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The Private sector-led Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) has ordered for 250,000 supplies for tests and another 150,000 extraction kits to fast-track molecular testing for the deadly coronavirus, noting that the reality of the situation at hand was such that efforts must be put together with no stone left unturned in dealing with the scourge.
The coalition also disclosed that no less than 1.7 million households would benefit from its food relief package as part of complementary efforts to help alleviate the effects of the lockdown and restrictions adopted by governments across the nation.
Briefing newsmen in Lagos on the group’s activities in helping the Federal Government halt the spread of the virus, leaders of CACOVID stated that the coalition has set up isolation centers in five states of Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Borno and Enugu as well as FCT, while renovations of hospitals and medical supplies are being carried out in other states.
Ms. Zouera Youssoufou, Chief Executive Officer of Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF), explained that all the partners in CACOVID are ready to roll out in all parts of the country having commenced building and equipping of isolation centers in some states.
According to her, there are currently three testing platforms for molecular testing in Nigeria, one of which is the “Open PCR machines”, which the Coalition has ordered for 10 units, with eight laboratories certified to conduct COVID-19 tests.
Youssoufou said, “Open PCR machine is currently the standard platform. Eight labs in Nigeria are certified to conduct COVID-19 testing; 10 new PCR machines and 150,000 extraction kits have been ordered. The other is Roche Cobus Platform with 6 Machines in Nigeria, each capable of testing 960 tests at a time. Nigeria was on track to receive 38,000 but we have ordered 250,000. 10,000 tests ordered by UNICEF have arrived on Thursday, April 16.
“We also have Cepheid Gene Expert Machines – there are 400 machines installed in the country. 250 are expected to be functional with trained lab technicians. Cepheid has developed a COVID-19 testing cartridge that has received FDA approval, and will begin shipping to Africa in two weeks. We have ordered 250,000 cartridges and expect shipment receipt in two weeks.”
Mr. Herbert Wigwe, Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, in his remarks, said the Coalition right from the onset knew the fight against coronavirus was not going to be easy but would require collaborative efforts of all.
He said the CACOVID-19 is approaching the fight against the virus from three levels, “One, it was clear from beginning that no one institution can go it alone, so we solicit everybody’s cooperation in tackling this scourge. Two, while several measures are being taken to stop the spread, including lockdowns, restriction, social distancing, there is the need to address the hunger. How do we cater for the feeding needs of the people if these measures are to be effective?”
Eat‘N’Go out with charity initiative to provide food for essential workers
Amid the rise of the COVID-19 global pandemic, Eat‘N’Go limited, master franchisee for Domino’s Pizza, Cold Stone Creamery and Pinkberry Gourmet Yoghurt, has rolled out its charity initiative to support the Nigerian government in combating COVID-19 by providing food to essential workers who are at the frontline in combating the spread of the virus.
The initiative, which commenced in March, has since boxes of large Domino’s pizza, cups of Cold Stone ice cream and Pinkberry Yoghurt provided to different institutions, including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Yaba Centre, Oyo State ministry of health, and various police stations across the country. In addition, Eat‘N’Go has committed to its support with food supplies, until the COVID-19 situation has been contained.
Speaking about the initiative, Patrick McMichael, CEO, Eat‘N’Go Limited, acknowledged the sacrifice and diligence of all medical practitioners, the government as well as other essential workers who have put themselves forward to manage the pandemic.
“We are thankful to everyone at the forefront of this battle, doing all it takes to end the pandemic. As a firm that holds the wellbeing of others in high esteem, we are committed to contributing our quota to ensure you remain healthy throughout this period, which is why we have decided to drive this initiative,” he said.
He also highlighting the effect the pandemic may have had on the Nigerian economy. He said, “Having the understanding that the world, including Nigeria, is facing a global crisis, which is eating deep into the nation’s economy, we believe that now is the time for corporate bodies to rise to support the government more than ever. As a firm that has implanted its footprints in Nigeria through various capacities, we are committed to continue to lend our support to the country.”
Commenting on the initiative, Oyo State Commissioner for Health, through Dr. T.O. Ladipo, incident manager, Oyo State COVID-19 Emergency Response Team, extended his appreciation to the firm: “We sincerely appreciate your relentless support and commitment in the fight to contain the spread of the virus in our communities, through the provision of refreshments for the Oyo State emergency team.” he said.
NBC, Coca-Cola to support FG, states with hydration needs of frontline workers
The Coca-Cola System, comprising Nigerian Bottling Company Limited (NBC) and Coca-Cola Nigeria Ltd, has restated its commitment to support the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria with material donations to the federal and state governments.
NBC and Coca-Cola Nigeria, in fulfilment of the commitment, have already donated over 13 million centilitres of its beverages, including Eva premium table water and other soft drinks, to provide hydration and nourishment for patients and healthcare workers at isolation and treatment centres across different states in the country. Both companies also promised to continue to donate these products through the duration of the crisis.
In Lagos, the isolation and treatment centres and frontline institutions that have received the materials include the Onikan Centre, the Gbagada Centre, Lagos University Teaching Hospital and the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) whose street sweepers and medical waste workers are still actively working during the pandemic.
In a letter to Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State governor, Matthieu Seguin, managing director of NBC, explained that it was standard practice for it to support communities during emergencies. He praised government for efforts at curtailing the spread of the virus and providing quality medical care for confirmed cases.
“We appreciate the measures deployed so far to curtail the spread of the virus and the medical care currently provided for confirmed cases in the State. We fully support these commendable measures and will continue to work hard to meet the hydration needs of Nigerians, which is critical at this stage of the crisis,” Seguin said.
Yebeltal Getachew, managing director, Coca-Cola Nigeria, added: “As a company that is closely connected with consumers and deeply rooted in communities, we see the unprecedented impact of this pandemic on the country first-hand. We applaud the heroism of our healthcare workers and commend the government for its increasingly effective measures. We are appealing for everyone to come together at this time so we can defeat this pandemic with a single-minded focus.”
On behalf of the state government, Olusegun Dawodu, Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, thanked the NBC, saying the gesture showed that the company was indeed a perceptive brand that understood the specific needs of the community.
FMN backs pandemic relief efforts in Nigeria with over N2bn
As part of its initiatives and critical response plan against the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria, Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN), leading food and agro-allied group, owners of the iconic Golden Penny Foods brand, has announced its commitment to contributing N2 billion across the country in the fight against COVID-19. This money is made up of N1 billion in cash and another N1 billion in food relief materials and medical equipment.
As part of the Nigerian private sector response through the Coalition Against Coronavirus (CACOVID), FMN has donated N1 billion to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to help Nigeria tackle the pandemic in a concerted private-sector approach. FMN’s contributions are specifically intended to provide immediate support to the most affected parts of the country by providing cash, food products and medical supplies to frontline medical and emergency responders across the country
Seeing the economic hardships facing many people as a result of the necessary public health restrictions on movement, the company, in partnership with relevant government authorities, has also commenced donating food across the country in fulfilment of its purpose of “Feeding the Nation, Everyday”. In the next couple of days, the company would have donated truck loads of its Golden Penny brand food products to Lagos and other States across Nigeria.
The company also disclosed that in addition to cash donations and food relief products, it would be providing medical aid through the donation of medical equipment and kits. FMN is importing COVID-19 Pharmaceuticals and Equipment including about 35,000 units of COVID-19 testing kits, 75 ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) for 10,000 medical and emergency workers.
FirstBank enhances palliative measures, promotes e-learning for Nigerians
Nigeria’s leading financial inclusion services provider, FirstBank, has unveiled enhanced palliative measures to help its customers and Nigerians through the extended COVID-19 lockdown in some states.
Among these measures are the introduction of special waivers on repayment fees on the bank’s credit cards as well as up to 90 days’ moratorium on SME loans. The aim is to cushion the impact of the toll on employment and livelihoods.
It was announced in the course of the week that the Lagos State government and Roducate e-learning initiative – sponsored by FirstBank – had kicked off. The initiative includes the government accredited curriculum for primary, secondary and tertiary schools designed to ensure children are adequately guided and engaged through their learning experience.
Upon the lockdown in March, First Bank had announced to move one million children to e-learning, which is implemented with a number of renowned organisations that have come on board from within and outside the continent. These partners include IBM, which is providing opportunities for the acquisition of digital skills, including coding, artificial intelligence and data science and analytics, which would promote opportunities to learn skills of the future. These measures are taken in identifying with the roles of children at securing the future of any country.
