Airtel Nigeria pledges N300m to combat COVID-19

Airtel Nigeria says it will spend N300 million to support the fight against COVID-19 pandemic, as part of the activities to mark a decade of doing successful business in Nigeria.

Its Managing Director, Mr Segun Ogunsanya, said that the N300 million was the final part of the N1.9 billion, which the company pledged in April at the early stage of the pandemic.

Ogunsanya said in a statement on Wednesday that the company would also like to express profound appreciation to Nigerians for their unflinching support and loyalty to the network.

He said that N200 million would be invested in refurbishing and equipping a four-storey admission facility for the use of specialist units in the Department of Medicine at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

Ogunsanya said that N50 million would go to the Lagos State Government to procure Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health workers.

He said that the remaining N50 million would be for the procurement of a Molecular Laboratory to be provided by 54 Gene with the capacity for 300 tests per day in Ogun.

“The board, management and staff of the organisation will like to express profound gratitude especially to our customers for standing by the company and designating it as the telecoms brand of choice over the years.

“The 10 years milestone will not have been possible without the support of our over 50 million loyal and passionate customers,” Ogunsanya said.

According to him, Airtel has succeeded, because Nigerians truly believed in the brand and have come to accept the company as an important stakeholder, firmly committed to growing the economy and providing jobs.

Ogunsanya also commended the Minster of Communications and Digital Economy, Malam Isa Ali Pantami; the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Prof. Umar Danbatta and other regulators for providing leadership and vision in the industry.

“I hope that the recent push by the government to make telecommunications facilities Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), will crystalise into a law soon to safeguard telecommunications infrastructure in the country,’’ he said.

Ogunsanya said that Airtel would continue to be a force for good in the country by providing excellent communication services, while supporting the various communities under its corporate social responsibility activities.