Everything youasked about

It is Access Bank Plc’s maiden Regulatory Compliance Thought Leadership Initiative — a nationwide training for secondary school students aged 12–16, designed to raise awareness about financial crimes, including fraud, scams, money laundering, terrorism financing, cyber-enabled crime, and ethical financial behaviour.

The initiative offers two programmes: Training and the Debate Competition. Training is provided to all schools across the 36 states through the virtual training hub, while the debate competition is open only to schools located in Lagos state.

No, this is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative championed by Access Bank Plc.

Secondary school students aged 12–16, nominated by their registered private secondary school, from any of Nigeria’s 36 states or the FCT.

Secondary school students aged 12–16, nominated by their registered private secondary school, in Lagos state only.

The Bank is positioning itself as a thought leader in financial crime prevention by supporting regulators (CBN, EFCC, NFIU) in raising public AML/CFT/CPF awareness, while helping young Nigerians build financial integrity and ethical decision-making skills early.

Young people are actually one of the biggest targets for financial criminals in Nigeria today. Scammers specifically target teenagers because they’re active on social media, eager to make money, and often haven’t been taught the warning signs yet. Learning this early builds good habits before anyone tries to trick you.

Not at all. The material was built for people with zero prior knowledge, using everyday Nigerian scenarios — pure water money, WAEC exams, church offerings, Opay transfers — instead of banking textbook language.

Each of the training modules takes about 15 minutes, including a short quiz. It can be done at your own pace — one module a day, one a week, or all at once.

It is important to measure learners’ knowledge before and after the training. This will help assess the effectiveness of the training programme.

The core ideas (fraud, Ponzi schemes, money laundering, ethics) are universal. However, the examples, phone numbers, and agencies mentioned (EFCC, CBN, NFIU, SEC) are Nigeria-specific, making the training most directly useful for Nigerian families.

A school must:

• Be a registered private secondary school in Nigeria
• Have students within the 12–16 age range
• Nominate one school coordinator
• Submit parental/guardian consent for all participating students
• Agree to the competition rules, data privacy requirements, and media usage terms
• Submit only original video entries created by students
• Avoid offensive, discriminatory, political, or inappropriate content
• Submit entries before the stated deadline

The coordinator is the school’s designated contact person, managing registration, communication with organisers, and submission of the school’s entries.

Yes. A completed Parent/Guardian Consent Form is required before any student takes part in debate prep, video submission, live events, or has their image, voice or debate content used publicly.

Participation in the competition; use of the student’s image, voice, video and debate clips for approved communication; collection and processing of personal data; and confirmation of safeguarding measures.

Yes, by written request to the school coordinator or the authorised Access Bank contact. However, withdrawal may affect continued participation, and content already lawfully published or livestreamed may not be fully removable.

No fee is applicable. If a fee is ever requested unofficially in the Bank’s name, it should be treated as suspicious and verified directly with official contact channels — consistent with the fraud-awareness principles taught in the training itself.

No, the competition is only open to schools located in Lagos, Nigeria.

1. Open Call & Preliminary Assessment — schools submit a recorded debate video
2. Semi-Final Competition — a physical event for the top-performing schools
3. Grand Finale — a large-scale physical event with a live quiz component

Each school submits a recorded debate session (3 minutes) on one topic selected from the Topic Bank. Entries are scored using the approved marking scheme.

Shortlisted schools are required to upload a debate video, take the training and quizzes, and may be invited to physical debate sparring sessions in the semi-finals, if successful.

A physical event with the four highest-performing schools, made up of three parts:

• Prepared Debate Session — a pre-advised topic
• Impromptu Scenario Analysis — analysing a case study within a limited time
• Spot the Scam Challenge — identifying red flags in simulated fraud and money laundering scenarios

The two highest-scoring schools from the Semi-Final.

A large-scale physical event attended by regulators, Board members, schools, and other key personalities. Representatives from all semi-final schools also join a live quiz competition, alongside the two finalist schools’ debate.

The Grand Finale will take place in the Access Towers — Access Bank Head Office, Oniru, Victoria Island.

The World Schools Debate (WSDC) format — a stated Motion, two Sides (Proposition and Opposition), and equal speaking time for both.

Both teams are given equal time to present their arguments, rebut the opposing side, and offer a conclusion. There will be 3 rounds of about 3 minutes each per team, 10 minutes of quiz and 15 minutes of scenario-based case study activity.

The first two rounds are constructive speeches where debaters argue and justify their position, while the final round is for reply speeches and conclusion.

No, each speaker will be allowed to speak during their allotted time without interruption.

By a coin flip, independently for each school.

Respectful address to the chairperson or speaker, fulfilling assigned speaking roles, and avoiding offensive, political, discriminatory, or inappropriate content.

Topics centre on financial crime awareness, ethics, and youth vulnerability — for example, “Should teenagers be taught how to identify scams before they own bank accounts?” A full topic bank is provided in the approved learning materials.

No. Students are explicitly not required to disclose account details, BVN, NIN, address, or other sensitive information.

A jury composed of: an AML/CFT expert (Access Bank Compliance or external), a regulator representative (EFCC, CBN, or NFIU nominee), an education or debate expert, a communications expert, a youth development advocate, and a non-scoring legal and data protection observer.

Performance in the training hub and quizzes boosts your chances of being selected to progress to the Semi-Final.

Ties are broken in this order: (1) higher score in financial crime understanding, (2) higher score in accuracy, (3) judges’ deliberation.

Winner of the Debate Competition (awarded to the school), 1st and 2nd runner-up, Best Debater, Best Team, and teacher recognition awards.

The overall win is awarded to the students, while the school is recognised with a certificate award. Individual recognitions — Best Debater, Best Teacher and others — are also given.

Yes, within the approved project budget for the initiative.

Approved clips may be used for documentation, internal communication, public awareness campaigns, social media, the competition website, livestreaming, press releases, and CSR reporting — only with parental consent and after content review.

Yes. In line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023, parental or guardian consent is required for processing a child’s personal data, with secure storage, restricted use, and no sharing without direct consent.

Yes. The Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) requires pre-exposure clearance for all campaign creatives before public release.

The competition is age-appropriate; students are supervised at physical events; all contact is routed through the school coordinator or parent or guardian, with no unauthorised private contact; and published content is reviewed for child safety and dignity.

The school coordinator or the authorised Access Bank contact for the initiative.

Stealing is taking something without permission. Fraud is tricking someone into giving something willingly — through lies, fake promises, or false identities. A scammer doesn’t force you to send money; they trick you into doing it yourself.

Ask: “Are they asking ME to pay THEM before I start?” Real employers pay you for work done — they never ask for a “registration fee”, “starter kit”, or “training fee” upfront. If money flows toward the company instead of toward you, walk away.

No — this is always a scam, no exceptions. Banks never call to ask for your OTP, PIN, or password. Hang up and call your bank directly using the number on your card.

No. Scammers often already have leaked personal data from data breaches or previous scams. Knowing your details does not prove someone works at your bank. The OTP and PIN rule never changes.

It’s when a stranger builds an online relationship with you, often using a fake photo and identity, purely to eventually ask for money for an “emergency”. The rule: if you’ve never met someone in person and they ask for money, it’s a scam — no matter how convincing it feels.

If you didn’t enter a competition, you cannot win it. Legitimate giveaways never ask you to pay a “clearance fee” to release your prize — that request for payment is the scam.

A real investment grows because the money funds something real — a business, property, or shares. MMM never invested the money anywhere; it simply paid earlier members using money from new members, which is why it inevitably collapsed.

No. Early participants are almost always paid — that’s exactly how Ponzi schemes convince more people to join. Getting paid early just means they joined before the collapse.

Legitimate savings and investment products in Nigeria typically offer single-digit to low double-digit annual returns. Any offer promising 20–50%+ per month is a major red flag.

Check with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Nigeria, which maintains a list of registered investment and capital market operators. No proof of registration is a warning sign.

Not exactly. If you earn mainly because you sold a real product, that can be legitimate. If you earn mainly, or only, by recruiting new people who pay to join, with no real product involved, that’s an illegal pyramid scheme.

Making stolen or illegal money “look clean” — as if it came from a normal job or business — so the criminal can spend it openly without questions.

Yes — this is one of the most important lessons in the whole programme. Agreeing to receive transfers into your account and forward them on for someone else — “account renting”, or being a “money mule” — makes you part of the laundering process, even if you never touched the original crime.

Under Nigerian law, using your account to move money for someone else — especially for a fee, and especially without asking where it came from — can still expose you to serious legal risk. The safest rule: never let anyone use your account for their transactions.

• AML — Anti-Money Laundering (stopping criminals from disguising dirty money)
• CFT — Combating the Financing of Terrorism (stopping money from reaching terrorist groups)
• CPF — Counter Proliferation Financing (stopping funding for weapons of mass destruction)

This is called KYC — Know Your Customer, a legal requirement for banks to verify who their customers are. It’s one of the main tools used to prevent criminals from hiding behind fake or anonymous accounts.

Splitting a large amount of money into several small deposits to avoid triggering automatic bank reporting thresholds. It’s a common red flag for money laundering.

The law tells you what you’re allowed to do. Ethics tells you what you should do. Some things are legal but still wrong — like keeping change from a purchase without telling anyone. Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

Ethics are the generally acceptable principles of right and wrong. Integrity is the act of choosing the right thing always.

Yes — not because of the amount, but because of the habit it builds. The mindset that justifies keeping ₦500 in change is the same mindset that later justifies misusing money as an adult.

Both involve the same core decision: “Can I gain something unfairly because I probably won’t get caught?” Practising honesty in small situations builds the character that resists it in bigger situations later in life.

It’s worth acknowledging the pressure is real, while pointing out that “everyone does it” doesn’t change the outcome for people who get caught, or protect the trust of people who were deceived. A helpful reframe: ask what kind of reputation they want to build over time.

No. Snitching implies telling on someone for personal gain over something minor. Reporting a financial crime protects other people — often other kids — from being scammed the same way.

Always start with a trusted adult — a parent, guardian, teacher, or older sibling — before going anywhere official.

Yes. EFCC accepts anonymous tips; a person does not have to give their name to report suspicious activity.

This is genuinely difficult. The safest approach: don’t confront the person directly, talk to another trusted adult first, and consider an anonymous tip if needed. Personal safety comes first.

Act immediately — contact the bank’s customer care line right away, and report to EFCC or the police. Speed matters; the sooner it’s reported, the higher the chance of the transaction being flagged or reversed.

Names and usernames involved, phone or account numbers, screenshots of messages or transaction alerts, and the dates things happened.

Use real moments as they come up — a suspicious text, a news story about a collapsed scheme, or a sibling’s small dishonesty — as low-pressure opportunities to revisit the concepts.

Encourage them not to confront the friend or try to “fix” it alone. The best support is bringing it to a trusted adult who can help think through next steps while keeping both kids safe.

That’s a personal family decision, but if they do, it’s a real-world opportunity to practise what this programme teaches — checking alerts on the actual banking app, never sharing OTPs, and questioning “too good to be true” opportunities.