BREAKING NEWS, Business
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Diamond Bank, one of the leading banks in Nigeria, donates a library to Ojodu Primary School, Lagos as part of its corporate social responsibility to the society
| By Chinwe Okafor | Mar. 24, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
DIAMOND Bank plc, a leading player in the retail banking, recently donated a library to the Ojodu Primary School, Ojodu, a Lagos suburb. During the unveiling of the library, the bank said that the donation was part of its corporate social responsibility drive to promote capacity development among young adults in Nigeria. The programme was carried out in partnership with the United for Kids Foundation, UKF, a non-governmental organisation, with primary focus on child welfare, particularly among children from low income backgrounds.
During an inspection tour at the opening of the facility, Victor Ezenwoko, an executive director of the bank in charge of Lagos businesses, said the donation underlined Diamond Bank’s firm commitment to investing in community projects which would empower children and young adults. “This library is a way of bringing development close to these children and an investment in the future leaders of the nation. Some of these pupils have high intelligent quotient but they do not have the opportunity of access to such educational facility. Diamond Bank has, therefore, decided to enhance their potential as its way of contributing to the future of the Nigerian child and to make them well equipped for the 21st century,” Ezenwoko said.
G. K. Daodu, chairperson of the State Universal Education Board, SUBEB, expressed government’s delight at the bank’s initiative in support of public education. While expressing the board’s appreciation for the project, Daodu said it was a commendable thing that Diamond Bank could partner with the UKF and the state government to shoulder the burden of funding education, adding that, “it’s pleasing to find this type of edifice, which is conducive for reading, in a public primary school.”
She also used the occasion to appeal to other organisations to emulate the bank in funding developmental projects in government schools.
Speaking on the criteria for selecting Ojodu Primary School as the project beneficiary, Tope Fajingbesi, coordinating trustee of the UKF, said: “The location of the school in a low to mid-income area of Lagos made us come to its aid. It has a population of about 2,000 pupils and we believe it would be a worthwhile investment to support this large number of children who are eager to learn but have limited access to a well-stocked library.” On his part, A. A. Adaranijo, head teacher of Ojodu Primary School I, said the assumption that children in public schools could neither read nor write would change because of the innovative project. “It will help in grooming our children to become good readers and good speakers. They also have the opportunity to compete favourably with pupils from private schools. We thank Diamond Bank for this investment in the children,” Adaranjo said.
Speaking in the same vein, K. B. Jimoh, head teacher, Ojodu Primary School II, said the project would have positive effect on the pupils of the school. “Prior to now, some of them did not know what a library looked like. They can now read with the help of teachers and a librarian. We appreciate Diamond Bank and the UKF for successfully completing this laudable project,” Jimoh said.
An apparently elated Sunday Anayo, a primary six pupil of the school said the library that would afford him to read new books different from the books supplied by the state government, adding: “The library is also spacious and I will also be able to read in an air-conditioned room like pupils in private primary schools.”
Tags: A. A. Adaranijo chairperson of the State Universal Education Board Diamond Bank G. K. Daodu K. B. Jimoh lagos Lagos businesses Ojodu Ojodu Primary School Ojodu Primary School II SUBEB Sunday Anayo Tope Fajingbesi United for Kids Foundation Victor Ezenwoko
