Nigeria’s long-standing innovative bank, Wema Bank has partnered Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board; LASUBEB to fund education for out-of-school children. The initiative which is tagged Project Zero was launched on the Thursday 19th of November 2020.
Project Zero is a multi-partner initiative to tackle and cater to out of school children. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, various sectors of the economy have been severely affected and this has led to loss of income and livelihood to numerous parents and guardians of a lot of these children/wards. The initiative aims to provide starter kits to encourage out of school children to get back to school and resume academic activities.
Speaking during the program, Mr Wole Ajimisinmi, Executive Director, Lagos Bank , Wema Bank; expressed his delight at the initiative, he said; “The Project Zero initiative is in line with one of our Corporate Social Investments (CSI) Pillars; Education. Undoubtedly, COVID-19 has further widened the gap of the number of Out of School Children in Lagos State. Wema Bank is proud to be associated with this initiative as we believe in the LASUBEB mantra that no child should be left behind.
Hon Sijuade Idowu- Tiamiyu, Board member, Social Mobilization department, LASUBEB,
also expressed her appreciation to all the sponsors, ‘I salute the commitment and good-intent of all stakeholders in the birth of this project and I am confident that together we can solve the social menace of child illiteracy and put our dear children in Lagos state who are for various reasons despite continuous counter-efforts by the government out-of-school back to school.
She further stated, “I commend every private institution that is with us on this journey and assure that every contribution will be used towards reducing the growing number of our children cheated by social, cultural or economic factors out of school”
Wema Bank, a proud sponsor of the Project Zero initiative believes that quality education should be easily accessible to every child irrespective of social status or background.
Chairman, Lagos State Universal Basic Education Board, (LASUBEB), Hon. Wahab Alawiye-King, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Head Sustainability Wema Bank, Abimbola Agbejule; and Member, Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Olayinka Ogundimu at the launch of LASUBEB Project Zero Initiative sponsored by Wema Bank on Thursday November 19th 2020 in Lagos