Fidelity Bank Provides Critical Funding Support to Abuja Special Needs Orphanage

Leading financial institution, Fidelity Bank Plc, through the Fidelity Helping Hands Programme (FHHP), has funded critical support for the JKS Special Needs Academy in Abuja to ensure continued shelter and care for vulnerable children.

The intervention was facilitated by a group of the bank’s newly recruited employees known as Team Valorem, as part of their induction activities. Through the FHHP, employees are empowered to actively contribute to social development by dedicating their time, resources and skills to impactful projects. Projects executed under the initiative are employee-driven, with teams encouraged to identify causes, contribute fifty percent of the project funding, while the bank matches the contribution.

Speaking during the outreach, Divisional Head, Brand and Communications Division, Fidelity Bank Plc, Dr Meksley Nwagboh, highlighted that the initiative aligns with the Bank’s CSR pillars focused on health & social welfare, and youth empowerment.

“This intervention reflects our belief that building a better society is a shared responsibility. Through the Fidelity Helping Hands Programme, we empower our employees to actively contribute to meaningful social causes. The funding provided will secure the orphanage’s accommodation for an additional year, ensuring a stable and safe environment for the children. This support guarantees that these children continue to have a place they can call home,” Nwagboh remarked.

He also commended caregivers at the facility for their dedication and called for increased focus on empowerment and skill development for children with special needs.

“Beyond providing basic needs, we must provide these children with opportunities to develop skills and become self-reliant. Everyone, regardless of their physical or socio-economic status, has a role to play in the society,” he said.

In her response, Director of JKS Special Needs Academy, Mrs. Nifemi Ajileye, expressed deep appreciation to Fidelity Bank and its staff for the timely intervention.

“We are truly grateful to Fidelity Bank for this support. It will significantly improve the welfare of the children under our care and help us sustain our operations,” she said.

Ajileye highlighted the high cost of caring for children with disabilities, stating that, “Many of the children require continuous medical attention and therapy, which are quite expensive. Support like this helps us bridge critical gaps and continue delivering quality care. This support from Fidelity Bank is timely and it means the world to us and to these children. It will help us continue our work and secure a better future for them,” she added, while calling for sustained support from other organisations.

As an institution with a heart for people, Fidelity Bank continues to demonstrate its commitment to social responsibility by driving inclusive growth and social impact through initiatives that empower communities and improve lives across Nigeria.

Ranked among the best banks in Nigeria, Fidelity Bank Plc is a full-fledged Commercial Deposit Money Bank serving over 10 million customers through digital banking channels, its 255 business offices in Nigeria and United Kingdom subsidiary, FidBank UK.

The Bank is a recipient of multiple local and international Awards, including the 2024 Excellence in Digital Transformation & MSME Banking Award by BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards; the 2024 Most Innovative Mobile Banking Application award for its Fidelity Mobile App by Global Business Outlook, and the 2024 Most Innovative Investment Banking Service Provider award by Global Brands Magazine. Additionally, the Bank was recognized as the Best Bank for SMEs in Nigeria by the Euromoney Awards for Excellence and as the Export Financing Bank of the Year by the BusinessDay Banks and Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards.

*Official waste of government resources and national wealth, group slams NNPCL GMD over MOU with Chinese firm to revive dead refineries*

*…demands accountability into past investment of $1 billion into the refineries*

A coalition of oil sector reform advocates has criticised the latest agreement by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited with Chinese firms to revive Nigeria’s refineries, describing the move as a wasteful recycling of failed strategies and a troubling signal of weak accountability in the management of public resources.

The group, the Centre for Energy Sector Transparency (CEST), made its position known in a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its executive director, Dr Oghenetega Edafe, following the announcement of a new memorandum of understanding between NNPC Ltd and two Chinese companies for a proposed technical equity partnership.

The agreement is aimed at completing rehabilitation work and restarting operations at the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, assets that have remained largely dormant despite multiple rounds of government-funded turnaround maintenance.

Edafe said the development raises serious questions about fiscal discipline, policy coherence, and the absence of accountability for previous investments running into billions of dollars.

“What Nigerians are witnessing is a troubling pattern of policy repetition without reflection. The same refineries that have gulped enormous public funds over the years are once again at the centre of a fresh round of agreements, yet there has been no transparent accounting of what has already been spent or why those investments failed to deliver results,” he said.

The group specifically referenced earlier government approvals of over $1 billion for refinery rehabilitation projects, warning that proceeding with new partnerships without a public audit of past expenditures undermines trust in the system.

“It is unacceptable that after committing over one billion dollars to refinery rehabilitation, the nation is being asked to embrace yet another agreement without a clear and verifiable audit of previous interventions. This is not just about policy failure; it is about the potential erosion of public trust in how national wealth is managed,” Edafe said.

He argued that while the introduction of a technical equity model may appear innovative, it does not absolve the government and NNPC Ltd of responsibility for past inefficiencies and possible mismanagement.

“The idea of bringing in technical partners with equity stakes is not inherently flawed. However, it becomes deeply problematic when it is introduced as a substitute for accountability. Before we speak of new partnerships, Nigerians deserve a full disclosure of how past funds were utilised, who was responsible for project delivery, and why the expected outcomes were not achieved,” he said.

The group also warned that without institutional reforms, the proposed collaboration risks becoming another cycle of investment without sustainable results.

“What is being presented as a strategic shift may, in reality, become another expensive experiment if the underlying governance issues are not addressed. Technical expertise alone cannot fix a system that lacks transparency, oversight, and consequences for failure,” Edafe said.

The Centre called on the National Assembly and relevant anti-corruption agencies to initiate a comprehensive probe of refinery rehabilitation projects over the past decade, including contract awards, disbursements, and project execution timelines.

“This moment demands more than optimism; it demands scrutiny. We call on oversight institutions like the National Assembly, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and others to undertake a forensic examination of all funds committed to refinery rehabilitation, including the recent billion-dollar interventions. Nigerians must know what has been done with their resources and why the country is still dependent on fuel imports despite repeated promises of self-sufficiency,” he said.

The Centre added that restoring confidence in Nigeria’s oil sector would require not just new agreements, but a demonstrable commitment to transparency, accountability, and institutional integrity.

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