Ecobank Nigeria has said it will commit about N100 million to driving its national radio campaign tagged “StaySafeNigeria” as part of its corporate actions to support measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus in the country.
In a statement in Lagos on Sunday, the bank said the campaign was a call to action to create awareness and educate the public on safety measures to adopt against the dreaded COVID -19.
The campaign is currently running in over 50 radio stations across the six geopolitical zones of the country, the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) network news, according to the statement.
The statement further said: “This amount is in addition to the bank’s contribution as a corporate member of the Bankers Committee and the Nigerian private sector-led coalition to raise funds against COVID-19.
“The details of this contribution will be made public in due course.
“The campaign messaging, which is in Pidgin, Ibo, Hausa and Yoruba, is also being driven through the social media and is trending extensively on #StaySafeNigeria, #StaySafeNaija, #StaySafe tag following massive support from members of the creative industry essentially on philanthropic basis.
The bank thanked the entertainers and football stars who had so far adopted the campaign as a show of commitment and belief in the bank’s approach in the public enlightenment of Nigerians.
The News Agency of Nigeria said the bank also announced that any money transferred on its digital platforms below N5,000 would be free of charge to customers until April 30 to encourage citizens adopt digital banking that supports safety measures, particularly the social distancing campaign, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
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The statement quoted its Managing Director, Patrick Akinwuntan, as saying that the bank’s priority “is peoples’ wellbeing and is therefore determined to support everyone in the face of unplanned shutdown which already has huge economic impacts on citizens.
“We have no choice as a caring and responsible corporate organisation than to rise up to this challenge of our generation and make every contribution to check the spread and save lives.
“Our media campaign is engaging people in very simple language on important tips to stay safe.
“The campaign will be sustained to continue promoting good hygiene conduct even after we overcome Coronavirus.
“We are also determined to support the Nigerian government and to ensure impact of the business shut down is minimal on the citizens,” he said.
Mrs. Olukorede Demola-Adeniyi, its Head of Consumer Banking, said customers who were yet to upgrade to the new Ecobank Mobile App 4.0 should quickly do so.
“The Ecobank Mobile App is available for all banking transactions because of its versatility and salient benefits which include the following;
“The ability to send money to anyone via email or SMS by simply selecting the recipient from your contacts and send money to their email or phone number.
“The recipient will be able to get the money using any bank account, even if they don’t have an Ecobank account.”
