St. George’s Ambulance Foundation is set to launch a four billions naira endowment fund to mark its 18 years anniversary celebration.
The event which is scheduled to hold on Thursday, 22 September at Transcorp Hilton will witness an array of high profile personalities including the minister of interior, Rauf Aregbesola, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, the minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, the minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare among others.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Monday, the national coordinator and Vice Chairman, board of trustees of the foundation, Mr Hamzat Adams said the foundation has been setting the pace in emergency rescue in the country, hence the eminent personalities that would be gracing its eighteenth anniversary celebration and awards.
Hamzat said the foundation has been operating on a philanthropic basis without the support of the government, stressing that such organization should be encouraged with support from government.
He said, “Before now the foundation used to covered 21 states, with Lagos state, Abuja, Kogi Rivers states and a number of states.
“Regrettably, due to paucity of funds our activities have been abysimally reduced to only five or six states. In order to scale up once again our activities in other states. It has become imperative to recognize and appreciate individuals who have in one way or the other contributed to the sustainability of our work as a means of conscientising other well meaning individuals to key into this laudable humanitarian effort as the organization celebrate it’s eighteenth year anniversary/award night.
“The climax of the event will be the launch of an endowment fund to enable the general public donate and contribute towards the expansion of foundation’s activities i.e procurement of more ambulances and establish our presence across the states”.
Engr. Hamzat reiterates that the foundation has the capacity given the large number of people who are ready to, in a short notice, deploy their services to assist people in distress also at the local government level and even rescue and take care of people that cannot pay their bills.
And also, the medical centers are part of the foundation’s aims and objectives. In fact, ultra-modern emergency hospitals to be built that all kind of emergency cases can be responded to and treated instead of going abroad is part of the aims and objectives of the foundation.
“In America, when they say 911, 911 is just a central box of it, to co-ordinate. If it happens, you will see many organizations will come up, many ambulances will appear in different form. Like the 911, world trade center incident.
“So, Nigerians has witnessed disaster but they have not witnessed a major one that would make them to know because government always think that, oh if something happens in society, they are the only ones that can control it. No, they can support.
“Okay, from the first of allocation, they are supposed to have a fund facility going to the organizations that are doing this noble objective. So, they can now coordinate and advise through the consultant and so on”.
Speaking on the endowment fund he said it is intended to expand the reach of the foundation throughout the country down to the community level.