Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of FCMB, Mr. Ladi Balogun
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive of First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Limited, Mr. Ladi Balogun, has explained that the decision of the bank to donate a multi-purpose students’ centre to Pan-Atlantic University (PAU), was part of its strategies to invest in the future, especially that of the youth.
He said the gesture was also in line with the bank’s commitment to effectively support initiatives that would enhance the standard of education in the country as well as the well-being of the society.
The FCMB Students’ Centre, located within the main campus of PAU at Ibeju-Lekki, along the Lekki-Epe expressway in Lagos, is a facility devoted to students’ recreation and socialisation.
In addition, it is expected to be an important avenue for the informal learning that is such an integral part of university life. The building features two main areas – a cafeteria on the ground floor and a mini-mall on the first floor. In the mini-mall are-a supermarket, a boutique, an agency banking service, a unisex hair salon, a laundry shop as well as a coffee shop.
Speaking at the inauguration and hand-over ceremony of the centre recently, a statement quoted Balogun to have said: “We felt the need to provide the students with a conducive environment that would facilitate learning, while at the same time serve as an avenue to socialise near their hostels through basic facilities for relaxation, shopping, retail and banking services.
“We will continue to invest in the future and by extension, corporate social responsibility programmes. Lagos Business School (which is part of PAU) is the highest-ranked business school in Nigeria and we believe that in a few years from now, thousands of students would be in this institution. It is our desire to continually partner the University to provide facilities that would ensure effective teaching and learning to engender manpower development.”
In his comment, the Vice-Chancellor of PAU, Professor Juan Manuel Elegido, stated that the building represented one of the milestones of the university in its quest to form competent and committed professionals to help build a better society in Nigeria and Africa at large.
“This building is very important to the University as it gives the students the opportunity to interact properly, since the students learn as much from one another as well as their teachers. We commend FCMB for providing the University with a befitting Students Centre and identifying with our vision,” he stressed.thisday.
