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The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has reiterated its resolve to strengthen the banking and finance education.
This it is doing through the infusion of professional elements into the teaching and learning of the course for the enhancement of the profession.
As part of the moves towards achieving the goal, the CIBN has begun the construction of a 160-seater lecture theatre to be called ‘The CIBN Bankers Hall,’ which would come with modern gadgets, at Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of “The CIBN Bankers Hall” , a legacy project bequeathed to Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa yesterday, Olugbemi said to unlock the potential of the young men and women in the tertiary institutions that the CIBN introduced a novel scheme called the Linkage Programme in collaboration with tertiary institutions in 1998.
To strengthen the performances of the Banking and Finance graduates, the institute embarked on a linkage programme, which commenced at this Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa last November, with 76 tertiary institutions drafted into the scheme.
The Linkage Programme, which has continued to change the narrative of banking education was designed to deepen banking and finance education by infusing professional elements into the teaching-learning process, to address the gap between the industry and the academia in terms of quality of graduates produced from our higher institutions, he said.
The CIBN President stated that ‘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 Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa as one of the beneficiaries of the legacy projects was purely on merit. The Polytechnic emerged as the best Linkage School in the North Central Zone after a rigorous and painstaking evidence-based appraisal exercise.
“The legacy project which The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria is bequeathing to Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, is a One Hundred and Sixty (160) seater lecture theater 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 represents our modicum contribution to the development of banking and finance education in Nigeria, bearing in mind that government alone cannot provide all that is required for quality education, especially at the tertiary level.
Revitalising the educational system in Nigeria is, therefore, a collective responsibility, private individuals and corporates would have to come in to assist the government, he said.
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.
Dr. Olugbemi requested that Rector should kindly look into the following areas in furtherance of the Linkage collaboration meant to encourage all students in the Banking & Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Marketing, Accounting Education, Economics Education and Business Education Programmes to automatically register with CIBN as members and write the Institute’s examinations to become Chartered Bankers.
He also appreciated those who have contributed to ensuring the collaboration between The Institute (CIBN) and Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa, particularly the Rector, ESV. Dr. Abdullahi A. Ahmed, the Deputy Rector, (Admin), Dr. Abdullahi B. Makama, all the principal officers of the Polytechnic, the Dean School of Business Studies, Dr. Abdullahi D. Ibrahim, the Head of Department Banking & Finance, Mr. Busari Adekunle Hakeem, HCIB, Dr. Ekumankama Ogbuagu, HCIB, (who was the coordinator of the Linkage programme when it started in the school) for your numerous exploits and achievements since the commencement of academic programme on this campus about thirty-nine years ago.
