From Lagos to Paris: The Doings of Jim Ovia

Greatness is oftentimes a matter of accumulation. It is a drop joining another, then becoming a trickle, a stream, a rampaging river, and finally a colossal wave over a measureless sea. This is the method individuals like Jim Ovia, founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, employ to achieve greatness. Even now, Ovia’s stream of influence in Africa has grown and is gradually becoming a raging torrent across continents.

Thinking up new ways to expand Zenith Bank cannot be easy. For an institution that is considered the most profitable in Nigeria, Zenith has reached a peak that others can only envisage. Yet, Ovia has not thrown in the towel or decided to retire. He is still considering new vistas to which he would introduce his Zenith Bank.

France is the latest on Ovia’s list. Back in 2023, there was widely circulated news that Ovia had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Government. Having settled all conditions, Ovia would be allowed to establish a subsidiary of his Zenith Bank in Paris, France. This subsidiary would be Zenith’s first in the European Union (EU), indicating the institution’s growing influence.

Based on recent reports, Ovia is at the cusp of finalising the agreements of the MoU and obtaining the official operating licence. Although he is yet to receive it, Ovia is confident enough to have obtained a lease for the subsidiary’s offices in Paris.

A meticulous businessman, Ovia does not take a step until he is confident that it would shift the landscape in his favour. This is why Zenith Bank stands tall over its peers in Nigeria, as distinct from them as an eagle is from domestic poultry. It is also why spectators deem Ovia’s dream to have Zenith Bank still dazzling after a thousand years of operation to be taking shape.

While he achieved greatness long ago, it is only a matter of how much of it he wants to reveal to the public.