Union Bank Harps on Inclusive Education, Sponsors Mathematics Competition for Hearing Impaired Students

Nume Ekeghe

In furtherance of its commitment to inclusive education and youth empowerment, Union Bank of Nigeria, through its Corporate, Sustainability and Innovation platform, UnionCares, has sponsored a mathematics competition tailored for students with hearing impairments.

The competition, themed, “Impacting Deaf Students and Life with Mathematics in Nigeria,” was organised by the Ajofa Special Education Foundation for the Deaf and held at the Wesley School for the Hearing Impaired in Surulere, Lagos. The event brought together students, educators, officials from the Lagos State Education Board, and representatives of Union Bank, in what has been described as a model of inclusive corporate engagement.

Ten students drawn from schools across the hearing-impaired community in Lagos participated in the intellectually charged contest, which sought not only to enhance the visibility of learners with special needs but also to affirm their place in Nigeria’s academic and innovation landscape.

Commenting on this initiative, the Chief Brand and Marketing Officer at Union Bank of Nigeria, Olufunmilola Aluko, said: “At Union Bank, we believe that development must be inclusive. That’s why, through our UnionCares initiative, we continue to invest in meaningful partnerships and platforms like this. We also commend the brilliant students on display today, who have demonstrated that their circumstances do not define them. Rather, they are writing a new story that says disability is not inability. They are mathematicians, thinkers, and problem-solvers whose wisdom whispers and reshapes the world positively.”

The Founder and Executive Director for the Ajofa Special Education Foundation for the Deaf, Francis Ajomiwe, who communicated through an interpreter, expressed appreciation to Union Bank.

He said, “I’m grateful to Union Bank for their Sponsorship of this competition, helping bring our dreams to life. Through the Foundation, we are contributing our share to the overall goals of enhancing the educational experience and developing the deaf community. This we have been committed to upholding through organising education programmes and projects that benefit the deaf community”.