Sterling Bank Commits N500m to Environmental Sustainability

Concerned with the current poor state of the environment and its impact on the health of Nigerians, Sterling Bank Plc said it had committed over N500 million to various activities under its Sterling Environmental Make-Over (STEM) social responsibility initiative in the last five years.

The  Managing Director/Chief Executive of the bank,  Mr. Yemi Adeola, who disclosed this, noted that these activities included partnership with agencies responsible for waste management in 14 states of the country, tree planting and the national cleaning exercise.

The Sterling Bank boss, who disclosed this in a statement  at the weekend, also explained that the financial institution decided to collaborate with celebrities to connect with their audiences.
“Many of them have become inspirational figures to a lot of people,” the bank boss said.

“STEM is an initiative which started eight years ago, and essentially covers all the programmes which Sterling Bank runs geared towards caring for our environment. So far, about half a billion naira has been invested in this initiative. When STEM started, the primary focus was the kitting of highway managers and sweepers in the employment of the Lagos State Waste Management Agency(LAWMA).

“Asides Lagos, we have extended this partnership to 14 other states in the country. We give 25,000 units of the uniforms to LAWMA on a yearly basis. This has been beneficial to sweepers, as the reflective uniforms are seen from a distance by motorists and gives a sense of identity to the sweepers and highway managers.

“Beyond provision of uniforms, staff of the Bank, as part of our employee volunteer programme, regularly participate in nationwide street cleaning efforts. Also, Sterling Bank has invested in tree planting to address the challenge of desertification in the country. We started our tree planting efforts in 2016 with Bauchi, Gombe and Plateau States. We intend to extend this to at least seven more states in 2017, with our goal being to lead the movement to promote environmental sustainability in the country,” the bank added.

As a responsible corporate citizen,  of Adeola assured that the bank would strive to continuously demonstrate the value we place on human life and showcasing the dignity in labour and the pride associated not only with cleanliness but with cleaning.

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