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Ekeh, Zinox Boss Inspires Youth @ Harvesters Entrepreneurship Forum
Leo Stan Ekeh, serial digital entrepreneur and chairman of Zinox Group, has disclosed that a multitude of opportunities exist for the current generation to create and sustain new wealth in the 21st Century, noting that one’s family background or circumstances no longer represent obstacles to achieving success.
He made this call on Saturday February 18th while featuring as the keynote speaker at The Harvesters Entrepreneurs Forum – a monthly event organized by Harvesters International Christian Centre (HICC) to reach and equip entrepreneurs and people of similar inclinations with the theoretical and practical business knowledge to help them achieve and sustain economic success.
Ekeh, who drew a series of resounding ovation for his incisive deliveries and copious references drawn from his experiences in business, emphatically expressed his belief in the innate abilities of the youthful generation to turn around Nigeria’s fortunes for the better.
Speaking on the topic – You, New Wealth and God in the 21st Century – Ekeh disclosed that today’s entrepreneurs have no reason to fail in business.
In his opinion, considering the atmosphere of knowledge democracy and advancements in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) which has put access to information and intelligence at the disposal of everyone, Ekeh is optimistic that the youth are more strategically positioned to out-strip the achievements of the older generation by creating new wealth.
“There are many opportunities for many of you in this generation to create new wealth. Even if you were born into a poor family, you have enough resources available today to change your story and alter your destiny and that of your family. You are smarter, you have the knowledge, the exposure and better infrastructure than the older generations but what you need is up your energy level to deliver your passion. So, what excuse do you have not to make it in life?,” he queried.
“Today, you are seeing a polished Leo Stan but can you imagine Nigeria 29 years ago? No electricity, no telephone, the roads were bad. People didn’t even know they needed light yet some people think the past was better. You should be positive. The first quality in life is to be positive. If you are negative, you failed before you started. Only positive minds achieve success.
“Some of the rich people you look up to today are not as exposed as you are. Many of them acquired wealth through funny means and as such, they cannot sustain or defend it. So you must not feel intimidated. You can start small and scale up gradually. But you must discover your passion in life and follow it.”
Taking a trip down memory lane, Ekeh recounted some of the cultural, infrastructural and ethical challenges he faced as a young man struggling to make it in business after discovering a passion for ICT – a profession declared too futuristic for him to pursue an interest in by his lecturers at his post-graduate school.
“After four months at post-graduate level studying Computer Science at Cork City University, Ireland, I was counselled to change course as they innocently did not see a future for this in Africa in the short term based on my insistence to return to Africa after my studies. This was a reflection of the mindset and state of affairs on the continent towards ICT at the time. But even after completing a degree in Risk Management, I did not abandon my passion. Today, I have successfully built possibly the biggest 360-degree ICT Group in Africa.”
According to him, many young entrepreneurs struggle today as some of them put pleasure ahead of business, thereby making it difficult for them to make a head way in life.
“You must learn to start small and be ready to take pains before pleasure. Sometimes, I see young men – the first business they hit, they go and buy an expensive car. The world recognizes you as a success but you are empty. I see young men who are just starting a company printing the most expensive business cards – gold cards. They give me their card and I look at the guy and take a decision that this chap is fly-by-night entrepreneur. You must go through a structured incubation period and be morally and financially sound to survive in a highly competitive knowledge-driven economy. Are you humble? Humility is the biggest asset anyone who wants to succeed must have. You must have this asset in you to earn God’s favours.”
According to Ekeh, success in business requires a number of qualities including brain power and ability to constantly innovate, hunger to succeed, humility, a positive mindset and of course, a firm belief in God.
“When I started out in business, I took a personal decision for all of my companies to pay corporate tithe. This is usually paid even before salaries. I told my staff I am the last person to engage in retrenchment in spite of the depression. I can only sack a staff if he commits a crime or is a non-performer. I am going through the biggest pains in my life history because things are not adding up anymore due to the recession but I put absolute trust in God and have increased my hunger to survive by over 15% which I consider dangerous to my health but it looks like I have no option. I have my commitment with God and I know he will not push me to that point of major retrenchment.”
While fielding a series of questions during the panel discussion, Ekeh also offered useful insights into areas of potential collaboration between the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation/Employment and youth-focused and empowerment-oriented churches such as HICC to reduce the burden of unemployment on the youth.
The well-attended event, with the theme – Crafting A Winning Business Strategy – was streamed live to HICC’s Lekki branch and had in attendance other notable speakers including the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Lagos State, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti; Faculty Member, Lagos Business School, Dr. Anderson Uvie-Emegbo as well as Senior Pastor, HICC and Convener of the event, Pastor Bolaji Idowu, among others.
Union Bank of Nigeria has secured certification under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) version 4.0.1, a global standard for protecting payment card data.
The certification took effect on August 11, 2026, confirming that the bank’s systems for storing, processing and transmitting customers’ credit and debit card information meet stringent international security requirements.
PCI DSS certification is designed to reduce the risk of payment card data breaches and financial fraud while strengthening customer confidence in electronic payment systems.
The assessment covered key areas of Union Bank’s operations, including network infrastructure, card issuance, ATM and POS transactions, payment processing, reconciliation, settlement, chargebacks, dispute resolution and retail banking.
Union Bank was assessed and certified under the Service Provider category.
The certification process lasted a full year and involved quarterly assessments, with support from departmental, business and functional heads across the bank. Digital security firm Digital Encode supported the process, while the final independent audit was conducted by CyberCube, an accredited Qualified Security Assessor.
Yetunde B. Oni, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Union Bank, said the certification demonstrates the bank’s commitment to protecting customer information.
“The security of our customers’ information is central to everything we do at Union Bank. This certification reaffirms that our payment systems and processes meet a rigorous global standard, and it reflects the discipline of colleagues across the Bank who work every day to keep customer data safe.”
The renewal also ensures that Union Bank maintains continuous PCI DSS certification, in line with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s requirement for banks to sustain compliance without interruption.
New data from CFA Society Nigeria is reshaping how the country’s financial sector thinks about talent development, with Access emerging as the single largest source of CFA candidates in Nigeria, distinction industry watchers say signals a deeper shift in how leading institutions are building investment expertise from within.
In its Where Nigeria’s Finance Professionals Work series, published in a national daily, CFA Society Nigeria placed Access first among employers of CFA candidates nationwide, with 82 candidates enrolled in the programme, more than double the 38 recorded at the next-placed institution and well ahead of every other bank or financial services firm on the list.
Access also ranked second among employers of CFA charterholders, with 11 professionals who have completed all three levels of the Programme and met its experience and ethics requirements.
For an industry that has long measured itself by balance sheet size and branch count, the rankings point to a different kind of competition: one over who is building the deepest bench of certified, globally credentialed talent.
CFA Society Nigeria compiled the data from its Salesforce Membership Database as at June 2026, and described the exercise as a way of recognising employers whose people “bring rigour, integrity and global best practices into the workplace every day.”
Analysts following the sector say the outcome is notable less for the ranking itself than for what it suggests about talent strategy across Africa’s financial services industry. A single institution developing more aspiring charterholders than the rest of the market combined raises the floor for professional standards nationally, not just within one balance sheet.
Every candidate who advances through the CFA Programme adds to a shared pool of ethics-trained, analytically rigorous professionals that Nigeria’s capital markets, pension funds and asset managers all eventually draw from.
Access Holdings Group Chief Executive Officer Innocent C. Ike, commenting on the rankings, framed the achievement in terms of institution-building rather than recruitment: “Every candidate on that list represents our commitment to building institutions and professionals that endure.”
The remark echoes a broader thesis increasingly voiced by market observers, that talent depth, not scale alone, is what will determine which African financial institutions earn lasting global credibility.
That distinction sits at the centre of Access’s stated ambition to become the World’s Most Respected African Financial Services Group. If the CFA numbers are any indication, the Group’s route to that goal runs less through square metres of branch network and more through the calibre of the people sitting inside it, a bet that Nigeria’s finance professionals, and the institutions that will one day hire them, are already placing alongside Access.
Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has announced plans to introduce Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) baggage tracking technology across domestic and international airport terminals to tackle the growing problem of delayed, misrouted and missing luggages
Michael Achimugu, director, Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, NCAA, disclosed this at a stakeholder engagement forum in Lagos.
Achimugu said the RFID-enabled system would replace the traditional barcode-based baggage tracking framework and provide airlines and passengers with real-time visibility of checked luggage from check-in to final collection.
According to him, the technology would improve baggage traceability, reduce mishandling and strengthen accountability across the baggage-handling chain.
Unlike conventional barcode systems, RFID technology allows baggage to be automatically scanned at multiple points without requiring direct line of sight, enabling real-time tracking of luggage throughout its journey.
Achimugu said issues involving short-landed, missing, lost or damaged baggage had remained among the major complaints from air travellers, alongside flight delays.
He said the introduction of RFID technology was therefore aimed at improving baggage-handling standards and restoring passenger confidence in the aviation sector.
The NCAA said the initiative also aligns with IATA Resolution 753, which requires airlines to track baggage at key points during the passenger journey.
The authority expects the technology to provide more accurate information on the location of luggage, facilitate quicker resolution of baggage-related complaints and improve the overall passenger experience.
The NCAA said the initiative would also strengthen accountability among airlines and other stakeholders involved in baggage handling at Nigerian airports.
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