President Muhammadu Buhari said he has become the “envy of many presidents of the world” due to how Nigeria’s private sector constantly works together for the public good.
President Buhari said this on Wednesday while presenting the military and the Nigeria Police Force with security equipment worth more than N12 billion at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The equipment was donated by the Coalition of Private Sector Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), a group of prominent Nigerian businessmen that also pooled N40 billion to fight COVID-19 throughout the nation.
The moving forces behind CACOVID include Aliko Dangote, Folorunsho Alakija, Tony Elumelu, Segun Agbaje, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Femi Otedola, Adesola Adeduntan, Karl Toriola, Haresh Aswani, Raji Gupta and John Coumantaros.
While speaking at the event, President Buhari said: “Ladies and gentlemen. Today is indeed a very happy day for all Nigerians, and I can happily say that I am the envy of many Presidents in the world”, according to a statement from his Special Advisor on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina.
The president continued: “I am exceedingly honored to be the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, at this time.
“I am gratified to have the honor of leading a country whose private sector willingly galvanizes itself to raise funds to enthusiastically support the government in resolving social ills.
“I am proud to say that there is nowhere in the entire world, except in Nigeria, where the private sector has voluntarily come together to assist government efforts.
“President Buhari, on behalf of all Nigerians, thanked members of CACOVID, its leadership team, and the technical committee, for their support and patriotism.
“This final gesture from CACOVID as you wind down your activities is equally very important.
“Thank you for supporting our administration’s efforts to strengthen the police and military as we face the security challenges that all modern nations face.
“These 350 vehicles and thousands of vests and helmets you are handing over today will go a long way in boosting the capacity of our forces.”
However, Aliko Dangote and the other members of his CACOVID team handing over their donations to President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.
The following cutting-edge security tools and vehicles have been purchased for use by law enforcement outfits in Abuja and Lagos:
100 Tata 14-ton trucks, 100 Tata 12-ton trucks, 106 Toyota vans, 64 Nissan Navara vans, 13,000 bulletproof vests, 26,000 ballistic plates, and 13,000 ballistic helmets are all part of the fleet.
In his remarks, Dangote said the CACOVID team used N82 billion to support the delivery and distribution of vaccines, donate oxygen and tanks to the hardest-hit states, and support the reopening of the economy by providing a travel portal, IT, airport scanners, and personal protection equipment (PPE), among other things.
“For the last two years, the leadership team met every week, mobilized others in the private sector, and were able to raise N82 billion to provide 39 fully kitted isolation centers, testing supplies for almost 1 million tests, and food for 10 million vulnerable individuals across the country,” he added.
