Union Bank of Nigeria Plc recently completed an 8-month mentorship scheme for youths in Igbodo community of Delta State.
This exercise was part of the bank’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Four hundred youths from the community benefited from the intensive programme, which was tagged We Lead Mentorship Programme (WLMP).
It focused on training and grooming the young people over the eight-month period, encouraging them to shun the appeal of illegal migration and instead, channel their talent and focus towards self-development and leadership.
The WLMP programme was implemented by Union Bank in partnership with Rural Development and Reformation Foundation (RUDERF) and the Igbodo Development Union (IDU), as a community-based mentorship scheme that train local mentors and facilitators and deployed them to tutor community youths working closely with the RUDERF team.
The main aim of the scheme was to curb various societal issues ranging from illegal migration to violence, extremism and other vices.
Union Bank said in a statement explained that Igbodo community leaders, Delta State Government functionaries, beneficiaries of the project and their parents were present at the graduation ceremony which held recently to mark the close of WLMP 2018.
Commenting on the WLMP project and the bank’s sponsorship of the initiative, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem of Union Bank said: “Talent development is a core focus area for Union Bank’s Citizenship Programme. We are pleased to have impacted over 400 youths through the We Lead Mentorship Programme and will continue to provide support and mentorship for the youths as they strive for a better future.”
According to her, Union Bank’s sponsorship of the programme underscored the bank’s commitment to talent development among Nigerian youths.
The bank recently released its second Citizenship, Sustainability and Innovation Report, an annual report which highlights its strategic approach, initiatives and impact made in the areas of citizenship, sustainability and innovation in the past year.
