This year's Light Up Ceremony, the 17th of its kind, is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative by Zenith Bank. The Christmas decoration is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of the bank to herald the Yuletide season through the beautification and transformation of the entire stretch of Ajose Adeogun Street (home to Zenith Bank’s Corporate Headquarters) and Roundabout into a resplendent spectacle - which has come to be recognised as an iconic tourist attraction, attracting people 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.
Speaking during the ceremony, Dr. 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. In his words, “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. According to him, “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.”
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 NGN1.67 billion, representing 0.75% of its Profit After Tax (PAT).
The bank remains committed to furthering the economic, cultural and social development of host communities, particularly through community-based initiatives and philanthropy. As a good corporate citizen, it continues to deliver projects that have long-term social and economic benefits for the communities because it believes that its business is only as strong as its host communities.
To demonstrate its commitment to creating and expanding opportunities, the bank regularly makes donations towards setting up ultramodern ICT centres in several educational institutions and cities across the country. It also supports various developmental projects and healthcare delivery causes in Nigeria and contributes to the development of sports in Nigeria through its sponsorship of the Zenith Women Basketball League, Zenith Bank Delta State Principals’ Cup, and Zenith Bank Delta State Headmasters’ Cup, amongst others.
In recognition of its contributions and social investments to its host communities and the society at large, the bank was recognised as the “Most Sustainable Bank, Nigeria” in the International Banker 2023 Banking Awards and “Most Responsible Organization in Africa” at the Sustainability, Enterprise, and Responsibility (SERAS) Awards 2021.