Emmanuel Ojukwu
Wema Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Moruf Oseni, has announced the bank’s strategic plans to retain its national licence and aim for tier-1 banking status following the fresh recapitalisation of the banking sector. Speaking on Tuesday at the bank’s Annual General Meeting, held virtually, Oseni outlined the progress towards meeting the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) recapitalisation target of N200bn.
“The apex bank has done its due diligence and approved our N40bn rights issue, which is currently undergoing Securities and Exchange Commission approval to be listed on the Nigerian Exchange. Our capital base now stands not at the current N15bn but, with the rights issue, at N55bn—significant headway towards N200bn,” Oseni stated.
Oseni assured shareholders that the bank is poised to meet the N200bn target within the 24-month timeline through public placements and a public offer. “Following the shareholders’ and board’s approval, we are set to raise the N200bn within the 24-month timeline. We are confident that we will achieve this before the timeline expires. We have shared our plans with the CBN, and we will work assiduously to balance our capital base in the nearest future,” he added.
He reaffirmed Wema Bank’s commitment to maintaining its national bank status while striving to become a systemically important bank. “At a minimum, Wema Bank will remain a national bank. We will keep working tenaciously to become a systematically important bank, reattain tier-1 status, and continue providing optimum value for every shareholder and stakeholder of Wema Bank,” Oseni affirmed.
During the AGM, shareholders approved a N0.50 dividend for 2023 and the appointments of two new non-executive directors, Yewande Zaccheaus and Yusuf Kazaure, along with new executive director Segun Opeke, to the Board of Directors.
Wema Bank’s 2023 financial performance was highlighted by a 196% increase in profit before tax, rising from N14.75bn to N43.59bn, and a 220.4% increase in profit after tax, from N11.21bn to N33.66bn. Gross earnings surged from N132.30bn to N225.75bn, marking a 70.63% increase.
Commending the bank’s performance, shareholder Mr. Badmus Tunde remarked, “Since 1945, Wema Bank has seen the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. Through thick and thin, it has gotten to where it is today. The results are overwhelming, and profitability has been maintained. Kudos to the board and management.”
Wema Bank, one of Nigeria’s oldest banks, recently celebrated its 79th anniversary and continues to innovate as the pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, now in its seventh year of operations.
