- Partners FMC Abuja for cardiac medical intervention to save children
Leading engineering construction company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, has declared the multi-dimensional support given it by Nigerian media as responsible for the overwhelming positive public goodwill the organization enjoyed in the outgoing year.
The company’s Director, Administration, Alhaji Zubairu Ibrahim Bayi who made the declaration during the end of year media parley of the company in Utako Abuja said, “I wish to once again place on record your tremendous assistance in so graciously publishing and giving eloquent voice and distinctive vision to our company’s business and social activities since the year began till now.”
According to him, “the shared interests in each other’s developmental work and pursuit made it possible,” adding, “while some of our satisfied and enthusiastic clients and understandably impressed Nigerians could say, the landmark quality project delivery record of the company is responsible for the effective media reportage on Julius Berger projects and general operations across its subsidiaries, an outstanding and evident truth, however, is that our company’s contractual dedication, our commanding engineering and project management quality and our unmatched reliability in project delivery time, could not have publicized themselves without the active cooperation of you, our great media partners, correspondents, bureau chiefs, editors and publishers.”
Bayi further said the company owes the foregoing positive development to the irreducible and highly valued understanding and cooperation of the media practitioners, adding, “I can confidently, even proudly say, Julius Berger is about the most widely and positively reported engineering construction company in Nigeria today.”
He spoke on the idea of the company hosting the annual media parley saying that it is borne out of the company’s sincere desire to get to relate with media partners at a closer range deliberately removed from official communication channels.
Bayi added that a strategy like the annual parley easily activates a warmer comradeship and camaraderie that further consolidates a healthy relationship, thus creating for both the media and Julius Berger an ever progressive mutual understanding that continues to oil the good and worthy bond already established in active and enlightened furtherance of Nigeria’s national development agenda.
Moving forward, Bayi said, “In the context of Julius Berger’s very healthy relationship with the press, a cursory look into the future indicates a lot of unending possibilities and opportunities that endure to a renewed hope,” even as he expressed the hope to work with the media partners on a stronger scale than ever before, “as we together aspire for greater cooperation and a more productive and rewarding future and country.”
Institutional and individual media practitioners at the event were clearly appreciative of the efforts of Julius Berger in relating with the press even as they pledged to continue to oil the wheel of progressive relationship with the company.
The national Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Shuaibu Usman Leman, who represented the NUJ President, Chris Isiguzo, and delivered the goodwill message of the NUJ at the event, said, “For us in the NUJ, this parley is a welcome development seen as a very creative and working strategy. It is an integral part of your approach towards meaningfully improving the relationship between Julius Berger and the larger society using the media.”
Leman called the Julius Berger annual media parley “a strategy geared towards building a stronger synergy between the press, Nigerians and the company for the development of Nigeria, adding that “the idea and implementation of the Julius Berger media parley serves to amplify the serious efforts of the company in contributing to harmonious social engagement for a more informed, peaceful and progressive society within the developmental aspirations of ‘Project Nigeria.
“We appreciate Julius Berger for the invitation and we urge the company to continue to uphold the high professional standards and premium quality of work that it is known for.”
While delivering the goodwill message from the Executive Management of the Nigerian Television Authority, the Director, News, Hajiya Halima Musa, celebrated Julius Berger as having, by the company’s annual media parley, created a veritable ‘Meeting Point’ for busy media practitioners who for the most time do not socialize with each other to engage outside of their hectic and sometimes all-engaging schedules.
She thanked the Executive Management of Julius Berger, urging journalists to give meaningful coverage to Julius Berger’s works and social activities even as she urged for transparency and accountability.
The Executive Director of Leadership newspaper, Christian Ochiama, also thanked the company for its proactive media engagement policy and prayed for the continuing success of Julius Berger.
The Lagos event had the company’s Head of Media Relations, Prince Moses Duku delivering the address of the Executive Management to the media practitioners and executives.
Wole Olajide of Stockswatch magazine summed up the views of the media in Lagos thus, “In fairness to the company, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has contributed a lot to the quality delivery of notable infrastructures in this country. As critical as the Nigerian press is, I do not see any dissenting voice coming up against the popular viewpoint that Julius Berger Nigeria is central to Nigeria’s infrastructural development in all ramifications. We very objectively hail Julius Berger that has guaranteed quality and timely delivery of critical infrastructures in the land.”
Olajide further said, “Also, I must not fail to mention that this innovative annual end-of-year Julius Berger Management/Media parley event has continued to assist a very transparent, mutually respectful and helpful relationship between the very independent Nigerian press and the company. It is worth emulating by other serious corporate brands in the country. But we understand; Julius Berger is the sector’s leading brand.”
Also present from Julius Berger at the Lagos event were Project Coordinator, Lagos-Sagamu Expressway, Engr. Fatima Kosemani, Senior Executive, Strategic Business Development, Mrs. Ndifreke Ukochio as well as other staff of the engineering construction company including Emmanuel Isibor, Mobolaji Ogunyemi, Kelly Idemudia, Teniola Oladapo and Peace Onuoha.
Partners FMC, Abuja for cardiac medical intervention to save children
Meanwhile, Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, within its corporate social responsibility policy, has in a compassionate intervention for the second time, partnered with the Federal Medical Centre Abuja for a Cardiac Surgery Mission to provide care to patients who could not otherwise afford the sensitive medical procedure.
In an earlier intervention and assistance by Julius Berger in June of this year, the company funded the same cardiac surgical procedure for five patients; children whose ages ranged from 10 months, 18 months, 2 years to 12 years.
Financial expenditure per patient in the Julius Berger sponsored operations last June included hospital admission and investigations, operation consumables and anesthesia drugs, intensive care unit fee, and post-operation drugs.
For the second tranche of the Julius Berger sponsored cardiac surgical interventions to save children’s lives at the Federal Medical Centre Abuja, a list of seven children aged between 12 months, 15 months, 17 months, 18 months, 2 years, 4years, and 6 years with a diagnosis of per membranous VSD has been made.
The Federal Medical Centre Abuja said the high cost for the surgical procedure per patient derives from the recent increase in the cost of cardiac surgery consumables.
Thus, there was the need for collaboration with Julius Berger to help the children with financial assistance to save and preserve their lives.
According to a statement by the Management of the Federal Medical Centre Abuja, “We would like to use this opportunity to appreciate this partnership gesture (from Julius Berger Nigeria Plc), while we look forward to more partnerships and collaboration as we still have a large number of pediatric cases with heart conditions who cannot afford it.”
The Chief Risk Officer of Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, Mrs. Mustapha Shakira, said the company “places great premium on life and would remain proactive in its CSR initiatives, particularly to sustainably protect and preserve lives in our operational communities. Children, we also recognize, are the future of our society. Therefore, within our sustainability policy at Julius Berger, we are privileged and feel honoured to partner with the FMC to save the lives of the children.”
