Polaris Bank and one of its strategic CSR partners, Evolve Trust Charity, stormed Gbaja Girls (Junior and Senior) High School, Surulere, Lagos, on Wednesday in continuation of its presentation of the school essentials programme to selected public school students in the country.
The partnership, which was birthed in 2021 and primarily focused on empowering the girl-child and their male counterparts, has reached over 15,000 students across 35 public schools in nine states, including Lagos, Kano, Kogi, Imo, and FCT, Abuja. The initiative includes empowering young learners with brain training techniques and emotional intelligence education alongside making and distributing user-sized school essentials (bags, uniforms, sandals, books, and pens). The initiative also captures the training of teachers in the respective schools, all sponsored by the bank.
Speaking at the presentation on Wednesday, the bank’s Executive Director, Corporate and Investment Banking, Mrs. Abimbola Ozomah, emphasized that the bank, being a signatory to the United Nations’ (UN) Principles for Responsible Banking, aligns its practices and strategies with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Climate Agreement, thus igniting its sustained interests in the training of the girl-child.
According to data from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), there are about 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria, with six million of them being girls.
“This event is not just about distributing educational materials but empowering girls for bigger roles because educated girls grow into informed women. At Polaris Bank, we are committed to bridging the educational gap, empowering girls, and building sustainability aligned with the global framework,” she said.
The Executive Director further charged the students to embrace the opportunities inherent in education while stating that the bank would stop at nothing to support them.
“Education is the most powerful tool at your disposal and you have to utilize it to the maximum. Polaris Bank will not relent in supporting this laudable mission to empower girls who will drive the needed change to better our country and world. This intervention is in line with the Bank’s ongoing sustainability efforts aimed at reducing the out-of-school children population and increasing access to quality education, especially for the girl-child and we urge you all to take full advantage,” Ozoma noted.
Also speaking, the Programme Manager at Evolve Charity Trust, Ejeh Godwin, thanked Polaris Bank for keying into the Trust’s mission of supporting the girl-child nationwide. Godwin noted that while the initiative commenced in 2020, Polaris Bank partnered in 2021 and the bank has never for once backed out since then.
“I want to specially appreciate Polaris Bank for their tremendous support since 2021, when the partnership started. We couldn’t have done this alone nor come this far without their support. We’ve expanded our reach and hope to even bring more schools in other states on board this year, all thanks to Polaris Bank,” Ejeh said.
The principal of Gbaja Girls Junior High School, Mrs Dabiri Nwabuoku Adetoun Iyabo, in her remarks also appreciated Polaris Bank for including the school in the intervention programme.
“I want to specially thank Polaris Bank on behalf of staff and students for finding us worthy of benefiting from this laudable programme. You can feel the energy in the hall the students are happy and so are the staff. This has boosted our morale, and we are incredibly happy about it,” the principal enthused.
One of the beneficiaries and Assistant Senior Girl of the school, Bankole Oreofeoluwa Emmanuella, also thanked the bank for the symbolic gesture while promising to put the items into judicious use.
“My friends and I are happy about this gesture from Polaris Bank, and we can’t thank the bank enough. These items will further ease our learning, and we promise to not only put them to judicious use but imbibe a good maintenance culture,” Bankole said.
The highlight of the event was the presentation of the items to students by officials of Polaris Bank and Evolve Charity Trust.
