Address by Prince Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, OFR, mni, Chairman, MTN Nigeria Foundation, at the launch of MTN Foundation ‘What Can We Do Together’ Phase 2 at Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Tuesday, May 31, 2016.
On behalf of the MTN Nigeria Foundation Board of Directors, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you tothe MTN Foundation “What Can We Do Together” Nominators’ Appreciation Party herein Lagos.
This initiative was originally conceived as part of activities marking our tenth anniversary. It has now grown to become another MTN Foundation success story and we are very pleased at the way it has been embraced by the public.
Under the first phase of this initiative, we received over thirty seven thousand nominations from people seeking to help their communities in the best possible way. Following an objective and rigorous selection process, the MTN Foundation team and its partners were able to successfully complete 200 projects in 200 communities nationwide in just 5 months.
I would like to commend the Executive Secretary and the MTN Foundation team for their passion and dedication, and for ensuring that all these projects were completed within the shortest possible time.
Behind every completed project lies a story of real people, real communities and real needs.
For instance, Alaguntan CDA community in Alimosho Local Government area in Lagos State, was in need of electricity,having been in darkness for months. One of the residents, Olanrewaju Ogundeyi, heard of the What Can We Do Together initiative and decided to take matters into his own hands. He nominated his community for a transformer. Today, that community is one of 20 communities that have received a fully functional 500KVA transformer.
In Osun State, the residents of Igbalaye/Olayiwolacommunity in OsogboLocal Government area were in great need of clean drinking water to reduce the growing cases of waterborne diseases.
One of the indigenes – Olanrewaju Oladosu– heard about the ‘WhatCanWeDoTogether’ initiative on radio and he quickly nominated his community. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, Igbalaye/Olayiwola community is one of the 20 communities where a borehole was constructed with a 500-litre overhead tank and 10 KVA Generator provided.
Ladies and Gentlemen, for their partnership and trust, I would like to ask that you join me in giving a big round of applause to celebrate all the nominators.
There are many more examples across the country, and they speak to our desire to be a brand that cares; one that is committed to empowering our communities in ways that improve the quality of life of the residents.
Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, it would interest you to know that the Phase 2 of this exciting initiative is already under way.
So I urge you to nominate a community today: Send ‘MTN Foundation’ via SMS to 321. The SMS is FREE!
At the MTN Foundation, we remain committed to improving the quality of life in our communities. Indeed, since inception, the MTN Foundation has invested over N18 billion to execute various projects in 550 locations across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria.
In conclusion, I would like to thank all MTN customers whose patronage forms the bedrock of the financial support we receive from MTN Nigeria.
Every MTN customer rightly deserves credit for all that the Foundation has achieved and they can all look upon this Foundation with a sense of pride.
I also thank members of the media for your unending support for all our activities.
Finally, I thank everyone present here today, for taking the time to be here. I wish you all a safe journey back to your respective destinations.
Thank you for your attention.
