By Emmanuel Uffot
The fifth edition of First Bank of Nigeria Plc’s Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CRS) Week took off on today Monday August 22 and will last till Friday August 27.
Prior to the commencement of the event, which in line with the bank’s commitment to impacting the lives of individuals in its host’s communities across seven countries, the bank’s Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Mrs Folake Ani-Mumuney, had unveil details and programme of the annual event which she stated is set aside to offer employees opportunities to give their time and resources to defined causes in line with the bank’s CRS strategic approach.
“The FirstBank CRS Week is a dedicated week designed to offer opportunities for employees to give their time and resources to defined causes in line with the bank’s CRS strategic approach.
“The CRS Week will offer employees opportunities to give their time and resources to defined causes.
“The week’s activities are an aspect of the bank’s Employee Giving and Volunteering Programme, which was instituted to encourage employees to give back to the community as well as inculcate in them the integral corporate culture of giving”.
She had explained that the maiden edition of the bank’s CRS week which was held in 2017 with focus on three key initiatives and activities had recorded more successes in subsequent years
Highlight of the CRS week 2022 edition according Mrs Ani- Mumeney will include giving/ support, and visits to orphanages/less privileged homes/IDPs, career counselling day; and Staff Promoting Acts of Random Kindness (SPARK) initiative which were activities it focused on in the previous years.
The five-day event is to be commemorated across business communities in Nigeria, United Kingdom, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal where the Nigeria’s pioneer financial institution is operating.
Activities numbering five lined up for the 2022 edition of First Bank CRS to be carried out in Nigeria
Will include the unveiling of SPARK APP which would be the major highlight of the week activities, while others will be Kind Comments Day, visits to orphanage/less privileged homes, SPARK School Engagement, and Women Economic Empowerment.
Offering explanation on the SPARK APP and other activities, the bank said the app is strategic in the bank’s journey to institutionalise “A Day of Kindness” on a national level, and globally position the bank as a corporate citizen in leveraging new media to drive sustainability practices.
“The SPARK App is a sensational application designed to have individuals abreast with the act of kindness through various kindness-based quotes and inspirational phrases that will be displayed on one’s phone screen, especially when the phone is idle.
“Kind Comments Day is an initiative that focuses on inspiring and encouraging everyone to be deliberate with the use of kind words in relating or interacting with anyone.
“In addition, with Women Empowerment, the bank will support VVF patients in need of surgical operations and also empower them with vocational skills as they integrate back into the society,” it said.
It added that the SPARK Schools Engagement would be implemented through the national competition of JAN SPARK School Integration, aimed at rewarding the various participating students.
Speaking on this year’s edition of the First Bank CRS week, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, FirstBank, Dr Adesola Adeduntan, said that the CRS Week would afford the bank another opportunity to touch more lives.
“The CRS Week is another opportunity to strengthen our commitment and extend our reach beyond the communities where we operate in Nigeria and across our subsidiaries.
“Over time, our goal has stayed the same, to create platforms through which our positive impact is felt. For us in the FirstBank Group, beyond saying that we care, we take a step further and show it”.
He said through the years of commemorating its annual CRS Week, FirstBank had impacted lives across its host communities in Nigeria, the United Kingdom and its SSA subsidiaries.
Adeduntan enumerated the positive impacts of the CRS week of the bank since its inception five years ago the partnership with the Lagos State Government on the provision of a Primary Health Centre at Ijedodo Community, Lagos State; engagements with over 60 charities, non-governmental organisations, orphanages, correctional centres, schools and Internally Displayed Persons (IDP) camps.
The GMD/CEO stressed that, the partnership resulted in touching the lives of over 20,000 underprivileged individuals including widows, orphans and children with disabilities.
The bank has over the years played a prominent role as one the leading banks institutionalising corporate social responsibilities as one of its cardinal operation agenda to give back to the society.
The maiden edition of the event took place in September 25-29, 2017 with the theme ‘Promoting Kindness; Putting You First’. That edition had witnessed the culmination and consolidation of the Bank’s interventions in social responsibility, promoting random acts of kinds across communities in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria and First Bank subsidiaries in United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa.
The first edition of the CR&S Week provided opportunity for FirstBank staff to give their time and resources to promote acts of random kindness within their communities and contribute to the welfare and well-being of others through giving and visits to orphanages/homes of the less fortunate and internally displaced people (IDPs).
First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank) is Nigeria’s premier and most valuable banking brand, and largest financial services institution by total assets and gross earnings. With more than 12 million customer accounts, FirstBank has over 750 branches providing a comprehensive range of retail and corporate financial services. The Bank has international presence through its subsidiaries, FBN Bank (UK) Limited in London and Paris, FBNBank in the Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea, Sierra-Leone and Senegal, as well as its Representative Offices in Johannesburg, Beijing and Abu Dhabi.
Since its establishment in 1894, FirstBank has consistently built relationships with customers focusing on the fundamentals of good corporate governance, strong liquidity, optimized risk management and leadership. Over the years, the Bank has led the financing of private investment in infrastructure development in the Nigerian economy by playing key roles in the Federal Government’s privatisation and commercialisation schemes. With its global reach, FirstBank provides prospective investors wishing to explore the vast business opportunities that are available in Nigeria, an internationally competitive world-class brand and a credible financial partner.
Over the years, FirstBank has received several awards like the “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” six times in a row – 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 – by the globally renowned “The Banker Magazine” of the Financial Times Group; and “Most Innovative Bank in Africa” in the EMEA Finance African Banking Awards 2014. Recently, for the fifth consecutive time, the Bank clinched the “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” award by The Asian Banker.
The bank’s said its brand purpose is to always put customers, partners and stakeholders at the heart of their business and to standardise customer experience and excellence in financial solutions across sub-Saharan Africa, in consonance with their laid down vision to be the partner of first choice in building customers future.
