brand
STAKEHOLDERS EXTOL JIM OVIA, AS ZENITH BANK NAMES ICONIC UNILAG ALUMNI BUILDING IN HONOUR OF LATE PROF. IBIDAPO-OBE
L-R: Group Managing Director/CEO, Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu; President, Unilag Alumni Association, Dr. John Momoh; Executive Governor, Akwa Ibom State, Elder Udom Emmanuel; Founder and Chairman, Zenith Bank Plc, Jim Ovia, CFR; Deputy Managing Director, Zenith Bank Plc (2nd Right – 2nd Row), Dame (Dr.) Adaora Umeoji, OON; Wife of Late Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, Mrs. Sola Ibidapo-Obe; and Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola during the Commissioning of the Iconic Building (Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe House) housing Zenith Bank Unilag Branch and Unilag Alumni, on Friday, November 25, 2022.
The memory of Professor Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, came alive as Zenith Bank Plc named the iconic building housing its Unilag Branch and the University of Lagos (Unilag) Alumni in his honour on Friday, November 25, 2022. In his opening remarks at the commissioning ceremony, the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc and Chairman of the Body of Banks’ CEOs in Nigeria, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, lauded the Founder and Chairman of the bank, Jim Ovia, CFR, for being physically present at the commissioning of the building to honour the memory of his late friend, Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, who served on the board of Zenith Bank as a Non-Executive Director, and for his passion for youth education and digital learning.He noted the remarkable and continued commitment of Jim Ovia, CFR, to education and youth development in Nigeria, especially through the setting up of James Hope College, a co-educational institution which offers a combination of British and Nigerian curricula, and the James Hope University, which is billed to commence academic activities next year. He also extolled his philanthropy through the setting up of the Jim Ovia Foundation and Mankind United in Total Support for Education Initiative, which has awarded scholarships and produced over 1500 graduates from among indigent people who would not have had the benefit of having a university education.Onyeagwu also recalled how the bank’s partnership with the University of Lagos began in 2001 with the donation of the first ICT centre, when the Founder and Chairman was the Group Managing Director/ CEO of the bank. According to him, “Today, Zenith Bank has built not less than 15 ICT centres in various tertiary institutions and cities all over the country. And I just want to say that no single institution or individual has been able to accomplish what we have done in that respect. And this is a demonstration of the passion our Founder and Chairman has, not just for education, but also for digital learning and computer literacy. This is in addition to several other support to the university, including the institution of Academic Excellence Awards in 2001, where the best graduating students from selected departments – Banking & Finance, Business Administration, Economics and Accounting, receive awards with financial rewards (currently NGN500,000) and employment opportunity, and the donation of 3,500 tablets to enable indigent students of the university to learn online effectively in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic”. Onyeagwu noted that the building is a strong statement of Zenith Bank’s sustainability initiatives as a signatory to several global sustainability frameworks including the United Nations Principles for Responsible Banking, as it incorporates many of the elements that make a facility environmentally friendly and sustainable. Speaking at the commissioning of the iconic building, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel noted the huge contributions of Zenith Bank and, in particular, Jim Ovia, CFR, a man he described as a father, to the development of Nigeria. In his words,” when you see things being done consistently in the right way, there is always a man pointing in that direction. A lot of people ask me how come you are doing so much in public service; I say I come from a background where my mentor told me that you don’t report efforts, you don’t give excuses, but you report results. So no matter the situation, even in the midst of an economic recession, in the midst of Covid, you should not stop development and performance. As far as you are from the Zenith family, you are expected to have that creativity and ideas that can make you produce results. In Zenith, we say only the paranoid survive. So I really want to appreciate what I am seeing here today”. Whilst thanking the alumni association and the school authority for their collaborative efforts towards achieving capacity development, which he described as the bane of Nigerian society, he expressed his delight and honour to commission a building named after the revered Late Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, who touched and impacted so many people while he was alive.In his address, the National President of Unilag Alumni Association, Dr. John Momoh, thanked the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank as well as the management of the bank for the magnificent building and Mrs. Sola Ibidapo-Obe for accepting the association’s request to name the building after her husband as a lasting legacy in his honour. He encouraged everyone to take good care of and maintain the building to serve the university community for years to come. In her remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, acknowledged the invaluable contributions of Zenith Bank to the development of the school, promising to work with the Alumni association to ensure that the facility serves not only the Alumni but also the entire students populace. She thanked the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia, CFR, for donating 3,500 tablets to the university, which ensured that students who could not afford laptops for e-learning during the covid-19 pandemic were not left behind.In her remarks, the wife of the Late Prof. Oyewusi Ibidapo-Obe, Mrs. Sola Ibidapo-Obe, thanked the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia, CFR, for immortalising her late husband with such a great edifice named after him. Recalling how close he was to her late husband, Mrs Ibidapo-Obe said: “You are my husband’s friend. Dr. Jim Ovia has demonstrated the love that does not die in his friendship with my beloved husband. When he fell ill, Dr. Jim Ovia was there from day one till the last moment. I could feel the way he felt. From then, I knew that he was a genuine friend. He tried his best to ensure my husband survived, but he did not”.The iconic building, which sits on a total site area of 950m2, was constructed by a team of world-class builders who had the mandate of delivering the best quality possible. The iconic structure is a smart building that incorporates many of the elements that make a facility environmentally friendly and sustainable, including a grid-tie solar system that sustains power load on solar and not on a generator or national grid, an inverter-driven VRF air conditioning system and motion sensor lighting to enhance energy efficiency, perforated aluminium composite panels for natural lighting and ventilation, free Wi-Fi system to provide internet access for students, fire management systems, including fire hydrant, smoke detector, and fire alarm system, and a LED screen installed on the building for the dissemination of information. The iconic building will house the Unilag Branch of Zenith Bank Plc and the operations of Unilag Alumni. Of the total 1,665m2 of floor area designated for office use in the four-storey building, 585m2 will be used by Unilag Alumni.
brand
GTCO Brings Google Pay to Both Sides of the Checkout As Google Pay launches in Nigeria
![]()
…….GTBank customers can now pay with it and businesses on HabariPay’s Squad gateway can now accept it.
Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (“GTCO” or “the Group“) today announced that two of its subsidiaries are live with Google Pay on the day it launches in Nigeria. Customers of Guaranty Trust Bank Limited (“GTBank”) can add their GTBank debit cards to Google Wallet and pay with Google Pay online, in Nigeria and internationally. Businesses that use Squad, the payment gateway run by the Group’s payments subsidiary HabariPay, can now offer Google Pay to their customers at checkout.
The Group is therefore present at both ends of the same transaction: with the person paying and with the business being paid.
For GTBank customers, the change is simple. They add their GTBank debit card to Google Wallet once. After that, they choose Google Pay at checkout, pick the card and confirm, without typing a card number, expiry date or CVV again. Google Pay replaces the card number with a secure digital token, so the merchant does not receive the actual card details. The card can be used wherever Google Pay is accepted online, including for subscriptions, travel bookings, food delivery, bills and digital services.
For businesses on Squad, “Pay with Google Pay” now sits at the top of the Squad checkout, alongside card, bank transfer, USSD, bank payments and Squad’s buy-now-pay-later options. A customer with a card in Google Wallet selects Google Pay, chooses the card, confirms, and is returned to the merchant’s site once the payment is verified. Google Pay is switched on by default for every business on Squad, and a merchant can choose to turn it off. Merchants set up for international payments can accept Google Pay from customers anywhere in the world, which opens Nigerian businesses to buyers abroad, including the diaspora. Fewer fields mean fewer points at which a customer can abandon a purchase, which matters most to the small and growing businesses that make up much of Squad’s merchant base.
Commenting on the launch, the Group Chief Executive Officer of GTCO, Mr Segun Agbaje, said: “Most failed online payments are not refused, they are abandoned. Somewhere along the way the customer gives up, and the business never learns about the sale it lost. As a customer centric Financial Services Group, we are committed to ensuring that we continue to deliver payment solutions that make transacting safe and simple for our various customer Groups. With Google Pay, what matters to us is that we are ready on both sides from the first day: a GTBank customer can pay with it, and a business on Squad can accept it.”
He added: “This is what a group structure is for. Our Bank and our Payments Business were built to do different jobs, and today they meet at the same checkout. We will keep putting the full weight of the Group behind those small moments where people decide whether paying digitally is worth the effort. When it is, everyone in the transaction wins: the customer, the merchant and the wider economy that depends on both.”
The Managing Director of HabariPay, Mr Eduofon Japhet, said: “For a merchant, every extra field at checkout is a reason for a customer to leave. Squad businesses now get Google Pay inside the checkout they already use, so their customers can pay in a few taps with a card they have already saved. A merchant set up for international payments can now be paid with Google Pay by a customer anywhere in the world, with nothing new to integrate.”
Availability. GTBank customers can add an eligible GTBank debit card through the Google Wallet app on Android or through their Google Account. From today, Google Pay is on by default for all businesses on the Squad payment gateway, and merchants can choose to turn it off. Squad merchants set up for international payments can accept Google Pay from anywhere in the world. More information is available at www.gtbank.com and www.squadco.com.
brand
ZENITH BANK SET TO HOST SIXTH EDITION OF ANNUAL TECH FAIR
![]()
Zenith Bank Plc is set to host the sixth edition of its flagship technology event, Zenith Bank Tech Fair 2026: Future Forward 6.0, on Thursday, November 5, 2026, under the theme, “AI: Embrace or Extinct.”
Renowned for its scale and showcase of technological innovation, the annual Tech Fair has evolved into a platform for connecting ideas, talent and opportunities. Over the years, the event has brought together technology leaders, entrepreneurs, and young innovators to explore emerging technologies, showcase solutions and examine the future of the digital economy.
Conceived by the Bank’s Founder, Jim Ovia, CFR, the initiative reflects his vision of empowering young Nigerians through technology and nurturing inventors capable of developing solutions with global relevance. It also reinforces Zenith Bank’s commitment to digital advancement and the growth of Nigeria’s technology ecosystem.
The impact of the Tech Fair is evident in the solutions emerging from its competitions. Previous winners include JumpnPass, which developed a self-checkout solution for retail, and CreditChek, which uses artificial intelligence and open banking to streamline credit verification. At the 2025 edition, TrustLoopwon the hackathon for its digital identity verification solution, while Cubbes Technologies won the startup pitch competition with its AI-powered EdTech learning platform. Through millions in prize funding and mentorship, the Tech Fair continues to support promising innovators in developing practical solutions to real-world challenges.
For the first time, the Tech Fair will be held virtually, opening participation to a wider borderless audience across Nigeria and beyond. This year’s theme explores the growing influence of AI and challenges individuals and organisations to consider howbest to harness its potential in an increasingly technology-driven world. The event will offer participants an opportunity to discover emerging innovations, gain fresh insights and engage with ideas shaping the future of work and business.
The Tech Fair will be accessible via Zoom, Instagram, X, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube.
Be part of the future of technology. Register now at www.zenithbank.com/techfair and experience the possibilities of AI at Zenith Bank Tech Fair 2026.
brand
AUBA Commences Comtempt Proceedings Against WEMPCO Directors over Alleged Disobidence of Court Order
![]()
Mr. Lewis Tung and his brother Robert Tung
The Federal High Court, presided over by Honourable Justice Aluko, has granted an application by United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc for substituted service of Form 49 on directors of Wempco named as alleged contemnors in the case of UBA v. Wempco.
The application forms part of proceedings seeking to determine whether the named individuals disobeyed an order of the court and whether they should be committed to prison for contempt.
The directors named as alleged contemnors are Lewis Shui Ngor Tung, Phillip Shui Chei Tung, M.A. Ola Yusuf, Tung Lawrence Blake, Aali Aare Hadji Tokunbo, Paul Shui Po Tung, Tung Robert, C.L. Ip and Taiwo Alli.
In advancing the application, counsel to UBA argued that service of Form 49 on the alleged contemnors was necessary to enable them to appear before the court and show cause why an order of committal should not be made against them.
He also argued that the Directors of Wempco and some members of staff took illegal steps in an attempt to disobey the Order of Court.
The court’s decision to grant substituted service provides a procedural step towards bringing the notice to the attention of the individuals concerned in accordance with the court’s directions.
Form 49 is a notice requiring an alleged contemnor to show cause why an order of committal to prison should not be made against them for alleged disobedience of a court order.
The Federal High Court had earlier made an Order of Mareva Injunction and appointed a Receiver/Manager over some of the Assets of Wempco following the indebtedness of Wempco to UBA in the sum of N61,445,695,993.76 (Sixty One Billion FourHundred and Forty-Five Million Six Hundred and Ninety Five Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ninety Three Naira, Seventy Six Kobo).
-
news6 years agoUPDATE: #ENDSARS: CCTV footage of Lekki shootings intact – Says Sanwo – Olu
-
lifestyle6 years agoFormer Miss World: Mixed reactions trail Agbani Darego’s looks
-
news8 years ago
-
health6 years agoChairman Agege LG, Ganiyu Egunjobi Receives Covid-19 Vaccines
-
lifestyle5 years agoObateru: Celebrating a Quintessential PR Man at 60
-
news1 year agoBREAKING: Tinubu swears in new NNPCL Board
-
health6 years agoUPDATE : Nigeria Records 790 new cases of COVID-19
-
society3 years agoBisbam CEO, Abisola Bamidele, Bags Owu Chieftaincy Title