Children’s Day: 12-yr-old emerges one-day Wema Bank MD

A 12-year-old, Chiderije Mah, has emerged as a one-day managing director/CEO of Wema Bank, an initiative aimed at nurturing the next generation of leaders.

The management of the financial institution unveiled Chiderije at the bank’s head office, Lagos, on Tuesday, May 27, in commemoration of the 2025 Children’s Day, in a demonstration of its 3rd time in commitment to investing in the future.

Chiderije 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 event 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.

The 12-year-old stepped into the bank’s head office at Marina, Lagos, and enjoyed a full day of activities, from a guided tour of the head office to holding his own executive briefing session in the boardroom, to addressing 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!”

Moruf Oseni, MD/CEO of Wema Bank, who spoke on the initiative, said, 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.”