The Lagos State Government on Tuesday inaugurated a 36-chamber morgue at the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Yaba.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the morgue was donated to the Lagos State Government by the IHS Towers Nigeria, a mobile telecommunications infrastructure firm.
The Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said at the inauguration that death was not something people prayed for, but would also fully accept its inevitability.
“And we know that when it happens, it is absolutely necessary for the departed to be treated with care and dignity, until it is time to commit them to mother earth.
“This is why we have morgues, and why we will never shy away from expanding our morgue capacity; not because death is palatable but because it is inevitable,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He said that in recent months, there had been immense support and generosity of the private sector, especially to the health care sector in Lagos State.
Sanwo-Olu said that there had been significant donations of infrastructure, consumables, among others, to help strengthen the medical systems at a time when it was under great strain from the coronavirus pandemic.
According to him, this pandemic has no doubt brought all hands on deck to support the efforts of governments and not just in Nigeria, but globally as well.
“Today, we are gathered for the handover and inauguration of a 36-chamber morgue donated by the IHS Towers to the Lagos State Government – specifically the Infectious Diseases Hospital, Yaba.
“I would like to express our deep gratitude to IHS Towers for this gesture.
“I recall that in April, we experienced a congestion in mortuary capacity in Lagos State.
“The fact that the COVID-19 lockdown coincided with the end of Lent, that month deprived many families of the chance to bury their loved ones.
“We had to open a special window for funerals to take place to decongest the mortuaries.
“Even though those were exceptional circumstances, it was clear from that experience that Lagos could do with an expansion in its morgue capacity.
“Now, IHS has stepped up and very generously donated a state-of-the-art morgue facility to the Infectious Diseases Hospital,” he said.
The governor said that the morgue would serve not just the IDH, it would be available to serve the entire Lagos State.
He called on other private sector players to emulate the generosity and good corporate citizenship of the IHS Towers.
Sanwo-Olu said that IHS Towers, over the last two decades, had created a significant business investment and philanthropic footprint in Nigeria. (NAN)