In line with its long-standing commitment to support its stakeholders and communities, the Nigerian Bottling Company Limited has donated a newly built a block of classrooms to LEA Primary School in Karon Magiji, Abuja.
Speaking during the formal handover of the tastefully finished blocks, the District Head, Chief Yunusa Bako Abdullahi, commended the gesture by the foremost Consumer Packaged Goods company and bottlers of Coca-Cola products in Nigeria, saying the community would continue to cherish the support.
Abdullahi said: “What NBC has done for LEA Primary school is very commendable, particularly because building a decent learning environment for our pupils had been a major challenge for us.
“We consider this a major investment in the future of our children, the leaders of tomorrow.”
Similarly, the Headmistress of the school, bigael Eulus, described the new classroom blocks as a major relief for the pupils who, hitherto, had been learning in overcrowded classrooms.
Eulus said: “We are very happy with the new classrooms.
“The children are a lot happier, and understandably so.
“Before now, many of them had to share a desk or write on their laps.
“This had made learning pretty difficult for them.
“So, you can understand why we are so happy with this support from NBC.
“God will bless NBC for this.”
Public Affairs and Communications Director, Nigerian Bottling Company, Ekuma Eze, said over the years the Coke System in Nigeria, comprising NBC and The Coca-Cola Company, has continued to lead the charge in private sector contributions towards education and human capital development, doing so through a wide range of interventions.
Eze said: “According to the United Nations, ‘Education enables upward socioeconomic mobility and is a key to escaping poverty.’
“As a good corporate citizen, we also believe that a community’s level of development reflects the extent and quality of education of its people.
“This gesture underscores our commitment to supporting our communities and people to build a sustainable, secure and rewarding future.
“With Nigeria accounting for nearly 20 per cent of the total out-of-school children in the world, critical interventions in education, particularly by the private sector, would be important to secure the future of the country’s children.
“Over the years, we have taken the responsibility to make support educational advancement and youth development in Nigeria, as seen from our various educational development programs across the country, such as the Nigeria Business League for Youths, which we are pioneer members of, and the Youth Empowered programme.”
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