WELCOME REMARKS BY MR. BISI ONASANYA, GMD/CEO, FIRST BANK OF NIGERIA PLC, AT THE MEDIA LAUNCH OF FIRSTBANK BIOMETRIC ATM, MARINA, LAGOS, FEBRUARY 11, 2011

PROTOCOL:

Gentlemen of the Press;

Fellow FirstBankers;

Ladies and gentlemen:

• I am pleased to welcome you to this brief but important and joyous

occasion to flag off the FirstBank Biometric ATM scheme; I also

welcome you to this beautiful Marina ATM gallery;

• This development is consistent with our Bank’s tradition of pioneering

far-reaching innovations in the financial services industry, as we

strive to continuously provide products and services that facilitate

national growth and development;

• In the increasingly technology-driven business environment, we are

keen to provide solutions that are relevant to our customers’ dynamic

needs, hence we are the first bank in Nigeria to bring this and other

celebrated initiatives;

• The Biometric ATM solution is available to our existing cardholders,

who may wish to add biometric authentication as part of their

transaction approval process on our ATMs in addition to PIN

selection, while systematically new cardholders would be issued

Cards with only Biometric authentication functionality;

• The use of customers’ Biometric features for authentication is quite

secure and also addresses challenges of migrating diverse segments

of customers to electronic channels which indeed provides enormous

conveniences to our invaluable customers;

• The Biometric ATM scheme will therefore drive financial inclusion, a

Central Bank initiative to address the banking needs of the unbanked

population;

• Ladies and gentlemen, let me assure you that as we seek to always

provide the best financial services possible, we will not relent in

ensuring that we serve our teeming customers through channels that

align with the safety and security policy frameworks of regulatory

authorities;

• Once again, I thank you for joining us to celebrate this landmark;

• I wish you a happy Valentine’s celebration;

• May God bless you; May God bless FirstBank, and may God bless

Nigeria.

Bisi Onasanya GMD/CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Plc