PHILIP NWOSU
Procter & Gamble has reiterated its commitment to reducing infant mortality and promoting child health in Nigeria through its recently announced partnership with the Ogun State government. This partnership between P&G and the Ogun State aims to encourage more children to be immunized and as such contribute to improving the health outcomes of over 10,000 babies in the state through P&G’s donation of over 400,000 pampers® diapers. This announcement was made at the official flag off event held at Igbogila Primary Health Care Centre, Ogun State.
The organisation’s citizenship programmes in Nigeria is focused on delivering health, hygiene, and education programmes to the populace. With this partnership, the company will support Ogun State Primary Health Development Board and the Office of the First Lady on their drive to improve child health and hygiene of over 10,000 more infants through increased immunization in the state.
Speaking about the partnership, the P&G Africa Director for Government Relations & Public Policy, Dr. (Mrs.) Temitope Iluyemi said: “At P&G, we deliver our promise to make everyday life just a little bit better for our consumers. Our Pampers® brand is dedicated to every baby’s happy, healthy development. This is why we are thankful to the Ogun State government for this partnership to improve the health and hygiene of over 10,000 more infants in the state by increasing immunisation rates in areas with historically low rates.”
“P&G aims to be a force for good and a force for growth in the communities where we live and work. Our operations have generated over 4,000 jobs and through our citizenship programs, we touch over 5 million Nigeria lives,” Dr. (Mrs.) Iluyemi added
In her remarks, the first lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun added that “the Ogun State government remains committed to promoting maternal, newborn and child health in the state as displayed during the recent Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) week earlier this year. I believe that every child has a right to quality health, which is why we are appreciative of P&G’s donation of Pampers® diapers to support our ongoing initiatives.”
In addition, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, represented by the Permanent Secretary of in the ministry, Dr. AdesanyaAyinde, noted that “the donation of Pampers® diapers by P&G to over 10,000 babies will support the government’s drive to increase the rate of immunization in the state – especially in areas with low rates of immunization. This will especially be helpful as we work towards achieving 100% immunization rate in the state”
For over 25 years in Nigeria, Procter & Gamble, has been an active investor in Nigeria, creating over 4,000 jobs through its manufacturing operations in Ibadan and Lagos and its distributor centre in Agbara. P&G’s Children Safe Drinking Water programme (CSDW) has provided hundreds of million litres of safe drinking water in Nigeria, helping to prevent possible death and disease from contaminated water while its Always/UNESCO programme is empowering over 110,000 Nigerian girls and women with basic literacy and skills development through ICT in northern Nigeria. In addition, P&G SME Academy – in partnership the Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment and has trained hundreds of SMEs on basic business management training and skills to improve their standards, ensure longevity and enable their integration into global value chains.