Commercial banking giant, Zenith Bank Plc, weekend, handed over a completed and furnished ultra-modern ICT Centre to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) crusade across the nation.
The centre came with several state-of-the-art facilities, two e-learning training halls equipped with over 200 computer sets and training facilities, an exhibition and training halls, conference hall, server/online facilities, Wi-Fi facility, executive offices for the Centre’s director and other officials.
Speaking at the project’s commissioning, Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof Benjamin Ozumba, who led the university’s management team, commended Zenith Bank’s management for the project, which he said, came at a very auspicious moment when the university was planning to roll out an incubation park to drive the university’s entrepreneurship aspirations.
He described Zenith Bank, as “a genuine partner in progress”, said the Centre was the first of its kind in the South eastern part of Nigeria adding that it would impact the university community positively, especially in the areas of learning and research.
While calling on other private organisations to emulate Zenith Bank’s gesture by exploring other areas of partnership with the university or indeed, other universities in Nigeria generally, the VC said, with the event coinciding with the 56th Founders’ Day ceremonies of the University, it had become evident that the dreams of the founding fathers of the university were being fulfilled.
Responding, the Bank’s Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Mr. Peter Amangbo, said the centre was part of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility, aimed at boosting e-learning and impacting quality research by the university that would, in turn, positively impact the rest of society and humanity at large.
Amangbo represented by the Zonal Head of the Bank; Enugu/Ebonyi Zone, Mr. Ifeanyi Dike noted that with an ATM Gallery also provided by the Bank to complement the Centre, it was the Bank’s hope the centre would become a one-stop-shop where banking services can easily and conveniently be accessed by the users of the facility; even as he expressed optimism that the facility will also serve as a training Centre for the students on information technology as well as employment generation.
Other facilities provided by the Bank at the Centre include; solar panels, two 100KVA generators and a 100KVA transformer to guaranty power 24/7; borehole facility and water treatment plants, among others.
It would be recalled that Zenith Bank first half report showed high level stability even in the face of stability and the bank has never been linked to withholding any agency’s fund meant for the Treasury Single Account of the federal government, nor involved in threatening non performing loans.
