Delta Covid-19 response team benefits as BUA Group donates fully-kitted ambulances
Gov Okowa commends Chairman Rabiu
BUA group, a leading foods and infrastructure conglomerate, with products range including cement, sugar, agribusiness to large processing plants, has donated fully-kitted ambulances to the Delta State Covid-19 pandemic response team.
Otega Ogra, head, corporate communications, BUA Group, said the ambulances were part of the group’s contributions to assist the state in the fight against the global pandemic. He said the Ifeanyi Okowa administration was inching up in the fight against the dreaded virus, which has affected over 20.249 million people globally, with more than 738,726 deaths. In Nigeria, there are 46,867 confirmed cases of the virus, with 33,346 discharged cases and 12,571 active cases, as of 11 August.
Delta is one of Nigeria’s top 8 high virus incident states, with latest figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on August 11 for the state put at 1,596, of which 1,409 have been discharged, 144 are on admission, with 43 deaths.
The BUA Group, which recently announced acquisition of majority stake in P.W. Nigeria, a major construction, engineering and mining company in Nigeria, said it was committed to assisting the sub-national government in curtailing, if not eradicating the novel coronavirus which began in China in December 2019.
Ogra gave out keys of the three fully-kitted ambulances to Governor Okowa in Asaba.
The company is part of the private sector groups in Nigeria leading the CACOVID in providing palliatives, equipment, and other logistics.
The governor called for collective efforts to check the spread of COVID-19 in the state and the country; saying that defeating the virus was not an impossible task, if all Nigerians obeyed set health protocols with commitment.
He thanked the chairman of Bua Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, for donating the ambulances to aid the state in the fight against COVID-19; saying “it is a privileged honour that the state has received from the BUA Group.
Governor Okowa commended Rabiu for his support to the state in combating Covid-19. Describing the him as a true philanthropist, said it was timely said the donation was timely to check the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Okowa said: “One very good thing that I must put on the note is that we did not make a request, and the gesture is how you know those who are philanthropic.
“We did not make any request; he just called and said, as part of his assistance to various states, that he wants to make a donation to the state. That is how you know people who genuinely from their heart, want to be of assistance to the people, and I am very much aware that the chairman of BUA Group has done quite a lot. I think it is a very good gesture; we are very happy as a state and on behalf of the government and people of Delta State, we appreciate this and we believe that if Nigeria can continue to have more men like him, I’m sure that this country will be a much better place for us.”
“At this time, we need a lot of logistics for movement, being able to move patients from one point. The ambulances are very useful to us and we are very grateful. It is coming very timely. We have had donations but this is the first time we are having three at a time from one group and we truly appreciate that. And we are glad to hear that he is assisting many other states”. Okowa added.
Delta is the third state in the South-South and one of several across Nigeria that have benefitted so far from BUA’s COVID 19 efforts which seek to provide additional support and assistance to various efforts and interventions across the country. So far, BUA has committed over N7 billion in cash, donations, infrastructure, foodstuff and medical supplies to the fight against covid-19