Lagos Deputy Governor Commends Airtel On Empowerment Initiatives
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Adefulire, has commended leading telecoms operator, Airtel Nigeria, for its far reaching social empowerment initiatives in the state.
Mrs. Adefulire gave the commendation during a courtesy visit to the headquarters of Airtel Nigeria at Banana Island, Lagos on Tuesday where she was received by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Telco, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, in his office.
The visit was part of efforts by the state government towards partnering with the telecoms operator in tackling critical social challenges often encountered by citizens of the state of which infant and maternal mortality and unemployment are of greatest concern.
The Deputy Governor explained that the population of Lagos which currently stands at 22million continues to increase due to the influx of visitors and people who desire to reside in Lagos, noting that this influx puts serious strain on public infrastructure especially healthcare services.
As at today, Lagos State prides itself with 26 General Hospitals, 256 Primary Healthcare Centres and 2 Tertiary Health Institutions, which provide services for the huge population of the state.
In her word: “Lagos State Government continues to make effort to ensure that these facilities are upgraded and medical personnel are available to provide quality services all the time. In Lagos Island Maternity Hospital last year alone, there were a total of 4,984 births with only one death recorded which shows how effective and important this hospital is in saving lives in the state.
“The State remains the best in terms of maternal and child mortality reduction because of the efforts of the state government and the support from responsible corporate citizens like Airtel. We will continue to improve the healthcare services so that lives can be saved,” she said.
According to her, partnership with socially responsible corporate organisations like Airtel Nigeria would go a long way to alleviate the pain and struggles of the less privileged in the society and will also reduce unemployment among youths in the state.
She revealed that Lagos State government is currently empowering youths in their thousands, through series of programmes and therefore called for increased collaboration with the state from the telecoms services provider towards empowering youths through various initiatives.
Welcoming the Deputy Governor, Mr. Segun Ogunsanya commended the efforts of Lagos State in reducing child and maternal mortality. He said the state continues to take a leadership position in every sector including health, power, youth employment and other areas.
Mr. Ogunsanya specifically noted that the highly commendable effort of the Lagos State Government to curb the Ebola Virus Diseases outbreak brought international recognition to the country and is worthy of emulation by other states.
He described Airtel Nigeria as a company which strives to contribute to its community and improve the lives of Nigerians through its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. He said: “Airtel will continue to strive at empowering Nigerian youths through its various platforms. We are glad to partner with Lagos State Government and proud citizens of the state, will continue to add our quota to governments efforts at improving the general wellbeing of the people.
Airtel Nigeria over the years has created several robust platforms for enriching and empowering the lives of Nigerians some of which are the Airtel Touching lives, Adopt a School, Airtel Rising Stars Championship, Nigerian Got Talent Season , Airtel One Mic, Google Developers Challenge, among others.
