Umuchinemere Procredit
Microfinance Bank Nigeria Limited

The Vice Chancellor of our sister institution, Godfrey Okoye University, Ugwuomu Nike, Rev. Fr. Prof. Christian Anieke, had an interview with our Editor, Abuchi Anueyiagu, KSJI where he spoke on the bank and its relationship with the university. Below is the excerpt of the interview:

The link between Umuchienemere Pro-Credit Micro Finance Bank and Godfrey Okoye University?
Godfrey Okoye University is a young university that is actually taking education and research very seriously. And for you to do the job well, you do it with a bank. It is possible for an institution like this to have its own bank, but then we're lucky to have Umuchinemere Micro Finance Bank, which is at the serve time that is our bank. Godfrey Okoye University belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Enugu and bank also belongs to the Catholic Diocese of Enugu. So, there is no point trying to establish a bank for the university as Umuchinemere serves now as the Bank of the university. So, that is actually the relationship. We're doing our work in the field of education, but then we need money to do the work we bring money from different services and Umuchinemere manages the funds for the university.

The state of the relationship since your era?
As a matter of fact, the relationship with Umuchinemere is something that started and it has been a very good one. I have seen the need to have a bank that actually manages the finances of the university and I think so far so good. We have done a lot to promote this interest; by giving a building for the bank in the institution and also helping in furnturing this building. We have also established cordial relationship with the workers in the bank. So, the relationship is moving very well. So, far so good.

Your vision and mission for the university?
The idea of having a university in this diocese.the Bishop emeritus when he was Bishop of Enugu diocese called the priests and discussed the idea of having a university, bring all our institutions together under one umbrella of a university, but that project never took off. He had a deep discussion with me and I said the need for the diocese to have its own institution; an institution where young people will be trained, educated and empowered to be of service to the society. It is about training young people to be useful citizens of our society, in such a way many that they can get jobs when they finish and also at the same time making them good Christians, which is very important to us, and if they are muslins, they should be good muslins. So, the university will be flying with two wings. The wing of character, moral life and good spirit to life; and the wing of academic excellence, which is actually the vision of this university.

The university emphasises three dialogues: the dialogue of religions because as a university we have to be open to other religions. It is not just because it is a Christian institution, we have to be talking to our muslin brothers and all that. So this university sees the need for Christians and everything in the institution to be involved in the dialogue. The other aspect of the dialogue is the cultural dialogue. We know that our students will be coming from different parts of Nigeria and beyond with their own cultures and views of life. It is very important for us to have a programme that makes it possible for the students to be interracting with one another and understanding one another's ulture. We have a unity week, which emphasises our cultural dialogue. We bring different cultures and write the students to show their different culture.

For example, we have a programme of each cultural group cooking something for others and others eating from there as a group. This is a way of promoting peace and unity. You have allowed opportunity to show something that is very important in your own culture. The next prong of the dialogue is epistemic dialogue. This university sees education from the point of view of engaging people from different field because we know that no field of study is an island. You need other fields to be able to understand what is happening in your own field. So, we try to promote this. We invite professors from different fields to be working on a common project, so that each person is providing answers from the person's own field. This is something that is very important. So, put together, this is actually what this unversity has set out to do, to emphasise this dialogue and the fact that education is not just about intellectual activities but also moral and spiritual life.

Why everyone should patronise Umuchinemere a bank owned by the Catholic Church?
The Catholic Church is different. We are not out for profit making as other institutions. We have a message, message of salvation. So, I think that any institution or individual that partners with or patronises Umuchinemere bank in one way or the other will come in contact with our message of salvation. Men and women will come to realize that life is not about profit making, even though a bank has to make profit, but this kind of profit making you get in other abks we do not have them at Umuchinemere bank because of actually what Umuchinemere stands for. So, I can only invite people to join this bank, where the emphasis is not just for making money but passing on values, and communicating values that will help society to actually go on.

Is the bank actually empowering people, especially the poor and doing society development as is expect?
Yes! As far as I am concerned Umuchinemere is doing its job very well, and I wish Umuchinemere could have as much money as these bring commercial banks who are interested in financing only the rich. Umuchinemere is interested in financing the poor, the hoipoloy, the common people, giving themselves loans and enabling them to live well. Many members of our staff have taken loans from Umuchinemere and have built their houses, bought their cars, training or trained them children, etc. So it is a bank for the common people. It is a bank for you and mean, for common people. And that is why I can only say, come and bank with Umuchinemere.

Rev. Fr. Prof. Christian Anieke
Vice Chancellor, G.O.U.