Serrate Dickson, Bayelsa State governor, has commended Sterling Bank Plc for its strategic branch expansion policy aimed at taking its quality products and services closer to its customers. The governor who stated this at the launching of new branch, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State also challenged financial institutions operating in the state to make their services more liberal for the people of the state to benefit. The opening of the branch brings the total number of the Bank’s branch to 175, complemented by 585 ATM points and about 1000 POS.‎

Governor Dickson decried a situation where some banks only show interest in the collection of deposits from their customers without doing anything to better their financial standing. Describing Bayelsa as Nigeria’s best kept secret; the governor reiterated his administration’s determination to provide an enabling environment for businesses to thrive in the state.
While thanking the management of Sterling Bank for heeding to his earlier call, Governor Dickson urged other financial and private institutions to emulate the bank in building befitting corporate offices to enhance the development of the state.
Expressing confidence in the partnership existing between the state government and the Sterling Bank PLC, he however, asked the bank to work out modalities that would create wealth and employment opportunities for Bayesians. According to the Governor, “I am confident that by opening this branch, more of our people will have access to the opportunities and services that your bank provides. I’m keenly monitoring and will like to have a report in no distant time that business people in this state and those involved in the development of small and medium enterprises, SMEs, will continue to benefit from your facilities,” said Dickson.
Olanrewaju Adesanya, executive director, of the bank, lauded the deliberate steps taken by the Dickson-led administration in providing a congenial environment for private business operations. He indicated the bank’s readiness to closely partner with the state government, added that the new branch which is one of the best in the country was put in place in obedience to an earlier call by the Governor.
His words: “Your Excellency, we’ve done this because of your insistence that the bank should have a befitting structure here for your government to do business with us. We came here and you’ve created an enabling environment for us to do business. And that is why we have our model branch. You can only see this type of branch in Lagos. We don’t even have it in Port Harcourt, but we have it in Yenagoa today.”