Sterling Bank Cleans Up Nigeria as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Sterling Bank Plc recently conducted environmental cleaning exercises in 23 states across Nigeria as part of its commitment to creating a cleaner and safer environment for citizens and aquatic life through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative known as Sterling Bank Environmental Makeover (STEM).

Markets, roads, and beaches were cleaned as part of the cleanup exercises to commemorate World Recycling Day, which was celebrated recently in every country around the world.

Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Ondo, Ekiti, Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Abuja, Delta, Anambra, Edo, Abia, Imo, Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, Gombe, Bauchi, Plateau, Katsina, and Lagos all held simultaneous exercises.

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The clean-up exercises drew over 1,000 people, including Sterling Bank employees and volunteers. The Oniru Kingdom, Rite Foods, First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company, Bonnie Bio, Sterling One Foundation, Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), African Clean-Up Initiative, and Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency collaborated on the project in Lagos (LASEPA).

Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, Managing Director and CEO of Sterling Bank, said the bank embarked on beach cleaning exercises in 21 of the 24 states it is partnering with across the country.

“We have been on this journey for more than 10 years,” said the CEO, who was represented by Mr. Tunde Adeola, Executive Director of Commercial and Institutional Banking at Sterling Bank. We have a cleaner and healthier environment every time this happens.”

“Sterling Bank is well-positioned to do this,” he said, adding that the bank has received recognition and awards for the initiative in the last two years. Sterling Bank, he claims, is also at the forefront of tourism in Lagos State.

Mrs. Mojisola Bakare, General Manager, Corporate and Investment Banking at Sterling Bank, also spoke, saying, “Sterling Bank is about impactful banking,” noting that they believe there is no way they can live on this planet without having an impact on the environment, and that is why they have what they call the HEART of Sterling, where they have strategically decided to impact specific areas of economic growth.

She explained that the HEART of Sterling stands for Health, Education, Agriculture, Renewable Energy, and Transportation, and that the company’s headquarters in Marina, Lagos, is being outfitted with solar panels and will soon be powered entirely by the sun.

Mrs. Bakare stated, “It is critical that we take responsibility for our actions on the environment and preserve its beauty in order to boost the local economy and attract foreign tourists, and thus foreign exchange into the country.”

“We are aware that Lagos is a place of aquatic splendour,” said Mrs. Uzamat Yussuf, Commissioner for the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism. “It is better we don’t have any water at all if we have water that is not well protected and sustained,” she said. “That is why it is important for us to sensitize the citizens of Lagos on proper waste disposal.”

“When we don’t properly dispose of waste, it becomes a problem for ourselves and the state as a whole because when it rains and all of our drainage systems are blocked, we continue to have flooding.” In developed countries, they sell their beaches to tourists and make a lot of money while also increasing employment.”

The commissioner emphasized the importance of citizens cleaning the beaches in order to encourage tourists to visit and see what the state has to offer, noting that the purpose of tourism is to generate wealth, which will increase the country’s GDP. She urged everyone to continue to properly manage and dispose of waste in order to protect the environment.

Mr. Godswill Uwanoruo, the Abia State Commissioner of Transport, praised Sterling Bank’s management and staff for the cleaning campaign that began in the state in 2015.

“I started this program with them in 2015 when I introduced the bank’s team to the governor of the state, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, led by the incumbent CEO, Mr. Suleiman, who was the then Executive Director of Finance at the time.”

“I am glad they kept the program going by ensuring that Abia State is clean,” Uwanoruo said.

He advised other banks in the country to follow Sterling Bank’s example because it is not easy for employees to leave their offices and clean markets and roads.

In addition, the commissioner suggested that the exercise be done on a monthly or quarterly basis rather than annually.

Mr. Iselema Gbaranbiri, the Commissioner of Environment in Bayelsa State, who spoke at the STEM event, said, “The state government is here with Sterling Bank to show the world that they are synergizing and keeping Bayelsa clean.”

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Honourable Muktar Baloni, Chairman of the Kaduna North Local Government Area Council, said he was impressed by the consistency of Sterling Bank’s environmental cleaning exercise and that he would like to emulate the bank by instructing local government officials to replicate what the bank is doing.

Every year on March 18th, the world celebrates World Recycling Day, despite the fact that recycling is a key component of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030. Annually, the world generates over two billion metric tonnes of municipal solid waste and reusable items, according to estimates.

The event’s theme this year is the ‘Recycling Fraternity,’ which refers to people who put themselves on the front lines to collect waste and recycle during the Covid-19 pandemic’s multiple lockdowns.