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By Henry Uche
The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has commended African Foundries Limited (AFL), a subsidiary of African Industries Group, major manufacturer of steel rebar and iron rods in Nigeria, having received 1,000 cylinders from AFL during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic.
A management team of LUTH, led by the chief medical director, Professor Chris Bode, expressed their appreciation recently at AFL’s production site in Ogijo, Ogun state during a courtesy visit, saying AFL has shown altruism and humane disposition by its rescue mission to LUTH, persons affected with COVID-19 and Nigerians at large.
The CMD added, “We shall be ingrates if we do not show appreciation, having received about 1,000 cylinders. The need for cylinders and oxygen was dire and receiving oxygen from African Foundries was like manna from above. AFL has shown brotherhood by coming in when we were in dearth of oxygen.
“Recall that the need for oxygen and other facilities were higher than any other part of the country even till date, we hope other humane Nigerians would be their brother’s keeper like AFL has shown.”
He implored citizens to work harmoniously towards boosting the health of the nation, as no country would do anything without guaranteed health.
“Every human activity is dependent on good health. So, everyone should contribute their quotas towards improving our health sector. AFL has done something, it’s expected that we all follow suit in any capacity, since everything we do on earth is a function of sound health,” he said.
Reacting, the group executive director of AFL, Uche Iwuamadi, who spoke on behalf of the company’s group managing director, Mr. Alok Gupta, said the gesture was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) pointing that no time would have been more apt to show love to mankind than the pandemic period.
Iwuamadi maintained that the company did not produce oxygen nor any medical item per se, but its oxygen were for making its steel and other products, however, out of exigency and in the spirit of brotherhood, the company decided to convert them to oxygen for human use.
“Production of medical oxygen is not our core business, but when COVID-19 struck, we decided on how we could help ameliorate the health emergency. So, we chose to give them out to so many hospitals in the country.”
He added that AFL was ready to partner any group for nation-building in any capacity, adding that the chairman of African Industries Group, Mr. Raj Gupta, was a founding member of Coalition Against COVID (CA-COVID) and the oxygen donated all over country was part of CA-COVID’s efforts.
