Visafone lifts 200 Okada riders

Visafone flagged off its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative at the Victoria Island Bar Beach last weekend with the presentation of some helmets and reflected jackets to some Okada riders.

According to Tolulope Ogunlesi of the Corporate Communications at Visafone, the event witnessed the presentation of over 200 protective helmets and reflective jackets to Okada riders drawn from Victoria Island – Law school and Eko Hotel Roundabout units.

Working in conjunction with Arrive Alive, an NGO committed to ensuring the safety of motorists and road users across Nigeria, the Visafone official said it launched the initiative as a means of contributing to the safety of road users as well as cushioning the traumatic head injuries suffered by okada drivers who usually drive without helmets while also providing reflective jackets for night time operations.

Speaking at the event, Mr. Chike Nwaka, Zonal Commanding Officer, Zone II Head Quarters of the FRSC who was represented by Assistant Corps Commander, Mr. M. L Abdullahi commended Visafone for the initiative which he called a “timely and worthwhile venture that will reduce fatalities on our roads and protect the lives of both okada riders and their passengers.”

Explaining the rationale behind the CSR initiative, Visafone, Head, Communications at Visafone, Mr. Toni Kan Onwordi said Visafone has and will always “look beyond the bottom line as a responsible corporate citizen. As a wholly Nigerian owned company, we are committed not just to ensuring that Nigerians experience the joy of communication through our services, we also want them to experience a better quality of life by empowering them economically and ensuring safety of lives on our roads.”

According to the company, the Bar Beach event is a pilot scheme and will be replicated across the state and country in due course.

ITRealms Online recalls that the emerging leader in the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) operators in the country, Visafone Communications Limited, rolled out in the ancient city of Kano.

Head, Corporate Communications, Visafone Limited, Mr. Toni Kan, said that Kano has joined the growing list of cities enjoying Visafone passport to connect the world.
During the launch, he said, the management team of the telco paid a courtesy visit to the Emir of Kano.

The team led by the Northern Regional Head, Visafone, Mr. Taiwo Ogunkanmi, said the launch was on the heels of a test-run recently concluded in the city by the telco.
He also told the Emir that Visafone’s strategies are aimed at ensuring that Kano experiences to the fullest the joy of communications for which the company is known for.

While expressing gratitude to the monarch, Ogunkanmi said, Visafone was in Kano to help speed up economic growth and human capacity development.

Responding, the Emir of Kano said, he was aware of the company’s emergence and entrance into Kano as well as the progress the company was already making.
He promised to offer the company “any assistance you may require in Kano.”

In another development, plans are already in top gear for Visafone’s commencement of operations in the city of Zaria.

This launch is coming at a time the company is intensifying its resolve to cover the entire country with its network.

Mr. Kan, added “we are spreading the joy of communication to Zaria in fulfillment of our pledge to offer Nigerians a passport to reach the world. Zaria is strategic because it is a university town and Visafone is a very youth-centric brand.”
He recalled that Visafone launched commercial operations on February 22, 2008 in 12 states and over 100 cities.

The company has since grown its coverage area to 16 states and over 150 cities in the past 3 months in fulfillment of its promise to provide Nigerians with a veritable “passport to reach the world.”


ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D