Zenith Bank Plc has marked its 35th anniversary with a commemorative Chairman’s Dinner in Lagos at the weekend.
The event presented an opportunity for the Tier-One bank to celebrate its customers and long-service staff members.
The bank presented commemorative awards and plaques to its pioneer customers and the staff members who have served meritoriously for 25 years and above.
The event brought together key stakeholders of the bank, including customers, past and present staff members, regulators, partners and friends, who all came together to celebrate 35 years of excellent and innovative banking services.
Among the eminent personalities at the event were Vice-President Kashim Shettima; Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Lucky Aiyedatiwa (Ondo), Agbu Kefas (Taraba), and Babagana Zulum (Borno). Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was represented by his Deputy, Monday Onyeme.
President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, and former governors Peter Obi and Udom Emmanuel were also present at the event marked with pomp and pageantry.
Shettima and Emmanuel are alumni of the bank.
In her welcome address, the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of Zenith Bank Plc, Dr. Adaora Umeoji, applauded the Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, for his foundational role in building the structures that have made the bank a shining example of excellence in the Nigerian banking industry and a globally recognised financial institution.
Umeoji described Ovia as “the Godfather of modern banking and the Nostradamus of our time, who through sheer tenacity, foresight, and uncompromising integrity transformed a modest vision into the financial powerhouse we celebrate today.”
In his goodwill message, Shettima praised Ovia for being at the heart of the very successful brand that today stands as Nigeria’s largest bank by Tier-1 capital.
The Vice-President said: “Long before technology became the bloodstream of global finance, Jim Ovia had already woven it into the DNA of the Nigerian banking industry.
“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. His greatest investment has been in human capital – in transferring his experience and sense of adventure to generation after generation of bankers and investors forged at Zenith Bank.”
On his part, Ovia expressed his immense appreciation to all guests for joining the bank in celebrating “this momentous occasion”.
He thanked the bank’s customers andshareholders for their trust, confidence and shared vision; the regulators, for their guidance over the years; his friends and partners, for being a constant source of strength; the Zenith Bank family led by Umeoji, for their loyalty and commitment; and his wife and family for their love and support.
Founded in May 1990, Zenith Bank has grown from humble beginnings into one of Africa’s leading financial institutions with branches across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The bank also has subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Gambia, France, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and a representative office in China.
