Fidelity Bank plc has said it would not relent in its efforts to promote financial literacy among the youths as part of the bank’s commitment towards deepening the Nigerian economy.
Towards this end, the bank has expressed its readiness to partner the Central Bank of Nigeria to introduce financial literacy as a subject in the curriculum of schools across the country.
Nnamdi Okonkwo, managing director/CEO, Fidelity Bank, said this while speaking with newsmen during the Financial Literacy Day programme it organised in conjunction with the Junior Achievers, Nigeria for the students of Day Waterman College Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Okonkwo, who was represented by Adeboye Ogunmolade, chief compliance officer, commended the CBN for mobilising stakeholders towards ensuring that financial literacy became part of the curriculum of schools in the country and assured the regulatory agency that Fidelity Bank would make its input in making the project a reality.
According to him, as a commercial bank with physical presence and Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) in many educational institutions, the bank naturally must take interest in projects that have the objective of teaching student’s financial education and literacy.
“For a start, we must emphasise and give credit to the CBN. They are the initiator and the champion of this agenda. They are now mobilising all stakeholders, including even the Federal Ministry of Education to incorporate this financial literacy project as part of the curriculum of the students.
“So, as far as we are concerned in Fidelity Bank and in the industry, we are willing and prepared to partner with the CBN to go the whole hog. As I said earlier, our products for students are second to none and we know there is hardly any higher institution in Nigeria where we don’t have our physical presence and even our ATM galleries. So, we know the importance of this programme and as I’ve said we’ll partner with the CBN, apart from the things we are doing, we’ll also support them in every aspect to make sure that this project is a success,” Ogunmolade said.
HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE
