Event
Wema Bank MD/CEO donates salary to child leader
Wema Bank MD/CEO Moruf Oseni donated his one-day salary to 12-year-old Chiderije Mbah, the winner of the bank’s “1-Day MD/CEO” initiative for Children’s Day, emphasizing the bank’s commitment to youth empowerment and financial literacy
In a unique and encouraging gesture to mark Children’s Day 2025, Moruf Oseni, the Managing Director/CEO of Wema Bank, has donated his one-day salary for May 27 to Chiderije Mbah, the 12-year-old winner of the bank’s “1-Day MD/CEO” initiative.
Also read: Wema Bank makes 12-year-old Chiderije Mbah one-day CEO for Children’s Day
Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous bank and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, launched the initiative on May 21, 2025.
It invited Nigerian children to submit video entries showcasing their potential for leadership and banking careers.
Chiderije Mbah’s entry, lauded for its embodiment of the MD/CEO role, secured him the exclusive opportunity to lead Wema Bank for Children’s Day.
Chiderije experienced a grand reception at the bank’s Head Office in Lagos, engaging in one-on-one meetings with top executives.
This move, which has garnered widespread applause across Nigeria and globally, underscores Wema Bank’s pioneering approach to empowering children as future leaders.
Crowning the memorable experience, Moruf Oseni’s surprise donation of his May 27 salary to Chiderije Mbah serves as a powerful encouragement for the young winner to pursue his aspirations.
Explaining the bank’s motivation for this intentional Children’s Day commemoration, Oseni said, “As a Bank, our mission is to empower lives through innovation, and this is a mission we are committed to seeing through from cradle to grave, as encapsulated in our creed, ‘With You, All The Way’. This is why Children’s Day is so important to us. Every great man, woman or even institution, was once a child, so to forge the leaders of tomorrow, we need to begin today.”
As Chiderije will be carrying out my duties for today, it is only right that he earns my one-day salary today. The Wema way is ‘work hard, reward hard’, and as MD/CEO for today, Chiderije will experience it first-hand.
Oseni emphasized Wema Bank’s dedication to innovation in empowering children. “Today, in commemoration of Children’s Day 2025, we are taking things a step further and giving the leaders of tomorrow a platform to lead today. As Chiderije will be carrying out my duties for today, it is only right that he earns my one-day salary today. The Wema way is ‘work hard, reward hard’, and as MD/CEO for today, Chiderije will experience it first-hand. It is our hope that this will inspire not just him, but every other child to put in the good work and make us proud. Happy Children’s Day, from Wema Bank,” Oseni concluded.
Expressing his profound gratitude, Chiderije Mbah promised to make Wema Bank proud. He acknowledged the bank’s role in supporting parents and empowering children with financial resources and literacy skills.
“Today has shown me that the sky is just the starting point for every child, and I am excited to spread the word to other children. I look forward to learning from you, the experts, and getting more insights into what it means to be a leader, especially for an organisation like Wema Bank, that has stood strong for 80 years. Thank you again for giving me your time and trusting me with this important responsibility. I will make Wema Bank proud!” Chiderije said.
Since its establishment in 1945, Wema Bank has maintained a reputation for its intentional approach to empowering individuals across all demographics and generations.
Beyond Children’s Day initiatives, the bank offers child-focused solutions like the Royal Kiddies Account (for ages 0-12) and the ALAT Xplore App (for teens 13-17), enabling parents to build stable futures for their children and empowering children with financial literacy skills.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has been announced as the Keynote Speaker for the Anniversary Public Lecture of Lagos-based online newspaper, thegazellenews’.com.
The lecture is scheduled to hold on Wednesday, 15 July, 2026 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Lagos, by 10:00 a.m.
The event will focus on the theme: “Driving Grassroots Governance with Public-Private Partnership: The Pains, The Challenges, The Prospects
In a statement, the management of TheGazelleNews said the annual lecture series was established to provide a platform for intellectual discourse and policy conversations on critical national issues affecting Nigeria and its people.
The organisers noted that the lecture has, over the years, attracted eminent personalities, policymakers, academics, media practitioners, captains of industry and political stakeholders from across the country.
The management described Dare as a seasoned administrator, journalist and communications strategist whose extensive experience in governance and public service positions him to lead discussions on grassroots governance and the role of public-private partnerships in national development.
“The annual lecture series was created to provide a platform for intellectual discourse and policy conversations on critical national issues affecting the country and its people,” the statement noted.
It further disclosed that invited guests and participants are expected from government institutions, media organisations, civil society groups and the private sector.
Dare, a distinguished global communications and multimedia expert, author and public speaker, brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, governance, public policy and strategic communications.
He currently serves as Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, where he plays a central role in shaping and coordinating the administration’s public communication strategy.
Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for combining journalism, public policy and stakeholder management, while championing institutional reforms, digital innovation and youth empowerment initiatives.
Before his current role, Dare served as Minister of Youth and Sports Development from 2019 to 2023, where he introduced the Nigeria Sports Industry Policy (NSIP), widely known as the “Sports as Business” model.
He also spearheaded the implementation of a 10-year Football Master Plan designed to reposition Nigerian football and launched the Adopt-an-Athlete Initiative to strengthen sports development.
Under his leadership, Nigeria recorded one of its most successful outings at major international sporting competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, securing a combined 35 medals.
He also facilitated the establishment of the N75 billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) to support youth entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
Earlier, Dare served as Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) between 2016 and 2019, overseeing stakeholder engagement and supervising key departments, including Licensing and Authorisation, Legal and Enforcement, and Zonal Operations.
He also previously served as Chief of Staff and Special Adviser on Media to Tinubu, managing media relations and political communications.
In the international media arena, Dare worked with the Independent Communication Network Limited (ICNL), publishers of The News/Tempo/PM News where he rose to become the General Editor of the flagship publication of the company, The News magazine. Dare was one of the leading lights in the media war against the military junta in the days of Babangida and late Sanni Abacha and was active in the guerilla journalism of that era.
He spent nearly a decade at Voice of America, rising to become Chief of the Hausa Service. In that capacity, he directed radio programming that reached an estimated audience of 28 million listeners daily across West Africa while introducing modern information technology tools into newsroom operations.
Academically, Dare attended Ahmadu Bello University, University of Jos, New York University, Harvard University and University of Oxford. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Intelligence and Global Security.
The management of TheGazelleNews expressed confidence that Dare’s experience in governance, media, public policy and strategic communications would enrich discussions at the anniversary lecture and stimulate meaningful conversations on strengthening grassroots governance through effective public-private partnerships.
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