Polaris Bank, in partnership with Evolve Charity Trust, has successfully concluded its 2025 nationwide distribution of school essentials to 1,000 students across 10 public secondary schools in five states, including the Federal Capital Territory.
A statement from the bank on Thursday stated that the initiative is part of the bank’s sustained Corporate Social Responsibility efforts to keep more children, especially the girl child, in school.
This year’s exercise adds to a growing intervention that has supported more than 24,000 students in public schools across 49 locations since 2021.
This year’s beneficiaries received a complete learning kit consisting of a school uniform, a school bag, a pair of sandals, six exercise books, and pens. According to school authorities, these materials continue to improve attendance, boost confidence, and support academic performance.
In delivering the programme, Polaris Bank also stimulated the local economy by sourcing uniforms from local tailors, procuring books from bookshops, and purchasing sandals and bags from community traders, thereby supporting small businesses across the beneficiary states.
Polaris Bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Mr Kayode Lawal, reaffirmed the bank’s five-year promise to champion the education of Nigeria’s girl child, noting that the materials are symbols of belief in the students’ potential to become scholars, innovators, and future leaders.
School administrators across the country expressed gratitude for the timely support, noting that the essentials meet real and urgent needs, ease the burden on families, and positively impact academic performance. Many students come from homes where parents cannot afford these items, and the gesture has restored pride among beneficiaries.
Representatives of the bank reiterated their commitment to improving access to education, championing access to quality learning, and encouraging students to make the best use of the materials and stay committed to success.
The 2025 distribution covered the following schools: Government Girls Secondary School, Kundila, Kano; Model Junior Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja; Government Junior Secondary School, Area 10, Garki, Abuja; Fortune Secondary School, Lokoja, Kogi State; National High School, Arondizuogu, Imo State; Iheme Memorial Secondary School, Iheme, Imo State; Akokwa High School, Akokwa, Imo State; Opebi Junior Grammar School, Opebi, Lagos; Gbaja Girls Junior Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos; and Gbaja Girls Senior Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos.
Expressing gratitude for the timely support, Hajiya Aisha Shehu Yakasai, Principal of Government Girls Secondary School in Kundila, Kano, said the essentials “meet real and urgent needs” and have eased the burden on families.
Also, Madam Maji-Abu Omanyo Esther, Principal of Fortune Secondary School, Lokoja, described the gesture as one that “brought joy and will positively impact academic performance.”
Commending the bank for restoring pride among beneficiaries, Mrs. Erdoo Lortyom, Vice Principal at Model Junior Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja, noted that many students come from homes where parents cannot afford these items while Mrs. Dabiri Nwabuoku Adetoun Iyabo, Principal of Gbaja Girls Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, Surulere, thanked Polaris Bank for its “consistent yearly gesture,” assuring that the materials will be put to excellent use.
Representatives of the Bank reiterated their commitment to improving access to education. In Kano, Branch Head, Mr Madiebo Godwin, reaffirmed the Bank’s dedication to “championing access to quality learning,” while in Lokoja, Business Development Manager, David Ojonugwa, encouraged students to “make the best use of the materials and stay committed to success.”
Speaking in Imo State, the bank’s Business Development Manager for Urualla Branch, Mr. Peter Nnamani, urged students to aim high, noting that every career dream “begins with dedication in school.”
Project Manager of Evolve Charity Trust, Mr Godwin Ejeh, noted that investing in a child’s education “lights a candle that brightens entire communities,” noting the ripple effect witnessed across states visited during the distribution.
The initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 5: Gender Equality, by promoting inclusive access to education and reducing gender-based barriers that keep girls out of school.
