World Earth Day: Environmentalist commends Unity Bank’s sustainability strides

By Mercy Omoike

The foremost environmentalist, Mr Desmond Majekodunmi, has commended Unity Bank’s consistent promotion of environmental sustainability via its programmes and initiatives on earth’s conservation.

Majekodunmi, the founder of Lufasi Nature Park, Nigeria’s only urban forest reserve, gave the commendation at the bank’s beach cleaning and tree planting exercise in commemoration of the 2023 World Earth Day.

Majekodunmi lauded the bank’s commitment to environmental protection through consistent investment in sustainability programmes.

“Unity Bank’s commitment to environmental protection through consistent investment in sustainability programmes and initiatives has set the institution apart.

“Recall that this year’s edition of the Beach Cleaning exercise makes it the third year in a row that Unity Bank is holding the volunteer initiative, being an activity lined up to commemorate the World Earth Day.

“Unity Bank has partnered with three non-government organisations – Recycling Scheme for Women and Youth Empowerment, RESWAYE, MEDIC and KBG to promote environmental sustainability through the Beach Cleaning Initiative,” Majekodunmi said.

The environmentalist joined over 200 volunteers, comprising staff of Unity Bank, RESWAYE team and the Lagos Kids Beach Garden within the Oba Elegushi beach environs who participated in the cleaning exercise.

The volunteers picked and removed over 100,000 plastic bottles from the beach to rid the beach and ocean of plastic waste and reduce pollution.

The bank also carried out a tree planting exercise in 23 locations across the country, with members of staff participating in planting at least a tree in each of the locations.

Also speaking, the bank’s Divisional Head, Resources, Mr Hillary Ajuebon, described the World Earth Day initiatives, as a core focus of the bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility aimed at promoting climate action and reduction of environmental pollution.

Ajuebon decried gloomy statistics of plastic pollution which amounts to over 380 million tonnes of plastic produced globally every year and about 10 million tonnes of plastic waste that escape into the oceans from different coastal plains.

“There are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic waste estimated to be in our oceans. While 70 per cent of the debris sinks into the ocean’s ecosystem, 15 per cent floats, and 15 per cent lands on our beaches,” he said.

According to him, plastic pollution has become one of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.

Ajuebon, however, reaffirmed the bank’s continuous collaborative efforts in eliminating plastic pollution in our oceans.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bank, in April, embarked on aggressive sensitisation on environmental sustainability, reinforcing its culture of prioritising sustainable practices.

The bank has also over time promoted corporate and business philosophy that encourages low paper usage, recycling and adoption of renewable energy through increased investment in solar-powered branches and ATMs.

(NAN)