TheNewsGuru

Tag: Wema Bank

  • DAYLIGHT ROBBERY: Robbers blow up popular bank in Ekiti, cart away millions [VIDEO]

    DAYLIGHT ROBBERY: Robbers blow up popular bank in Ekiti, cart away millions [VIDEO]

    Dare-devil armed robbers numbering over six invaded Wema Bank in Iyin-Ekiti area of Ekiti State and carted away millions of naira in broad day light operation.

    The robbers were said to have stormed the bank around 3:30pm on Friday and successfully carried out their operations for hours without the police challenging them.

    It was gathered that the robbers blew up the security doors of the bank with dynamite before carting away millions of naira.

    Eyewitnesses said the robbers on getting to the bank shot sporadically several times into the air before gaining entrance into the bank to rob.

    There was pandemonium in the area as shop owners abandoned their wares and ran for their lives, while vehicles quickly made U-turn to escape from the area.

    Residents are angry that policemen from Police Station in the area just 500 metres away did not respond until the robbers had gone.

    Sunday Abutu, Police Public relations Officer, Ekiti Police Command said the police responded immediately they got information about the robbery and that they were still chasing the robbers.

    According to him, the police got a distress call from Iyin Ekiti about the robbery and immediately dispatched its men and officers to the place.

    He said the robbers were being chased and that the police were determined to arrest the culprits.

  • BREAKING: Wema Bank opens up on cases of COVID-19 infections at its branches

    BREAKING: Wema Bank opens up on cases of COVID-19 infections at its branches

    Wema Bank Plc has on Monday revealed details of active cases of COVID-19 that were reported in its two separate branches across the country.

    The company’s response follows an earlier report on news website (not TheNewsGuru) which claimed that as much as fifty employees of the bank were recently infected.

    In a press statement made available to newsmen, Wema Bank insisted that not more than two positive cases were confirmed. In the meantime, the affected branches have been shut down. Customers who recently visited those branches were also contacted and advised to get tested for COVID-19.

    The emailed statement said in parts; “We have received confirmation of two positive COVID-19 cases in two of our branches nationwide. The infected staff are currently being treated after only displaying mild symptoms.

    “In keeping with our commitment to ensure the safety of our customers, staff and community, we have notified customers who visited those branches to get tested.

    “In light of this, both branches have been shut down for immediate disinfection and will only be reopened once we certify that it is safe enough for services to resume.”

    It should be noted that this is happening barely one month after banks were all ed to re-open their branches, following the COVID-19 lockdown that was imposed by the Federal Government.

    The Nigerian Government hd adopted the drastic lockdown measure (which lasted for approximately two months) in a bid to curtail the spread of the virus in the country. During the lockdown, banks were only allowed to operate skeletal services, even as customers were advised to shift their transactions to online channels.

    Nigeria has confirmed a total of 16,085 cases of COVID-19, according to latest data obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. While 5220 patients have so far been discharged, some 420 deaths have also been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

  • Wema Bank Supports Education for Children through Scholarship Awards

    Wema Bank Supports Education for Children through Scholarship Awards

    Wema Bank Plc – the inventor of Nigeria’s first fully digital bank, ALAT – has rewarded 20 of its Royal Kiddies Account holders as the financial institution announced winners of the Wema Education Awards for 2019.

    Given the earlier announcement to provide education support for its customers, a total of 20 winners emerged with six coming from the bank’s Lagos Region, five from South West and three each from South East, South-South and the Northern region.

    Speaking at the draw held at the bank’s headquarters in Lagos on Wednesday, September 25, Dotun Ifebogun, Divisional Head Retail Banking, commended the commitment shown by customers of the bank’s Royal Kiddies Account. According to him, the management of Wema Bank has discovered over the years that the annual award has carved out a niche for itself in the banking sector in Nigeria.

    He stated that the cash prize from the award has endeared itself to the hearts of many parents, who already have opened an account for their children aged 0 to 12 years. Dotun disclosed that many of those parents usually look forward with expectations of their children being among the lucky winners.

    He went on to assure customers that Wema Bank will continue the children education support scheme and charged parents who are yet to open a Wema Bank’s Royal Kiddies Account for their children to do so.

    Dotun added that the Royal Kiddies Account allows lodgement of dividend warrants and cheques in the beneficiary child’s name. As part of the benefits accruable from the account, he explained, Wema Bank charges no interest on any banker’s cheque purchased for payment of school fees for the account holder.

    Similarly, Funmilayo Falola, Head of Brand and Marketing Communications, Wema Bank, said the financial institution believes that education plays a key role in the future of every child which is the reason the bank attaches importance to Wema Education Awards.

    She described the award as a veritable window through which the bank supports the destiny of future champions.

  • Wema Bank Holds Empowerment Seminar for Women in Sara By Wema Community

    Wema Bank Holds Empowerment Seminar for Women in Sara By Wema Community

    Wema Bank Plc, the pioneer of Nigeria’s first fully digital bank ALAT, has empowered over 100 women in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sub-sector. The business advisory seminar, tagged ‘Running A Profitable Business’ brought women entrepreneurs together from the bank's Lagos Region.

    Speaking at the event, Mrs Aramide Awosanya, Regional Manager, Lagos Mainland, Wema Bank, said the initiative was taken to complement the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, which aims at MSME development in the country.

    It would be recalled that the CBN launched the MSME Development Fund in 2013 with a share capital of N220 billion. The Fund was established in recognition of the significant contributions of the MSME sub-sector to the economy and the existing huge financing gap.

    Awosanya said Wema Bank is working with the Bank of Industry (BOI) to assist women entrepreneur to maximize the enormous financial benefits available within the Sara by Wema community.

    According to her, Sara by Wema is a community that gives women the capacity to participate in, wholly contribute to and fully benefit from the growth opportunities available in Wema Bank. In her words, "it is fuelled by our conviction that women across all socio economic backgrounds deserve as many opportunities as they can get to achieve financial independence and economic growth."

    She stated that the community is open to all Nigerian women who own startup enterprises as well as those that are low-income earners and stay-at-home entrepreneurs. Mrs Sade Odunaiya, keynote speaker at the event and Certified Business Coach with ActionCoach, addressed participants on “Growing Your Own Business’. In her presentation, she noted that 80% of new enterprises fail within their first 5 years of operation, while another 80% of those who survived that period also fail within the next 5 years.

    On the way forward, she advised participants to ensure they master their production systems, guide against misplaced priority, collate feedback from customers and also put in place procedural manuals for all team members.

    Similarly, Mrs Jimoh Amdala, Deputy Manager, Gender Business, BOI, said her management partnered with Wema Bank with a view to enlightening women about the best way to package their applications for credit facilities from Wema Bank.

    Speaking on “How to Fund Your Business”, Amdala disclosed that the BOI has identified the basic impediments working against entrepreneurs in applications for loans. She also stated that BOI does not give loans to businesses that would not be able to repay. Her words: “We give loans at a very minimal rate but must be convinced of your viability to pay back.

    However, Amdala disclosed that when women approach the BOI for loans, their documentation, most of the time, is not complete.

    According to her, the management of BOI is always ready to give a helping hand to any application by women because the financial institution believes that any support given to a woman connotes support to a nation.

    Meanwhile, Awosanya revealed that Wema Bank will take the Sara by Wema women empowerment initiative to other parts of Nigeria for the benefit of women entrepreneurs across the country. “We shall take the initiative to Abuja before the end of the year and later to other parts of the country,” she said.

  • Wema Bank sacks over 1,000 staff

    Wema Bank sacks over 1,000 staff

    Reports reaching TNG has it that Wema Bank Plc on Friday laid off over 1,000 staff on its pay roll.

    According to an insider source, those affected spread across the bank’s branches all over the country.

    The source further revealed that the bank was found of retrenching staff yearly without following due process.

    “While it is true that the retrenchment exercise is carried out yearly by the bank to checkmate the number of unproductive staff to the barest minimum, however, we also have cases of people that are due for promotion that were unjustly relieved of their jobs,” the source said.

    A top official of the bank who spoke under condition of anonymity to TNG said retrenchment within the bank is an exercise carried out regularly to ‘weed out’ those who are either unproductive or over stayed their welcome in the bank.

    “Its not strange. Banks generally retrench staff regularly to check dormancy and bring new bloods on board. I don’t know why it is becoming news now that Wema is doing it. If you are given a target and you don’t meet it, the bank will show you the way out. Its not an industry for lazy people. If you check your facts well without a biased mind, you will see that the affected staff have been queried repeatedly for their lateness to meet up with targets or not meeting it at all. Sometimes it does not even have anything to do with targets but disregard for basic banking and corporate principles. If every other person do not meet up with their targets or are generally lackadaisical to work, how does the bank pay salaries and maintain its long corporate existence?,” he queried.

    Asked if the bank followed due process in the retrenchment process, he said: “See the bank is a corporate entity. We follow due process in all we do and won’t embark on anything that can tarnish our image. We couldn’t have laid off people without following the outlined process,” he said.

    However, when TNG on Sunday night reached out to one of the affected staff, she declined to comment on accounts that she was still shocked to believe what was happening.

    “Please I can’t say anything for now. I’m not even sure if this is real or fake. It doesn’t make sense to me. The bank can’t just end my years of diligence, professionalism and loyalty like that without prior warning or signal. I think there is a mix up somewhere. When and if I successfully process this and can come to terms with reality, I’ll get back to you, she said sounding teary on phone.

    Efforts by TNG to get comments/reactions from the Head, Brand and Marketing Communications of the bank was unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.