The Association of Corporate Communication and Marketing Professionals in Banks (ACAMB) has kicked off activities marking its 30th anniversary with a tree-planting exercise on Providence Street, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, signalling what promises to be a months-long celebratory rollout for the banking industry’s foremost communications body.
The green initiative held recently drew senior figures from Nigeria’s banking and financial sectors who showed up in full force despite a heavy downpour. In a gesture that blended environmental responsibility with industry solidarity, representatives from across the banking sector planted individual trees, each one named after a different financial institution.
ACAMB President Babajide Sipe led the exercise alongside Akin Morakinyo, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. Other key participants included Vice President 1 Chinwe Bode-Akinwande, Vice President 2 Morolake Onifade, and a strong showing of past and present executive committee members as well as group heads of marketing from across the sector.
Addressing attendees, Sipe framed the occasion as both a tribute to the association’s founders and a commitment to its future direction. “Thirty years ago, a handful of professionals chose to put the reputation of the banking industry above rivalry,” he said. “We are standing today on the foundation they laid, and every tree we plant here is a promise to keep building.”
The CIBN’s Morakinyo, who unveiled the official anniversary logo at the event, challenged members to uphold professional and ethical standards. “This anniversary is dedicated to the glory of God and the service of humanity,” he said.
Reflecting on ACAMB’s origins, founding member Dr Nkechi Ali-Balogun recalled that the association was born from a gathering at Kuramo Lodge convened by the late Mr Dangogo of the Central Bank of Nigeria, with initial representation from IBWA (later Afribank), Union Bank, NEXIM Bank, First Bank, and the CBN itself. Board of Trustees member Ogie Eboigbe added that the association emerged specifically to curb the destructive practice of banks undermining one another publicly, a trend that was eroding public confidence in the entire sector.
The tree-planting exercise opens a calendar of anniversary events running through September 2026, including a Golf and Networking Experience at Ikoyi Club on June 27, and a grand Gala Night on September 30.
