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NBC Signs MoU with Partners on Community Development in Nigeria 

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Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Ltd., the bottling partner of the Coca-Cola Company in Nigeria, on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the implementing partners of its recently announced €1 million donation.

The MoU was signed at the company’s headquarters in Lagos.

Speaking during the ceremony, the Managing Director of NBC, Mr Matthieu Seguin, said the donation reflects the company’s commitment to enriching communities in Nigeria.

Seguin added that the donation would be targeted toward empowering youths and women, the provision of water and sanitary facilities, as well as scaling its PET recycling initiatives in Nigeria.

“This donation underscores our commitment to improving the lives of our communities.

“It will be directed toward areas we believe we can have the most impact – empowering youths and women, and the provision of water and recycling facilities.

“I would like to particularly thank our partners in these initiatives, who have been selected based on their strong track record and will work with us to ensure that this investment is directed where it’s needed most,” Seguin said.

He noted that the key partners for the programmes covered under the €1 million donation include Karis & Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation, West African Vocational Education (WAVE), Organised Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) and Chanja Datti Ltd.

According to him, OPS-WASH will deliver state-of-the arts toilet facilities across identified communities in five states in Nigeria, reaching about five million people annually.

Seguin said that the fund via its parent company Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company would be deployed to support four key initiatives including the Federal Government of Nigeria’s journey toward becoming Open Defecation Free (ODF) by 2025.

He added that it would be deployed for upskilling underserved youths and women in high demand skills; and community recycling initiatives.

Seguin the execution of the projects by its implementing partners would be executed within 12 months.

He said that  WAVE Academy would undertake the up-skilling of youths in Abuja, Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Edo, Rivers and Kaduna in Digital and Hospitality skills and connect them to job opportunities.

He said that Karis and Eleos Hand of Hope Foundation would focus on empowering vulnerable women across eight states with relevant skills to support economic inclusion of women.

Seguin added that Chanja Datti would drive the intervention that supports community recycling in Lagos State and Abuja.

He said that the initiative would also contribute to raise the number of recycling banks in the selected communities.

The managing director said that it would further support in raising awareness on responsible disposal of wastes, especially plastics, while empowering vulnerable women economically.

He said that the MoU provides a formal framework for the programmes based on shared values and further demonstrates NBC’s commitment to contribute to the uplifting of communities and socio-economic development in Nigeria.

Seguin said that the donation was part of NBC’s 70th anniversary celebration and reflects the company’s unwavering commitment to Nigeria and its people.

In her remarks, the Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Cecilia Bolaji Dada, commended the company for the donation.

“The Ministry commends NBC on their laudable impact in alleviating poverty amongst the citizenry and the state in general, by empowering vulnerable women and young girls in the society through their various programmes.

“I encourage women everywhere to continue to avail themselves to various opportunities to become empowered, self-reliant, and independent financially,” she said.

The commissioner  was represented at the event by Funmi Raji.

Mr Jande Tarfa, a representative of one of the partners, WAVE, said the donation would enable the organisation to expand the scope and impact of its youth empowerment initiatives and reach even more beneficiaries across the country.

Tarfa said that the partnership would come to life in key areas of shared value including promoting water sanitation & hygiene (WASH).

He added that the partnership would also promote skills development programmes for women and youths as well as accelerate its World Without Waste agenda in Nigeria.

NBC is a member of the Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC) Group.

NBC is an anchor bottler for the Coca-Cola Company in 28 countries with over 605 million consumers and 197 brands in these markets. (NAN)

Environment

Prolonged Public Holidays Come with Negative Economic Effects on Citizens – Anambra Residents

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Anambra residents have slammed the additional day approved by the Federal Government for the Muslim faithful to celebrate the 2024 Eid-Ei-Fitr, saying this will have negative effects on the economy.

The Federal government had early declared April 9 and 10 as Muslim-Ummah for the successful completion of a month’s spiritual rejuvenation.

Reports says that residents of Anambra capital city believe that the additional day which they did not plan for will result in economic hardship to the citizenry.

Most respondents believe that people had planned to resume their economic activities instead of wasting their time staying at home doing nothing..

Former Chairman, Awka Chamber of Commerce, Chief Felly Akosa, described the additional day to the two days approved earlier as “unfair to the economy of the country as people were unprepared for the additional day.

Akosa said that although it is right for the Muslim faithful to celebrate their holiday after a month-long fasting, the process needs to be carefully planned for in place of the additional rest day which could inhibit business activities.

Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, National Vice President of Igbo Apex Social Cultural body, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, said the policy would cause huge economic waste as businesses are put on hold,

He advised that, in future, a proper and well planned programme needs to be in place before declaring a public holiday for any celebration that will be national.

“Our economy and other sectors are not very healthy,” and it would, therefore be appropriate to plan well to avoid declarations that will hamper the citizens’ welfare.

Mazi Christian Beluchukwu, a business man in Awka, described the extension of the Eid-El-Fitr public holiday to Thursday, April 11, as an added hardship for the citizenry.

Beluchukwu said that any public holiday for three days, April 9 to 11, to celebrate any feast in the country is an economic loss to the nation.

He said that it was best to stick to the two-day national public holidays as this gives room for the people to plan their activities very well.

He stated that his wife went to a public hospital on Tuesday and was unattended to because there was no doctor on seat to provide medical attention.

“She resorted to visiting a private hospital which cost extra money which the public hospital is expected to handle at a reasonable cost. (NAN)

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Environment

World Bank Fund: Corporation Rehabilitates Treatment Plant, Reticulation in Jos South

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The Jos Water Services Corporation (JWSC) has said that the World Bank fund received would be used to boost water supply to Bukuru and environs in Jos South Local Government Area.

Mr Apollos Samchi, the Managing Director of the corporation, said that N1.7 billion would be expended on the rehabilitation of water treatment plant, over head steel tank and laying of pipes to homes of consumers.

Samchi, who disclosed this on Friday in Jos, during a two-day capacity building workshop, said that the projects were expected to be completed in four months.

Reports says that the workshop organised for contractors has at its theme: “Implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plans for Projects in Jos South.

The MD said that the projects would ensure steady provision of potable water to residents in Gyel and Kurgiya in Jos South Local Government Area.

He said the treatment plant when rehabilitated would pump out 5,000 cubic litres of water daily.

The MD further stated that the reticulation exercise would cover residents who weren’t initially connected to public water supply in the area.

Samchi said that the essence of the workshop was to ensure that the contractors were trained to develop adequate measures and controls to minimise and mitigate potential environmental and social risks that could adversely affect the project implementation.

He called on all the contractors handling the projects to ensure that they adhered to the environmental and safety standards and deliver within the specified timeframe.

In his remarks, Mr Jonathan Malann, the Plateau Project Coordinator, Sustainable Urban, Rural Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene programme (SURWASH), also advised contractors to adhere to the environmental and safety standards as provided by the World Bank.

The Federal Government had received $700m financing from the World Bank to ensure that all its people have access to sustainable and safely managed WASH services.

The seven participating states are Plateau, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Imo, Katsina, and Kaduna.(NAN)

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Environment

Erosion Control Project: Gombe SEC Approves N389m Compensation for Residents

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The Gombe State Executive Council (SEC) has approved payment of N389 million as compensation for residents that would be affected by the gully erosion control project at Federal College of Education (FCE) Technical and its surrounding communities.

The Commissioner for Finance, Gombe State, Malam Mohammed Magaji, stated this at the end of the SEC meeting on Friday in Gombe.

Magaji said the payment, which would commence immediately, would be for individuals and organisations along the gully erosion site.

He said almost 1000 persons were expected to benefit from the gesture.

According to him, the compensation is part of the requirements of the World Bank, which specifies that such payments be made to property owners.

Magaji said the payment would also be made to ensure seamless resettlement of affected persons.

“The beneficiaries are in hundreds, almost a 1,000 people; there is compensation for houses, and also for business premises.

“There is also stipends for the elderly living around that area so that they are able to have good livelihood,” he said.

The commissioner for Education, Hajiya Aishatu Maigari, also said the SEC approved upgrade of the five mega senior secondary schools in the state to sustain improvement in the education sector.

Maigari said the upgrade would be carried out based on the needs of each of the schools.

She stated that infrastructure in some of the schools were already being upgraded to global standards.

“We have seen construction of toilets, installation of solar-powered light, construction of roads, school clinics, boreholes and many more,” she said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government had on Nov. 23 signed a N12 billion contract with Triacta Nigeria Ltd. for a 21-kilometre gully erosion control work in six communities within Gombe metropolis.

The project is under ACRESAL project, a World Bank-assisted project to address the challenges of land degradation and climate change in northern Nigeria. (NAN)

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