April 15, 2020
PTG-hld, through Leaf Tobacco and Commodities Nigeria Ltd (LTCN), has joined the battle against Covid19 in Nigeria. LTCN already has a long and distinctive history of CSR partnerships with the Kaduna State government, in the field of education and water access. This time, the company decided to aim its CSR contribution to the statewide battle against Covid19.
On April 15, 2020, LTCN handed over its contribution to the Kaduna State Government, Nigeria. To the visible amazement of the receiving officials who included high ranking state government officials and personnel under the Commissioner of Health, the items handed over ended up being the largest contribution to the state’s COVID-19 fight to date.
Leading the government team at the State House to receive LTCN’s contributions was SSG Balarabe Abbas Lawal and the Permanent Secretary for Special Duties. The contributions included food and medical equipment like PCR machines, ventilators and X-ray machines. More food contribution would be sent the following week to the company’s immediate community in Gbakura.
Reacting to the donation, SSG Balarabe Abbas Lawal revealed that it was the single largest donation made to aid the state relief efforts to date. Going further he said.
“The Kaduna State Government does not have enough words to say thank you. This donation shows that you are good partners in business. As you know, there is no state government that can do everything. On our own end, the governor has approved millions of naira that we have used to purchase relief items, and we have distributed them – and yet it’s like we have not done anything, due to the size of the population affected. CSR gestures like this will go a very long way in assisting the government of Kaduna State. We appreciate your efforts and we can only thank you very much.”
The Kaduna government promised the LTCN team that the relief items would be distributed to those who need them most, such as those whose daily incomes have been impacted. The Kaduna government also assured the LTCN team that it would ensure that the medical equipment would be deployed immediately to the ICUs where they were needed.
PTG’s contribution to Nigeria’s battle against Covid19 is timely. As of April 22, 2020, 782 Nigerians were infected, against 25 deaths, and 197 recovered. Meanwhile, PTG continues to join government leaders to battle Covid19 in countries where it does business.