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.
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