A Private Sector driven humanitarian organization, the Victims Support Fund has donated a UN standard elevator to the Federal Ministry of health.
The gesture is coming after about 20 years of lack of safe and functional elevators at the ministry, located at the federal secretariat in Abuja.
Presenting the elevator at a ceremony in Abuja, the Chairperson of the Victims Support Fund Taskforce on COVID-19, Mrs. Toyesi Akerele-Ogunsiji on behalf of the Chairman of the VSF, retired Lieutenant General Theophilus Danjuma said, a one-year maintenance package was also attached to the gesture.
She explained that the elevator was provided to enhance the activities of the ministry, being the lead ministry in combating COVID19 in the country.
According to Mrs. Akerele-Ogunsiji, a uninterruptible power supply (UPS) has also been provided for nonstop operation of the elevator even during power outage.
She said the task force had covered 29 states of the Federation and the FCT in its humanitarian mission to assuage the impact of insurgency and the COVID19 pandemic.
Mrs. Akerele-Ogunsiji hinted that the 4th phase of the humanitarian intervention programme was billed to commence soon, for the remaining 7 states to benefit.
She stated that hundreds of schools, hospitals, IDP camps, and other life-touching organisations had benefited from the outreach of the VSF.
Responding to the gesture, the minister of health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire expressed gratitude to the VSF for solving one of its main challenges at the ministry by installing an elevator.
The minister noted that, before now, holding conferences on the sixth floor of the ministry was very challenging, but the elevator donated by the VSF had solved the problem.
Dr. Ehanire advised that, to maintain social distancing, the elevator designed to accommodate 13 persons should only take 6.
The minister urged users to ensure proper maintenance of the elevator to serve its purpose.
He also thanked the VSF for supporting the ministry in developing the national COVID19 response action plan which he said was undergoing review to confirm with emerging realities on the disease.
The VSF Taskforce on COVID-19 had presented items including computers to the ministry, to enhance its activities aimed at containing COVID19.
Reporting by Tersoo Zamber, editing by Daniel Adejo.