The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim, have lauded Airtel Nigeria for its exceptional CSR efforts at the telco’s Season 5 premiere of its flagship CSR initiative, Airtel Touching Lives.
The grand ceremony, which held in Lagos at Eko Hotel Convention Centre, Victoria Island, was graced by several eminent guests, including award-winning writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.
In his keynote address, Osinbajo commended Airtel for its unswerving efforts in bringing millions of underprivileged Nigerians out of despair and being a beacon of hope through its Touching Lives initiative.
He said, “I really want to laud the effort of Segun Ogunsanya and his team at Airtel for touching so many lives and for doing so in the past five years without fanfare. Listening to the stories of the lives that have been touched must be a reminder of so many others in despair who need our help and comfort.”
Osinbajo went on to expound the Federal Government’s continuous efforts in providing support for more Nigerians in dire need of help by creating social safety nets to the vulnerable, including improved access to healthcare, welfare, housing, among others. He noted that part of the safety net schemes is the feeding of over nine million pupils across 34 states, however, he stated that the efforts still have a long a way to go in providing succor to people in hard-to-reach communities.
“In spite of all these social safety net schemes, we are still very far from touching the majority of those who need our help. We still need more resources because we can’t do it all, and that is why socially conscious organizations like Airtel is so vital in bridging the huge gap between what the government can do and what is left to be done”, he said.
Sanwo-Olu, in his address, regarded Airtel as a partner in progress, praising the telecommunications giant for going out of its way to impact millions of lives over the years through the initiative. He stated that Airtel’s commitment to touching lives continues to compliment the state government’s goal of giving a voice to the voiceless.