“We Will Continue To Be Investors’ Delight,” CEO Umeoji Assures As Chairman Ovia Leads Zenith Bank To NGX Gong Closing

Zenith Bank Plc reaffirmed its position as a pillar of investor confidence on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, as its Founder and Chairman, Jim Ovia, led the bank’s management team to perform the prestigious closing gong ceremony at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX).

The ceremony, also attended by the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dame Adaora Umeoji, symbolized the bank’s continued partnership with the capital market and its enduring commitment to transparency, accountability, and value creation for investors.

Addressing participants at the NGX, Dr. Umeoji expressed delight at leading the Zenith team to the Exchange, describing the event as a celebration of mutual progress. “We are delighted to be here today to perform the closing gong ceremony — a symbol of shared progress and enduring partnership,” she said.

Praising the NGX for its innovation and leadership, she noted that the Exchange’s electronic trading platform, X-stream, was pivotal to Zenith’s successful recapitalization exercise, which recorded a 160 percent subscription.

According to her, the bank’s strong market performance reflects investor trust and management discipline.

“Zenith Bank’s stock price has doubled since the recapitalization exercise, from ₦36.50 per share to ₦68. We have also delivered impressive financial results for the first half of 2025, emerging as Nigeria’s most profitable bank and paying the highest dividend in the industry for the period,” Umeoji said.

Reiterating the bank’s commitment to rewarding shareholders, the CEO assured that Zenith remains focused on sustaining its legacy of excellence.

“We will continue to be the investors’ delight, and we assure the market that we will pay enhanced dividends at year-end. The confidence reposed in us by investors will not be taken for granted,” she said.

Umeoji also highlighted the bank’s expansion plans, emphasizing that its growth strategy is guided by customer needs. “Our expansion strategy follows our customers’ businesses. We will go to countries and economies where we can scale effectively and deliver more returns for our shareholders,” she explained, underlining the bank’s ambition to deepen its global footprint.

Speaking at the event, the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Dr. Emomotimi Agama, commended the NGX and listed companies like Zenith Bank for driving growth in the capital market. “At my assumption of office, market capitalization stood at ₦55 trillion. Today, it is hovering around ₦89 trillion and ₦93 trillion. This growth was driven by your vision, transparency, and courage,” he said, setting a target of ₦200 trillion capitalization by next year.

The Doyen of the NGX, Alhaji Rasheed Yusuf, lauded Jim Ovia for his pioneering role in Nigeria’s banking sector, describing him as the “Doyen of Commercial Banking.” He praised Zenith Bank’s consistent excellence, noting that its record of awards and recognitions reflects the strength of its leadership and strategy.

As Zenith Bank continues to sustain its growth trajectory, the NGX event reinforced its reputation as a bank that not only leads in profitability but also upholds the values of innovation, good governance, and stakeholder satisfaction — qualities that have made it, in the words of its CEO, “the investors’ delight.”