Group managing director of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Kennedy Uzoka has decorated the gardens of UBA Foundation headquarters in Lagos with Christmas lights, preaching a message of hope.
The light-up ceremony was held on November 26 in Marina, Lagos to mark the start of the festive season. It featured Christmas carols by UBA’s CFC choir, as well as a guided tour around the beautiful UBA Foundation garden.
Mr Uzoka was joined by other key management staff and some customers of the bank.
Uzoka, who is also the chairman of UBA Foundation, emphasised that giving back was the main tenet of the UBA Foundation. He said, “We have over the years, engaged in various activities aimed at appreciating our host communities all around Africa and especially in countries where we operate and so for us, these lights symbolise hope for the future and all the goodness it will bring into people’s lives.
“It is hard to believe that we have been in this pandemic for almost two years. People have lost friends and family members and businesses decimated by the effects of the pandemic. There has been a general feeling of hopelessness but our desire is to fill people’s lives with hope once again.”
The UBA Foundation has been very active in combatting the spread of Covid -19 across Africa as the bank did not waste any time at the start of the pandemic, donating over $14m to its communities across Africa to support the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year, the foundation will be feeding tens of thousands of people across Africa through its annual food bank initiative where food, hygiene products and other gifts items are handed over to those who have less, especially during the festive season.
CEO, UBA Foundation Bola Atta said that the light-up ceremony was important for the foundation.
She said, “This goes beyond lighting up the Marina and adorning the streets with beautiful colours. It reminds us as an institution of our promise to continue to touch lives and treat our communities with kindness. We are living in very difficult times and a little gesture to put a smile on even one face, goes a very long way. We should all endeavour to do whatever we can, within our power, to uplift others.”
