During what could best be describe as a moment of joy and relief for the people of Kano State, Non-alcoholic beverage giant, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited has inaugurated a line-up of water and education projects in Kano State as part of its commitment to secure water availability for all communities in water risk areas and create a conducive learning environment for the pupils of the state.
The projects were presented last week Thursday, August 22, 2019 at a ceremony witnessed by community members, traditional rulers and chiefs, representatives of Government agencies such as Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), National Agency for Food & Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).
L-R: Water Resources & Technologies Manager, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), Nils Deeke; Seriki Fulani Jaedanawa of Kano, Abubakar Gwadabe Buhari; Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, George Polymenakos; Group Quality, Safety & Environment Director, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), Zoltan Syposs and General Manager, Production, Kano State Water Board, Ibraheem Saad during the handover ceremony of NBC’s education and water CSR projects in Kano state recently.
Some of the projects include a refurbished Kano State Water Board Laboratory in Panshekara, Ultra-modern Water Testing equipment for the laboratory, two Tube Wells drilled and connected to the Main Water Supply Network to directly provide water to over 300,000 people around the Madobi area, a block of Classrooms and furniture donated to Medile Primary School and the provision of Water Supply to Challawa community.
In addition to these projects, the company also facilitated the training of senior managers from the Kano State Water Board on Performance Management and Team Maintenance while its technicians were trained on special HDPE Pipe Maintenance.
L-R: Group Quality, Safety & Environment Director, Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCHBC), Zoltan Syposs; Seriki Fulani Jaedanawa of Kano, Abubakar Gwadabe Buhari; Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, George Polymenakos and General Manager, Production, Kano State Water Board, Ibraheem Saad during the handover ceremony of NBC’s education and water CSR projects in Kano state recently.
Delivering his welcome remarks, the Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company, George Polymenakos, expressed his profound appreciation to the Kano State Government for their invaluable support to the Coca-Cola system over the years stressing that the delivery of these community projects comes as a fulfilment of the company’s pledged contribution to the development of the state and the nation as a whole.
Polymenakos explained that these projects would help in addressing water and other issues confronting the people of Kano while also assisting in its commitment to scale up its business operations within the state to create more jobs for the teeming youth.
L-R: Board Member, Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited, Mr. Olaolu Akinkugbe; another Board Member, Nigerian Bottling company Limited, Alhaji Ahmed Mantey; Seriki Fulani Jaedanawa of Kano, Abubakar Gwadabe Buhari and Managing Director, Nigerian Bottling Company Limited, George Polymenakos during the handover ceremony of NBC’s education and water CSR projects in Kano state recently.
“We believe that our communities are the bedrock of our business. If our communities are healthy, prosperous and sustainable, only then can our business become strong and grow. This is why we invest in viable programs such as these to develop the productive capacity of the people and drive the sustainable development of our communities”, he said.
“Education is one of the most important investments a country can make in its people and its future. In line with this, we have constructed a block of classrooms with staff office and provided furniture for pupils of Medile Primary School, Kano. This, we hope, will support government’s efforts at bringing education to the doorstep of every child,” he added.
In his own remarks, the representative of the Emir of Kano, the Seriki Fulani Jaedanawa of Kano, Abubakar Gwadabe Buhari commended NBC for its show of concern and commitment in meeting some of the important needs of communities in the state.
Buhari stressed that water projects will come as a permanent relief to many years of suffering in these communities. “As a district head, I know the sufferings of our rural communities. I must say NBC has done well in alleviating their hardship. Let me quickly add that the Emir of Kano is indeed happy with these projects given the fact that it addresses two major challenges, education and water availability in these communities” he said.
Also speaking at the handover ceremony, the representative of Managing Director of Kano State Water Board, who is the General Manager, Productions of the State Water board, Ibraheem Saad expressed gratitude to NBC for its unwavering commitment and support to bringing lasting solution to the water challenges confronting the state. According to him, the projects delivered by NBC are poised to meet the basic needs of the people of the state.
In furtherance of its goodwill to the community of Madobi, Kano, the management of NBC also announced the award of secondary school scholarships to the best 10 pupils of Medile primary school every year. The 10 successful pupils will be supported by NBC throughout their secondary school education.
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Ekuma Eze
Public Affairs and Communications Director
Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC) Limited
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