FirstBank tree planting hits final phase with 20,000 trees at Lekki Conservation Centre, advancing Nigeria’s 2060 decarbonisation drive

FirstBank tree planting initiative has entered its final phase as the banking group planted more trees at the Lekki Conservation Centre in Lagos, edging closer to its 50,000-tree target under Nigeria’s 2060 decarbonisation agenda.

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The ceremony, held as part of FirstBank’s 2025 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Week, brought together staff, partners, and environmental advocates.

The week-long campaign, themed Start Performing Acts of Random Kindness, ran from 27 October to 1 November and mobilised employees across the FirstBank Group — including its subsidiaries in the UK, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of Congo — to contribute to social and environmental causes.

In partnership with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, the bank will plant the remaining 20,000 trees this year to fulfil its 2023–2025 pledge of planting 50,000 trees.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Executive Officer of FirstBank, Olusegun Alebiosu, described tree planting as “an investment in cleaner air, stronger ecosystems, and human sustainability.”

“This campaign, launched in 2023, has seen us plant 1,000 trees at the Lekki Conservation Centre in its first year and another 30,000 in 2024,” Alebiosu said.

“This year, we are planting the remaining 20,000 trees, keeping our promise and reinforcing our commitment to Nigeria’s Green Recovery Plan and the Paris Agreement.”

The FirstBank tree planting drive, he added, reflects the bank’s legacy of nation-building and its role in promoting environmental stewardship. “We recognise that a thriving economy depends on a thriving planet,” Alebiosu said. “Sustainability is not merely a corporate obligation but a shared responsibility that binds us all.”

He praised the Nigerian Conservation Foundation for its continued collaboration, noting that their partnership underscores shared goals of biodiversity protection and climate awareness under FirstBank’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) framework.

Among the trees planted at the Lekki Conservation Centre were cashew and Alstonia boonei — a West African medicinal species — alongside other indigenous varieties selected for their ecological benefits.

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By completing its 50,000-tree target, FirstBank reaffirms its position as a leading driver of corporate sustainability in Nigeria’s financial sector and a key supporter of global climate action.