First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria’s leading customer centric bank, has
\nrestated its unwavering commitment to continually work with Cross River
\nState and other relevant government agencies, in the execution of the
\nannual Calabar Carnival in line with its resolve to promote culture and
\nheritage.<\/p>\n
Having come through a rich heritage of almost 120 years, the bank, since
\n2004, has continued to play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the
\nfestival.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Governor’s Masked Fete, held at Emporium B, Tinapa
\nBusiness Resort in Calabar, Saturday, Etu Effiwatt, Business Development
\nManager at FirstBank, said the banks’ rich heritage supports the promotion
\nof festivals as it strives to uphold the exquisite legacies of the
\nnation’s diverse cultures.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the carnival has transformed the state into a haven of
\npeace and multi-faceted development. “Cross River State is, creditably, a
\ndesirable destination for tourists, businessmen and investors”.<\/p>\n
According to him, the commitment of Liyel Imoke, governor of the state,
\ntowards sustaining the carnival initiative has yielded huge returns in the
\narea of tourism, foreign investment inflows, and economic development.<\/p>\n
“At FirstBank, we pride ourselves in our corporate social responsibility
\nand sponsorship initiatives which encompass the banks commitment to being
\na major contributor to the social, economic and cultural development of
\nour dear country, Nigeria beyond the provision of financial services to
\nour teeming customers”, Effiwatt said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Governor Mask Fete is a charity event designed specifically to create
\nthe much needed awareness on pneumonia. Statistics have shown that
\npneumonia is the leading cause of death in children especially in
\ndeveloping nations, killing an estimated 1.1 million children under the
\nage of five annually – more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis
\ncombined. The disease is said to be more prevalent in South Asia and
\nsub-Saharan Africa with about 156 million new pneumonia cases reported
\neach year in the developing countries. Nigeria, Africa’s most populous
\nnation, is one of the most affected countries in the world as 560, 000
\nchildren suffer from pneumonia annually. The struggle to rid the state of
\nthe scourge gave rise to the Breath of Life (BOL) initiative.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An initiative of Partnership Opportunities for Women Empowerment
\nRealisation (POWER), a non-governmental organisation founded by the wife
\nof the Cross River State Governor, BOL is looking to sensitise the public
\non simple but effective ways of protecting and preventing pneumonia
\nparticularly in children.<\/p>\n
As part of its achievement, the BOL initiative, in May 2010, facilitated
\nthe treatment of 12 under-five children diagnosed with pneumococcal
\ninfections out of the 45 children screened within 3 hours at the “Kick-out
\nPneumonia” campaign in Biase LGA. The state government has also continued
\nto mobilise funds to carry out planned BOL activities through grant
\napplications, receipt and through organisation of charity events.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One of such high-powered events is the Governor’s Masked Fete, for which
\nproceeds got to BOL. According to Imoke, the most significant drawback
\nhindering the eradication of the pneumonia scourge in the state is the
\nhigh cost of vaccinations and treatment. This prevailing situation, the
\ngovernor added, has led to high mortality rates in the country.<\/p>\n
“For instance, a vaccine cost N8, 000. So, if you wanted to vaccinate 1
\nmillion children, that would amount to N800 million”, he stated. As a
\ncountry, Imoke pointed out that Nigeria has been unable to attract the
\nright donor nations to provide requisite support funding to fight the
\ndisease. “The reasons are beyond the control of Cross River State. As a
\nstate, we are in pole position to attract the right funding.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
“But when donor nation evaluate our overall performance as a nation, then
\nwe do not meet the cut”, he added. He decried Nigeria’s inability to meet
\nminimum targets that would ensure that donor countries contribute
\nfinancially to the eradication of pneumonia. In view of this, the Cross
\nRiver State governor called for heightened awareness on protective and
\npreventive strategies against pneumonia particularly amongst the primary
\ncaregivers. FirstBank, noted for several high-level interventions in the
\narea of improving healthcare delivery, pledged its support towards
\neradicating pneumonia in the state. FirstBank Ltd, has solidified itself
\nas a brand of fortitude, strength and innovation in the Nigerian financial
\nsector since its inception in 1894.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
First Bank of Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria’s leading customer centric bank, has restated its unwavering commitment to continually work with Cross River State and other relevant government agencies, in the execution…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21136,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n