Date: 2017-03-14

GSM provider, Etisalat has trained no fewer than 10 waste management officials in demonstration of its commitment to community development and environmental preservation.

The firm also donated waste disposal bins and other ancillary items to Adewole-Adeta community in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.

Etisalat affirmed this during the launch of its Community Sanitation Support Programme (CSSP) in Ilorin, in conjunction with HEDA Resource Centre and the Kwara State Government as part of the company's continued efforts to promote community health and environmental preservation across Nigeria.

Speaking at the event Head, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Mohammed Suleh-Yusuf said the key objective of the CSSP initiative was to promote the culture of hygiene and environmental preservation among residents of the state so they can continue to live healthier lives and be more productive at all times.

He said, "Through our CSSP initiative, Etisalat is not just providing sanitation support to communities; we are empowering Nigerians to understand the benefits of maintaining a clean environment. This is why we have gone the extra mile by training 10 young people as waste.

management champions in Adewole-Adeta community, and also providing them with the equipment to function. We also provided them with phone lines and airtime so they can reach out to one another and provide feedback on their progress from time to time."

Commending Etisalat Nigeria for the CSSP initiative, Kwara State Commissioner for Environment, Otunba Taiwo Johnson, who was represented by the Deputy Director on Environment, Gabriel Towoju, enjoined other private sector companies to emulate the telco by being more committed to the environment. "This is laudable, and I encourage others to join hands with government in promoting clean and healthy environment. Through effective synergy, we will all ensure our society is in perfect state of harmony with nature where all of us live together peacefully," he said.

Coordinator, HEDA Resource Centre, Sulaiman Arigbabu, stated that the non-governmental organization (NGO) partnered with Etisalat to promote community health and environmental preservation at the grassroots across Nigeria because poor sanitation and unsafe environment can cause illness thereby affecting people's productivity.

"The prosperity of communities is linked with people's productivity, and there is a linkage between how healthy the people are in carrying out their daily activities. Toa large extent, the state of health of the people is linked to the sanitary condition and well-being of the environment", he noted.