Sports Devt: A salute to Union Bank News

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Sports Devt: A salute to Union Bank

By Daily Sports on February 6, 2017

Union Bank Nigeria Plc needs no introduction in the banking industry in the country.

In short, it is one of the surviving first generation banks and also one leader in the market that still marches strongly in the nation’s financial services sector.

It is therefore instructive to posit that with its recent thorough rebranding instincts poised it into meeting the enormous challenges of added volume of numerous customers across the nation and other countries it maintains branches.

However, this unsolicited write up would strictly concern itself with the giant strides the bank is known for despite the obviously avoidable turbulent economic waters the industry nay the country found herself since the advent of this negative change of President Buhari led APC government.

Without any prejudice, Union Bank has met and exceeded the target of its founding fathers by touching lives through Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) their forerunners would be at home where ever they may be now beating their chest in joyful mood as the light is still shining brightly for others to see. A case of good thinking, good product! A salute to the giant for its bold steps in giving sports a pride of place in its scheme of top priorities.

Let me confess that successive administrators of the bank have kept faith and therefore, deserve standing ovation for the current board and management led by very savvy, disarmingly and unassuming Cyril Akporuere Odu, and Emeka Emuwa, Chief Executive Officer/Group Managing Director.

These men were behind the task in the new look and result oriented Union Bank of today. They brought in their sterling managerial acumen to bear and turned the fortunes of the bank around, into overwhelming efficiency that resulted in heavy customer traffic. They also placed the bank side by side with the much touted fast tracked new generation banks via massive investment in ICT and hiring skilled upwardly mobile personnel that manned them. Pronto, such pivotal move and action marked the watershed which pushed it into Union Bank reborn status!

It has maintained its wide spread presence in sports, where it has meaningfully contributed to the employment of youths who are earning good living.

Union Bank has developed the Nigerian youth through sports instead of delving into the dubious whirlwind called sports development which brought the entire sports in the country to its knees. Today, the result oriented template for the development of Nigerian youths through sports was discarded immediately a particular visionless and corrupt minded ‘administrator’ who bestrode Nigeria’s sports scene like a colossus took charge. I digress.

Union Bank remains an all-rounder in sports employment after government. Like icing the cake; it beautifully developed Union Bank Sports Club located at 41, Bode Thomas Street, Surulere. The serenity is a sight to behold ranging from round the clock security to lush green football pitch, as well as orderly organised club house strictly for unwinding after the day’s job by members of staff and other sundry facilities within the complex.

A brief recap of sports exploits by one of the giants in the industry includes leading National Men’s Hockey Leagues Champions, Union Bank Hockey Club of Lagos, participated at the 2016 National Super league, held from July 23 to 30, 2016 in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

The team scored a silver medal at the championship with 13 points and five goals aggregate.

Union Bank was the only South West team that battled for the title against teams from Yobe, Borno, Kaduna, Niger and Plateau States and the Police Machine side in the National Super League.

The team’s goalkeeper, Yemi Siyanbola, was given the best goalkeeper award (Male) of the summit, while eight players from the team were invited to the National Hockey team for the World Hockey League Round 1 featuring Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Namibia.

The round one of the 2016/2017 World Hockey league held September 7 to 11, 2016 in Accra, Ghana. To further demonstrate its dominance in the (how is that) sport, Union Bank’s Head Coach, Tunde Odedokun, was appointed the chief coach for the National team at the 2016/2017 World Hockey League in Ghana, with Assistant Coach, Freeman Ekundayo, who was the goalkeeper.

The Union Bank hockey team also represented Nigeria in last year’s Africa Cup for Club championship, hosted in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Like its sponsors, Union Bank whose body language centres on high degree of performance, the Hockey squad did not disappoint as such outing did not also escape the eagle eyes of Head, Corporate Affairs and Communications of the Bank, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem. In his words, “Union Bank team is always resolute on putting Nigeria on the global hockey map and so we are very proud of the team’s performance at the National championship and the several doors it has opened for us. We hope that the successes of the team encourage the rest of Nigeria to support the growth of the sport.”

Make no mistake about it, Union Bank has shown enough capacity in the sponsorship of the game. However, it is imperative for the government and other key stakeholders in sports to come out from their shell to encourage the game of hockey via the provision of unparalleled support which will decisively midwife the speedy transformation and set the tone for the sport’s growth.

Let me be honest with you, Hockey is not in the bracket of the first rate sports in the country, fact is, it needs bold and pragmatic push which would land it into encouraging best practices and traditions governing the sport all over the globe and must include ensuring that Hockey pitches are built which would host teams trainings and also serve as match venue instead of the use of football field for Hockey training and matches.

Truth is our Hockey teams make use of rough-rag-tag and-ready because it is not actually a hockey pitch. Our teams made use of it because Hockey is played on artificial turf. We need more clear spelt out turf around the country; which should be domineering if we intend to develop the game.

Sport Manager, Union Bank Sports Club, Peter Okoro, was not left out thumbing up the squad as he graphically chronicled the team’s prowess assuring consummate management support all round.

Union Bank also keeps top spot at Lagos Table Tennis League. Union Bank Sports Club dominance continued persistently in men and women teams.

Let me point out that the bankers’ teams were unstoppable; its team has remained most formidable in Table Tennis today in the country. It won’t be an overstatement to say, like the true stallion, the bank has displayed lots of raw strength and adequately financing these clubs and also not lagging behind in its other CRS tasks.

Little wonder therefore, it is the Big, Strong, Reliable and Pace Setter bank. On the other hand, Union Bank’s support for the nation’s bid to post well in international sporting meets readily come to mind. For the last Olympics held in Rio, Brazil, it donated N30 million to support Team Nigeria logistics.

One does not need to look too far to safely arrive at the juncture that the bank sees sports as one of the core areas of its corporate social responsibilities, by naturally contributing its quota towards developing the skills of our athletes. Union Bank is not new in this terrain; it has been deeply involved in boosting the morale of our athletes too. Sadly, in Nigeria funding sports depend solely on government, a bug that ought not to be so.

This reporter has been an advocate of Public/Private partnership to sports funding in the country. He believes such succour would come if other corporate institutions can decisively take a signal from Union Bank’s entrenching passion and interest in owning and financing sports clubs and at the same time, donating, supporting and sponsoring tournaments in the polity unabated. The bank takes much delight in seeing Nigerian athletes are happy in any meet it stakes her name in.

One other striking fact about Union Bank is that most of its staff, no matter how lowly or highly placed are ardent sports fans. For instance, it is on record the bank had been supporting Team Nigeria for over 30 years. Can you beat that? You will agree with me, they are supporting because they recognise the value of sports in youth development and the oneness that sports engenders. Head or tail, the bank is a fulfilled supporter of sports and has some clubs like Table Tennis, Hockey and Basketball clubs, it vowed in different fora to continue to support sports.

The bank has been playing the leading role in repositioning sports. I have severally written that corporate Nigeria is the biggest antidote we need to grow sports in the country which would come with administrators turning a brand new leaf by wholeheartedly embracing accountability and transparency. Corporate Nigeria ought to be at the fore front of holistically funding sports development, I don’t blame them developing cold feet because much funds donated in the past often times are not accounted for.

Daily Sports online newspaper salutes the courage of Union Bank in doing so much and continues to do more for sports in the country. Its foresight and huge investment in that area remains commendable and sterling too.

Nigerians in general are grateful that the Bank provides job for the teeming unemployed youths who are earning their living supporting their families and dependents through sports courtesy the benevolence of the Union Bank. Such right attitude will never escape our eagle eyes, trust us. One pleads that other corporate Nigerians and billionaire business moguls take a cue! So discussion continues! Keep shooting hard. Till next week!!

Source Daily Sports

Posted February 6, 2017