By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The popular Ajose Adeogun Street and Roundabout on Victoria Island, Lagos, is wearing a new look, thanks to Zenith Bank Plc, which designed the areas with beautiful Christmas decorations.
The yearly ritual of the financial institution is a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives aimed at setting the tone for the Christmas and Yuletide seasons.
Performing the Light-Up ceremony, the 17th of its kind recently, the chief executive of Zenith Bank, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, expressed his delight in heralding the 2023 Yuletide season by lighting up the iconic Ajose Adeogun Street and Roundabout.
He urged everyone to imbibe the message and spirit of Christmas, which is about peace, love, forgiveness and respect for humanity and prayed for peace in every home, business and country.
“Today, as we turn on the Christmas light with the wife of our founder and chairman, Mrs Kay Ovia, in our midst, we hope with this, we activate the spirit of Christmas in the minds of everyone.
“We pray that the ambience of the light brings warmth, love, joy, fulfilment, and hope to every one of us. We pray that our country will experience peace. We pray that our joy will be full in this season of joy.
“So, in the spirit of the Yuletide season, Zenith Bank is also demonstrating that we want to use this to continue communicating and connecting with the community.”
He lauded the efforts of Quantum Markets, who have been responsible for the annual decorations, for their outstandingly creative and beautiful work.
“It is an amazing evening! First and foremost, we need to thank Quantum Markets for the incredible work they are doing.
“You know, every year, the theme, the style and the ambience look completely different, and today, in a few minutes, we are going to be turning on the light, and you are going to see that it is nothing compared to what you have seen anywhere in the world.
“I have had the privilege of seeing Christmas light in so many cities across the world, and I say without any sense of contradiction that none compares with what we have in Lagos, Nigeria,” he added.
Business Post gathered that the entire stretch of Ajose Adeogun Street, which houses Zenith Bank’s corporate headquarters and Roundabout, has been transformed into a resplendent spectacle, attracting tourists from all walks of life who visit with their families and friends to take pictures and make videos of the beautiful spectacle, especially at night and enjoy the ambience of the street and season.
The bank’s sustainability and CSR initiatives are hinged on the belief that today’s business performance is not all about the financial numbers – the bank believes that an institution’s social investments, contributions to inclusive economic growth and development as well as improvements in the condition of the physical environment, all constitute a balanced scorecard.
Through its CSR initiatives, Zenith Bank has embodied the overarching objective of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which provide a framework for addressing the major challenges confronting society. Its social investments are targeted at health, education, women and youth empowerment, sports development and public infrastructure enhancement.
Overall, Zenith Bank’s total CSR investment in 2022 was N1.67 billion, representing 0.75 per cent of its Profit After Tax (PAT).
Dipo Olowookere