Fidelity Bank Plc says it has handed over a well-equipped, state-of-the-art kitchen/catering laboratory for the use of students at the Girls Correctional Home, Idi-Araba, Lagos.

The bank described the project as a clear demonstration of its unwavering support towards enhancing the lives and wellbeing of under-privileged members of the society.

The bank’s Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nnamdi Okonkwo, was quoted in a statement as saying, “The decision to embark on the project was borne out of a deep-seated realisation that vocational education remains vital to the development of any society.”

Okonkwo, who was represented at the inauguration by the bank’s Head of Legal Division, Kingsley Ohiri, thanked the Ministry of Youth and Social Development for giving them the opportunity to partner with the state and hoped to do more in the future.

He said the bank had in the past carried out some Corporate Social Responsibility projects in the state such as the provision of vocational training tools to the Correctional Centre for Boys, Birrel Avenue, Yaba.

While inaugurating the project, the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Olusegun Dawodu, said the kitchen would provide the children the means to learn a new vocation, which would benefit them and the society at large.

Dawodu said, “The Lagos State Government will continue to support and empower the children and youth in the state with relevant skills in order to play active roles in the Nigerian economy, thereby creating wealth and reducing the rate of unemployment and criminal activities among the youths and children.”

He commended Fidelity Bank for supporting the government and especially the youths in the state by initiating and extending its CSR to further impact the society positively.