CEO Says it has been years of resilience and relevance
March 4, 2019
By Joseph S. Margai
Management and staff of FirstBank posed for a group photo
Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria (FBNBank), Adekunle Amujo, has stated that the 125 years of existence of the bank has been based on resilience and relevance.
Amujo, who made the above statement during the event marking the bank’s 125 anniversary flag hoisting on his Rawdon Street office in Freetown last Friday, also stated that they celebrated 125 years of unbroken business operations in Nigeria, supporting and enabling dreams.
According to him, FBNBank started modestly in Nigeria in 1894 and subsequently opened its second branch in Freetown, Sierra Leone, after Ghana in 1898, but folded up and restarted operations about six years ago.
“It has been 125 years of trust, safety and security. 125 years of long term value to all stakeholders, 125 years of woven in the fabric of society and therefore, we dare say, 125 years beyond comparison,” he said.
The CEO said the flag hoisting symbolises the identity, impact, permanence and reverence of an institution, adding that they were at the event to reinforce the above and much more about FirstBank.
“As a long-standing institution, which even predates Nigeria as a unified entity, FirstBank is entrenched in the nation’s development, with our involvement in every stage of national growth and development. We have enabled financial, technological, industrial and societal advancements, achieving many firsts over time,” he noted.
He said FirstBank has traversed an incredible journey of delivering impeccable financial services to its customers and supporting the building of the modern-day Nigeria and West Africa, including their pivotal role as the monetary and fiscal policy regulator for the entire West African region.
“Supporting our host communities to promote sustainable development and of course putting ‘You First’ in all our business activities are some of many secrets of our long existence,” he stated.
He saluted the memory of FirstBank’s visionary founder, Sir Alfred Jones, whose entrepreneurial acumen they are living out including its predecessors.
“I salute our Boards and Management across the Group, our dedicated colleagues, our supportive customers and all our stakeholders globally. I enjoin you to keep FBN Bank in your prayers as we venture into the next 125 years with its people, passion and partnership ethos that are second nature to our enviable legacies,” he called.
Chairman, Board of Directors of FBNBank, Oluniyi Robin-Coker, highlighted several services that the bank does in Sierra Leone.
He said as the bank enters its six year of its reopening in Sierra Leone, its management and staff assured all its customers that the bank is here to stay.