The Beautiful Ones: Corporate CSR and the Environment in Lagos

You know the old joke. An American comes to Lagos and asks to be taken to where rich Nigerians live. He was taken to Ikeja GRA, Victoria Island, Lekki, Ikoyi etc. but he kept nodding and kept asking to be taken to where rich Nigerians live. It has gotten much worse – these places don’t only not look like where rich people live. With the craters on the roads, heaps of debris, stagnant, overflowing gutters, grasses and shrubs, stalls and mini markets, vulcanizers etc. everywhere, it is no longer an exaggeration to describe the environment in many parts of Victoria Island and other places where rich Nigerians live as slum-like. But some companies are giving Lagosians and Nigerians hope that it is not impossible for us to live in clean, beautiful, decent environment. We showcase a few of them with the hope that many more companies will follow their good example and that eventually, we can all start to build a system that can do simple things like clearing debris, patching roads, making sewage flow etc. in addition to building multimillion-naira houses.

Christmas lighting by Zenith Bank Plc.

Zenith Bank made a big splash by building the almost 200metres stretch of road on their Ajose Adeogun road headquarters in VI. The standard of the construction is quite high and has been maintained for more than a decade by the bank. Zenith Bank has beautified Ajose Adeogun every Christmas. And they have kept upping the game. The area stands in stark contrast to the dearth and decay five minutes away. Zenith Bank Christmas decoration is so impressive it is become a tourist attraction. It is like a slice of London Westend at Christmas deposited in Lagos: it is not unusual to find Westerners snapping pictures around the Christmas decoration. A bank like Zenith understands that the quality of our environment is perhaps the first evidence or measure of the quality of governance and our readiness to develop our economy and attract foreign investment.

Landscaping and Beautification of Alfred Rewane Road in Ikoyi by SAMTL

SAMTL is an asset management company.

Landscaping and Beautification of Adetokunbo Ademola Street by Alpha Morgan Capital Managers Limited

Alpha Morgan Capital Managers Limited is an Asset Management company.

Other companies interested in other forms of environment CSR can contact The Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK). LASPARK coordinates the building and beautification of parks and gardens in Lagos State.

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