Vice President Kashim Shettima, has praised one of Nigeria’s largest financial institutions; Zenith Bank, for instilling a culture of innovation and deep-seated integrity into the country’s financial standards.
According to him, beyond performing excellently in guarding Nigeria’s wealth, Zenith Bank has also nurtured the nation’s dreams, sealing the bank’s status as Nigeria’s largest bank by Tier-One capital.
Speaking in the early hours of Saturday in Lagos, during the 35th Anniversary of Zenith Bank, VP Shettima observed that from July 1990, when the bank was born in Nigeria’s banking sector, it was quite glaring that “a motion was set in place for a revolution in the nation’s corporate culture.”
Great Strides
The great strides the bank has made, he noted, are the cumulative effects of what has earned it the prize as the nation’s number one bank, a position it has retained for 16 consecutive years, “making it a benchmark in the annals of African enterprise.”
Extolling the bank’s innovation and integrity, VP Shettima said, “And so, as we gather to celebrate Zenith Bank at thirty-five, we are honouring a culture—a culture where innovation is instinct, where integrity is non-negotiable, and where service to humanity is as important as service to shareholders.
“On behalf of the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I salute Zenith Bank, I honour Jim Ovia, and I commend Dame Adaora Umeoji. May the next thirty-five years find you still breaking barriers, still setting standards, and still proving that in Nigeria, greatness is not an exception—it is an expectation.”
The Vice President, who noted that he was also attending Zenith Bank’s 35th anniversary as “a proud alumnus” of the bank said that while some financial institutions exist mainly to expand their profit margins year after year, there are other banks that write history.
“I know the difference because I was bred in this system, and I know that Zenith Bank belongs to a class of its own. It is a family that has stood together. A family that thinks together. A family that builds together. A family that grows together. A family that celebrates each other’s victories and endures each other’s trials.
“A family bound not solely by contracts and capital, but by the foresight that tomorrow arrives heavy with promise. For thirty-five years, this Bank has opened more than branches across the world; it has opened possibilities,” he maintained.
Commendation
VP Shettima lauded the Chairman/Founder of Zenith Bank, Chief Jim Ovia, describing him as a “master of foresight, the architect of dreams, the conjurer of possibilities, and the alchemist who turns vision into gold— a magician whose wand is wisdom, whose stage is the future, and whose art is the transformation of an industry.”
The Vice President said Chief Ovia’s genius has never been in doubt, having had the privilege of working under his watch during the period he worked as a banker.
“He introduced innovation not as a fashion but as a philosophy, placing Zenith Bank on a path where excellence is not an ambition but a standard. Yet his true signature is not only on the balance sheet. For Jim Ovia, the people make an institution,” said the Vice President.
VP Shettima also praised Zenith Bank’s culture of continuity, which eventually placed the leadership mantle on its first female Group Managing Director/CEO, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, saying the bank’s story is a relay of “baton passed with trust and received with grace.”
The Founder of Zenith Bank, Chief Ovia, appreciated Vice President Shettima for his show of support and for personally attending the event.
He also thanked the customers of the bank for trusting Zenith Bank with their funds, even as he assured them of more effective services by the management and staff of the bank.
Earlier, Group Managing Director of the bank, Dr Umeoji, said the bank has made its mark in the banking sector in Nigeria and around the world, noting that the bank currently boasts of a market capitalisation of N3 trillion, putting it above many other banks in the country.
She said, “In just 35 years, Zenith Bank has grown from humble beginnings in a converted residential building to become a shining example of excellence in the Nigerian banking industry and a globally recognised financial institution.
“Zenith Bank is the most profitable bank in Nigeria, setting the standard for financial performance. Our tier-1 capital has remained the largest in the Nigerian banking industry for 16 consecutive years, demonstrating our unwavering financial strength and stability.
“We have a shareholders’ fund of 4.44 trillion naira, the highest in the Nigerian banking industry, reflecting investor trust and confidence. Our market capitalisation stands at 3 trillion naira, one of the largest in the Nigerian banking industry, showcasing our market leadership.”
The Group Managing Director applauded the Founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia, for establishing and leading the bank to greater heights, assuring that the dream of the Founder shall not die.
Those present at the event included the Governors of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Ondo, Lucky Aiyedatiwa; Borno, Prof Babagana Zulum; Taraba, Dr Kefas Agbu; representative of the First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu; Senator Ahmed Wadada; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwale; Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa; Minister of Agriculture, Sen Abubakar Kyari; Minister of State, Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, and former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, among others.