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Women to Lead Corporate Nigeria from 2026 As Predicted By Ekeh, Zinox Boss
By Hilary Audu,
In a world that is predominantly patriarchal in nature, it is refreshing to see the women-folk doing great things and giving the men-folk a good run for their money.
Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman, Zinox Group
From the likes of outgoing German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, former President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and philanthropist, Oprah Winfrey and even our own Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. NgoziOkonjo-Iweala, women have displayed ample evidence that they have the capacity, the brain-power, and the determination to hold their own in the leadership sphere.
It is also instructive to note that the rise of this gender and the need to empower them is one that has been consistently predicted, preached, put in practice by one man – Chairman of the Zinox Group, Leo Stan Ekeh, whom I have followed his public talks and other teachings over the years.
I must confess that the unerring stance of the tech guru on the place of women in contemporary society had inspired me in altering my life course.
Well over 15 years ago, Ekeh had declared that women would play a greater role in the global scheme of things by the turn of the 21st Century, with the Zinox boss disclosing that the impact of women would be felt even keener in leadership roles from the year 2026. Simply put, the Zinox boss had predicted that women would take over and that a time would come when corporate organizations that had no females as CEOs or in their Executive Management cadre would be considered old-fashioned.
Even more importantly, he had affirmed that in judging or rating the success of a man, one should assess the quality of woman he married. Inadvertently, he had aligned the success of a man to his choice of a partner.
At this point, I was a little bit discomfited by these bold assertions by the Zinox boss who was a like a lone voice in the wilderness of women empowerment then, especially in Nigeria. Back then, the sense of male domination was a foregone conclusion. Women were hardly represented in leadership positions, be it in corporate or political circles. Indeed, it was a rarity to see a man go against the grain in predicting female domination or gender empowerment in those days.
But those were not the reasons for my discomfort.
I was less than adequately educated back then, having come from a conservative background where women are hardly given the same consideration as their male counterparts when it comes to education. Therefore, hearing Mr. Ekeh utter these words at a public event organized by Technology Distributions Ltd. in Ikeja many years ago had not only opened my eyes to the need to better my lot; it had also made me decide to seek higher education.
If Mr. Ekeh were a preacher or owned a church, I would have been one of his most loyal church members.
Ekeh has consistently submitted that women are more financially prudent, humble, less prone to fraud, spiritually sound, better counsellors and possibly even smarter than their male counterparts of the same age – factors which he has identified as traits which make them more naturally suited for leadership.
At the inaugural edition of the Africa Fintech Disrupt Conference sponsored by Access Bank in 2018, Ekeh had returned, after delivering a rousing speech to standing ovation, to encourage women to prepare to take charge, even as he specifically declared that the world should adjust to this coming reality which he reiterated would begin to take shape from 2026.
Today, his prediction about women domination is beginning to emerge, just in the same way his many other projections – such as the rise of e-commerce as a global game-changer and the position of technology in altering the nature of business, among many others – have come to pass with glaring accuracy.
If the example of Lagarde (a former head of the International Monetary Fund) and Okonjo-Iweala (a Harvard-trained two-time former Minister of Finance in Nigeria), both of whom currently oversee affairs at two of the most respected global institutions is not enough proof, what of the instances of women who have aspired to and secured the number one jobs in their countries?
The list is long.
Estonia has a female Prime Minister in KajaKallas,Moldova’s female President, Maia Sandu, has been in office since December 4, 2020 and Lithuania’s President, a woman, Ingrida Simonyte has occupied that office since December 25, 2020. Also, Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou has been in office since March 13, 2020, Denmark has a female Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen who took office on June 27, 2019; Slovakia’s President Zuzana Caputova has thrived after assuming the role on June 15, 2019, among many others.
Even in tech which is widely regarded as a male-dominated sector, women are also gradually taking over.
Susan Wojcickiis CEO of YouTube. She contributed to the development of Google Images and AdSense as she rose up the ranks before eventually suggesting the acquisition of YouTube, and becoming its CEO in 2014. Sheryl Sandberg, billionaire business executive and philanthropist, is Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. Also, Meg Whitman is CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and chairman of HP Inc. while IBM also has a female CEO in Ginni Rometty.
Here in Nigeria, the women are also gradually rising above the age-long patriarchal culture and shattering the proverbial glass ceilings that have long held them back, just as Ekeh had predicted.
While we are yet to achieve the level of political maturity that would see a woman become President of Nigeria – a development that may not be that far off – women have broken into and are dominating many other sectors.
Today, Nigeria has seven female bank CEOs, a development that many would have declared as impossible many years ago but which a man like Ekeh foresaw. The list of female bank MD/CEOs include YemisiEdun, acting MD/CEO, First City Monument Bank (FCMB); OluwatomiSomefun, MD/CEO, Unit Bank Plc; Miriam Olusanya, MD/CEO, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB); Halima Buba, MD/CEO, SunTrust Bank Plc; NnekaOnyeali-Ikpe, MD/CEO, Fidelity Bank Plc; KafilatAraoye, MD/CEO, Lotus Bank and Ireti Samuel-Ogbu, MD/CEO, City Bank.
And in the much-vaunted tech sector, we have the likes of OlufunkeOpeke of MainOne who is effortlessly rubbing shoulders with other men in this field. There is also Ify Afe, former MD, Central Africa at HP Inc. and who is now Chief of Staff and Board Member, HP Diversity,Equity and Inclusion (DE&I); in addition to Google Country Manager, Nigeria, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, among others.
But in closing this piece, it would be out of place to talk about the growing role of women in tech and as leaders, especially in Corporate Nigeria without returning to the pivotal role played by Ekeh in putting into practice something he has preached for years.
My interest in the Zinox Group in the wake of Mr. Ekeh’s inspiring clamour for gender empowerment and belief in the rise of the women-folk received further impetus when I learnt of the pivotal roles played by women in his companies.
Perhaps, there is no other globally renowned entrepreneur in the world today who has placed as many women in leadership positions, solely on merit, in his organization as Mr. Ekeh. In the Zinox Group, there are about five female Managing Directors, arguably a first in today’s business world.
In TD Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa’s leading technology distributor, you can find four of these female MDs. They are led by Mrs. Chioma Ekeh, wife of Mr. Ekeh, a cerebral mathematician, Chartered Accountant and globally recognised woman tech leader who has led the company in consistently breaking new grounds over the years. There is also Mrs. Shade Oyebode who heads the company’s Operations Unit, Mrs. Chioma Chimere, a Coordinating Managing Director (CMD) who manages the company’s business development drive and yet another MD in Mrs. GozyIjogun who oversees Sales.
Then you move over to Zinox Technologies Ltd. and there you find Mrs. Kelechi Eze-Okonta, another outstanding performer, who has been MD of the tech giant for the past three years. The Human Resources Unit of the Zinox Group is also headed by a female Executive Director in the person of Mrs. Chioma Nwoke.
Certainly, there is no stopping the rise of the women-folk and with notable male champions of gender empowerment such as Ekeh and others in our corner, it is only a matter of time before the world aligns.
Hilary Audu, a female gender empowerment expert, writes from Abuja
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has given Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, and Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the House of Representatives, seven days to explain how over N1.3 billion was allocated in the 2026 Appropriation Act to a presidential council that the Presidency has described as fictitious.
In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request dated July 4, 2026, SERAP asked the National Assembly leadership to release certified copies of all documents related to the approval of the N1,302,978,784 allocation to the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC)/Presidential Economic Advisory Council.
The rights group also called on the National Assembly to invoke its investigative powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution to probe the circumstances surrounding the allocation and identify those responsible for what it described as apparent irregularities in the budget process.
SERAP further requested records identifying the lawmakers and committees that considered the allocation, as well as the public officials or representatives who defended the budget proposal before the committees.
The civil organisation also sought clarification on whether the allocation originated from the Executive’s 2026 Appropriation Bill or was introduced during the legislative appropriation process.
It equally demanded to know whether any lawmaker questioned the legal status or operational mandate of the council before approving the allocation.
The FoI request follows a July 1 statement by the Presidency denying the existence of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council and insisting that the Federal Government never created the body.
Describing the conflicting claims as alarming, SERAP said they raised “serious concerns regarding the integrity of Nigeria’s appropriations process, legislative oversight, public financial management, and accountability.”
The FoI request, signed by Kolawole Oluwadare, deputy director, SERAP, stressed that Nigerians have a constitutional right to know whether public funds were appropriated to an entity that does not legally exist.
SERAP said, “Nobody has a more sacred obligation to obey the law than those who make the law, and that the National Assembly has a constitutional responsibility not merely to approve the Executive’s budget proposals but to rigorously scrutinise them before authorising public expenditure.”
The organisation argued that disclosure of the requested documents would enable Nigerians to determine whether the National Assembly fulfilled its constitutional obligations under Sections 80, 81, 88, and 89 of the Constitution in approving the allocation.
SERAP warned that if the requested information is not released within seven days of receipt or publication of the letter, it would initiate legal proceedings to compel the National Assembly to disclose the documents.
The organisation further maintained that making the records public would strengthen confidence in the National Assembly’s credibility, enhance transparency in the appropriation process, and promote accountability in the management of public funds.
It also cited the Freedom of Information Act, the Nigerian Constitution, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Tshwane Principles as legal bases for its demand for full disclosure.
World Bank has said Nigeria’s greatest fiscal challenge is weak revenue mobilisation rather than excessive borrowing, urging the Federal Government to strengthen revenue generation to support sustainable economic growth and meet its debt obligations.
The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr. Mathew Verghis, stated this during an interview on Channels Television on Friday.
According to him, Nigeria’s debt profile remains moderate by international standards and does not place the country among nations experiencing debt distress.
“From our assessment, Nigeria doesn’t have a high indebtedness problem; it has a low revenue problem,” Verghis said.
He explained that Nigeria’s debt-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio is lower than that of many comparable economies, adding that the country’s fiscal challenge lies more in its limited revenue base than in the volume of its borrowing.
“When we looked at the numbers, Nigeria is a moderately indebted country, meaning it has less debt relative to its economy than most of its neighbours and many other countries.
“Nigeria is in a very different situation from Ghana, for example, which is going through a debt restructuring,” he said.
Verghis defended government borrowing, describing it as a legitimate tool for financing long-term investments capable of stimulating economic growth and improving citizens’ welfare.
“Nigeria borrows for the same reasons that all countries borrow. If you want to deliver results to people, the money available on an annual basis is not enough.
“So you borrow, deliver results, and that improves your ability to repay,” he said.
He cited electricity infrastructure as an example, noting that expanding access to power for millions of Nigerians would require substantial upfront financing.
“To be able to connect and provide energy to 32 million Nigerians, Nigeria needs to borrow money now.
“But with increased access to energy, the country will become wealthier and better positioned to repay the loans,” he added.
The World Bank official, however, warned that Nigeria’s low revenue generation poses a greater risk to fiscal sustainability than its current debt burden.
“Nigeria’s debt is not particularly high, and in fact, it is quite moderate by international standards.
“Its revenues are very low by international standards, and unless those revenues are raised, it will not be able to pay back debt,” he said.
Verghis said improving revenue mobilisation would enable the government to invest more in critical sectors such as infrastructure, healthcare, education and agriculture, while supporting job creation, strengthening human capital development and reducing poverty.
He noted that the World Bank’s recently unveiled Country Partnership Framework for Nigeria for 2026 to 2032 places job creation at the centre of its support for the country.
According to him, the framework will focus on investments in infrastructure, healthcare, agriculture and digital connectivity to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has disclosed that the commission recovered more than N7.2 million stolen from the bank account of a serving judge by suspected internet fraudsters in a midnight cyberattack.
Ola Olukoyede, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Olukoyede made the disclosure at the public presentation of two books authored by retired High Court judge, Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye.
He said the serving judge, who is from a South-South state, contacted him around 1:00 a.m. after receiving multiple debit alerts indicating that funds had been withdrawn from her account.
According to him, the stolen money represented savings the judge had accumulated over six years to finance her child’s education.
Olukoyede said the EFCC immediately swung into action and successfully recovered the entire sum before 6:00 p.m. on the same day.
He said the incident underscored the increasing sophistication of cybercriminals and the urgent need for stronger collaboration among law enforcement agencies, the judiciary and members of the public in tackling financial crimes.
The EFCC chairman also called for amendments to Nigeria’s legal framework to accommodate the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in criminal investigations and prosecutions.
According to him, existing evidence laws should be reviewed to recognise AI-generated evidence as technology continues to reshape crime detection and investigation.
Also speaking at the event, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), urged anti-corruption agencies to intensify efforts to trace and recover public funds allegedly stolen and stashed in foreign countries.
Agabi stressed the need for sustained collaboration among relevant institutions to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts and improve accountability in public service.
In his remarks, a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), called for stricter enforcement of the country’s cybercrime laws to curb the growing menace of internet fraud.
Olanipekun said effective implementation of existing laws, alongside stronger institutional cooperation, would help address the increasing threat posed by cybercriminals to individuals and the nation’s financial system.
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