Empowering Zaria Community the Fidelity Way

Chiamaka Ozulumba reports on the efforts of Fidelity Bank PLC in empowering Zaria Community with educational and financial inclusion infrastructure

Operating out of over 250 business locations across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, Fidelity Bank Plc, has over the years demonstrated that success for the over 34year old institution is not measured in only Naira and kobo but by the positive impact it brings to the community where it operates.

 It is for this reason the bank regularly embarks on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects and several other impactful initiatives.

Recently, it was the turn of the Zaria community in the North-Western state of Kaduna to feel the leading bank’s transforming impact as it launched a newly renovated facility at one of the town’s oldest educational institutions -Madrasatul Anwarul Islam and an ATM gallery.

Speaking at the official project commissioning event which held on Saturday, June 18, 2022, Executive Director, North Directorate, Fidelity Bank Plc, Hassan Imam, said the bank’s decision to renovate the school was borne out of its commitment to make learning conducive for both students and teachers across the country.

According to Imam, “Our CSR footprint extends beyond education, healthcare and youth empowerment initiatives across the country as we are driven by the belief that we can only succeed as an organisation when the people and community where we do business succeed.

” That is why we have taken it upon ourselves to help upgrade the facilities here at Madrasatul Anwarul Islam. Our hope is that the teachers and students in the school would put the facility to good use.”

To understand the importance of the CSR donation, one just needs to consider the statistics on out-of-school children in Nigeria. 

According to the head of the UNICEF office in Kano, Rahama Farah, there are 18.5 million children without access to education in Nigeria, with only one in four girls from “poor and rural families” being able to complete middle school in the north of the country. 

Equally alarming is the fact that Nigeria accounts for the highest number of out-of-school children in the world. While there are several factors contributing to these sad statistics, providing a conducive environment for learning is way up on the list and is one Fidelity Bank is taking head-on with the donation at Madrasatul Anwarul Islam.

The school, which was established over five decades ago by the late father of the present Emir of Zazzau, late Maga in Garin Zazzau, is the alma mater of the current Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli and has produced several notable personalities in the country. 

The bank undertook the renovation of four blocks of 10 classrooms, a staffroom and toilet block at the revered institution.

The commissioning and official handover ceremony which held on Saturday, June 28, 2022, featured a carnival-like atmosphere complete with the pomp and pageantry of the durbars often held in northern Nigeria. Indeed, it was an elated Zaria community that trooped out to say thank you to Fidelity Bank for its impactful initiatives in the ancient town.

To help facilitate commercial activities in the Zaria, the bank also inaugurated a state-of-the-art ATM gallery. The facility, which was installed at the emir’s palace, is the first of its kind in Zaria Town.

Despite the amazing work done in bridging the gap over the last few years, data shows that Nigeria has some way to go to meet its financial inclusion target as the country was only able to achieve a 51 per cent score despite aiming for 70 per cent for the National Financial Inclusion Strategy target for 2020.

“As part of our commitment to drive financial inclusion across the country and boost commerce in Zaria in particular, we have installed an ATM gallery at the emir’s palace. We hope this would make financial services easier and accessible to members of the Zaria community in line with our mission as a bank and thank the emir, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli, for his support in executing this project as well,” explained Imam.

Receiving the two projects on behalf of the community, the Emir of Zaria, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Nuhu Bamalli applauded the gesture of the bank explaining that it would go a long way in promoting education and commerce in Zaria. 

In an interview with journalists, the Emir went down memory lane to highlight his time in the banking sector especially during the consolidation era around 2006. He recalled the merging of Fidelity and FSB Banks, describing it as “a very good partnership between two sister companies”. 

Commending the bank for its exceptional customer service and passion for developing the community, the emir intimated that he requested for Fidelity Bank to come into Zaria because of the absence of banks in the city. 

As someone with a rich banking experience, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that the town had only a single money shop to cater to the financial needs of the burgeoning Zaria community. 

This therefore informed his decision to invite Fidelity Bank, whom he affectionately referred to as “my bank” to site the ATM gallery in front of the palace. 

“The aim of building the ATM gallery at the palace is strategic as we aim to draw in corporate customers and get them to use the ATM machines. This would also guide against vandalism and ensure the facility is put to good use at all times”, explained Alhaji Bamalli.

Fidelity Bank is a full-fledged commercial bank operating in Nigeria with over 6.7 million customers serviced across its 250 business offices and digital banking channels.

 The bank was recently recognised as the Best SME Bank Nigeria 2022 by the Global Banking & Finance Awards. The bank has also won awards for the “Fastest Growing Bank” and “MSME & Entrepreneurship Financing Bank of the Year” at the 2021 BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

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Our CSR footprint extends beyond education, healthcare and youth empowerment initiatives across the country as we are driven by the belief that we can only succeed as an organisation when the people and community where we do business succeed