Zenith Bank Plc has been named Evergreen Customer of the Year at the 2026 Toyota Awards and Customers’ Night, in recognition of its consistent patronage of Toyota Nigeria Limited over the past five years.

The annual awards held last Friday at The Podium Event Centre, Lekki, Lagos, brought together customers, dealers, government officials, corporate partners and media stakeholders to celebrate outstanding contributions to the growth of the automaker.

This year’s edition carried special significance as Toyota Nigeria marked 30 years of operations since its establishment in 1996.

Chairman and founder of Toyota Nigeria, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, presented Zenith Bank officials with the keys to a brand-new Toyota Starlet Cross in appreciation of their patronage.

AGL Motors clinched the Customer of the Year Award for purchasing the highest volume of Toyota vehicles in 2025. The Nigerian Army and Zenith Bank emerged first and second runners-up respectively. Winners received office equipment worth several million naira.

Toyota Nigeria also honoured excellence in automotive journalism. Veteran journalist Theodore Opara of Vanguard was named Journalist of the Year for his consistent coverage of the sector. Mike Ochonma of Transport World was first runner-up, while Rasheed Bisiriyu of Newstrends took second runner-up.

In his keynote, Managing Director of Toyota Nigeria, Mr Kunle Ade-Ojo, described the event as “a deliberate expression of our philosophy of putting the customer first.”

He noted that since 1996, the company’s growth had been anchored on quality, reliability and service excellence, and assured stakeholders of continued innovation despite economic challenges.

“Despite the monumental challenges in the economy, Toyota Nigeria will continue to devise means that will enable our customers to enjoy their preferred auto brand—Toyota,” he said.

Dealers commended Toyota Nigeria for investments in dealer development, training and workshop upgrades nationwide.