As part of its 2025 Children’s Day celebrations, WEMA Bank, Nigeria’s most innovative bank and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, today unveiled 12-year-old Chiderije Mbah as its One-Day Managing Director/CEO. This special initiative aims to nurture the next generation of Nigerian leaders.
The memorable experience, which took place at the bank’s headquarters in Marina, Lagos spotlighted WEMA Bank’s ongoing commitment to investing in the future even as it marks 80 remarkable years of legacy and impact.
Chiderije Mbah became the winner of the One-Day WEMA Bank MD/CEO initiative launched in May 2025, to mark this year’s Children’s Day celebration. He was chosen after sharing a spirited video explaining his dream of leading a bank and his vision for making finance more fun and accessible for children. His entry, submitted through a social media challenge, stood out among dozens who applied to be in the position.
The One-Day WEMA Bank MD/CEO was the high point of a broader Children’s Day initiative by WEMA Bank, which invited children across the country to participate in an online challenge. To qualify, children were asked to post a short video dressed in WEMA colours and share the banking role they aspired to, while either holding or opening a Royal Kiddies Account (for ages 0–12) or an ALAT Xplore Wallet (for teenagers 13–17). The campaign blended fun with purpose, introducing thousands of young Nigerians to early financial education and the power of dreaming big.
Today Tuesday 27th May, Chiderije received a purple-carpet welcome at the WEMA Bank HQ before taking his seat at the helm of the Bank for a day packed with leadership, learning, and excitement. Enjoying a full day of activities; from a guided tour of the head office to holding his own executive briefing session in the boardroom, he also addressed senior executives of the bank. ‘This is the best day of my life,’ said Chiderije Mbah.
‘Wema Bank made me feel important. I am learning so much about being a leader and how banking works. I’ll tell all my friends to open a WEMA Bank Royal Kiddies Account so they can also start learning how to save and maybe one day, they can be MD too!’
Speaking on the initiative, WEMA Bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Moruf Oseni, said, ‘Our 80th anniversary is a time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going, knowing fully well that the future belongs to the young stars like Chiderije. Today’s activity is one of our ways of showing that we believe in the children, that we’re listening, and that we’re committed to helping them succeed financially, personally, and professionally all the way.’
This unforgettable experience reinforces WEMA Bank’s vision of a future-ready Nigeria; one where financial inclusion starts early, and every child has access to tools, inspiration, and opportunities to thrive. As WEMA bank celebrates eight decades of resilience and innovation, its gaze remains firmly fixed on the horizon, championing the dreams of tomorrow’s leaders, one child at a time.