For some time now, it has become routine for businesses in Nigeria to embark on projects that help to uplift the living conditions of people based on the firm belief that their businesses cannot be successful when the environment around them is failing. This approach to doing business is driven by the understanding that making responsible decisions will reduce any negative impact that the business’ operation may have on the environment.
It is generally recognized today that the environment is under massive stress because of the use and or/misuse of man’s creative talents in his daily interaction with the environment. It is equally well accepted that the environment’s stressful condition, widely described as climate change, has engendered circumstances that put the continued existence of planet earth in peril and endanger man’s hope for survival.
This state of affairs has given rise to efforts by governments and businesses to establish practices that are environmentally friendly and sustainable in every way so that the world could be made a better place for everyone to live in. Nigeria has also embraced the idea through the launch of several initiatives to ensure the propagation and realisation of a sustainable environment. Moreover, leading business entities in Nigeria have also sponsored major initiatives promoting sustainability in the way people generally interact with the environment.
Among these initiatives was the effort by MTN Nigeria, a leading telecommunications company, to assist the Nigerian government in fulfilling its mandate of providing adequate healthcare for the Nigerian people. The company built and equipped about 12 haemodialysis and six mammography centres as part of its medical support project.
Guinness Nigeria, a drinks company with global footprints, also played its part through its Water of Life project which helped to provide potable drinking water for people in communities without access to clean water. The beverage company has completed over 22 water projects across several states in Nigeria – serving over a million people in households across the nation. They are in Abia, Rivers, Lagos, Ogun, Niger, Nassarawa, Edo, Benue, Oyo, Delta, Imo, Oyo, Ondo, Enugu, Ekiti, Kwara and Anambra states.
The Dangote Group, using the Dangote Foundation as a special purpose vehicle, has been active in disaster relief operations. The foundation whose mantra is touching lives donated $2.6m to flood victims, women in Kogi, N100m to Sokoto flood victims, N120m to fight famine in Niger and $2m to Pakistan’s floods victims.
Similarly, Sterling Bank, one of Nigeria’s leading commercial banks, has been investing massively on the implementation of its environmental sustainability project tagged the Sterling Environmental Makeover (STEM).
The initiative, which was launched in 2009, is the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative which aims to promote environmental sustainability, good sanitation and hygiene among residents in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. Implemented in partnership with state governments, the initiative has reached 14 states across the country at the last count. It hopes to entrench the values of environmental sustainability, good sanitation and hygiene by the time it has gone around the country.
To raise awareness and inculcate the habit of environmental sustainability in people, Sterling bank periodically encourages members of staff to take a break from work and join street sweepers to clean major markets, highways, streets and motor parks in several states of the federation.
For instance, as part of activities to mark the last edition of the World Environmental Day, a day set aside by the United Nations to call attention to environmental issues, Sterling Bank mobilized its staff members on a STEM cleaning exercise across four states. The Bank partnered with Enugu, Rivers, Lagos and Ogun state governments to clean up streets, markets, highways and motor parks to the delight of residents and the state governments.
In addition to cleaning the environment, the Bank also presented reflective uniforms to the waste management agencies in the selected states to kit their waste management personnel. The reflective uniform helps to protect the lives of the sweepers and garbage collectors as the glare of the reflective strip on the uniform helps motorists to see them from the distance and avoid collision which could be fatal.
Commenting on Sterling Environment Makeover, Mr. Henry Bassey, Chief Marketing Officer, Sterling Bank, said it promotes environmental sustainability, good sanitation, hygiene and enriches lives in fulfilment of brand purpose of “Enriching Lives.â€
He added that “We cannot live a healthy life, conduct business and create wealth amidst waste or in a toxic environment. Without clean air, water, land and energy, our collective humanity is endangered. This makes it necessary for us to keep our environment orderly and functional through sustainable living actions and regular cleaning.
“I think this intervention by Sterling Bank is quite timely as care for environment becomes increasingly topical all over the world. We can see the effects of environmental degradation, indiscriminate deposing of waste, the ozone layer depletion. Most of these things always sounded distant, but are now happening to us. We now are beginning to experience it in our localities and should take it as seriously as possible. We cannot afford to be reactive to these issues and most adopt a strategic proactive approach to a cleaner and more sustainable environment. We are doing this as a bank to show that we remain committed to this country both in our business operations and in our corporate social responsibility.â€
Remarkably, in 2017, Sterling Bank intensified its environmental sustainability campaign with the formal unveil of Olamide Adedeji, popularly called Baddosneh, as STEM Ambassador. Olamide is Nigeria’s foremost hip-hop artiste with large followership that cuts across socio-economic classes and age groups.
In his role as STEM Ambassador, Olamide will inspire Nigerians, both young and old to alter their lifestyle and adopt sustainable living actions which reduce impact on the environment and makes planet earth a clean and safe place. Olamide is expected to extend reach and impact of the Sterling Bank Environmental Makeover programme.
During his formal unveil by the bank as STEM Ambassador, an elated Olamide promised to live up to his role by promoting sustainable living actions and clean environment through his music, words and actions.
He said “The STEM Programme has been promoting sustainable living actions and clean environment across Nigeria for about eight years, solidly ensuring that Nigerians live and do business in a clean environment. My role as STEM Ambassador is to encourage more Nigerians to adopt sustainable living actions that will keep the environment safe thereby ensuring that we leave a safe planet for future generations.â€
Over N500 million has been committed to the STEM programme by the bank in the last five years. This covers partnership with agencies responsible for waste management and the national cleaning exercises. Furthermore, the programme entails the planting of trees to discourage deforestation, remove carbon dioxide and enhance the environment, especially in the light of the impending reality of climate change and its impact on the environment.
Commending the bank, Mr. Segun Adeniji, General Manager of LAWMA, noted that the STEM programme is very dear to the government of Lagos State because it reinforces the saying that “environment is life and life is environment.â€
Adeniji described STEM as apt and timely, saying the programme would remain relevant for many years to come because the environment would always be there. He commended Sterling Bank for supporting LAWMA with the provision of reflective uniforms to street sweepers employed by the agency.
Not restricted to Lagos State, the Bank has partnered with waste management agencies in 10 states including Kaduna, Abia, Delta, Ekiti, Adamawa, Bauchi, Katsina, Kwara, Plateau and Ondo states. It also plans to extend the programme beyond the 14 states which have benefitted from the exercise.
Also commending the bank, Chairman of DAAR Communication, Chief Raymond Paul Dokpesi Jnr., said he was impressed by the goals and potential of the Sterling Environmental Makeover programme and the creative ways in which the bank have been tackling and addressing issues of environmental cleanliness.
He added that “DAAR Communication is proud to be associated with Sterling Bank’s environmental sustainability programme. We believe in the cause of the environment and the STEM programme aligns with our values at DAAR Communication. This, for us, is a collaboration of like minds and we will amplify this programme through our network to ensure that Nigerians in urban and rural areas receive this important message. Nigerians need to know that lack of sanitation and its consequence – which is environmental degradation – directly affects human health. We are committed to this partnership which seeks to improve the quality of life of Nigerians by spreading the positive message of keeping the environment safe and clean.â€
Through the Sterling Environmental Makeover programme, the bank has over the years reiterated its commitment to making a positive impact in the local communities in which it does business across Nigeria by influencing sustainable living actions which reduces dirt and improves hygiene. Sterling Bank is currently running campaigns to enlighten Nigerians on the importance of sanitation and how its absence fouls the environment exposing thousands of children and adults to disease.
Indeed, as massive rural-urban relocations continue to put additional pressure on existing infrastructure that is scarcely updated, the problems of congestion, noise pollution and sewage disposal, among others, will lead to unintended social upheavals. This is why initiatives such as the STEM Programme which seek to draw attention to environmental sustainability issues must be commended.
It is also expected that programmes such as STEM would help Nigeria to create sustainable development pathways, which will, ultimately, aid Nigerians to dwell in an environment declared sustainable for all.
