Wema Bank has appointed Dr. (Mrs.) Oluwayemisi Olorunshola as its board’s Chairman as Mr. Babatunde Kasali, the current Board Chairman, prepares for retirement in compliance with the Bank’s Articles of Association.

Johnson Lebile, Company Secretary/General Counsel, Wema Bank disclosed this in a statement obtained by Investors King on the Nigerian Exchange Group.

Background of Dr. (Mrs.) Oluwayemisi Olorunshola

Dr. (Mrs) Oluwayemisi Olorunshola joined the Bank as a Non-Executive Director in year 2022 and until her new appointment, was the Chairman, of the Board’s Nomination and Governance Committee.

Prior to her joining the Bank, Dr. (Mrs) Olorunshola had worked with Unilever Nigeria Plc for fifteen (15) years with experience spanning across supply chain, business re-engineering and process management. She has over ten (10) years of boardroom experience and business management.

She possesses a B.Sc. degree in Education & Economics from the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, a Master of Business Administration degree from University of Liverpool, UK, and a Doctorate degree in Business Administration from Walden University, USA.

She is a well trained professional in various aspects of business management and corporate governance practices from various training facilities such as Four Acres Training Facility, Unilever UK, FITC, Leishton Academy, H Pierson, and her work experience spans every aspect of supply chain including Business & Production Planning, Procurement, Distribution, Import & Export, and Logistics Services.

She is a lover of education. Her widely read publication on small business sustainability strategies published in the Journal of Functional Education (JFEAcademia), Proquest.com, and Academia.edu, has been referenced by many scholars.

Dr. Olorunshola is a Director and a fellow of the International Institute for African Scholars, Fellow, Institute of Management Consultants, Member, Institute of Directors, and a chartered member of the Nigerian Chartered Institute of Personnel Management. An ardent believer in community development and in pursuant of this interest, she is a volunteer in many civic activities where she has contributed greatly to the development of her community and other areas of influence.

Ride-hailing company Bolt has reportedly increased its fare price by over 100%, due to the current fuel scarcity in Nigeria as riders lament bitterly.

The fuel price which has led to the limited availability of commercial buses on the road, has seen riders left with no option but to pay for the exorbitant Tfare.

Some riders revealed that they were tasked by Bolt drivers at the point of pickup to pay extra. While some cooperated, several others did not hesitate to cancel the ride.

Several riders took to Twitter to express their concerns over the increased fare prices on the Bolt app

Check out some reactions below

@KEnwemadu wrote,

“Boltapp, it is pertinent that I call your attention to the sharp increase in the pump price of PMS by 264% in  Nigeria, due to the removal of fuel subsidy. In solidarity with other drivers on Bolt, I ask that you review your fare prices  to reflect the current market reality.”

@FowobiofLagos wrote,

“So Bolt driver is not putting on the AC because there’s no fuel, will he accept half of the fare price? Or is there a price for not putting on the AC? Egbami”

@Nmesoma_O wrote,

“Left home at 6 am to get to VI and traffic don already choke at that time lol. Oh, bolt fare was 6k+”

@Victory_amah wrote,

“My bolt fare was 1600, gave bolt guy 2k cash and this man was telling me “thank you very much”. Kindly stop playing with me, Sir. I sat there till he gave me my balance. See how everywhere is and you want me to give you odindin 400 naira. Come off it jare”.

Investors King understands that in a swift development, as regards fare prices across ride-hailing platforms in the country, riders are increasingly abandoning industry giants Uber and Bolt to alternative platforms such as Indrive and Rida, as Fare prices on these apps are said to be slightly lower, compared to that of Bolt and Uber.

Meanwhile, some drivers on Bolt and Uber have hinted that there would soon be an official announcement of an increase in fare price given the fuel scarcity and the confirmation of fuel price adjustment by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Following an impressive year-on-year brand value growth of 31%, Access Bank has become the most valuable Nigerian brand with a value of NGN205.6 billion. Despite a slight increase in costs throughout the year, the multinational commercial bank managed to boost its gross earnings in 2022, underscoring the brand’s impressive growth trajectory.

Every year, leading brand valuation consultancy Brand Finance puts 5,000 of the biggest brands to the test, and publishes over 100 reports, ranking brands across all sectors and countries. The world’s top 25 most valuable and strongest Nigerian brands are included in the annual Brand Finance Nigeria 25, 2023 ranking.

Fellow banking brand, Zenith Bank, is Nigeria’s second most valuable brand with a brand value of NGN201.5 billion, marginally behind leader Access Bank. Its brand value grew 45% year-on-year, making it the fifth fastest growing brand in the ranking.

Babatunde Odumeru, Managing Director, Brand Finance Nigeria commented:

“Nigeria’s top banking brands’ exceptional brand value growth is a testament to their strong financial performance, and sustained high levels of brand equity, even amidst challenging economic conditions. These results demonstrate the considerable resilience of Nigeria’s banks, who continue to dominate the ranking, and reflects the industry’s significant contributions to the country’s economy.”

BUA Cement is the fastest-growing Nigerian brand, up 64%

BUA Cement clinches the title as Nigeria’s fastest growing brand in 2023 after an increase of 64% took it to a brand value of NGN43.9 billion. As demand for cement surged, the brand’s revenues have increased by 40.5%, while its forecasts have also gone up. BUA Cement’s increase in sales of bagged cement have help it offset the impacts of inflation and currency effects, which have been widely felt by many brands throughout 2022.

Banking is the most valuable sector in the ranking, up 29%

The collective brand value of the nine banking brands included in the ranking was up 29% year-on-year to NGN888 billion. This makes banking the most valuable sector in the ranking by a significant margin, worth almost NGN633 billion more than the next most valuable sector – Engineering & Construction (NGN255 billion).

As well as Access Bank (1^st) and Zenith Bank (2^nd), United Bank for Africa (brand value up 28% to NGN161.6 billion), GT Bank (brand value up 62% to NGN142.5 billion), and First Bank of Nigeria (brand value up 37% to NGN116.9 billion) were all firmly amongst the top-ten most valuable Nigerian brands.

Energy drink brand Fearless is the strongest Nigerian brand, earning AAA rating

In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance. Compliant with ISO 20671, Brand Finance’s assessment of stakeholder equity incorporates original market research data from over 100,000 respondents in 38 countries and across 31 sectors.

Popular energy drink brand Fearless (brand value up 1% to NGN28.2 billion) is the strongest Nigerian brand with a Brand Strength Index score of 87 out of 100 and corresponding AAA rating. Fearless has a dominant four-point lead at the top of the ranking for brand strength over Nigeria’s second strongest brand, United Bank for Africa (83/100, AAA-).

Zenith Bank has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Value, while GT Bank has the highest Sustainability Perception Score

As part of its analysis, Brand Finance assesses the role that specific brand attributes play in driving overall brand value. One such attribute, growing rapidly in its significance, is sustainability. Brand Finance assesses how sustainable specific brands are perceived to be, represented by a ‘Sustainability Perceptions Score’. This is an indexed score that provides a view of the role of sustainability in driving positive brand reputation. The value that is linked to sustainability perceptions, the ‘Sustainability Perceptions Value’, is then calculated for each brand.

As well as being Nigeria’s second most valuable brand, Zenith Bank also has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Value (SPV) of any brand included in the Nigeria 25 2023 ranking – NGN16.1 billion. Zenith Bank’s position at the top of the SPV table is not an assessment of its overall sustainability performance. Rather, it indicates how much brand value it has tied up in sustainability perceptions. Zenith Bank also has the third highest Sustainability Perceptions Score in the ranking of 4.69 out of 10.

Fellow Banking brand, GT Bank has the highest Sustainability Perceptions Score in the Nigeria 25 2023 ranking at 5.03 out of 10. This equates to a Sustainability Perceptions Value of NGN12.2 billion.