First City Monument Bank (FCMB)
is set to motivate about 100 customers among its youth segment with cash
rewards, other exciting prizes and engagements to commemorate this year’s
Valentine’s celebration. In its annual campaign tagged, “Banking on Love”,
the lender said many young and even some older people view the February 14th
Valentine Day celebration as solely defined by the day’s activities with their
chosen partners and loved ones.
Today, First City Monument Bank
(FCMB) Limited thinks differently. The Bank, speaking through its Head of
Corporate Affairs, Mr. Diran Olojo, enjoined the youth to see love as a virtue
that is all encompassing. FCMB said love is more about care, giving,
commitment, passion, trust and responsibility for the comfort, protection,
security and happiness of the next person with an open mind and genuiness of
purpose. He stated that the position further goes to define some of the
activities engaged in by the Bank which pays close attention to many segments
of the Nigerian society.
According to Mr. Olojo, “at
FCMB, it is not all about business at all times. There is a strong propelling
philosophy which also drives us to be concerned about the best way to
positively affect our immediate environment. How best to reach and impact the
less-privileged. We always think about the best strategies to adopt to help the
needy people in our society. We care about the orphans, the widows, the aged
people, our youths and the internally displaced persons (IDPs) who have been
affected by insurgency, man-made and other natural disasters. We believe
one of the positive outcomes of sound corporate governance, is impacting
positively on lives and communities in Nigeria. Indeed, as businesses act
responsively and boost their performance indices, they should also devote a
part of their income to giving back to the society by engaging in various
life-changing activities. At FCMB, we have been guided’’.
This year’s “Banking on Love” campaign will include
cash awards and some giveaways to many youth customers during and after
Valentine celebration, a global event that climaxes on February 14th.
N10,000 each is being given to 25 young people every week, throughout February,
the month of Love. To be eligible to win, customers are required to carry out
transactions with their cards that add-up to at least N5,000 in a week. Winners
will be announced weekly.
The Flexx account is FCMB’s youth-centric banking product targeted at
young people who are actively seeking platforms that allow them express their
uniqueness, while building skills for financial success. This is summarised in
the description of Flexx as, “An app, a card, an account”, which gives account
holders the freedom to bank on the go, using the Flexx Mobile App.
FCMB’s Executive Director,
Retail Banking, Mr. Olu Akanmu while responding to an inquiry said, “Flexx is more than an account. It is a lifestyle
platform that offers the customer experience centred around Fun, Future and
Banking. FCMB serves this platform through digital channels that fit into the
lifestyle of the Flexx target market which include the Mobile App, a Microsite
and an Online Account Opening platform, all of which enable a potential Flexx
customer open an account with FCMB without having to visit a branch″.
In a bid to define love beyond the euphoria of the moment, FCMB said the
Bank is aware of the challenges faced by people and the
society. It was for this reason that it consciously chose to bring hope and
smiles to the people and communities. The Bank extended its hand of
benevolence to internally displaced women in Maiduguri, Bornu State by
providing training and financial support to 100 of them to start any small-scale
businesses of their choice. The financial institution also organised skill
acquisition and other capacity building programmes for the beneficiaries.
FCMB’s
intervention in economic empowerment is seen in its partnership with Wecyclers,
an award winning company involved in recycling, on a waste-to-wealth franchise
scheme. Through this collaboration, the Bank is helping to tackle the challenge
of waste management by deploying an innovative recycling project aimed at job
and wealth creation, while promoting health and sanitation. To further deepen
the project, FCMB has put in place a monthly reward scheme for top recyclers.
The first batch of winners emerged in May, 2017 and has been presented with
their prizes.
FCMB’s
economic empowerment CSR activities have also impacted on youths. The Bank has
instituted a capacity
building programme for youths, tagged “Empowered for the Future”. The initiative focuses on
peer-to-peer economic empowerment, sexual and reproductive health promotion for
in- and out-of-school adolescents. It commenced with 50 youths who were trained
on various aspects of human development. The beneficiaries are expected to
reach out to 750 peers over a one-year period, with focus on financial
literacy, skill acquisition, sexual and reproductive health, while undergoing
vocational training, job shadowing and knowledge building programmes.
Another of FCMB’s
expression of real love is its Priceless Gift of Sight programme. The Bank has
been sponsoring this project since 2009 in partnership with the Tulsi Chanrai
Foundation (TCF), a Nigerian-Indian Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). The programme involves eye screening tests, full
ophthalmic medical examination, eye surgeries, provision of free medication,
eye glasses and counselling for those suffering from cataract, an eye defect
that could lead to blindness if not promptly treated. Over 100,000
people across Nigeria have so far benefited from
it since the Bank took up the sponsorship 9 years ago. In 2017, FCMB also
sponsored 500 eye surgeries in Kebbi, Cross Rivers and Imo states, while more
than a thousand people underwent the screening for cataract during the
programme. The 2018 programme nationwide is currently being planned. The Bank has previously carried out the programme in
Katsina, Adamawa and Ogun states. To FCMB, this is love in action and not just
words.
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