BREAKING NEWS, Youth

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In its avowed commitment to youth development, Diamond Bank Plc is sponsoring the 2014 Vision of a Child competition which is part of the Lagos Black Heritage Festival

|  By Chinwe Okafor  |  Apr. 21, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT

DIAMOND Bank PLC, a leading player in the Nigerian retail banking space, has identified with the Lagos Black Heritage Festival, LBHF. Accordingly, it is sponsoring the 2014 Vision of a Child Competition which will hold from April 14, 2014 to April 21. Victor Ezenwoko, executive director, Lagos Businesses, Diamond Bank PLC, said that the bank has maintained a strong relationship with the Vision of The Child competition which is a demonstration of its commitment to developing the future of the Nigerian child.

According to him, the bank has been supporting the project since 2012. “Diamond Bank is pleased to partner with the Lagos Black Heritage Festival on the Vision of the Child Competition. As a corporate organization that believes in investing in human capital, we realize that we need well groomed people to take up leadership positions in the future. This partnership is part of our efforts at building the capacity of Nigerian children so that they will be well positioned for success in the 21st century.

“From history, we know that when children are not engaged creatively, they are more readily drawn into other activities with negative consequences for both their future and the society,” he said. Ayona Trimnell, head, Corporate Communications, said that Diamond Bank believes that the future of the country depends on the youths and so they need to be properly trained. “We believe that the Vision of the Child Competition offers us a credible platform to harness and nurture the potentials of the youth for the overall benefit of the country. Diamond Bank will continually explore avenues to add value to the future by investing in the youths”, she said.

Foluke Michael, coordinator of the Vision of a Child Project, said that a total of 620 schools in Lagos were invited for the project and that out of this number, 420 students emerged as winners from 102 schools adding that the winners were invited to meet with a panel for further screening after which 32 finalists from 26 schools emerged. “The Voice of a Child appreciates Diamond Bank PLC for being the exclusive sponsor of the project since 2012.”

Meanwhile, the Vision of the Child Competition is part of activities designed to celebrate the Lagos Black Heritage Festival which is targeted at school children. The competition is also designed as an interactive activity to test participants’ interpretation of national discourse through artistry. In the 2014 edition tagged, “The Rule of Law, The Law of Impunity,” participants were required to interpret the theme through literary writing in the form of a poem, essay or short story.

Selected entries were then advanced to the next stage where they were provided with brushes, paint and easel to illustrate their written work. The paintings will be exhibited at the Freedom Park, Lagos Island, until April 21, 2014. Hodonu Mawuton, one of the finalists, a student of Beulah Comprehensive College, said: “The competition is getting more interesting because I am currently undergoing another process of learning beyond the classroom. This programme has helped me to know more about the nation.”

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