Governor Nnamani made the remark during the commissioning of the South-East zonal office of the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) in Enugu.

In the words of Governor Nnamani, "we certainly welcome the First City Monument Bank, we share your dreams, your pursuit of excellence, we welcome you to join the vibrancy our people are associated with, we will certainly do business with you," he said.

The Governor pointed out that on assumption of office some seven and half years ago, his administration came up with programmes designed to change the society and make it much better and beneficial to the people and inhabitants of the State.

According to him, this resulted in the expansion in the various sectors of the state economy, job creation, poverty reduction and youth empowerment.

Said the Governor, " from 5 banks in 1999 to about 45 banks now, expansion in the tourism industry, transportation, industry a targeted attempt to reduce poverty through wealth creation, through medium and small scale industries, business parks and aggressive infrastructural development."

He used the occasion to commend the invaluable achievements and foresight of the Chairman of the FCMB group, Otunba Olubunmi Balogun, describing him as a pioneer in stockbroking and banking industry.

The Governor also appreciated the immense contributions of the former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Ekwueme in the socio-economic development of the state and Nigeria in general.

In his speech, the Managing Director and Chief Executive officer of the Bank, Mr. Ladi Balogun said that the commissioning of the South-East zonal office was in keeping with their determination to contribute their quota to the development and growth of the Enugu State and the South-East in general.

Balogun commended the State Governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, for his tireless service since 1999 which had led to unparalleled achievements in infrastructural development and education, adding that they were committed to the vision of the state.

"At First City Monument Bank Plc, we are committed to this vision of Enugu State and we will ensure that Enugu State will continue working for many years to come," he said.

The FCMB boss pledged to continue to fulfill their social responsibilities towards their host communities, pointing out that "our vision for Enugu State is a place where a virile commercial base has transformed the environment positively and improved the welfare and lives of inhabitants."

He attributed the commissioning of their zonal office to years of goodwill, determination and hardwork of all stakeholders and paid all special tribute to them, State Governments and all those who contributed to its success.

Mr. Ladi Balogun announced plans to open branches at Owerri, Abakaliki and Awka, adding that they will create wealthy mature relationship and be good neighbours to their host communities.

Also, a representative of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Mr. Jonathan Long, described the establishment of the South-East zonal office as the realization of an age long dream.

In his words, "we are therefore very happy that our dream of doing business, I mean real, serious and significant business and contribute to the development of the South-East zone has become a reality and most importantly our anchor point for the zone. . ."

He thanked the State Governor for his support and encouragement right from the time the Management and Board of the Bank called on him some time last year and assured him that they were determined to establish an effective and worthwhile presence in the state.

According to him, "when the members of the Management Team of FCMB PLC visited Enugu to pay a courtesy call on His Excellency the Governor, ... we had just made our first appearance in the Ebeano State with a single branch along New Market Road. His Excellency encouraged us to do more and to do better in ensuring that we established an effective and worthwhile presence in Enugu State," he said.

In a brief remarks, the Group Chairman of the Bank, Otunba Balogun, described the achievements recorded by Governor Nnamani in the past seven and half years as unprecedented, adding that he had successfully transformed Enugu from a Civil Service State to a very viable and major commercial center in the South East zone.

Otunba Balogun narrated his long-standing relationship with the former Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Dr Alex Ekwueme, whom he said also made remarkable contributions towards the establishment of the Bank some years back, adding that his coming to the South East group of states was like a homecoming.

He said that the establishment of FCMB is a clear demonstration that Nigerians, given the necessary support and enabling environment, can do good business and succeed without foreign partnership.

According to him, 'we are here to give honest service and prove a point that Nigeria given a chance can establish banks of world class standard," he said.