If there was ever a bank that was established for the people, then Oceanic Bank is it. Unlike other banks, which are  sole interested in profit making - sometimes to the detriment of the very customers that they should be serving - the innovative bank frequently comes with new strategies to better the lot of its loyal customers.

A good example of this was a recently oganised Save More, Win Big national promotion draw in Nigeria, which resulted in the creation of 12 millionaires. The campaign was conceived as a strategy to fight against poverty, which the chief executive of Oceanic Bank International Plc, Dr (Mrs) Cecilia Ibru has vowed to do everything possible to fight. The winners emerged through a seamless electronic random selection witnessed by hordes of the bank's customers who had gathered from across Nigeria.

976 customers emerged winners in the promo which ran from last year November 10 to February 10, 2009 and during which the bank gave out a total sum of N100 million. At the final draw, eight persons won N2.5 million each, while four others won N1million each from each of the four zones of FCT, North, South/South and Lagos/West. The grand finale, held at the Mushin branch of the bank, preceded zonal draws held in Abuja and Warri to reward zonal winners with their prizes.

Speaking during the draw, Ibru thanked the customers for the confidence reposed in the bank and promised that it would do more to reward the loyal customers. With the bank's various public-private-partnership projects with many state governments and its close partnership with the National Poverty Eradication Programme, NAPEP, she assured that Oceanic would continue to be at the fore-front of poverty reduction efforts in Nigeria.

While attributing the winning edge of the bank to the customers' support over the years, Ibru stated that the eminent position which Oceanic Bank occupies has been recognised and attested to by the numerous awards and impressive ratings from reputable local and international organisations and rating agencies.

The CEO further asserted that the bank had deliberately fixed the promo to run during the period because there could not have been a better way to start the new year than through the show of appreciation, which the draw symbolises, adding that the promo had been designed in a way that all customers who participated were potential winners.

Oceanic Bank started operations in The Gambia only recently. However, during the short period of time that they have been in the country, they have had a huge impact on the country's financial sector and by all indications, what we have seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg.