Wema Bank stirs controversy over International Women’s Day message

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Wema Bank has ruffled some male chauvinists feathers after it posted a tweet celebrating International Women’s Day.

Some women too are up in arms, accusing the bank of blaming them for raising ‘patriarchal men’.

In the tweet, the bank said: Today we celebrate the mothers who aren’t raising patriarchal sons, the women bosses supporting female subordinates and the ladies whose voices we can no longer ignore”.

No sooner the message dropped than missiles began to fly in the bank’s direction, some arising from ill-digestion of the message. There were even calls for the boycott of the bank as the bank trended on Nigerian Twitter.

Read some of the reactions:

Of all the mothers day messages I’ve been seeing from companies,

That of Wema bank is the dumbest and annoying.

How would you downplay the male gender just to praise the female gender???.

— Barca Principal (@TheGeniusJaj) March 8, 2020

First bank is giving us spanner and lipstick. Wema Bank is advising us to do better while blaming us for raising patriarchal men. Access bank is telling us we are more than women. Tecno is saying a woman putting on gen and a man cooking is gender equality. Can today end already?

— Alexa, delete my stomach (@Oluwabukunmi__) March 8, 2020

On father’s day, I see people celebrating single mothers. I see people calling out rapists and abusive fathers. Now that it’s women’s day we’re to celebrate all including those who molest little boys, promote patriarchy, and put down other women? Wema Bank you’re doing well.

— Usifo (@MrUsifo) March 8, 2020

People always come to Twitter to look for the slightest reason to be angry.
Because help me understand what exactly is wrong with the Wema bank message?

Cause I can’t see anything wrong in it and I know I’m not alone.

— Edmund ? (@EdmundOris) March 8, 2020

I feel Wema bank’s #IWD2020 message achieved the desired effect.

They knew the message was tone deaf but they also knew it was going to trend which i think was what they were gunning for.

They knew blaming women for the ills of patriarchy on #IWD was sure to rile pple up.

— Adunni Achebe (@_Adadioramma) March 8, 2020

Boycott wema bank? You must think Wema bank is a twitter vendor.

— STARBOY (@DammyOA_) March 8, 2020

Oh shit … that’s true

Gillette ran a “do better” ad for men on Father’s Day … abi na men’s day. With all the women shouting for joy

Now that Wema Bank has done thesame, but the other way round they want us to cry along with them?

Na lie … Wema bank, you’re doing well ?

— Being Human is not Enough (@realdanielemeka) March 8, 2020

Other Nigerian banks also tweeted on the special day.

Fidelity Bank tweeted its belief in equality between men and women.

Access Bank said Happy #InternationalWomensDay to all women out there. You are unique and you are more than a woman.

But WEMA earned the trophy for controversy.

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