By Emmanuel Uffot
The United Bank for Africa ( UBA) has held its annual Christmas lighting ceremony to mark the beginning of the festive season.
The annual lighting ceremony which was anchored by UBA Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility ( CSR) arm of the Pan- African Bank took place at the UBA Foundation Garden near the Corporate headquarters of the bank at Marina, Lagos.
Speaking at the occasion the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of UBA Foundation Mrs Bola Ata said the ceremony coming on December 1 was significant for the Foundation because all over the world it is known in the advent period as giving Tuesday. “Today is significant all over the world, it is known in the advent period as giving Tuesday. It is a time to shine light on others, to give hope, to give gifts. Today we gave out a lot of gifts and people were happy as we lit up the Foundation gardens to symbolise joy and hope”.
She said as a CSR institution, they are constantly reminded of their promise to touch lives and show kindness to people in these difficult times, knowing that sharing a little bit goes a long way.
In his own remarks, the UBA Group Managing Director/ CEO Oliver Alawuba who was present at the event said the annual lighting was a symbol of hope for the coming year, the future and all the goodness it will bring into people’s lives. He said the goal of UBA CSR, is to give back always to the society hence the celebration of that kind yearly. “We want to give back always and this event is quite symbolic as it represents the affinity we have towards our customers, employees and associates as well as our operating community”.
As part of the ceremony, the management staff, staff members, customers and all those that Grace the ceremony were treated to Christmas carols by the UBA Customer Fulfillment Centres. It ended with a guided tour of around the UBA Foundation Gardens.
UBA Foundation which is the CSR arm of the bank has been committed to the socio- economic betterment of its operating environment with a focus on economic empowerment, education and special projects.
The Christmas lighting ceremony is an annual event of the bank which takes place every December 1.
