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| The unveiling. |
It was a great spectacle to behold as the Christmas and Yuletide season came to life at the 2022 Zenith Bank Christmas Light-Up Ceremony, which was held at the Ajose Adeogun Street Roundabout, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Saturday, November 19, 2022. The official lighting ceremony, which was performed by the Group Managing Director/CEO of Zenith Bank Plc, Mr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, supported by Executive Management, was witnessed by many of the bank’s staff and customers, with others joining virtually.
With
the theme “Let There Be Light”, this year marks the 16th edition of the
Light-up Ceremony at the Ajose Adeogun Roundabout. The Light-Up event is an
annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by the bank to herald
the yuletide season through the beautification of Ajose Adeogun Street – home
to Zenith Bank’s Corporate Headquarters – which has come to be recognised as an
iconic place, attracting people from all walks of life who visit with their
families and friends to take pictures and make videos of the wonderful
spectacle, especially at night and enjoy the ambience of the street and season.
Speaking
during the ceremony, Onyeagwu expressed his delight in heralding the yuletide
season of 2022 through the iconic Ajose Adeogun Street lighting up. In his
words, “today is a unique day. It is unique in the sense that we are going to
turn on the Christmas light and activate the spirit of Christmas, which we
usually have annually. It is also unique in the sense that we are honoured and
delighted to have in our midst the wife of our Founder and Chairman, Mrs. Kay
Ovia”.
He
praised Quantum Markets, the company responsible for the annual decorations,
for the outstanding, very creative and extremely beautiful work that they have
done. According to him, “when you look at the Christmas set-up we have every
year, it looks completely different, and there is no repetition of themes. And
when we think we have seen it all, by the time a new one comes, it is something
completely different and massively so. The one for this year, as I entered
here, I was wondering if this is a theme park”.
Whilst
urging everyone to imbibe the message and spirit of Christmas, which is about
peace, love, forgiveness and above all, respect for humanity, Onyeagwu prayed
for peace in every home, business and in the country and that this year’s
celebration would be like no other that we have seen.
Zenith
Bank has clearly distinguished itself in the Nigerian financial services
industry as an institution committed to building a more sustainable and
inclusive economy and promoting responsible business practices in Nigeria
through integrating sustainability principles in its business operations.
The
bank’s sustainability and CSR initiatives are hinged on the belief that today’s
business performance is not all about the financial numbers – the bank believes
that an institution’s social investments, contributions to inclusive economic
growth and development as well as improvements in the condition of the physical
environment, all constitute a balanced scorecard.
Through
its CSR initiatives, Zenith Bank has embodied the overarching objective of the
17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a framework for addressing
the major challenges confronting society. Its social investments are targeted
at health, education, women and youth empowerment, sports development and
public infrastructure enhancement. Overall, Zenith Bank’s total CSR investment
in 2021 was NGN4.37 billion, representing 1.79% of its Profit After Tax (PAT)
and 33.1% increase from 2020.
The
bank remains committed to furthering the economic, cultural and social
development of host communities, particularly through community-based
initiatives and philanthropy. As a good corporate citizen, it continues to
deliver projects that have long-term social and economic benefits for the
communities because it believes that its business is only as strong as the
communities in which it operates.
To
demonstrate its commitment to creating and expanding opportunities, the bank
regularly makes donations towards setting up ultramodern ICT centres in several
educational institutions and cities across the country. It also supports
various developmental projects, and healthcare delivery causes in Nigeria and
contributes to the development of sports in Nigeria through its sponsorship of
the Zenith Women Basketball League and the Zenith Bank Delta State Principal’s
and Headmaster’s Football Competitions, amongst others.
In
recognition of its contributions and social investments to its host communities
and the society at large, the bank was recognised at the Sustainability,
Enterprise, and Responsibility (SERAS) Awards 2021 as the “Most Responsible
Organisation in Africa”.
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