The Ibassa Ijegun-Egba Youth Association in Ibassa Ijegun-Egba riverine community, Oriade Local Council Development Area, Lagos State on Wednesday presented 155 life jackets to students of the area.
Speaking during the presentation, Mr Kareem Idowu, the Chairman, Oriade Local Council Development Area, said the life jackets were given to ensure safety of students who ply the waterways daily on their way to school.
Idowu said that the lifejackets were donated to the association by a tank farm, A. A. Rano Nig. Ltd and Ranogaz Company Ltd. as their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to the community.
“Today, it is my privilege to appear before you and help celebrate a major achievement in the quest to adequately protect students from the riverine areas of Lagos State.
“With the assistance of our corporate partners, A A Rano Nig. Ltd., and Ranogaz Company Ltd., 155 students have been given life jackets as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) demonstration on the part of our benefactor.
“We are pleased to announce that 155 students from various schools in Ibassa Ijegun-Egba a riverine area of Lagos benefitted from this initiative.
“These students live in Ibassa Ijegun-Egba, Satellite Town, Oriade LCDA, Lagos State, where waterways are often the primary means of transportation.
“This donation will enhance their safety as they commute daily across the rivers, ensuring that these young lives are protected as they pursue their education,” he said.
Mr Olusegun Wakili, Secretary of the Association, said the existence of the tank farms within to their community had been of major interest to youths.
“As much as the construction and operations of the tank farms have brought job opportunities and economic growth within our community, many youths sense that the relationship should be deeper and more symbiotic.
“The donation of lifejackets by some of the tank farms operators has added positive impact to the community.
“AA Rano Nig. Ltd. and Ranogaz Nig. Ltd. have always been showing commitment in terms of CSR and have always been ready to collaborate with the youth of the community.
“This gesture shows that some of the tank farm operators respect the need of the people within our community, especially in ensuring the safety of the vulnerable in the society.
“The association is urging other tank farms within these communities to emulate this gesture by extending their hands of assistance to the community,” Wakili said.
Mr Daniel Jombo, the Operation Manager, Ranogaz Nig. Ltd., Ibassa Ijegun, said the donation of the lifejackets was to ensure safety of pupils and students plying the waterways.
“Our corporate social responsibility is to ensure that all the fishermen, villagers and traders are given life jackets to ensure that their individual lives at sea is assured.
“This is just the beginning as we are going to collaborate with the youth to see what we can do to ensure that progress continues to reign as we strive towards stability,” Jombo said.
An official of AA Rano Nig Ltd. presentation a lifejacket to a student accompanied by Mr Kareem Idowu, the Chairman, Ibassa Ijegun-Egba Youth Association on Wednesday.
Addressing the students, Mr Lukuman Sanyaolu, the HSE Manager, Rano Nig. Ltd., urged the students to make best use of the jackets.
According to him, it is not about using the life jackets only but about using it properly, knowing how to handle it and taking care of it.
Elizabeth Daniel, one of the students who benefited from the initiative, said that the jackets would keep them safe on the waterways.
She commended the association and the tank farms for extending their hands to students in the riverine community through the donation of the lifejackets.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was graced by other members of the association, parents, teachers, representatives of the tank farms, and residents of the communities. (NAN)
