CIBN to Build Six Legacy Projects across Nigeria, Says President

By Kemi Olaitan

The President/Chairman of Council, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Dr. Bayo Olugbemi, has expressed the commitment of the institute in building legacy projects in six institutions across the six geo-political zones of the country.

Olugbemi, who made the disclosure Monday at the groundbreaking ceremony of The CIBN Bankers Hall, at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, said the projects are products of the institute’s linkage programme with tertiary institutions, adding that the objective is to strengthen and deepen banking and finance education by infusing professional element into the teaching-learning process with a view to addressing the gap between town and gown as it relates to the banking profession.

According to him, the legacy project which the institute is bequeathing to The Polytechnic, Ibadan, is a 160-seater lecture theater that will be fully furnished and equipped with ultra-modern gadgets, adding that it will serve as the melting pot for the training and development of future ready bankers.

He said: “It has been the desire of our institute to institute a learning legacy project in the linked institutions across the country. As such, this year, the Governing Council of our great institute resolved to institute legacy projects in six institutions across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. After a rigorous and painstaking evidence-based appraisal exercise, I am pleased to announce that The Polytechnic Ibadan came out on top as the best Linkage Institution in Nigeria and the best in South-west Nigeria. It is this outcome that provides the springboard for what we are doing today.

“This project is our modest contribution to promote banking and finance education and support the economy through capacity building. It is our considered opinion that any student from your institution who has gone through the linkage programme and has passed the Banking Professional Examinations conducted by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, will be a competent material fit for the industry, be it public or private.”

The Rector of The Polytechnic, Prof. Kazeem Adebiyi, in his remarks, said the project, which is expected to be completed in four months, is a great addition to the institution, stating that it came when least expected.

While lauding the CIBN for starting its legacy projects at the institution, Adebiyi however said The Polytechnic is expecting more from the CIBN.