Sterling Bank Plc has trained over 20,000 secondary school students nationwide as part of activities to mark the 2018 edition of the Financial Literacy Day.
The lender also staged a quiz competition among students from 42 schools in Lagos with winners going home with attractive prizes.
The Bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Designate, Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, led other executive and senior management team for the exercise as he taught students of Owerri Girls’ Secondary School, Owerri to the delight of both students and teachers of the school.
He also gave out various gift items, which the bank said was in line with its enriching lives proposition and renewed commitment to promoting financial literacy among students.
Suleiman reportedly taught the students the key fundamentals of financial literacy and reinforced the need to encourage saving culture among young people.
He noted that the Financial Literacy Day, also in line with the lender’s One Education initiative, would further consolidate the strategic focus of the bank on education and commitment to youth empowerment and development.
Suleiman explained the bank took the decision to expand the coverage beyond the scope assigned to it by the CBN to reach out to more students and teach them how to make informed and effective financial decisions from a young age.
This, according to him, will enable them to understand the basic elements of financial management, adding that the bank used the opportunity of this year’s programme to impart useful knowledge, discipline and patriotism to the younger generation.
He noted that Sterling Bank had remained consistent in providing adequate support for child education by providing materials that could be of help to them in their educational pursuits.
The Executive Director (Retail and Consumer Marketing), Sterling Bank Plc, Mr. Grama Narasimhan, in his address of welcome at the quiz competition in Lagos, urged the participating students to take the competition seriously.
He added that the competition was not just designed for them to win prizes but to ensure sustainable understanding of financial literacy so that they would be able to make independent financial decisions.
He said the financial literacy programme was initiated by the CBN to expose young people in primary and secondary schools to the principles of financial management, thereby empowering them to make sound financial decisions.
The Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the bank, Mr. Yemi Odubiyi, noted that the level of illiteracy in the society was still very high.
“We are investing in education in bid to give back to the society. The underpinning philosophy behind this investment is the need to transform our society and people. We believe quality education can transform individuals by contributing to their problem solving and social skills, which will ultimately benefit the society at large.”
