November 22, (THEWILL) – Zenith Bank has lit up Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos state with its annual Christmas decorations, part of its corporate social responsibility projects.
Themed ‘Let There Be Light’, this year marks the 15th anniversary of the traditional light-up ceremony at the Ajose Adeogun roundabout.
The bank in a statement said the official lighting programme was performed on Saturday by the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Zenith Bank Plc, Ebenezer Onyeagwu, with the support of its executive management.
Thousands of the bank’s staff and customers joined the programme virtually through the bank’s social media platforms
Speaking during the ceremony, Onyeagwu expressed his delight that this year’s light-up ceremony held following the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the EndSARS protests.
He praised Quantum, the company responsible for the annual decorations, for the very outstanding, gorgeous and extremely beautiful work that they have done this year.
He said, “Each year when we come in, and we see the decorations, I keep asking myself what next? Would there be something better than what we have seen and I see that at the end of every season, they come up with innovations and creativity, and they make it even far better and take it to a higher level.
“Last year was a very unusual year. Covid threw a curveball at humanity, and as a result, it changed the way we engaged and the way we live; as a country, we had some unique challenges.
“As a result of those challenges, especially the EndSARS protest, last year we couldn’t light up, not because there was no money. It was because we had to grapple with Covid-19, and again during the EndSARS protest, the fittings that we employ in having this light-up were terribly vandalized, and it required time and resources for us to put it together.
“We didn’t want to have any undue exposure or create vulnerability. Therefore we had to allow time to put the fittings back, and as soon as we have put it back, here we are today.”
He noted that Zenith Bank is very happy to be able to reconnect with activating the spirit of Christmas, with the return of the annual turning on of the Christmas lighting and the decorations of Ajose Adeogun Street, which can compare and compete with any decorations anywhere in the world – be it in Europe, North America, or Asia.
Onyeagwu, wished everyone a “Merry Christmas filled with joy, love, peace and harmony”, enjoining all to remember that Christmas is also a time for sober reflection “when we think about things that we couldn’t do and focus our thoughts on being better people and building a better society and country”.
He also reminded Nigerians and the whole world that the fight against COVID-19 is far from over.
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