celebrity radar - gossips
Herbert Wigwe’s Pragmatic Ideology and Post Covid-19 Banking Strides
Apparently misconstruing the bank MD/CEO’s core message, the media recently alleged that Access Bank Plc, one of Africa’s largest retail bank by retail customer base was embarking on mass sack of workers and closure of branches. This ‘misinformation’ has been appropriately repudiated. But with traditional business models and banking metrics being upended by the post-Covid-19 global operating environment, only audacious innovators in the sector can remain relevant, writes Sani Ahmed.
In his recent best-selling book, “The Age of Agile”, Steve Denning, former program director of knowledge management at the World Bank, discusses a “Copernican revolution” of management that puts the customer at the center, rather than the firm. It was the Polish astronomer Nicolas Copernicus who independently proposed the theory that the Earth revolved around the Sun, not vice versa, a blasphemous idea in the 16th century.
Clearly, banking remains a relationships business. For ages, banks have tried to leverage that relationship to grow and maximize shareholder return. Because of her emphasis on the long term, Access Bank Group, one of Africa’s largest retail banks by retail customer base with proven risk management and capital management capabilities apparently may make decisions and weigh tradeoffs differently from much of her industry competition. This requires an organisational cultural transformation, as Denning argues, and especially at banks that have long been driven by traditional metrics.
Denning who also authored “The Leader’s Guide To Radical Management,” and was Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford University, UK certainly has his point, especially as the Covid-19 pandemic massively disrupts conventional business playbooks and upends the global economy.
It is against the background of these existential uncertainties and daunting global economic challenges spawned by the new coronavirus scourge that the media reported alleged plans by Access Bank Plc to sack 75 per cent of its staff and shut down 300 branches. Good a thing, the bank has repudiated the allegations as unfounded.
In a statement signed by Mr. Sunday Ekwochi, its Company Secretary, posted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) website, the bank clarified that the closure of a bank branch was an action that required the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
According to the bank, it has not applied for nor obtained the approval of CBN for the closure of its branches as widely speculated. “The bank has only suspended operations in some branches following the directive by the CBN. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, we suspended in-branch operations at different locations as directed by the CBN and in line with business continuity plans at vulnerable spots; whilst we continued to provide services through our alternative digital platforms,” it stated.
Further the bank stated that, “In line with the phased re-opening of the economy effective May 4 (last week), following the Presidential directives, we will be resuming in-branch services in some of our affected branches in a programmed manner to ensure the health and safety of our employees and customers.
“This is also necessary to provide relevant contingency should there be any incident arising from the pandemic. We deny in its entirety the baseless and twisted speculation that the bank is sacking 75 per cent of its workforce.”
It noted that based on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, not all its branches would be fully open for in-branch services until later in the year. “This has made it impossible for many of our outsourced workers to perform duties as usual. We have commenced engagement with various stakeholders with a view to ensuring that they provide the relevant services and optimum manpower as may be required by the bank on an on-going basis,” it added.
The bank, however, assured its esteemed stakeholders that it would continue to ensure that its actions and decisions are guided by fairness, justice, equity and good conscience.
It must be noted however that the bank like any other company has the right to review its operational cost economic realities, especially in post COVID era that has already begun to redefine how businesses operate or will operate going forward. Since its merger with ailing Diamond Bank, Access has neither laid off workers nor closed branches. There is no doubt the bank must at some point have to cut branch proximity to reduce cost. For instance where Access Bank and defunct Diamond Bank were previously operating in close proximity, sometimes a few yards apart, is it economically wise to still retain the two branches now that the two have become one? Of course not. It only make business sense to consolidate the two branches into one to reduce cost. The bank is first and foremost a business concern that must take decisions based on what it assesses it’s in its best business interest. It is not a charity organization but a commercial enterprise.
It was in bad faith in the extreme for some hideous staff to record the internal strategy deliberation and conversation between the Managing Director and senior staff and deliberately twist it out of context to misinform the public to create a social media storm. To many Mr Wigwe was only showing transparency in his handling of issues the bank is bound to address at some point. Transparency is his second nature a virtue lacking in many people in managerial positions across the country.
Wigwe did the right thing in addressing the issues and being transparent about it. He led by personal example and took a 40 percent pay cut.
Currently, many financial institutions world-wide are reviewing banking models. Indeed, more recently the CEO of U.K lender, Barclays Bank says after COVID-19, banking models have changed forever as people get used to working digitally from home making brick and mortar and big offices models unsustainable going forward. In effect, modern banking, not to talk of post covid-19 banking will de-emphasis physical structures and run more on digital templates, platforms and footprints.
From THISDAY sources, it was this new normal that strategic thinking Access CEO Herbert Wigwe attempted to discuss with his financial institution’s staff when clips of his presentation was altered to portray him as going for mass sack of employees. Noted Amaechi Okobi, Head of the banks Corporate Communications, “the presentation was doctored to give a wrong impression and shared on social media in an attempt to blackmail the bank. We are reviewing all options as we need to support all staff through these challenging times while ensuring efficiency and value in our new normal…We will continue to support all staff and stakeholders.”
Access Bank CEO Herbert Wigwe is not the kind of professional who stays tamely at the receiving end of received policy prescriptions. He covets knowledge-driven innovations, proactive engagement with stake-holders, policy makers, fluid operating environments and sure-footed action. These dimensions are boldly mirrored in his nimble leadership of one of the continent’s banking behemoths.
He believes it was because of a lack of appropriate adaptive response to powerful environmental changes eons ago that doomed the lumbering dinosaurs which then roamed the earth. To Wigwe, the Access Bank under his watch is no dinosaur.
Access Bank Plc. is a leading full-service commercial Bank operating through a network of more than 600 branches and service outlets, spanning three continents, 12 countries and 31 million customers. The Bank employs 28,000 people in its operations in Nigeria and has subsidiaries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the United Kingdom (with a branch in Dubai, UAE) and representative offices in China, Lebanon and India.
Listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange since 1998, Access Bank is a diversified financial institution which combines a strong retail customer franchise and digital platform with deep corporate banking expertise and proven risk management and capital management capabilities. The Bank serves its various markets through four business segments: Retail, Business, Commercial and Corporate. The Bank has over 900,000 shareholders (including several Nigerian and International Institutional Investors) and has enjoyed what is arguably Africa’s most successful banking growth trajectory in the last twelve years. Following its merger with Diamond Bank in March 2019, Access Bank became one of Africa’s largest retail banks by retail customer base.
As the birth pangs of new global business order, midwifed by the Covid-19 pandemic unfurl, only bold and strategic thinking will define survivors. This is the forte of Herbert Wigwe – as he makes critical decisions and weighs game-changing trade-offs. It’s game on.
celebrity radar - gossips
Kingdom Advancement: God Does Not Confirm Lies or Gossip — He Confirms His Word .” — Dr. Chris Okafor
Kingdom Advancement: God Does Not Confirm Lies or Gossip—He Confirms His Word
“When Doing Business with God,
People’s Opinions Do Not Count.”
— Dr. Christian Okafor
The greatest investment any Christian can make is partnering with God. According to the Generational Prophet of God and Senior Pastor of Grace Nation Global, Christopher Okafor, when a believer commits to serving and advancing God’s kingdom, no barrier, lie, gossip, or blackmail can prevail against them.
This message was delivered during the Prophetic Financial Sunday Service held on February 15, 2026, at the international headquarters of Grace Nation Worldwide in Ojodu Berger, Lagos, Nigeria.
Doing Business with God
Teaching on the theme “Kingdom Advancement” with the subtitle “Doing Business with God,” Dr. Okafor emphasized that when a believer enters into covenant partnership with God, divine backing becomes inevitable.
“God is still in the business of covenant,” he declared. “When you make a covenant with Him, He honors the terms. When you win souls into the kingdom and remain committed to His work, He rewards you with what you could never achieve by your own strength.”
The Man of God stressed that God does not confirm lies, gossip, or negative narratives—He confirms His Word. Therefore, anyone genuinely committed to kingdom business should not be distracted by public opinion.
“No matter the blackmail or falsehood circulating around you, if you are focused on God’s assignment, those attacks will only strengthen you,” he stated.
He further noted that a believer’s understanding of God’s covenant determines their experience. “Your mentality about God’s covenant becomes your reality. When you truly know the God you serve, no devil can move you.”
Biblical Examples of Kingdom Partnership
Dr. Okafor cited several biblical figures who prospered through their partnership with God:
Abel
Abel served God with sincerity and offered his very best. His sacrifice pleased God, demonstrating that when a master is honored, he responds with favor.
David
David’s heart was fully devoted to God, and in return, God’s presence and favor rested upon him throughout his life.
Hannah
Hannah made a covenant with God, promising that if He blessed her with a child, she would dedicate him to His service. After fulfilling her vow, God rewarded her abundantly, blessing her with additional children.
Peter
Peter, a professional fisherman, surrendered his boat at Jesus’ request for kingdom work. Through that act of partnership and obedience, he experienced supernatural provision and divine elevation.
Conclusion
In closing, Dr. Okafor emphasized that one’s approach to God’s covenant determines the level of success and prosperity experienced. Commitment to kingdom advancement secures divine confirmation and supernatural results.
The Prophetic Financial Sunday Service was marked by prophetic declarations, deliverance, healings, miracles, restoration, and solutions to diverse cases presented before Elohim.
At 55, Omoyele Sowore Remains a Defiant Voice of Conscience
By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by SaharaWeeklyNG
“SaharaWeeklyNG Management and Staff Salute a Relentless Campaigner for Justice and Democratic Accountability.”
As activist, journalist and politician Omoyele Sowore marks his 55th birthday, the management and staff of SaharaWeeklyNG join millions of Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to celebrate a man widely regarded as one of the most persistent and fearless voices for democratic accountability in modern Nigeria.
Born on February 16, 1971, in Ondo State, Sowore rose from student activism at the University of Lagos to become one of the country’s most recognisable pro-democracy figures. His early involvement in the student movement during the military era of the 1990s placed him at the forefront of protests against dictatorship and repression, a role that would shape the course of his life and career.
He later founded Sahara Reporters in 2006, an online investigative platform that quickly gained prominence for exposing corruption, abuse of power and human rights violations. Operating initially from the United States, the outlet became a symbol of citizen journalism and digital activism, publishing stories often ignored or suppressed by mainstream media. Over the years, the platform has reported on high-level corruption cases, electoral malpractices and security failures, earning both praise and fierce criticism from political authorities.
Sowore’s activism took a dramatic turn in 2019 when he contested Nigeria’s presidential election under the African Action Congress (AAC). Although he did not win, the campaign amplified his calls for systemic reform. Months later, he launched the #RevolutionNow movement, a nationwide protest demanding an end to corruption, economic hardship and insecurity.
In August 2019, he was arrested by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) on charges of treasonable felony. His detention, which lasted several months despite court orders for his release, sparked international condemnation from human rights groups, civil society organisations and foreign observers. The case turned him into a global symbol of resistance against state repression.
Over the years, Sowore has faced multiple arrests, court trials and travel restrictions. Yet he has remained resolute, insisting that his activism is rooted in the constitutional right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Supporters describe him as a principled crusader against injustice, while critics accuse him of political extremism. Regardless of the perspective, his impact on Nigeria’s political discourse is undeniable.
His life’s work echoes the enduring words of Nelson Mandela, who once said, “Freedom is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.” For many of Sowore’s followers, his sacrifices represent precisely that spirit, an unyielding struggle for a more accountable and equitable society.
Similarly, the philosophy of Martin Luther King Jr. (that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”) resonates deeply with the trajectory of Sowore’s activism. Whether confronting police brutality, electoral irregularities or economic injustice, he has consistently framed his struggle as one for the collective dignity of Nigerians.
Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka once observed that “the man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny.” That sentiment captures the essence of Sowore’s public life. For over three decades, he has refused silence, even when it meant imprisonment, harassment and personal sacrifice.
At 55, Sowore’s journey is far from over. He remains active in political advocacy, civil rights campaigns and public commentary, continuing to challenge what he describes as systemic failures in governance and leadership. His career reflects both the promise and the peril of dissent in a fragile democracy; where the line between patriotism and confrontation is often fiercely contested.
On this milestone birthday, SaharaWeeklyNG management and staff recognise Sowore not merely as an individual, but as a symbol of the enduring struggle for transparency, justice, and democratic renewal. His story is one of conviction under pressure, a reminder that the quest for a better society often demands courage, resilience and a willingness to stand alone.
As Nigeria navigates its complex political and economic realities, figures like Sowore continue to shape the national conversation. Whether praised or criticised, his voice remains a constant in the country’s democratic journey; loud, uncompromising and impossible to ignore.
Banwo Accuses Alex Otti Administration of Governance by Propaganda
Public commentator and lawyer Dr. Ope Banwo has criticised the Abia State Government under Governor Alex Otti, accusing the administration of running what he described as a “propaganda-driven government” built on exaggerated claims and selective messaging rather than measurable governance outcomes.
In a detailed commentary, Banwo argued that while Abia State has recorded some progress in specific sectors, the government’s media machinery has inflated limited achievements into what he called “statewide miracles,” creating a disconnect between online narratives and lived realities.
Banwo, who said he initially viewed Governor Otti as a symbol of hope following the 2023 elections, noted that his concerns emerged after engaging residents and professionals living in Abia to verify widely circulated claims about infrastructure, power supply, healthcare, and transportation.
Central to Banwo’s critique is the portrayal of Abia as a state with uninterrupted electricity. He acknowledged the existence of the Aba ring-fenced power arrangement involving Aba Power and Geometric Power but argued that the arrangement has been misrepresented as statewide energy independence.
According to him, extending the Aba power project to represent the entire state amounts to misinformation, especially given acknowledged outages and the limited geographical coverage of the scheme.
He further questioned claims that Abia was the first state to assume intrastate electricity regulation, stating that other states, including Lagos State, had taken similar steps earlier.
Banwo also raised concerns over viral claims suggesting that biogas facilities are already powering Abia communities, arguing that pilot projects have been prematurely presented as fully operational infrastructure.
He noted that residents he spoke with were largely unaware of any functional biogas-powered communities, stressing that government announcements should be backed by publicly available data on scale, output, and sustainability.
On healthcare, the founder of Naija Lives Matters (NLM) questioned reports that Abia offers free medical care to all citizens above 60 years of age for life, describing the claim as unverified and unsupported by legislation, budgetary provisions, or formal policy documents.
Similarly, he criticised claims suggesting that electric vehicles operate widely across the state and that all roads have been tarred, describing such assertions as exaggerated and misleading.
The self-acclaimed Mayor of Fadeyi argued that the core issue is not the absence of development but what he described as a governance style driven by social media optics rather than transparent performance metrics.
He warned that excessive reliance on viral content, influencers, and unverified claims risks eroding public trust and undermining accountability, noting that effective governance requires data, timelines, and measurable outcomes.
“A serious government does not need to exaggerate results,” Banwo said, adding that citizens require reliable services, not slogans.
He also advised the Abia government to avoid constant comparisons with states like Lagos and its governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, urging the administration to focus instead on publishing verifiable performance records.
Banwo challenged the Otti administration to release clear documentation supporting its claims, including power coverage maps, healthcare policy instruments, infrastructure project lists, and implementation timelines.
He concluded that while Abia State has not “collapsed,” the growing gap between online narratives and on-ground realities could become more damaging than infrastructural deficits if left unaddressed.
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