The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has donated 115,000 COVID-19 test kits to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to aid Federal Government’s efforts to curb the pandemic.
UNICEF Representative, Ms Rushnan Murtaza, said this during the donation at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory in Abuja, yesterday.
She said that since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Nigeria, IHS Towers had twice extended financial support to UNICEF to facilitate provision of essential equipment and test kits crucial in the response to curb the virus.
Murtaza said the support made IHS Towers the biggest private sector contributor in Nigeria for UNICEF Nigeria support to COVID-19 response.
“The fund in Nigeria works alongside the government in realising the rights of all children, making the United Nations mandate a reality of leaving no one behind,” she said.
The Director General of NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said that the country was working toward ensuring that its citizens were protected.
“We will ensure that Nigerians get back their lives,” he said.
He said the NCDC National Reference Laboratory in Abuja runs for 24 hours, including Saturdays and Sundays.
Chief Executive Officer of IHS Nigeria Ltd, Muhamad Darwish, said that the company would continue to support the country. He urged the government to focus more on awareness as key to the fight against the COVID-19.