Wema Bank has named 10-year-old Chimamanda Diamond Ozoakpata as its 2026 One-Day Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer in celebration of Children’s Day.
The initiative, introduced in 2025, is designed to give children across Nigeria an opportunity to express ambition, explore leadership, and gain early exposure to corporate responsibility within one of the country’s leading financial institutions.
The maiden edition of the programme saw 12-year-old Chiderije Mbah serve as the bank’s first One-Day MD/CEO. This year’s edition produced a milestone, with Chimamanda emerging as the first female recipient after her one-minute video entry reportedly attracted over 50,000 views.
At the handover ceremony held at the bank’s headquarters, Wema Bank Managing Director/CEO Moruf Oseni said the initiative reflects the institution’s commitment to nurturing future leaders. He said: “At our core is a deep-seated drive for inspiring children and showing them that they have what it takes to fulfil their ambition. For this reason, we launched the One-Day MD/CEO initiative in 2025, giving children the opportunity to step into the demanding yet inspiring role of MD/CEO at one of Nigeria’s longest standing institutions, Wema Bank. The impact has been phenomenal and this year, we decided to open up that opportunity to another child.”
Presenting the symbolic leadership role, Oseni added: “It is with great pleasure that I have with me here, 10-year-old Chimamanda Diamond Ozoakpata, this year’s record-breaking leader.
Today, I am handing over the reins of leadership to Chimamanda, who will become the MD/CEO of Wema Bank for today, in celebration of Children’s Day. On behalf of the Board and Management of Wema Bank, I, Moruf Oseni, by the power vested in me as MD/CEO of Wema Bank, do hereby hand over the role of one-day MD/CEO to our star, Diamond Chimamanda, for today, Monday, May 25th, 2026. Congratulations, I trust you will make us proud!”
In her response, Chimamanda expressed appreciation to the bank for the opportunity, describing it as both an honour and a motivation for young people.
She said: “Thank you, Sir, for trusting me with this great opportunity, for always looking out for the children, and for making our success a priority at Wema Bank. I am proud to be a part of the Wema Bank family… Wema Bank has shown how committed it is to supporting our parents and empowering children like me with the tools and guidance that we need to become financially smart. Today, I have the honour of being the one-day MD/CEO of Nigeria’s oldest indigenous and most innovative bank, Wema Bank plc. This is just one of the many ways that Wema Bank celebrates Children’s Day, and I am truly grateful.”
As her first official act, the young MD/CEO approved a series of child-focused initiatives, including birthday cash gifts of N5,000 and N10,000 for children turning 5 and 10 respectively between May 2026 and May 2027, a N100,000 reward for the top 100 performers in the National Common Entrance Examination, and the launch of the “Evolve School Tour–STEM Challenge” for children and teenagers.
The initiatives will be accessible to holders of Wema Bank’s Royal Kiddies Accounts.
Other highlights of the 2026 Children’s Day celebration included a grand event at the bank’s head office, the distribution of N500,000 in cash rewards to three children, and the official launch of the Wema Bank “Money Adventures” financial literacy book for children aged six and above.
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