FirstBank CEO, Adeduntan, sensitises children on acts of kindness

The Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, has encouraged children to cultivate the habit of showing kindness to people around them, irrespective of class, race or circumstance.

Adeduntan gave the charge on Wednesday, while espousing the Bank’s values-promoting initiative, ‘Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness’ (SPARK) to pupils of Methodist Girls’ High School, Yaba, Lagos as part of the activities marking the third edition of its Corporate Responsibility & Sustainability (CR&S) Week themed ‘Ripples of Kindness, Putting You First.’

Represented by the Group Head, Retail Banking, Lagos Island 1, Mrs. Olufunke Smith, Adeduntan said the financial institution conceived SPARK to help pupils and Nigerians to develop and practise compassion, empathy and giving.

Apart from encouraging the use of magic words like ‘thank you’, ‘please’, ‘excuse me’ and ‘pardon me’, Adeduntan disclosed that SPARK also encompasses compassion, civility, charity and connection.

Adeduntan advised the pupils to imbibe the value of kindness and ensure that they are civil at all times. Appreciating FirstBank for the initiative and visit, the Vice Principal, Administration, Methodist Girls’ High School, Mrs. Abimbola Ali, expressed delight on the impact of the SPARK initiative.

She said: “I really want to appreciate FirstBank for deeming it fit to choose Methodist Girls’ High School for this talk. Your character determines how far you can fly and the character-based teachings on kindness is synonymous with our motto, ‘In Love, Serve One Another’. Serve other people out of love, not convenience. That’s kindness.”
FirstBank’s CR & S Week began on July and ends today in Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones and the Bank’s business locations in Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Senegal, Sierra Leone, DR Congo and The United Kingdom.

Some senior management staff of the Sank gave talks on kindness to pupils of 20 secondary schools across the country and other locations in sub-Sahara Africa.

Aside Methodist Girls’ High School, Yaba, FirstBank’s SPARK initiative was also activated at Gbaja Boys High School, Surulere and Opebi Senior Grammar School, Ikeja in Lagos. Other schools visited include, Sunshine International School Bauchi; Government Science School Maitama, Abuja; Racecourse Secondary School, Kano; Girls Model School, Ikot Ekan, Abak, Akwa Ibom State; Recdot Comprehensive Primary and Secondary School, Pine Crest College Independence Lay Out, Enugu among others.