Union Bank, in partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), commemorated the 2026 World Environment Day with a symposium at the Lekki Conservation Centre in Lagos, calling for stronger collaboration to confront climate change, advance conservation and equip young people to lead a more sustainable future.

The gathering brought Union Bank together with leading stakeholders for frank discussions on environmental sustainability, climate action and shared responsibility, in keeping with this year’s World Environment Day theme.

The conversation reflected a growing global consensus, captured in Sustainable Development Goal 13 on climate action and Sustainable Development Goal 17 on partnerships, that no single institution can meet the climate challenge alone.

Union Bank’s Chief Brand and Marketing Officer, Olufunmilola Aluko, urged businesses to match their commitments with action and pointed to the decisive role of finance in shaping a greener economy.

Her remarks echo the globally recognised principle that the financial sector is a powerful lever in the transition to a low-carbon economy, where decisions on lending and investment can either accelerate or slow the shift to cleaner growth.

In his keynote, the Director General of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Dr Joseph Daniel Onoja, framed conservation as a matter of human survival.

“Nature has placed all the models that we need to be able to live well in it. When we talk about nature conservation or environmental conservation, we’re saying human conservation because nature, Mother Earth, will always take care of herself. If we don’t take care of it, it will take care of itself by getting rid of us. Now, it is in our best interest to take care of the earth and learn from her, because she has provided everything we need to do so,” he said.