashing or we feel constrained to make stinging comments on such images that are shared to criticise Nigeria, we should first pause and look around us. We should look to see if we can identify situations where we, not government or Nigeria, can make a difference. Then we should take our fingers off the keyboard and go out there or make that call that will make a difference in some other person’s life and circumstances. We should be like FirstBank and its employees. We should follow their example of trying to outdo themselves in showing kindness to others. We should start where we are with what we have, to make a difference right now – yes, this very minute and not some future time.
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GTCO SUSTAINS PROFITABILITY MOMENTUM WITH GROWTH IN CORE INCOME – DECLARES A PBT OF N300.4BILLION IN Q1 2025
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or the “Group”) has released its Unaudited Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements for the period ended March 31, 2025, to the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) and London Stock Exchange (LSE). The Group reported profit before tax of 300.4billion on the back of strong performance posted on the core₦ earnings lines of interest income which grew y-o-y by 41.1% and fee income up by 41.2%. The strong performance enabled the group to douse the impact of the 331.6₦ billion fair value gains recognised in Q1-2024 which did not recur in Q1-2025. The Group’s loan book (net) increased by 15.6% from 2.79trillion recorded as at December 2024 to₦ 3.22trillion in March 2025, while deposit liabilities grew by 7.7% from 10.40trillion to 11.20trillion during₦ ₦ ₦ the same period. The Group recorded growths across all its asset lines and continues to maintain a robust, well-structured, highly de-risked, and well-diversified balance sheet in all the jurisdictions wherein it operates. Total assets and shareholders’ funds closed at 15.9trillion and 3.0trillion, respectively. Full₦ ₦ Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained very robust and strong, closing at 34.6%, equally asset quality improved as evidenced by IFRS 9 Stage 3 Loans which closed at 3.3% at Bank Level and 4.5% % at Group in Q1-2025 (Bank -3.5% (Group- 5.2% in December 2024) and Cost of Risk (COR) closed at 0.4% from 4.9% in December 2024. Commenting on the results, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO), Mr. Segun Agbaje, said; “Our Q1 2025 performance reflects the strength of all our business verticals and our capacity to generate strong and sustainable earnings. While the fair value gains of N331.6billion reported in Q1 2024 did not recur this quarter, the Group recorded solid growth across most income lines, underpinned by a diversified revenue base and a healthy, well-structured balance sheet.”He further stated that, “We remain optimistic about the year ahead. The fundamentals of our business are strong, our customer base continues to grow, and we are executing with discipline across our strategic priorities. Importantly, at this pace, the Group is well-positioned to deliver the full year PBT of 2024 at the very minimum by the end of the 2025 FYE.”Overall, the Group continues to post one of the best metrics in the Nigerian Financial Services industry in terms of key financial ratios i.e., Pre-Tax Return on Equity (ROAE) of 42.2%, Pre-Tax Return on Assets (ROAA) of 7.8%, Full Impact Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 34.6% and Cost to Income ratio of 29.0%. Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO Plc) is a leading financial services group with operations across Africa and the United Kingdom. Renowned for its strong corporate governance, innovative financial solutions, and customer-centric approach, GTCO Plc provides a wide range of banking and non-banking services, including payments, funds management, and pension fund administration. The Group is committed to delivering long-term value to stakeholders while driving growth and development across It’s markets.
The stage is set for Africa’s most anticipated celebration of food, drink, and culture as Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO) announces the 8th edition of the GTCO Food and Drink Festival, scheduled to hold from Friday, May 2nd to Sunday, May 4th, 2025, at GTCentre, Plot 1 Water Corporation Drive, Oniru, Victoria Island, Lagos.
This year’s festival is themed “A Shared Experience”, highlighting how every meal tells a story—stories of culture, community, and tradition that unite people across generations and geographies. The 2025 edition will feature 204 free retail stalls, showcasing the rich diversity and creativity of our food culture—from traditional Nigerian dishes and regional delicacies to contemporary fusion cuisines, savory bites, refreshing beverages, and gourmet desserts. Attendees can also look forward to a series of masterclasses, where internationally renowned chefs and respected culinary experts will share practical insights, recipes, and techniques spanning a wide range of cuisines and disciplines.
In addition to the food exhibition and masterclasses, visitors will enjoy an expansive street food arena, offering a vibrant selection of popular local delicacies, and a dedicated children’s play area, ensuring a fun, safe, and memorable experience for the entire family.
Speaking on the significance of the festival, Mr. Segun Agbaje, Group Chief Executive Officer of GTCO Plc, said: “The GTCO Food and Drink Festival is a celebration of our rich cultural diversity and entrepreneurial spirit. Every meal shared is a reminder of our traditions and the universal language of food that connects us all. Beyond the festivities, the festival reflects our commitment to supporting local enterprise—creating a free business platform where food retailers can connect with consumers, share their unique offerings, and take meaningful steps toward growth and long-term sustainability.”
At the heart of the festival is GTCO’s vision of Promoting Enterprise in support of small businesses, especially indigenous foodpreneurs. It is part of the Group’s broader commitment to creating Great Experiences for customers by offering meaningful opportunities for connection, growth, and shared success.
Admission to the GTCO Food and Drink Festival is free, and everyone is welcome to join in this extraordinary celebration of food, culture, and enterprise.
For more information on the event, please visit: https://foodanddrink.gtcoplc.com
L-R: Executive Director, Mr. Adamu Lawani; Executive Director, Mr. Akin Ogunranti; Group Managing Director/Chief Executive, Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, OON; Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR; Executive Director, Mrs. Adobi Nwapa; Executive Director, Mr. Henry Oroh; and Executive Director, Mr. Louis Odom during the 34th Annual General Meeting of Zenith Bank Plc held at The Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, yesterday.
Shareholders of Zenith Bank Plc, at the 34th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, approved the proposed final dividend payment of NGN4.00 per share, bringing the total dividend for the 2024 financial year to NGN5.00 per share, with a total value of NGN195.67 billion.The Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, thanked the shareholders for their unflinching support and commitment, which have been responsible for the bank’s stellar performance over the years. He noted that despite challenges globally in 2024, Zenith Bank was able to leverage the opportunities within the environment of each subsidiary to record a performance that solidly attests to the bank’s resilience as a brand.The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, expressed her appreciation to the shareholders for their commitment and support, promising quantum leap in dividends going forward. According to her, “This is the first time that I am addressing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in my capacity as the first female GMD/CEO of Zenith Bank. I would like to thank you for your confidence and support that has placed me in this position today”. She further said that “Zenith Bank is committed to, not only meeting your expectations, but exceeding them. We are focused on running a very efficient and sustainable institution that is resilient and will ensure that our institution outlives many generations to come”. Talking specifically about dividend, she emphasized that “If you look at our dividends trajectory, payments over the period have always increased and we will continue to maintain this record. We have successfully completed our recapitalization exercise, achieving 160% subscription. Therefore, we are not under any pressure to go back for the second time to raise funds. Zenith Bank has sufficient capital buffer to do business and we will continue to delight our shareholders. We are committed to growing our topline organically while adhering to our strict corporate governance culture.”Dr. Faruk Umar, President of the Association of the Rights of Nigerian Shareholders (AARNS), applauded the Group Managing Director for her efforts in ensuring the growth of the bank’s financial indices. He said, “We are very happy that the bank is paying us N5. Most importantly the GMD/CEO, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, has done so well. In the past year, she won the award for the Banker of the Year which is very commendable, and all the bank’s indices have gone up; we are now experiencing trillions in profit against N676 billion the previous year, and the shareholder’s funds, the gross earnings – everything now is in trillions. I think this is very commendable. The bank has won so many awards – no bank in Nigeria has won such qualitative awards like they have. They also surpassed the capitalization threshold of CBN by 160% – this is unprecedented. We are very happy with their performance.”Speaking on the dividend payout, Alhaji Otunba Mukhtar Mukhtar, Chairman, Trusted Shareholders Association of Nigeria, said “The consistency of Zenith Bank dividend payout has never been matched in Nigeria. Since the inception of this bank, they have kept giving shareholders a consistent dividend payout, and this has made shareholders to be richer, happier, and more excited at the hardwork, performance and commitment of the bank. We are very happy. If you look at the Profit Before Tax (PBT) and the Profit After Tax (PAT), they have been able to cross the N1 trillion
threshold. They have given us a Profit Before Tax of N1.3 trillion, which is very commendable. The shareholders, as you have seen at the meeting, have expressed their happiness and joy about this performance. I am grateful to the Chairman, Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR, the Management and the Board for such an outstanding performance.”Ambassador Dr. Olatunde Okelana, the Balogun Olugbon of Orile- Igbon, Oyo State, also commented on the bank’s dividend payout. In his words, “Zenith Bank investment has been the best for me. I want to believe that whoever has not invested in Zenith Bank has lost. Their dividend policy is very palatable, very beautiful in the banking industry and the lady at the helm of affairs is performing wonderfully well. She is one of the best female CEOs in the banking Industry in Nigeria. I am a capitalist, so I invest where my money can give me beautiful returns. I want to tell you that Zenith Bank has been the best in the capital market and it is the best investment. Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR, the Founder & Chairman, is a benefit to mankind, he has done the best by giving us Zenith Bank. 99.9% of my savings is in Zenith Bank, because I have confidence in them and in the Management led by Dame Dr. Adaora. I want to encourage many Nigerians to invest in Zenith Bank so that they too can reap the fruit of their labor as soon as possible. I am very happy to be a shareholder of this bank.Chief Timothy Adesiyan, President of the Shareholders Solidarity Association of Nigeria, praised the Chairman and Management of Zenith Bank for their consistent delivery of value to shareholders. He noted, “The dividend we received this year of N5 has been a promise which they have given to us at several forums which they have called at different times, and we thank them for not failing us in their promise. I am very proud to be a shareholder of Zenith Bank, and also their customer. The bank is a very reliable bank – if you keep your investments in Zenith Bank, you can go to sleep because there is always somebody there watching your investment for you.”The bank’s robust financial performance in 2024 alluded to its commitment to continually delivering value to its investors in spite of challenging macroeconomic conditions. Zenith Bank Group achieved a remarkable double-digit growth of 86% in gross earnings, from NGN2.13 trillion in the previous year to NGN3.97 trillion in 2024. This was driven by a 138% increase in interest income, supported by investment in high-yield government securities, and growth in the Bank’s loan book. Customer Total assets rose by 47%, underpinned by a strong liquidity position and effective balance sheet management.Zenith Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards including being recognized as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the fifteenth consecutive year in the 2024 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The Banker Magazine. The Bank was also awarded the Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards for 2020, 2022 and 2024; and Best Bank in Nigeria for four times in five years, from 2020 to 2022 and in 2024, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards of Zenith Bank Plc, at the 34th Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, approved the proposed final dividend payment of NGN4.00 per share, bringing the total dividend for the 2024 financial year to NGN5.00 per share, with a total value of NGN195.67 billion.The Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR, thanked the shareholders for their unflinching support and commitment, which have been responsible for the bank’s stellar performance over the years. He noted that despite challenges globally in 2024, Zenith Bank was able to leverage the opportunities within the environment of each subsidiary to record a performance that solidly attests to the bank’s resilience as a brand.The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, OON, expressed her appreciation to the shareholders for their commitment and support, promising quantum leap in dividends going forward. According to her, “This is the first time that I am addressing the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in my capacity as the first female GMD/CEO of Zenith Bank. I would like to thank you for your confidence and support that has placed me in this position today”. She further said that “Zenith Bank is committed to, not only meeting your expectations, but exceeding them. We are focused on running a very efficient and sustainable institution that is resilient and will ensure that our institution outlives many generations to come”. Talking specifically about dividend, she emphasized that “If you look at our dividends trajectory, payments over the period have always increased and we will continue to maintain this record. We have successfully completed our recapitalization exercise, achieving 160% subscription. Therefore, we are not under any pressure to go back for the second time to raise funds. Zenith Bank has sufficient capital buffer to do business and we will continue to delight our shareholders. We are committed to growing our topline organically while adhering to our strict corporate governance culture.”Dr. Faruk Umar, President of the Association of the Rights of Nigerian Shareholders (AARNS), applauded the Group Managing Director for her efforts in ensuring the growth of the bank’s financial indices. He said, “We are very happy that the bank is paying us N5. Most importantly the GMD/CEO, Dame Dr. Adaora Umeoji, has done so well. In the past year, she won the award for the Banker of the Year which is very commendable, and all the bank’s indices have gone up; we are now experiencing trillions in profit against N676 billion the previous year, and the shareholder’s funds, the gross earnings – everything now is in trillions. I think this is very commendable. The bank has won so many awards – no bank in Nigeria has won such qualitative awards like they have. They also surpassed the capitalization threshold of CBN by 160% – this is unprecedented. We are very happy with their performance.”Speaking on the dividend payout, Alhaji Otunba Mukhtar Mukhtar, Chairman, Trusted Shareholders Association of Nigeria, said “The consistency of Zenith Bank dividend payout has never been matched in Nigeria. Since the inception of this bank, they have kept giving shareholders a consistent dividend payout, and this has made shareholders to be richer, happier, and more excited at the hardwork, performance and commitment of the bank. We are very happy. If you look at the Profit Before Tax (PBT) and the Profit After Tax (PAT), they have been able to cross the N1 trillion
threshold. They have given us a Profit Before Tax of N1.3 trillion, which is very commendable. The shareholders, as you have seen at the meeting, have expressed their happiness and joy about this performance. I am grateful to the Chairman, Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR, the Management and the Board for such an outstanding performance.”Ambassador Dr. Olatunde Okelana, the Balogun Olugbon of Orile- Igbon, Oyo State, also commented on the bank’s dividend payout. In his words, “Zenith Bank investment has been the best for me. I want to believe that whoever has not invested in Zenith Bank has lost. Their dividend policy is very palatable, very beautiful in the banking industry and the lady at the helm of affairs is performing wonderfully well. She is one of the best female CEOs in the banking Industry in Nigeria. I am a capitalist, so I invest where my money can give me beautiful returns. I want to tell you that Zenith Bank has been the best in the capital market and it is the best investment. Dr. Jim Ovia, CFR, the Founder & Chairman, is a benefit to mankind, he has done the best by giving us Zenith Bank. 99.9% of my savings is in Zenith Bank, because I have confidence in them and in the Management led by Dame Dr. Adaora. I want to encourage many Nigerians to invest in Zenith Bank so that they too can reap the fruit of their labor as soon as possible. I am very happy to be a shareholder of this bank.Chief Timothy Adesiyan, President of the Shareholders Solidarity Association of Nigeria, praised the Chairman and Management of Zenith Bank for their consistent delivery of value to shareholders. He noted, “The dividend we received this year of N5 has been a promise which they have given to us at several forums which they have called at different times, and we thank them for not failing us in their promise. I am very proud to be a shareholder of Zenith Bank, and also their customer. The bank is a very reliable bank – if you keep your investments in Zenith Bank, you can go to sleep because there is always somebody there watching your investment for you.”The bank’s robust financial performance in 2024 alluded to its commitment to continually delivering value to its investors in spite of challenging macroeconomic conditions. Zenith Bank Group achieved a remarkable double-digit growth of 86% in gross earnings, from NGN2.13 trillion in the previous year to NGN3.97 trillion in 2024. This was driven by a 138% increase in interest income, supported by investment in high-yield government securities, and growth in the Bank’s loan book. Customer Total assets rose by 47%, underpinned by a strong liquidity position and effective balance sheet management.Zenith Bank’s track record of excellent performance has continued to earn the brand numerous awards including being recognized as the Number One Bank in Nigeria by Tier-1 Capital for the fifteenth consecutive year in the 2024 Top 1000 World Banks Ranking, published by The Banker Magazine. The Bank was also awarded the Bank of the Year (Nigeria) in The Banker’s Bank of the Year Awards for 2020, 2022 and 2024; and Best Bank in Nigeria for four times in five years, from 2020 to 2022 and in 2024, in the Global Finance World’s Best Banks Awards
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