It is no longer news that the Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa on Friday, August 20, 2021, commissioned the Police Area Command Office in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area which was newly built and donated to the State by Mr. Jim Ovia, an illustrious son of Agbor Kingdom, through his Jim Ovia Foundation.
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Certainly, while Ika Weekly Newspaper commends the State Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa for coming to identify and applaud this great effort by our very own Jim Ovia, it is however important to state that what made the event newsy is the signal that such a gesture sends to other well-meaning Ika sons and daughters, the state and nation Nigeria as a whole.
Aside from his track records in this direction, Jim Ovia by this latest contribution has again proved to the world that he recognizes that the task of developing the state/nation should by no means be left in the hands of the government alone; That the burden of running the economy and protecting lives and property has become too enormous for the government to bear alone and necessitate support from good spirited Nigerians like him.
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SEE ALSO: WE ARE VERY PROUD OF JIM OVIA, Says Governor Okowa
https://www.ikaweekly.com/we-are-very-proud-of-jim-ovia-says-governor-okowa/
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Most importantly, by this action, Jim Ovia teaches that corporate social responsibility must manifest by the act of giving back to the society through adherence to the societal norms and support to the spirit of sustainable development by incubating policies and projects that will be of mutual benefit to the organization and her operational environment.
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Even as the Newspaper joins other Ika illustrious sons and daughters to celebrate this uncommon feat, we must again announce with pleasure that this exercise (the act of giving to the society) is not new to Jim Ovia as an individual and the organizations that he represents.
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There are available facts to support this claim.
In September 2008; Jim Ovia’s Zenith Bank Limited single-handedly executed the reconstruction of Ajose Adogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, a Street that houses the Bank’s headquarters.
Barrister Babatunde Raji Fashola,(SAN), former Governor of Lagos State and now the Minister for Housing and Works, while commissioning the project, stated as follows: “We recognize that the engine of growth and development for any developing nation today lies in the ability to strategically cultivate and harness private as well as public sector effort, thereby opening up vistas of opportunities for the public-private partnerships that will contribute not only to the millennium development goals but also the nation’s overall development.
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“I must say that Zenith Bank’s complete rehabilitation of Ajose Adeogun Street and the adjoining roundabout is a laudable effort worthy of emulation.
“Clearly, you are a leader in the sphere of corporate social responsibility,’’ he concluded.
Since then, the bank has not stopped giving to the nation. The Zenith bank has also become so deeply rooted in developing the youth’s capacity in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), school renovation, and equipment with modern learning facilities.
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As we, therefore, commend this illustrious son of the land, Jim Ovia. the Newspaper urges other successful sons and daughters to join hands in the daily race for human capital and infrastructural development of our great Ika Land.
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In giving back to society, one thing stands out. The action comes with tripartite benefits – to the organization, the individual beneficiaries, and lastly the government. But when critically examined, one discovers without ambiguity that the benefits tend to accrue more to the personality/organization involved than the host community and the government put together.
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The reason for the above position as canvassed is not farfetched. Social responsibility involvement portrays the doer as a good corporate citizen, increases its corporate visibility, and increases its reputation in the estimation of the right-thinking citizens and above all, CSR remains the most efficient way of achieving cost-effective and workable institutional advertising by any organization.