Wema Bank workers donate salaries to sick children

Wema Bank Plc says it staff have donated their February salaries for the treatment of children in emergency wards of three government-owned hospitals across the country.

Segun Oloketuyi, Managing Director/CEO, Wema Bank Plc, while presenting a cheque to one of the beneficiaries at the Children Emergency Ward of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said the initiative started in 2016.

According to him, other beneficiaries are patients at the Children’s emergency ward at the Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Old GRA, Port Harcourt and the Wuse General Hospital, Abuja.

Oloketuyi said the initiative called “Purple Nectar,’’ was designed to touch the lives of people in communities where the bank operates.

“It involves each interested staff donating a day’s Salary for Love as a way of celebrating St. Valentine’s Day.

“Every 14th of February, the world celebrates St. Valentine’s Day. Usually, couples go out on this day as a way of showing love to each other.

“But at Wema Bank, we decided that while it is fine for couples to show love to each other on this day, our focus as a bank should be on showing love to those who need it but are not getting it.

“Some are in critical situations and they need all the help they can get.

“In our own little way of showing love, the staff of Wema Bank decided to put their salaries for that particular day (February 14) together and looked for people who need our love.

“The demonstration of this love is to support those who need help, especially in health-related issues,” Oloketuyi said.

The mother of a 7-month-old baby who benefitted from the initiative, Mrs Ngene broke down in tears as the Wema Bank presented a cheque to her.

Ngene thanked the staff of Wema Bank for the kind gesture.