Nine millionaires have emerged at the end of Wema Banks ‘5 for 5 Promo’, which ended recently.
The final promo draw held at the Wema Bank Purple Academy in Ilupeju, Lagos, was overseen by officials of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), and Lagos State Lotteries & Gaming Authority (LSLGA).
A Statement by the bank reveala that the promo which commenced on July 1, 2021, has produced 639 winners from the country’s six geo-political zones, with N31.5 million handed out to customers. These include nine N1 million winners, 180 N100,000 winners, and 450 N10,000 winners.
Abubakar Ayuba, a trader using the bank’s digital platform, ALAT By Wema, emerged as the winner at the Final draw. He was informed of his good fortune via phone during the event. The overjoyed Ayuba expressed his delight through an interpreter who spoke Hausa and thanked Wema Bank for the gesture.
The Managing Director/CEO of Wema Bank, Ademola Adebise, expressed excitement about the loyalty reward promo created as part of activities marking the bank’s 77th anniversary.
“For the past nine months, we have rewarded our loyal customers for their patronage and support. Today we will be concluding the campaign by having our ninth and final draw. After today’s draw, 639 loyal WEMA Bank customers will have received total cash prizes of N31.5 million, this reinforces our commitment to empowering lives” Adebise said.
Highlight of the event was the compelling testimony of Chigozie Nweke, a petty trader and one of the N100,000 winners in the December 2021 draw at the grand finale. She had invested her prize money in the yam business she started in December and scaled the business massively that by April 7, she took delivery of tubers of yam from the northern part of the country worth over N2 million.
“I was struggling to start yam trading, and I could not register with the yam seller’s union. Wema Bank gave me N100 thousand; I paid the union money, paid my tithe, and put the rest in the business. It has not been easy, but as I speak to you, yesterday they brought yam that is more than N2 million for my business. I want to say thank you so much, Wema Bank,” Chigozie stated.
The Senior Legal Officer, Lagos State Lottery and Gaming Authority, Mrs. Oyinkan Kusamotu, expressed satisfaction with the integrity of the 5 for 5 Promo. “The Wema Bank Promo has been excellent. I’ve seen how transparent they are. I think they are impacting lives. They are doing a lot of good, especially considering the economic situation,” she said.
The Nigeria Lottery Regulatory Commission representative, Mrs. Nkiru Onuzulu, commended the bank for the lives it has touched with the 5 for 5 Promo. “We know how the country is. Somebody getting N1 million, we all know what that means, and all the draws and processes have been transparent. I am happy to say that there has not been any negative report. Wema Bank has delivered on its promises, and today more winners will emerge. So, the NLRC wishes them well,” Onwuru said.
Speaking also, Divisional Head, Retail & SMEs, Wema Bank, Dotun Ifebogun, expressed satisfaction with the result and impact of the promo.
Ifebogun also revealed that the promo produced more female winners. “When we set out with this promo, we didn’t know the theme for the International Women’s Day. But I can tell you that we’ve inadvertently broken the bias, as we had women as winners in this entire process. We had five female millionaires among the nine millionaires. This is not to say that the men are not acknowledged,” Ifebogun noted.