The Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) has urged secondary school students in Enugu State to imbibe the culture of savings and prudent spending to overcome unforeseen challenges.
Oyim Elechi, NDIC Bank Examiner, Enugu Zonal Office, made the call at a training programme to mark the 2023 World Savings Day in Enugu on Thursday. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the theme for the training is: "Conquer Your Tomorrow Through Savings”.
No fewer than 200 students, selected from the Government Technical College, Enugu, participated in the training. Elechi said it was important for students to spend wisely and to save for the rainy day, adding, "saving for tomorrow will help you to overcome unforseen challenges.
”Device means of saving gradually, you can use saving boxes, open a bank or money market accounts or join credit unions.
”This will help you to build a good saving habit, it will equip you to spend your money only on needs rather than wants,” he said.
Also speaking, the Training Coordinator, Abdullahi Ubam, said that the programme was part of government’s initiatives towards encouraging financial savings among students.
"We want you to understand the importance of savings very early in life. This training is to instill the culture of prudence and savings in you.
"As students, you should understand how to manage your finances, save for tomorrow and even make investment plans,” he stated.
In her address, Francisca Nwokolo, Director, Schools Department, Enugu State Ministry of Education, commended NDIC for the training programme, describing it as a ‘step in the right direction’. She urged NDIC to extend the training to all secondary schools in the state to deepen the message about prudent spending and savings among students.
”This gesture is commendable, students need this knowledge to understand the essence of balancing their needs and wants in line with available resources,” she added.
Earlier, The College Principal, Christopher Isiefe, described the training as ‘wonderful and well-intended’.
”Everybody needs to save for the future, even governments must save for tomorrow. We are very happy that you brought this to our students,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the students, Chijoke Nwodu, expressed their willingness to put the lessons learnt from the training into practice in their daily activities.
”We are now rewired, we now understand the importance of savings. We thank you for this gesture,” he noted.
NAN reports that World Savings Day is observed globally on October 31 to raise public awareness about the importance of savings.