As the lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19 in Ogun continues, seven corporate bodies and religious organisations on Thursday, donated various items, ranging from ambulance wagons, food items and cash donations, as part of their corporate social responsibilities to support the government in tackling the dreaded Coronavirus pandemic.Â
Receiving the various items on behalf of the State Government, in her office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, the Deputy Governor, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele expressed appreciation to the various donors for coming to the aid of the government at this trying period.
She urged them to ensure the safety of their staffers and members by maintaining best practices of social distancing as an important measure to avoid the spread of the disease.
Salako-Oyedele, while commending the various donors for their promptness in responding to government’s call, maintained that the present administration in the State would continue to partner with relevant stakeholders and religious organisations in its strides.
She added that since the Coronavirus pandemic broke out, a lot of money has been spent by the government to ensure that health facilities were available to contain and curtail its spread.Â
“Part of measures to cushion the effects at this period of lockdown is the feeding of the poor and vulnerable in the Society through the donation of relief packages across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State, and following the initiative of the president, we have also called on well-meaning members of the public and corporate bodies to support us in managing the pandemic”, she said.
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Earlier in his presentation, the Managing Director, Ogun Osun River Basin Authority (OORBDA), Mr. Olufemi Odumosu said the organisation was formally donating some agricultural items comprising: 200 crates of eggs; 20,000 sachets of drinking water; 100 cartons of table water and 50 bags of refined garri products to serve as relief materials to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 lockdown in the State, saying the coronavirus had taken a toll on lives, economy and the society at large.
He added that OORBDA would continue to support the state government as the need arose, promising to make emergency provision for water supply by drilling boreholes for communities considered most vulnerable, and in designated isolation centres in the State.
Similarly, in an online meeting, the Deputy Governor expressed appreciation to the management of Procter and Gamble, for donating: 20, 000 cartons of Safeguard soaps and 36,000 Ariel Detergent soap, worth N 5.6 million to the State Government.
In addition, the League of Imams and Alfas in Ogun State, led by the Wakeel of Muslims, Yoruba, Edo and Delta, commended the efforts of the State government in combating the dreaded virus, adding that several prayer sessions had been held to ask for forgiveness of sins and cleansing the land of the virus.
The league also made a presentation of a draft of N2.5million, as part of their support to the state government towards putting an end to the virus.
In their presentation of food items, such as rice and noodles, worth the sum of N1m, the Zonal Chairman of Nasrul-Lahi-Fathi Society of Nigeria ( NASFAT), Alhaji Abdul-Afeez Olawoyin, gave kudos to the State Government for its continuous sensitisation of members of the public on the dangers of the disease and how to ensure social distancing and limiting gatherings to a fewer number of twenty.Â
He promised that NASFAT would not relent in its efforts at joining hands with the government to fight the Coronavirus pandemic.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Chief Operating Officer, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Engr. John Ayodele, said, as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility and contributions towards mitigating the health hazards caused by the global pandemic COVID-19, IBEDC had earmarked N100,000,000, for donation of relief materials to some states, including Ogun.
He stated the company was donating food items worth N11,000,000 for Ogun. This, according to him included: 2,500 packs of 5kg bags of Rice; 3000 packs of 1kg of Semovita and 1500 cartons of Noodles. He disclosed the donations were being replicated across all the states within its coverage areas.
Head, Health Safety and Environment, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mrs Folake Odegbami, while presenting two fully equipped ambulance wagons and two generating sets for use at the isolation centres, said the company felt the urgent need to support government’s efforts in managing and preventing the spread of the virus in the State.
Chairman Nigeria Society of Engineers (NSE), Ogun State Chapter, Engineer Olanrewaju Apampa, said all branches in the State had donated the sum of one million naira to the State government and would not hesitate to render technical support in terms of renovation of isolation centres and develop water dispenser for hand washing to step up hygiene.
In her presentation, Ogun State Coordinator, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Mrs. Belinda Faniyi, while donating 1000 locally made face masks, produced by one of the serving corps members, Mrs. Moyosoluwa Kolawole, said NYSC was also in solidarity with the state government in its fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.
