Lagos: Wema Bank has named 10-year-old Chimamanda Ozoakpata as the winner of its 2026 One-Day Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (MD/CEO) Children’s Day initiative. The bank disclosed this in a statement, stating that the initiative was part of the activities marking the 2026 Children’s Day celebration. Ozoakpata, who is the Head Girl of Redeemers Foundation Nursery and Primary School, emerged as the winner after her one-minute video entry garnered over 50,000 views.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Ozoakpata became the first female winner of the initiative, which was introduced in 2025 to provide children across Nigeria with a platform to express their ambitions and gain practical leadership experience. Speaking during the handover ceremony, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank, Mr. Moruf Oseni, stated that the initiative was designed to inspire children to pursue their aspirations with confidence. He emphasized the bank’s commitment to inspiring children and giving them the opportunity to experience a leadership role at one of Nigeria’s oldest indigenous financial institutions.
Oseni noted that the response to the initiative had been encouraging and that the bank decided to expand the opportunity following the success of the maiden edition. He expressed his delight in handing over the reins of leadership to Chimamanda Ozoakpata as Wema Bank’s One-Day MD/CEO in celebration of Children’s Day.
In her acceptance remarks, Ozoakpata expressed her gratitude to the bank for the opportunity and pledged to make a meaningful impact in her temporary role. She thanked the bank for trusting her with the opportunity and for supporting children to become financially smart and confident future leaders.
As her first official act, Ozoakpata approved three initiatives aimed at children and teenagers. These include birthday cash gifts of N5,000 and N10,000 for children turning five and ten years old, respectively, between May 2026 and May 2027. Additionally, there will be a reward of N100,000 for the top 100 candidates in the National Common Entrance Examination, and the launch of the Evolve School Tour STEM Challenge for children and teenagers.
The bank stated that these rewards would be available to active customers operating Royal Kiddies Accounts for their children. It also highlighted that the 2026 Children’s Day celebration included the launch of the Wema Bank Money Adventures financial literacy book for children aged six years and above.