The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has received a cheque for the sum of N1billion from the United Bank for Africa (UBA) as part of the bank’s commitment to help curb the devastating effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the State.
Presenting the cheque to the Governor at the State House, the Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Kennedy Uzoka, said that the N1billion donation was in fulfillment of the N5billion commitment made by the UBA Group Chairman, Mr. Tony O. Elumelu, early last week.
The decision to give Lagos N1billion, according to Uzoka, was as a result of the important role that the state plays in the economy of not only Nigeria, but Africa as a whole, given its vast population and other key economic factors.
“As a socially responsible institution, UBA cares for its communities and for Lagos State, which has recorded the highest number of positive cases thus far, needing special attention.
“Also, given the population of this state and that it is the business nerve centre, we at UBA are committed to lending our support to the state government.
“This wasn’t an easy decision for us because Lagos is just one of the many states in Nigeria. However, we looked at the importance of Lagos to Nigeria, but more importantly, we looked at the fact that Lagos has set up the right structure to administer whatever it is that we are giving to the state. So, we are rest assured that the state will use these funds effectively and efficiently,” he said.
Responding, the governor expressed appreciation to the financial institution for the support, saying that the money will go a long way to assist the state in kicking out the pandemic.
He said: “This is not the kind of money that we would want to take for granted. This is really an important intervention and this fund will go a long way to meet all of our needs both now and in the future, to ensure that Lagos continues to remain safe for business.
“We are indeed happy that you decided to make this very bold move to support the health facility infrastructure in Lagos. Once the structures have been developed, we will call you again to see what we have put these resources to.”
The bank had, last week, announced a donation of N5billion (USD14 million), through the UBA Foundation, to catalyse a comprehensive pan-African response to the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) global pandemic.
