CIBN commences construction of Bankers Hall at Rivers State University

From TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

As part of the moves towards achieving the goal, the CIBN has begun the construction of a fully equipped 160-seater lecture theatre to be called ‘The CIBN Bankers Hall,’ which would come with ultra-modern gadgets, at Rivers State University, Port Harcourt.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of “The CIBN Bankers Hall” a legacy project bequeathed to Rivers State University, yesterday, President/Chairman of Council of the Institute, Bayo Olugbemi, said that the project would be ready for commission before ending of his tenure in May, 2022.

Olugbemi said that, in order to bolster the performances of the Banking and Finance graduates in the country, the Institute embarked on a linkage programme, which commenced at the Rivers State University on May 23, 2017, with 75 tertiary institutions currently drafted into the scheme.

He stated that it was in a bid to unlock the potentials of the teeming young men and women in tertiary institutions that The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria introduced a novel scheme called the Linkage Programme in collaboration with tertiary institutions in Nigeria in the year 1998

According to him, the Linkage Programme, which has continued to change the narrative of banking education in Nigeria was designed to deepen banking and finance education by infusing professional element into the teaching-learning process, with a view to addressing the gap between the industry and the academia in terms of quality of graduates produced from Nigerian higher institutions.

The CIBN president stated: “To further deepen this collaboration, the Governing Council of our great Institute resolved to institute legacy projects in six institutions across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. It might interest you to know that the selection of Rivers State University as one of the beneficiaries of the legacy projects was purely on merit. The University emerged as the best Linkage School in the South-South region after a rigorous and painstaking evidence-based appraisal exercise.

“The legacy project which The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria is bequeathing to Rivers State University, is a 160-seater lecture theatre that will be fully furnished and equipped with ultra-modern gadgets.

“The edifice which will be known and called “The CIBN Bankers’ Hall” will serve as the melting pot for the training and development of future-ready bankers. This project is, in deed, our modest contribution towards the promotion of banking and finance education in the country.”

He continued:  “It is our desire that any student from your institution who has gone through the linkage programme and has passed the Banking Professional Examinations conducted by The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, will be a competent material fit for the industry, be it public or private.”

Olugbemi informed the audience that several other novel initiatives exist in order to upscale competencies in the banking industry, which include: the implementation of the competency framework in the Nigerian Banking industry in conjunction with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

According to Olugbemi, the Institute also recently launched a new syllabus for the training of professional bankers, the new syllabus was fortified and enriched with contents that are contemporary and addresses emerging issues in the world of banking and finance.

He explained that the syllabus was adjudged by stakeholders within and outside the country as robust, revolutionary, rich in content, fit for purpose and in line with global standards.

Earlier, at the commissioning of the South-South zonal office of CIBN, the president said the institute

would be a global reference point for skills and conduct in the Banking and Finance industry.

Olugbemi charged  the various branches of the institute to work towards training and developing more chartered bankers, as well as organise impactful programmes and activities targeted at growing the nation’s economy.