LEADING Pension Fund Administrator, PFA, Trustfund Pensions Limited, has taken its leadership role in the pension industry to secondary school to among others, inculcate saving culture on students.

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At the grand finale of the 2019 Trustfund Pensions Limited Essay Competition for Senior Secondary School Students in Government Schools, Abuja, in commemoration of the World Savings Day, WSD, celebrated globally on the 31stof October, Trustfund Pensions informed that there was no age restriction to savings.

In a remarks by the Managing Director\Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of the fund, Mrs Helen Da-Souza, represented by   Head Business Development and Marketing, Mrs. Eno Adetayo Olugbemi,,   explained  that in accordance with a directive from National Pension Commission, PenCom, for all PFAs to voluntarily participate in WSD, celebration, Trustfund Pensions Limited decided to organise this annual essay competition as a platform to introduce the savings culture to youth as part of the process of preparing them for their leadership roles in the future.

Everybody can save

According to her: “It is our belief that there is no age restriction to savings and the earlier we teach our young ones the enormous advantage of savings, the better they appreciate its essence and adopt it as a lifestyle. When they are gainfully employed or become entrepreneurs, they will need no persuasion to join the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, and save for their retirement, as the savings culture would have already become a lifestyle for them.

“This event is part of our robust Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiative, our channel of giving back to the society, thereby touching the world. We appreciate the FCT Secondary Education Board for supporting this project and making it a success.

“Last year, we piloted the maiden edition of the competition in collaboration with the FCT Secondary Education Board where 67 Government Senior Secondary Schools in the FCT participated. After the keenly contested competition, four schools emerged winners ranging from first position to fourth position.

“We kick-started this year’s edition in July 2019 with notification of the essay topic as approved by the FCT Secondary Education Board. The topic “Savings should be considered a Virtue and Followed as a Practice, Discuss” was carefully chosen not just to expose the students to savings but also to make them see savings as a great personal virtue.

“Just like last year, students from all the 67 Government Senior Secondary Schools in the FCT participated in this year’s competition and a team of teachers within the FCT were selected to mark the scripts and the best 10 essays were shortlisted. “Today, we are here to celebrate the students who have emerged as the top 4 students in this year’s essay competition. We appreciate the effort they have put in so far and wish them the very best in their future endeavours.