Wema marks 78th, eyes tier-one status

The managing director of Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni, has said that his goal for the bank is to get it into the tier-1 category of banks in Nigeria.

Oseni said this on Tuesday at the bank’s head office in Marina Lagos, during a celebration to mark the 78th anniversary of the bank.

He said, “This bank is a confluence of two banks; Wema and National. Some time ago, some of you may be old enough to know and some not, those two banks were the top five in Nigeria.

“The aim, the prayer and I have committed this to God, is to take this bank to those heights. This bank must go back to tier one. Once that is done, for me, God has given me what I wanted for Wema Bank.

“That is all I ask for. I can’t do it alone. There is no leadership without followership. You (staff members) must work with me on this journey. So please, let’s walk that journey together.”

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While expressing gratitude to stakeholders in the bank, he said, “I want to thank core investors, minority investors for their support over the decades. Second, I will like to thank you guys; staff of Wema Bank, for all your work, and for believing in leadership. I know it is not an easy job but you guys always deliver.

“I want to thank our customers, they have been with us through thick and thin, over the decades. Because this is 78, we remember those who have done this job before us. We are standing on their collective efforts; past chairmen, past MDs, past staff of Wema Bank.”

On celebrating the 78th anniversary instead of waiting till the 80, Oseni said, “I think as a human being, every day you live, you must give thanks. For an institution, a banking institution that has lasted for 78 years where many of its peers have disappeared, I think it behoves us to celebrate every day and every year.

“This is our eighth decade, obviously, there will be a big celebration when we hit 80 but we will celebrate 79, we will celebrate 80.”

Speaking on the first quarter report of the company, the bank MD said that it was a testament to the promise he and his executives had made to staff members when they took over the administration.

He said, “I think when we started, this administration, myself and my executives, we said we were going to be pro-people and pro-performance. I don’t think if you are aware, the first quarter report is a testament to that.”