First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has unveiled a scheme tagged, ‘’FCMB Education Advisory Service’’ to ensure convenient and affordable education support for its customers or their children who desire to study abroad and obtain undergraduate and post-graduate degrees.
The support includes overseas admission information services, school fees remittance, school living allowances and travel fares, loans to support school fees payments, visa process, travels and examination preparation. Access to customers and other aspiring candidates is said to be available on FCMB website with branches where operational desks are currently located, listed.
It is part of the Bank’s contributions towards developing a new generation of brilliant minds that would take Nigeria to the next level.
The FCMB Education Advisory Service is in partnership with MOD Group, a foremost international education promotion and marketing company with operations deeply rooted in Nigeria and covering the West Africa sub-region.
Under the initiative which was launched at a ceremony on May 30, 2018 in Lagos, FCMB is offering a full range of core financial services, tailored to meet the needs of its customers in the area of acquiring education abroad.
Among these are, up to N5million school fees support to customers from the Bank and Credit Direct Limited, one of the subsidiaries of FCMB Group Plc (the holding company), Flexx account (in foreign exchange) for students going abroad to study, prompt and secure international funds transfer through internet banking platforms for the payment of school fees and other educational expenses abroad. There is also the issuance of FCMB debit cards, including the pocket money card (pre-loaded) that can be used to withdraw cash from overseas ATMs and make payments at stores and supermarkets.
Speaking at the launch of the initiative, the Executive Director, Retail Banking of FCMB, Mr. Olu Akanmu, stated the commitment of the Bank to champion and execute initiatives that would promote education and knowledge acquisition among Nigerians.
According to him, ‘’at FCMB, we walk and work with our customers to fulfil their life aspirations for themselves, their families and their businesses, including the provision of the best education. The FCMB Education Advisory Services in partnership with MOD Services and international partners also covers school admission process, Visa processing, travel and examination Preparation. We recognise that knowledge of what to do and how to do it matters in securing good overseas education. FCMB will also be providing prompt school fees and living allowances remittance, loans to support school fees payment and international cards to support living overseas for Nigerian students
Mr. Akanmu also added, ‘’we have Lufthansa Airline, beside other partner airlines on board to offer students, discounted fares under this scheme. This also covers their guardians accompanying them. In addition, we have AXA Mansard coming on board to provide medical cover for the students to the tune of $60,000 a year’’.
The event to formally launch the FCMB Education Advisory Service had in attendance the Permanent Secretary/Tutor General, Lagso State Ministry of Education, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Onadipe; Managing Director of MOD Group, Mr. Michael Dosunmu; Head of Communications, British Council, Mrs. Edemekong Uyoh and a Representative of the High Commission of Ireland, Tessa Bagu; amongst others.
