MTN Beyond call of duty takes off

GLOBAL system for Mobile Communications (GSM) giant, MTN Nigeria, has flagged off this year’s edition of Y’ello Care for 21 days across the federation from June 4 with the theme: Beyond the call of duty… because we care.

Speaking at the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer of the telco, Mr. Ahmad Farroukh, said MTN is about people, adding that “the services we provide cut across all aspects of our lives, including work, play and rest. Our services empower people with knowledge and information and also help to bring people, including families, friends and communities closer.

Mr. Farroukh also said the 21 days of Y’ello care programme is about MTN people who have individually and collectively chosen to sacrifice their time, energies and expertise in order to add more value to the community.

He said this year, every member of staff would be taking part in various community-based activities classified under two main groups: Business Transformers and Share and Care.

According to him, under the Business Transformers group, MTN professionals in such areas as Information Technology (IT), finance, accounting, management and marketing communications, among others, will share their expertise with their counterparts in select small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) across the nation. While under the Share and Care, he said staff would volunteer their time and resources to connect and share with the less privileged.

Speaking earlier, Corporate Services Executive, Mrs. Amina Oyagbola, said corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an integral part of MTN’s business strategy.

She said the 21 Days of Y’ello care programme captures the telco’s vision of demonstrating social responsiveness and leadership wherever it operates in the 21 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Oyagbola added that the programme is a process in which they will dedicate their time, skills and expertise giving back to their community and the society at large.

Beneficiaries of this programme, she noted would include charity homes, homes for the elderly, physically challenged among others.

According to Mrs. Oyagbola, MTN remains the only organization in the telecoms industry that sets aside a percentage – which amounts to over N2 billion – of its earnings annually to corporate social investment, stating that this year’s event would seek to improve on the performance of the previous years.

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