Coronavirus Pandemic
THE UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has donated 115,000 COVID-19 test kits to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to assist Federal Government’s efforts to curb the Coronavirus pandemic.
The UNICEF Representative, Ms Rushnan Murtaza, said this on Tuesday during the
donation at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory in Abuja.
According to her, the donation is funded by IHS Towers as part of its contribution
to curbing the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
IHS Towers Nigeria Ltd is a Nigeria-based company established in 2001 to provide
and maintain telecommunications infrastructure.
Murtaza said “today, we are here with IHS Nigeria once again to present vital test kits and supplies.
“The kits were procured through donations by IHS Nigeria to UNICEF to strengthen the fund’s support for the Nigerian government’s response to the COVID-19 emergency.”
She said that since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Nigeria, IHS Towers had twice extended financial support to UNICEF to facilitate the provision of essential equipment and test kits crucial in the response to curb the virus.
Murtaza said that the support made IHS Towers the biggest private-sector contributor
in Nigeria for UNICEF Nigeria’s support to COVID-19 response.
She added that “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.”
The UNICEF representative said that in 2019, the Federal Government, UNICEF, and
the business sector launched an initiative on the “Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) sector.”
She explained that efforts by IHS Nigeria had continued to contribute its core business
assets, as well as convene peer organisations to support the campaign.
The Director-General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said that the country was working
toward ensuring that its citizens were protected. He said, “we will ensure that Nigerians get back their lives.”
According to him, whenever the story of Nigeria is told, UNICEF and IHS Towers must be mentioned.
He thanked the donors for their support in the fight against COVID-19 and promised that
the centre would make proper use of the items.
According to him, the NCDC National Reference Laboratory in Abuja runs for 24 hours,
including Saturdays and Sundays.
The Chief Executive Officer of IHS Nigeria Ltd., Muhamad Darwish, said that the company would continue to support the country.
Darwish urged the government to focus more on awareness as the key to the fight against the COVID-19.
According to him, one thing is to have the test kits and other items but the most important
is for people to make use of them. (NAN)
– Sept. 29, 2020 @ 16:47 GMT |
Tags: 000 COVID-19 test kits to NCDC UNICEF donates 115
