As part of its continuous support of efforts to tame the spread of COVID-19 in the country, Sterling Bank Plc is collaborating with the Lagos State Port Health Authority and the Federal Ministry of Aviation to upgrade facilities at the the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) arrival terminals D & E with the installation of free Wi-Fi connection and additional air conditioning units for arriving passengers.
Divisional Head, Health and Education sectors of Sterling Bank, Mr. Obinna Ukachukwu, said in a statement is that “The installations are to welcome arriving travelers comfortably and allow passengers book the necessary COVID-19 tests easily on arrival from the comfort of their devices. This is in conjunction with the Lagos State Port Health Authority, Lagos State Ministry of Health and with the blessing of the Federal Ministry of Aviation.”
He said the collaboration is another exhibition by the bank as it continues to play a significant part in the nation’s efforts to combat the scourge of the coronavirus pandemic by making it easy for inbound passengers to connect to tech-focused solutions needed to book tests upon arrival and also to keep the economy open.
According to him, health is the first of the five sectors where the bank is presently concentrating investments under its HEART’s of Sterling programme since 2018. The other sectors are education, agriculture, renewable energy and transportation. The bank is also active in supporting the tourism sector of the country.
Ukachukwu disclosed that multiple projects and investments have been made by the bank at various times in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic because of its commitment to the prioritization of health among its social investment programs.
In his comments, Commissioner of Health Lagos State, Professor Akin Abayomi, said the collaboration would go a long way to improve the booking experience for post arrival testing and improve the state’s overall test numbers by simultaneously providing arriving passengers fast connection to book tests and address the delays such passengers used to encounter upon entry at the airport.
He called on other private sector operators to collaborate with the federal and state governments in a bid to effectively tame the COVID-19 pandemic.
Managing Director, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Rabiu Yadudu, has welcomed the development as a step in the right direction as Nigeria’s international travel sector recovers from the impact of the coronavirus, lauding the efforts of the nation’s port health authorities and the private sector in creating a standard that ensures passengers arrive into the country in relative comfort and can gain access to qualitative testing facilities on demand and help in managing the pandemic.
