By Stephen Ubanna
Penultimate Friday, was a very busy day at United Bank of Africa, UBA, a pan African Bank, described as one of the most financially solid Bank on the Continent , as all roads were said to have led to Afriland Towers, Lagos Island. This is because the Committee saddled with the responsibility of Coordinating the Opening of a new branch of the Bank at Falomo, Lagos, were busy putting all the necessary arrangement in place to receive Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos, who has been invited to Commission the branch. Afriland Property Development Company , according to sources is a subsidiary of the band.
Given the importance attached to the new Branch, Tony Elumelu, founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation, popular, TEF, a Philanthropic Organisation, meant to prop up African Entrepreneurs, and Chairman of the pan After including, Kingsley Uzoka, the Group Managing Director and other top Management staff were at the Africaland Tower premises to receive the governor, who was said to have been invited to commission the branch, described as a marking strategy. At a time when most Banks are gasping for financial breath, UBA, has shown that it has noting worry as it continues to expand its operations both within and outside the country.
Elumelu, who could not hide his joy, that the bank, has new branch Lagos Island that has been commissioned by no other person than Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor, was said to have looked with rapt attention as the governor moved to cut the tape declaring the branch open for Customers to conduct their transactions.
Giving an insider information, the TEF , founder and Chairman , said the decision to invest on the new branch in the busy Lagos Island was borne out of the need to solidify past successes recorded by t he Bank as well as create new vistas for growth of the business. The An elated Elumelu explained that the choice of Afriland Towers properties to site the new branch was not unexpected because of its strategic location at the busy Lagos Island to do business.
He is optimistic that the opening of the new branch for Financial Transactions would facilitate the development of new projects aimed at ‘’catapulting Lagos as a centre of excellence’’. An appreciative Elumelu who could not hide his feelings poured encomiums on the Property development Company over its drive to develop iconic properties in different parts of the country, including Lagos, the country’s Commercial nerve centre.
Describing the Afriland building where the new UBA branch was situated as having a lot of history, he noted that the planning has gone into the creation of a beautiful and clean world-class enterprise.
Given the business relationship between the bank and the property Development Company, he hinted of plans by the Company to develop new properties in the near future . The building which was said to have been financed alone by UBA, without any counterpart funding from any other Organisation gives an insight that it ha s a very solid financial base. Indeed, it was a huge surprise that Bank could open the new branch’’, a a guest reportedly said . This may have informed why Elumelu, the UBA chairman could beat his chest to say that ‘’this is just a tip of what the Bank could do to develop a world-class integrated complex as being witnessed on Friday , February 27, 2020 at Falomo, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor, who was said to be very happy to associate with UBA and Afriland Properties, in Commissioning the pan African Bank, new branch at Falomo, Victoria Island, to the cheering of the crowd commended the property development company on the major feat of developing the world-class office , describing the UBA chairman and TEF, founder . as always’’ coming out with great business ideas that could benefit he people and boost employment opportunity in the country’’.
He stressed that the Afriland building has brought back the glory of Lagos. The governor, who was said to have collaborated Elumelu’s claims that the house , formerly known as Raymond House which has been transformed into a 21st century building has a rich history’’.
The governor may have used the opportunity of commissioning the UBA branch to announce plans of his administration to rebuild some of the old structures in the state, particular, the old Oluwole market, the children’s Hospital at Martins street . The governor may have been encouraged to announce his plan to rebuild some old structures in Lagos because of what he saw at the Afriland premises.
He was said to have gone a step further to announce plans of building a ‘’cable car project in Lagos Island, stressing that all the buildings that have gone down will be rebuilt to meet up with international standards which Afriland has shown with the modernization of the old Raymond building at Falomo.
Uzo Oshogwe, Managing Director of the UBA property company , may have opened up on the modernized Old Raymond building when he disclosed that it was built in 1886, an indication that the Lagos government could actualise its plans to modernise some old structures at Lagos Island .
