Among the many success stories that stemmed from previous editions of the United Bank for Africa (UBA) Supersavers Promo is Wisdom Otaghogho, who never imagined that a routine conversation with his mother about financial responsibility would change his life forever. Living in Warri, he was navigating the familiar challenge of building financial discipline in an uncertain economy.
“I asked my mum about saving money, and she told me it was okay to open an account,” Wisdom told us when we reached out to him through a phone call and WhatsApp texts. The choice of UBA came after careful consideration, as he had initially contemplated saving with some other banks, but he eventually settled for UBA because “people said it was reliable.”
The small UBA branch inside Petroleum Training Institute (P.T.I.) Effurun, Warri became Wisdom’s gateway to an unexpected fortune. Month after month, he deposited money into his account, unaware that each transaction kept qualifying him into one of Nigeria’s most generous promos.
“I honestly didn’t know there was any problem at all. I thought everything was fine,” Wisdom explains, using the word “problem” colloquially to mean “something significant happening.” His unawareness of the draw taking place or his participation in it makes his story all the more noteworthy. He was simply saving money, with no expectations, no calculations of odds, and no strategic deposits timed for maximum entries.
For millions of Nigerians, the journey towards financial security begins with a simple choice – to set aside a portion of today’s earnings for the actualisation of tomorrow’s dreams. Sometimes, that choice could result in unexpected miracles. At other times, it lays the groundwork for more lasting success. In the case of UBA’s SuperSavers’ Promo, both outcomes show that when it comes to saving, everyone is a winner.
On September 1, UBA launched the 5th edition of its SuperSavers promo, which is to run until May 31, 2026. With a ₦150 million prize pool, the promo operates on the principle that consistent saving habits should be rewarded. The promotion features multiple cash prize categories: 27 quarterly star prizes winners of ₦1 million each, 54 winners of ₦500,000, 81 winners of ₦250,000, and thousands of other rewards, including airtime and account benefits.
For savings account holders like Wisdom, every ₦10,000 incremental deposit maintained for three consecutive months earned them an entry slot, with multiple deposits increasing their chances.
The moment of victory for him, came during the festive season, between Christmas and New Year. “I just saw an alert on my phone; one million naira had been sent to my account. I was shocked,” Wisdom recalls.
Wisdom’s win resonated far beyond personal gain, as it challenged his perception of promotional campaigns. “Before, I used to believe all those promos were fake. I thought no one ever really won… But after I won, I started believing that some of those promos, particularly the ones from UBA, are actually real.”
While Wisdom’s story captures the dramatic peak of the SuperSavers experience, the journey of Chinedu Okafor illustrates the promotion’s deeper value proposition. Chinedu never received that life-changing alert notification. His name was never called in any of the quarterly draws, and by conventional measures, he didn’t “win” the UBA SuperSavers Promo.
Chinedu, who runs a small trading business in Aba, first saw the SuperSavers Promo as a chance to make quick gains. The prospect of winning substantial prizes motivated him to increase his savings discipline significantly. Every week, he made incremental deposits of ₦10,000 and above, often scraping together funds from his daily earnings.
As the promotional period progressed and his name remained uncalled in the various draws, Chinedu could have become discouraged. “After the third draw without my name, I almost gave up. I kept thinking ‘what’s the point?’ But something inside me said to keep going.” Instead, something remarkable happened: his consistent saving habit, initially driven by the prospect of winning, began generating its own rewards.
The accumulated savings changed his business operations as he saved substantial funds to provide himself a financial cushion for his business. By the end of the promotional period, Chinedu had significantly expanded his business, with his profit margins improved.
“I realised I didn’t particularly need to win the draw to change my life. The real prize for me was learning to save consistently and watching my business grow stronger every month.” The promotion had promised him a chance to win money; instead, it taught him to systematically build wealth. “Now my wife calls me ‘Mr. Banker,’” he said. “She says I turned into the kind of disciplined saver she never thought possible. The funny thing is, I’m still saving the same way today, even without any promo. It became a habit that stuck.”
The promotional mechanics, which require consistent monthly deposits over three-month periods, gamify savings habits. Participants like Wisdom save regularly without fully understanding the promotion’s requirements, while strategic savers like Chinedu use the incentive structure to discipline their financial behaviour.
A Testament to Financial Inclusion
To UBA, the promo is a very important tool through which it is used to achieve its objective of financial inclusion. Over the years, the bank has consistently been committed to ensuring that as many Nigerians as possible are included in the country’s banking system.
Speaking during the launch of the draw at the bank’s headquarters, UBA’s Group Deputy Managing Director, Chukwuma Nweke, noted that this promo has been designed to serve as a catalyst to encourage both the underbanked and unbanked to participate, thereby deepening the country’s savings culture.
Nweke said, “We are partners in development, and that is why we have developed a range of savings products designed to help people achieve both personal and collective goals while promoting financial inclusion. Through these products, more Nigerians are being integrated into the formal banking system, bridging economic gaps, breaking cycles of poverty, and building stronger communities,”
Group Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications, Alero Ladipo, emphasised that the promotion extends beyond simply distributing prizes. She explained that for the country to reach its full potential, individuals must have access to savings accounts, which will better position them to make productive economic decisions. “We still have significant ground to cover in empowering Nigerian citizens towards financial independence, and we see this promotion as one of the ways to improve that independence and introduce Nigerians to the innovative, safe, and secure banking solutions that UBA provides at the highest standard,” she said.
As Nigeria continues to evolve towards a more financially inclusive society, programmes like the UBA SuperSavers Promo demonstrate how creative incentive structures can encourage beneficial behaviour while creating real value for all participants. Ultimately, in the world of disciplined saving, everyo