Diamond Bank Partners With 'Lagos Black Heritage Festival' To Reward Children’s Creative Talent [PHOTOS]

Diamond Bank PLC, a leading player in the Nigerian retail banking platform has once again partnered with the Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) by sponsoring the 2014 Vision of a Child Competition holding from April 14 through 21, 2014.

Speaking at a press conferencewhich held prior to the painting competition, Mr. Victor Ezenwoko, Executive Director – Lagos Businesses, Diamond Bank PLC, disclosed that the bank has maintained a strong relationship with the Vision of The Child competition as it is a demonstration of its commitment to developing the future of the Nigerian child. According to him, the bank has supported the project since 2012.

He said: “Diamond Bank is pleased to partner with the Lagos Black Heritage Festival on the Vision of the Child Competition. As a corporate organization that believes in investing in human capital, we realize that we need wellgroomed people to take up leadership positions in the future.This partnership is part of our efforts at building the capacity of the Nigerian child so they are well positioned for success in the 21st century. From history we know that when children are not engaged creatively, they are more readily drawn into other activities with negative consequences for both their future and the society.”

Speaking on the rationale for sponsoring the project, Mrs. Ayona Trimnell, Head, Corporate Communications, said that Diamond Bank believes that the future of the country depends on the youths and so they need to be properly trained.

“We believe that the Vision of the Child Competition offers us a credible platform to harness and nurture the potentials of the youth for the overall benefit of the country. Diamond Bank will continually explore avenues to add value to the future by investing in the youths”, said Mrs. Trimnell.

According to the coordinator of the Vision of a Child Project, Mrs. Foluke Michael, “A total of 620 schools in Lagos were invited for the project. Out of this number, 420 students emerged as winners from 102 schools. The winners were invited to meet with a panel for further screening after which 32 finalists from 26 schools emerged. The Voice of a Child appreciates Diamond Bank PLC for being the exclusive sponsor of the project since 2012.”

The Vision of the Child Competition is part of activities marking the Lagos Black Heritage Festival. Targeted at school children, the competition is designed as an interactive activity to test participants’ interpretation of national discourse through artistry.

For the 2014 edition tagged, “The Rule of Law, The Law of Impunity,” participants were required to interpret the theme through literary writing in the form of a poem, essay or short story. Selected entries then advanced to the next stage where they were provided with brushes, paint and easel to illustrate their written work.

The paintings will be exhibited at the Freedom Park, Lagos Island, until April 21, 2014.

One of the finalists, Hodonu Mawuton, a student of Beulah Comprehensive College, said: “The competition is getting more interesting because I am currently undergoing another process of learning beyond the classroom. This programme has helped me to know more about the nation.”