Hot SourceOluchi Chibuzor narrates how Wema Bank Plc continues to empower millions of Nigerian youth through financial literacy and educational mentorship
Education remains a core and highly significant tool for driving socio-cultural development of the younger generation into well-standing members of society. From equipping individuals with skills and knowledge for economic participation to promoting informed decision-making, education plays an indispensable role in ensuring the provision of equitable access and opportunities to individuals across formal, informal and balanced educational facilities, as well as training for youth development; as entrenched in the 4th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): Quality Education.
Recognising the crucial role of education in building a sustainable future, Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous bank and leading innovative financial institution, has undertaken a mission of empowering Nigerians with tailored tools, resources and support towards the attainment of quality education and financial literacy. The Bank, renowned for its 80-year legacy of positive societal impact and development, continues to drive needed transformation through its various empowerment-driven solutions and partnerships, as well as the implementation of strategic initiatives, all in alignment with core Corporate Social Investment (CSI) pillars including Education, Economic Empowerment, Finance, Environment and Health.
With a focus on empowering Nigerians to become economically active, Wema Bank has implemented a three-prong approach that empowers Nigerians with access to education on three levels: formal, entrepreneurial and creative. Bridging the gap in access to quality education, Wema Bank continues to empower Nigerians to develop critical thinking and innovation skills through creative education while empowering business-minded Nigerians through entrepreneurial education. However, none of these have impaired the Bank’s drive for empowering Nigerians with access to formal education.
Through access to finance, mentorship sessions, vision board creation sessions, book donations and other leadership training drives across Nigerian educational institutions especially primary and secondary schools, Wema Bank has empowered thousands of Nigerians under its larger Corporate Social Investment (CSI) strategy to promote positive societal development across the younger Nigerian demographic through the education pillar. The Bank has recorded over 1.5million student beneficiaries impacted through education-focused initiatives since 2018 in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education.
More recently, in a significant demonstration of its continued and unrelenting commitment to community development and youth empowerment, Wema Bank facilitated an impactful mentorship session on Leadership and Responsible Citizenship at Eko Akete Senior Grammar School in Lagos. This initiative not only aligns with the Bank’s corporate philosophy but also directly supports the 4th and 11th Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Quality Education and Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions, respectively. This comprehensive programme successfully impacted 500 students, who actively participated in engaging discussions and interactive sessions designed to instill vital leadership values and a strong sense of civic responsibility. Facilitated by a dedicated team of volunteers from Wema Bank, the sessions took place at the Eko Akete Senior Grammar School, Lagos, ensuring close engagement and optimal learning opportunities for all students.
In further demonstration of the Bank’s management involvement and commitment to driving positive impact, the Wema Bank team led by senior representatives including Oluwole Esomojumi, Chief Audit Executive, Abimbola Agbejule, Head, Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility, and Oluwakemi Adeyemi, Head, Operational Risk Management, delivered impactful insights to the young students at Eko Akete Senior Grammar School in Lagos, giving firsthand perspectives of the need for education in building sustainable careers. Their collective wealth of experience and emphasis on the importance of leadership and responsible citizenship provided invaluable inspiration, deeply resonating with the young audience.
According to Abimbola Agbejule, Wema Bank’s Head of Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility, “Education is one of the most crucial pillars upon which the future of Nigeria rests and as students, you have an opportunity that many of us today can no longer access: The opportunity to map out your future in the path that you desire. This is an opportunity that we had decades ago and it is the decisions we made then that laid the foundation for where we are today. Ahead of you lies your own future and it the decisions that you make today that will determine the trajectory or direction of your future. So I encourage you to think deeply about what you want for yourself and take advantage of the resources we have for you, to put in the work and build the future of your dreams, starting today.”
Emphasising the need for responsible citizenship in pursuit of personal and professional goals, Oluwole Esomojumi, Wema Bank’s Chief Audit Executive, added, “As you pursue your goals and strive to build the future of your dreams, please be reminded of one thing—professional aspirations mean nothing if you fail to remain a responsible citizen. As humans, we have civic duties, ethical standards and a responsibility to not only respect each other but also contribute to the well-being of our community, and this means ensuring we fulfil our duties as citizens and abide by the law. I hope that we will take what we have learned today and apply them to our lives and decisions as we continue to further our education and build the future of our dreams.”
The students were encouraged to reflect on crucial questions around the fundamentals of responsible citizenship, the importance of positive influences for vision and goal actualization as well as positive habits to incorporate into their daily lives and routines. The interactive format allowed students to express their opinions freely, ask pertinent questions, and learn from real-life scenarios shared by the mentors. The students demonstrated a strong understanding of the topics, showcasing their potential as future leaders. One of the students, a 16-year-old SS2 girl deeply inspired seeing women, as top tier banking professionals, extend a hand of empowerment to young students like her, expressed genuine gratitude to Wema Bank for the eye-opening gesture, promising to make Wema Bank proud as he added “Today, I am more sure than ever of what I want to be in future—a banker.” The Mentorship Session at Eko Akete Senior Grammar School is part of Wema Bank’s ongoing commitment to ensuring continuous impact assessment, as it follows a significant donation made by the Bank’s employees through the Salary for Love initiative in 2022 towards a borehole facility that currently serves over 2000 students, teachers, and administrators, as well as the surrounding members of the community, providing access to clean and potable water. These are all just a few of Wema Bank’s efforts made towards empowering the future generations through education.
Through these sustained efforts, Wema Bank continues to reinforce its profound commitment to promoting the Sustainable Development Goals and building a brighter future for Nigerian youth and the nation as a whole, thereby building a generation of responsible and impactful leaders towards the collective drive to ensure no one is left behind.
Wema Bank Plc is also fostering the attainment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a practical blueprint that both addresses the needs of the global populace and applies to all categories of nations—developed, developing and underdeveloped.
For institutions like Wema Bank, promoting the achievement of the SDGs has grown from simply being a step in the right direction. It has become a mission so vigorously pursued that the Bank has been reputed to have touched on over 90% of the SDGs so far. Going steps further, Wema Bank has spearheaded a multifaceted approach to addressing multiple SDGs with one single initiative, as seen in a good number of the bank’s initiatives and solutions. One of the most outstanding of such initiatives is Wema Bank 5 for 5 Promo.
Launched in 2021, the 5 for 5 Promo is a reward-focused initiative pioneered by Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous, most innovative bank and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT. Furthering its foundational mission of empowering the lives and businesses of indigenous Nigerians, Wema Bank launched the 5 for 5 Promo with the goal of giving back to its customers in appreciation for their loyalty, a goal the Bank has achieved and sustained by giving out cash rewards to customers who have remained loyal to the brand and its products.
Over the course of three seasons, Wema Bank, through the 5 for 5 Promo, disbursed a total of over N150,000,000 to 2,378 Nigerians, kicking off season 4 on October 1, 2024, with a staggering cash prize of N135,000,000 set for disbursement to thousands of Nigerians across Nigeria. This means that by the end of the ongoing Season 4, Wema Bank will have disbursed over N285,000,000 to Nigerians across Nigeria.
But, the Wema Bank 5 for 5 Promo doesn’t only stand out because of its purpose of giving back to the people. The Promo stands out because of its intentional and strategic approach to not only empowering lives and businesses but more importantly, ensuring inclusivity in the achievement of this goal of empowerment.
Vast in its reach and range, the impact of the Wema Bank 5 for 5 Promo in empowering lives and promoting the achievement of the SDGs can be viewed under 3 solid pillars, each critical in their own unique way.
QUOTE
“Education is one of the most crucial pillars upon which the future of Nigeria rests and as students, you have an opportunity that many of us today can no longer access: The opportunity to map out your future in the path that you desire. This is an opportunity that we had decades ago and it is the decisions we made then that laid the foundation for where we are today. Ahead of you lies your own future and it the decisions that you make today that will determine the trajectory or direction of your future. So I encourage you to think deeply about what you want for yourself and take advantage of the resources we have for you, to put in the work and build the future of your dreams, starting today.”
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