It was Philip Kotler, American marketing author, consultant, and professor, who once said, “A good company offers excellent products and services. A great company also offers excellent products and services but also strives to make the world a better place.”
In the same vein, Courtney Pratt, former chief executive officer of Toronto Hydro, said, “Business has a responsibility beyond its basic responsibility to its shareholders; a responsibility to a broader constituency that includes its key stakeholders: customers, employees, NGOs, government – the people of the communities in which it operates.”
In keeping with the above principles, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Africa’s global bank, has consistently been in the forefront of making the world a better place in the communities where it operates. This it has done through the UBA Foundation, its corporate social responsibility arm.
The UBA Foundation once again lived up to its Corporate Social Responsibility to its broader constituency recently when it completed the construction of a pedestrian bridge primarily for students of the Usman Danfodiyo University (UDU), Sokoto.
Prior to the construction of the bridge, it was very tortuous for students of the university, particularly those living off-campus, to connect the campus as the area was impassable, especially during rainy season. They could not get in and out of their hostels and to the mosque easily and were going through an uncomfortably long route to get to lectures.
The completion of the bridge has, however, brought relief and comfort to students of the institution.
The bridge, valued at about N13 million, was commissioned last Monday by Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, governor of Sokoto State.
At the commissioning ceremony, Kennedy Uzoka, Group Managing Director/CEO, UBA Plc, expressed delight at the prompt completion of the project and reminded the students that UBA remained committed to easing the day-to-day challenges of the citizens, especially students living within and beyond its areas of operations.
He added that the core values of the bank – excellence, enterprise and execution – were aimed at putting the customers and society first. This, he noted, prompted the bank’s intervention, adding that ensuring customers’ satisfaction and giving back to the people were a focal point for the bank and the UBA Foundation.
Uzoka said the construction of the bridge was part of the bank’s efforts to give back to the society, adding that the bank deemed it necessary to construct the bridge in order to cushion the suffering of the students of the institution.
“Today’s event is very symbolic. We believe in the society we operate in and this gesture is part of efforts of the UBA Foundation to give back to the society,” Uzoka said.
“I strongly believe that with this bridge, students can move freely and will not have to go a long distance to reach their hostels. So, this saves time and will enable them to study harder,” he said.
Uzoka said the Foundation gave priority to education through scholarship to Nigerian students and by improving the environment and empowering many people with a view to impacting on the society.
Recall that the Foundation also runs an annual National Essay Competition for senior secondary schools geared towards development of education in all communities of the bank’s operation through education grants to deserving students. It is also in line with the Foundation’s commitment to the socio-economic betterment of the communities in which UBA operates, focusing on development in the areas of environment, education, economic empowerment and special projects.
According to Uzoka, UBA is creating a new narrative for Africa capable of making Africans run organisations that can stand the test of time for over 100 years.
In his remarks, Governor Tambuwal, who was represented by Bashir Garba, a professor and Secretary to the Sokoto State Government, lauded the UBA Foundation for the gesture and called on other banks operating in the state to emulate the footsteps of the bank by giving back to the society.
“We need more of these interventions to public universities in order to improve teaching and learning. I really commend Tony Elumelu and the Group Managing Director for coming to the aid of the students,” he said.
Tambuwal, therefore, renamed the bridge ‘Tony Elumelu UBA Pedestrian Bridge’.
Abdullahi Zuru, vice-chancellor of the university, described the construction of the pedestrian bridge as unprecedented, saying it would go a long way in taking care of the challenges facing the students.
The journey to the construction of the pedestrian bridge began in August 2017 when, at the National Dialogue Series organised by the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of Usman Danfodiyo University in Sokoto, Tony Elumelu, chairman of UBA Plc, acceded to the request of the students who had informed him of their plight and promised to assist them. Subsequently, UBA Foundation came to their aid.
Unveiling of Leo to the students
Uzoka used the opportunity to enlighten the students on UBA’s new customer-centric product, Leo Virtual Banker, which he said gives customers, particularly youths, more power in conducting transactions.
“This is the first time a financial institution in Africa has come up with this manner of solution to simplify the way customers transact, something that has become necessary in today’s fast-paced world with demands for quick-time transactions and response,” Uzoka said.
“We know that students can be very busy with lectures and keeping up with so much activity. It is pertinent they get a young, upwardly-mobile banker like Leo the chat banker to proffer an array of solutions to all their banking needs,” he said.
Uzoka said with the launch of the chat banking app, customers would be able to open new accounts, receive instant transaction notifications, check their balances on the go, transfer funds and do airtime top-up. They would also be able to confirm cheques, pay bills, apply for loans, freeze accounts, request for mini statements, amongst other things, he said.
“The formulation of this product is consistent with the bank’s customer-first philosophy, where we are doing things with a strong focus on what the customers want, where they want it, and in the exact platform they want it,” Uzoka said.
“At UBA, we have been working with technology giants that have the global capacity to ensure not only seamless but also effortless banking for millions of our customers across Africa. We at UBA have collaborated with Facebook to come up with this innovation that is capable of revolutionising the way banking is done in Africa,” he said.
Uzoka noted that Leo will, in the nearest future, show up on other social platforms and added that all it takes to enjoy the services is simply to have a Facebook account.
Leo, UBA’s latest app, was first unveiled in Lagos on January 11, 2018.
CHUKS OLUIGBO
