Access Bank, Fifth Chukker, UNICEF and the Kaduna State Government have renewed their commitment to expanding access to quality education for vulnerable children, with plans to scale up investments in Northern Nigeria.

The commitment was reaffirmed at the Access UK Polo Day held in London and hosted by Access Bank UK, the bank said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the statement, the initiative has, for more than 15 years, expanded educational opportunities for underserved children in Northern Nigeria through the Access Bank Fifth Chukker School in Kaduna State.

It said the programme had impacted more than 14,000 children and produced 2,538 graduates since 2018, with girls accounting for over 54 per cent of beneficiaries.

The Managing Director of Access Bank, Roosevelt Ogbonna, described education as the greatest leveller in society, saying the initiative had grown from a vision to support 100 children into a movement transforming thousands of lives.

He expressed optimism that the number of beneficiaries would double before the next edition of the programme and thanked donors and partners for sustaining the initiative.

“Investment in education creates lasting and intergenerational impact for communities,” Mr Ogbonna said.

According to Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, education is one of the most valuable investments any society can make, and he commended the partnership for restoring hope to vulnerable children.

Mr Sani said Kaduna State had returned about 300,000 out-of-school children to classrooms within the past year through collaboration with UNICEF and other development partners.

He also announced plans to construct an additional 120 classrooms at the Access Bank Fifth Chukker UNICEF School to accommodate more pupils.

The governor paid tribute to the late Herbert Wigwe for his commitment to improving educational outcomes in Nigeria.

Chairman of Access Holdings Plc, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, said the success of the initiative should be measured by the lives transformed through education rather than by statistics alone.

Chief Executive Officer of The Access Bank UK, Jamie Simmonds, described the event as “polo with purpose,” saying it reflected a shared commitment to creating opportunities through education and delivering sustainable social impact.

The event ended with stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to increasing investment in education as a catalyst for national development and social progress. 

(NAN)