FIRSTBANK SPONSORS “THE NOBLE WARRIOR” PLAY, A 90TH BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE TO WOLE SOYINKA

FirstBank, West Africa premier financial institution and financial inclusion services provider has announced its sponsorship of the Lagos command performance of Eni Ogun – The Noble Warrior, a theatrical performance in honour of Professor Wole Soyinka as part of the lineup of activities celebrating the 90th birthday of the global literary giant and National Icon.

The Noble Warrior – Eni Ogun, produced by Cash Onadele and directed by Oriade Adefila will be performed at the Muson Centre on Saturday 20th July 2024 at 6:00pm.

This is another significant stride in the Bank’s First@art initiative conceived with the key objective of supporting the value chain of Nigerian arts and cultural development for the growth and development of the nation’s creative economy. It is also in recognition of the contributions and achievements of Prof. Wole Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel Laureate.

Eni Ogun, the Nobel Warrior is set to tell the historic story of the successful defeat of the colonial forces at the hands of natives. This story intends to reposition the truth in history and showcase the repercussions of cultural invasions and the fight for freedom against imposing powerful colonial invasions. The protagonist’s brand persona, Oluwole, a princely noble warrior can be likened to Wole Soyinka and highlights similar personality traits as a fighter and the humane warrior in his 90-year sojourn on earth.

According to the performance Executive Producer, Toye Arulogun, “FirstBank is supporting this special production of The Noble Warrior as tribute to a national and global literary icon in consonance with the philosophy of the First@art initiative, conceptualised for the support of the creative arts and promotion of cultural development”.

“Once again, the leading financial services solutions provider is proud to demonstrate its commitment to sustaining the creative arts industry and this partnership with Adubiifa Network Co. is part of the celebration of a landmark birthday of Prof. Wole Soyinka – pride of our cultural heritage.”

Celebrating the Nigerian living legend, the Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, FirstBank, Ms. Folake Ani-Mumuney said, “we are proud to be part of this special tribute to Professor Wole Soyinka, a true literary giant whose contributions to literature and humanity continue to inspire us all. FirstBank’s sponsorship of the Noble Warrior – Eni Ogun is our modest way of demonstrating our appreciation of his contributions to Nigerian literature and culture; his writings that have transcended borders and he remains a true embodiment of the power of art as a tool to uplift society. FirstBank is woven into the fabric of society, and for 130 years, we have been enabling success in the creative industry value chain through our First@arts initiative and Eni Ogun is another opportunity to reinforce this impact to support and empower small businesses ‘’.

First@arts is FirstBank’s platform for consolidating all its efforts in the arts, supporting the entire value chain of the creative arts, providing much needed financing, showcasing, and facilitating the successes of the industry, as well as enabling customers explore the wealth of opportunities the creative industry has to offer. One of the unique initiatives under the First@Arts umbrella is FirstBank’s DecemberIssaVybe. Through DecemberIssaVybe, FirstBank provides opportunities and platforms for memorable Homecoming Experiences from across the world including for those coming for marriage ceremonies, friends, and family reunions; festivals, funerals, the I Just Got Backs (IJGBs); giving and communal engagement. It has always brought to friends and families of the Bank the most exciting, fun-filled, memorable experience in December.

First Bank of Nigeria Limited “FirstBank”, established in 1894, is the premier bank in West Africa, a leading financial inclusion services provider in Africa, and a digital banking giant.

FirstBank’s international footprints cut across three continents ─ Africa, Europe and Asia, with FirstBank UK Limited in London and Paris; FirstBank in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, The Gambia, Guinea and Sierra Leone; FBNBank in Senegal; and a FirstBank Representative Office in Beijing, China. All the subsidiary banks are fully registered by their respective Central Banks to provide full banking services.

Besides providing domestic banking services, the subsidiaries also engage in international cross-border transactions with FirstBank’s non-Nigerian subsidiaries, and the representative offices in Paris and China facilitate trade flows from Asia and Europe into Nigeria and other African countries.

For 130 years, FirstBank has built an outstanding reputation for solid relationships, good corporate governance, and a strong liquidity position, and has been at the forefront of promoting digital payment in the country with over 13 million cards issued to customers (the first bank to achieve such a milestone in Nigeria). FirstBank has continued to make significant investments in technology, innovation and transformation, and its cashless transaction drive has been steadily accentuated with virtually 23 million active FirstBank customers signed up on digital channels including the USSD Quick Banking service through the nationally renowned *894# Banking code.

With over 42 million customer accounts (including digital wallets) spread across Nigeria, UK and sub-Saharan Africa, the Bank provides a comprehensive range of retail and wholesale financial services through more than 820 business offices and over 233,500 agent locations spread across 772 out of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria.

In addition to banking solutions and services, FirstBank provides pension fund custody services in Nigeria through First Pension Custodian Nigeria Limited and nominee and associated services through First Nominees Nigeria Limited.

FirstBank’s commitment to Diversity is shown in its policies, partnerships and initiatives such as its employees’ ratio of female to male (about 39%:61%; and 32% women in management) as well as the FirstBank Women Network, an initiative that seeks to address the gender gap and increase the participation of women at all levels within the organisation. In addition, the Bank’s membership of the UN Women is an affirmation of a deliberate policy that is consistent with UN Women’s Women Empowerment’s Principles (WEPs) ─ Equal Opportunity, Inclusion, and Nondiscrimination.

For six consecutive years (2011 – 2016), FirstBank was named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” by the globally renowned The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group and “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” eight times in a row, 2011 – 2018, by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards.

In 2022, the Top 100 African Bank rankings released by The Banker Magazine ranked FirstBank as number one in Nigeria in terms of Overall Performance, Profitability, Efficiency and Return on Risk. Also in 2022, the Bank received the “Most Innovative Retail Banking Product in Nigeria (FastTrack ATM)” and “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” awards from International Finance Magazine. FirstBank was also awarded “Best Corporate Banking Western Africa, 2022” and “Best CSR Bank Western Africa, 2022’’ by Global Banking and Finance Magazine.

Other notable awards in FirstBank coffers include: “Best Bank in Nigeria” by Global Finance magazine – fifteen times in a row; “Best Private Bank in Nigeria-2021” awarded by Global Finance magazine; “Best Internet Banking Nigeria” and ‘’Best CSR Bank Africa’’ by International Business Magazine.

In 2023, FirstBank received notable awards including “Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa 2023” by Global Finance Awards; “Best Sustainable Bank in Nigeria 2023” by International Investors Awards; “Best Bespoke Banking Services in Nigeria 2023” by International Investors Awards; “Best Financial Inclusion Service Provider in Nigeria 2023” by Digital Banker Africa; and “African Bank of the Year” by African Leadership Magazine; ’’Best Corporate Bank in Nigeria 2023’’ by Euromoney Awards and ‘’Most Innovative Banking Brand – Nigeria 2023’’ by Global Brands Award.

Other laudable feats in 2023 include FirstBank’s international recognitions on major indices by Euromoney Market Leaders, an independent global assessment of the leading financial service providers where FirstBank was crowned:

Market Leader: (tier-1 recognition) in Corporate Banking,

Market Leader: (tier -1 recognition) in Digital Solutions,

Highly Regarded: Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR),

Highly Regarded: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG),

Notable: in SME Banking.

Significantly, FirstBank’s Global Credit Rating was A+ with a positive outlook while ratings by Fitch and Standard & Poor’s were A (nga) and ngBBB+ respectively both with Stable outlooks as at September 2023. FirstBank maintained the same level of international credit ratings as the sovereign; a milestone that was achieved in 2022 for the first time since 2015.

Our vision is ‘To be Africa’s Bank of first choice’ and our mission is ‘To remain true to our name by providing the best financial services possible. This commitment is anchored on our core values of EPIC – Entrepreneurship, Professionalism, Innovation and Customer-Centricity. Our strategic ambition is ‘To deliver accelerated growth in profitability through customer-led innovation and disciplined execution and our brand promise is always to deliver the ultimate “gold standard” of value and excellence to position You First in every respect.