By Adedapo Adesanya
Construction giant, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, as part of its efforts to support the federal government’s efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, has expanded its food donation initiative to vulnerable people in local communities along the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road.
This is part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) scheme tagged Food for our Communities Campaign which has been done in all its operational regions and sites across the country.
The latest to be touched are villages in Kagarko local government area of Kaduna State, and to Sabon-Wuse and Tafa in Niger State, all in Section 1 of the strategic Abuja-Kano Road (AKR) project.
The Julius Berger food donation CSR initiative in Section 1 of the AKR Project was led by a project coordinator at the AKR project, Mr Yusuf Ibrahim.
The Julius Berger team visited the palaces of the village head of Sabon-Wuse, Alhaji Danladi Bake, the village head of Tafa, Alhaji M. Yahaya (Marafan Dullu-Tafa), the village head of Chauma, Mallam Ibrahim,Village head of Isah community, Alhaji Adamu Shehu, ward head of Bakura, Mr Peter Daniel, village head of Gujeni, Mr Philemon Auta, village head of Gidan Abe, Mr David Yohana, Wazirin Jere, Alhaji Mustapha, Mai Angwa Gbabu, Mallam Bashir Gbabu, village head of Chakwama, Mr Danladi Yerima and the village head of Tanko, Alhaji H. Abdullahi.
From the chiefs and the people of all the communities, Julius Berger’s community-friendly and people-sensitive CSR initiative received robust appreciation, commendations and encomiums.
The community leaders at different locations all spoke with glowing gratitude to Julius Berger to whom they pledged their indebtedness for the company’s show of sensitivity to the crucial needs of the people, practical display of compassionate magnanimity driven by a voluntary willingness to partner with government and communities with a view to alleviating pain in the society at this trying time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Through the Food for our Communities Campaign, Julius Berger has continued to directly intervene with food palliatives in communities where food items are consistently donated to the natives and residents at the Local Government Area Councils as well as at the Palaces of the local Chiefs for organized and well-structured onward distribution to the weak, vulnerable and needy members of the communities, in order to alleviate the critical nutritional requirements of the people during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The company has done this through the donation of various palliatives, including an ambulance, hospital beds and hospital ward demarcations formworks, volumes of Personal Protection Equipment, PPEs, to hospitals, and bags of rice and cooking oil and condiments to different states and communities across the country.
Meanwhile, Julius Berger’s fumigation activities targeted at disinfecting communities across Nigeria have continued.
In a statement issued by the Group Head of the Media Relations Office of the company, Mr Moses Duku, in Abuja, the Managing Director of Julius Berger, Mr Lars Richter, was said to have pledged that the company will continue to utilize its widely resourceful scope.
This includes using its high value, experienced, versatile and reliable human capital, facilities and technical know-how to provide impactful support directly to the government, communities and those working the front lines to tackle the spread of the pandemic and minimize its effects on the country and its citizenry till COVID-19 is eradicated.
The Managing Director emphasized Julius Berger’s serious interest in the sustainable good health and safety of the people and communities in Nigeria.
Modupe Gbadeyanka