Susan Abayomi
Fidelity Bank Plc has strengthened its commitment to improving access to quality education and encouraging reading among young Nigerians with the donation of a renovated and fully equipped library to Community Junior Secondary School, Olanada, in the Rumola area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The project was delivered through the bank’s Fidelity Helping Hands Programme (FHHP), an employee-led Corporate Social Responsibility initiative that enables staff to identify and support projects capable of making a meaningful difference in their communities. Under the programme, funds raised by employees are matched by the bank.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Group Head, Compliance Risk Management, Fidelity Bank Plc, Charles Chukwu, said the initiative was driven by the need to provide students with a conducive environment for reading, learning and personal development.
According to him, an existing classroom was transformed into a modern library featuring reading furniture, bookshelves and a workstation for the librarian.
He said the intervention reflected Fidelity Bank’s commitment to supporting education and creating sustainable impact in the communities where it operates.
Chukwu said education remains one of the major areas of the bank’s CSR activities, noting that Fidelity Bank has undertaken various projects aimed at improving learning conditions and expanding opportunities for young people.
He listed some of the bank’s interventions to include the renovation of classrooms and libraries, provision of desks and learning materials, financial literacy programmes and the Read2Lead initiative, which promotes reading and creative writing among young Nigerians.
He encouraged the students to make effective use of the new library by reading widely and studying diligently.
“Education builds confidence, expands opportunity and empowers young people to shape a better future. This library has been provided to aid their growth,” Chukwu said.
He added that the real value of the project would be determined by the impact it makes on students and the generations that would use the facility in the future.
The Principal of the school, Comrade Marcus Numbarabari, described the intervention as a significant development for the school community and expressed appreciation to Fidelity Bank.
Numbarabari said the library represented an investment in the future of the students and would encourage them to read more, improve their academic performance and acquire useful knowledge and skills.
He assured the bank that the facility would be adequately protected, maintained and used for the benefit of both current and future students.
Also speaking, the Supervising Director, Obio-Akpor Local Government Education Authority, Amadi Iwai Christopher, commended Fidelity Bank for supporting government efforts to improve educational infrastructure.
He said partnerships between government and corporate organisations could help address some of the challenges facing the education sector and called for more contributions towards the development of schools across communities.
Representing the school’s Parents Teachers Association, the Vice Principal (Academic), Mrs Wobo Okechiyere, also appreciated Fidelity Bank, saying the new facility would encourage students to develop stronger reading habits and improve their academic development.
The school’s Senior Prefect, Master Donald Nelson, expressed gratitude to the bank on behalf of the students and assured the institution that the library would be put to proper use.
The Fidelity Helping Hands Programme is part of Fidelity Bank’s employee-led CSR initiatives, through which staff members identify community projects and contribute towards their execution, with matching support from the bank’s management.
The programme forms part of the financial institution’s broader efforts to promote sustainable social development within its host communities.
Fidelity Bank Plc is a commercial deposit money bank serving more than 9.1 million customers through digital banking channels, 255 business offices in Nigeria and its United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK Limited.
The bank has received several local and international recognitions, including awards for digital transformation, MSME banking, mobile banking, investment banking and SME support.
