As part of its Social Responsibility programme, the Nigeria Society of Engineers Victoria Island Branch under the leadership of Engr John Audu embarked on advocacy to sensitive the public on the preventive measures against the COVID-19 Pandemic.
The Branch also use the opportunity to donate cash and some materials to members of public as part of efforts to mitigate the effect of the lockdown on the people.
The Branch, tagged the “Branch that make a difference” indeed live up to its name as it leadership procured and distributed 500 bottles of hand Sanitisers to security operatives who are enforcing the lockdown on major roads and highways.
The gesture was a part of the efforts at supporting the officers who are protecting us as they man various checkpoints and locations which ultimately expose them have contact with various persons and put them at risk have contact to a Coronavirus carrier. The use of hand Sanitisers before and after each contact can help reduce the spread of such.
The Branch distributed the materials among security officers spotted along Victoria Island – Lekki – Epe expressway, Akin Adesola – Falomo bridge, and Adeniji interchange of the 3rd Mainland bridge.
On another front, hand sanitisers were given to security operatives at GTB Headquarters ATM gallery at Adeyemo Alakija Street Victoria Island. The officers both armed and unarmed showed appreciation to Victoria Island Engineers for the kind gesture and thoughtfulness.
In another outing, a few market women at Oyingbo Market also received hand sanitisers, although some of them did not know what a hand sanitiser was or how it helps to prevent the spread of Coronavirus to which the engineers used the opportunity to educate them.
Upon the extension of the COVID-19 social distancing lockdown period by another fourteen (14) days, the Engr John Audu led Executive Committee decided to implement a cash palliative for her most vulnerable members – youths and SMEs. The NSE-VI COVID-19 Palliative Scheme aims to credit five thousand naira (N5,000) to account numbers of interested members. It is implemented as a first come first serve programme that targets up to fifty members of the Branch. In this scheme, the Engineers who are interested in receiving the token indicated through an online registration process or send an SMS to a specified contact number. The social intervention programme is in line with the Enhanced Welfare Initiative of the Branch.
Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) Victoria Island Branch (NSE-VI) has always shown concern for the general public and her members by being proactive in major socially responsible programmes that benefit the community. Only recently, the Branch implemented her Adopt-a-University programme by awarding a Five Hundred Thousand (N500,000) endowment fund at Lagos State University (LASU) Engineering Faculty in Epe, Lagos State. The branch also set up an Innovation Fund, dubbed NIF, which has targets to pool Twenty-Five Million Naira (N25,000,000) through members and corporate organisations within the Victoria Island branch coverage area. The engineering body intends to spend the innovation fund towards developing products that solves local Nigerian challenges.
What is more, the Branch is repairing damaged furniture at LASU Engineering Faculty lecture halls, as part of its commitment to education.
Other programmes towards contributing to the community include public symposiums held to address Electricity, Traffic Congestion, and Housing Deficit and another on Lagos traffic challenge.