Eight years after
instituting its corporate social responsibility project, a Lagos agency,
X3M Ideas, has consistently used it to galvanise support for societal
development. Raheem Akingbolu reports.
The place of corporate social
responsibility in business was recently revisited in Lagos when a
creative agency – X3M Ideas, inaugurated a significant project to help
pupils battle the enduring coronavirus which has kept them away from
their school for months.
Top government functionaries in Lagos
and some players in the business community, who witnessed the handing
over of wash hand station facility and Glo MiFi internet modems with
unlimited data, to Opebi Senior High School, Opebi – Ikeja, Lagos to
further combat the dreaded Covid-19 and safeguard the health of the
students’ population, took turn to deepen discussions around CSR
concept.
Since the year 2012, when X3M Ideas,
commemorated its first anniversary with a unique art of giving by
renovating and handing over a well-equipped block of five classrooms at
Opebi Junior High School, the agency has continued to build on the
achievement. Last year, the agency handed over a renovated Block 4
Building, housing the new state-of-the-art library facility, counseling
centre and the sick bay of Agidingbi Junior Grammar school Ikeja, as its
2019 corporate social responsibility (CSR) project.
Last week, the Chief Executive Officer,
X3M Ideas, Steve Babaeko, again led his team to join officials of the
Lagos State Government to roll out the drum again to inaugurate a first
of kind disinfectant tunnel for students of Opebi Senior High School.
The donation which is largely seen to
complement the efforts of government and especially, the Lagos State
government led by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in their combat against
the ravaging Coronavirus, will help to further enhance the COVID-19
prevention protocols especially in the area of hand washing and general
hygiene of the young students and also provide them access to
information and education on the pandemic.
The facility, located the entrance to
the Opebi school complex which houses the Opebi Junior School and the
Senior High School, is a well-secured, special clear-view panel fence
solution where the beneficiary community can walk through the
disinfectant tunnel to before assessing the school. It also allows for
free airflow with good headroom to give an appealing ambiance.
The tunnel measures 5.5meters x 16
meters, fixed with 10 wash handstands, automatic liquid soap and hand
sanitizer decanters 10 apiece. The walk-through area is equipped with
two digital thermometers. All equipment is self operational to avoid
human contamination.
While cutting the tape to declare the
project open for the service of humanity, the Executive Chairman, Lagos
State Universal Basic Education Board (LASUBEB), Hon Wahab Alawiye-King ,
commended Steve Babaeko of X3M Ideas and his team for providing the
facility, noting that its inauguration was timely, considering the
global crisis and its importance in the school environment and in the
lives of the students.
Alawiye-King who chaired theevent said:
“We know what COVID-19 has done throughout the world and we are to adapt
to the new normal and part of the new normal is what we are here to
commission today.
Commending the agency’s consistent ‘good
works”, the SUBEB chairman noted, “You could have taken it to another
school but you chose this school, it shows you are a community inclined
organisation and we call on others to emulate you act of good works.
“Education is a social good and as such, government alone cannot do all
that needed to be done and that is why we call on organisations to help
us”
Earlier, in her welcome address, an
elated Principal of the school, Mrs. Olugbewesa Kofoworola while
thanking the donor of the facility, a company she noted has consistently
supported the efforts of the Lagos State government, disclosed that X3M
Ideas has brought a world-class facility to her school and “we hope to
maintain it by the grace of God.”
She said: “Our proactive governor is
working so hard to combat COVID-19 and this facility will complement
efforts in curbing the pandemic. It’s coming at the time it’s needed the
most, adding that the hygiene standard of the students and the school,
in general, will be really high from now on. “The facility has brought
Opebi Senior Grammar School from obscurity to limelight and rebranded
and elevated it to international school standard.
“You have added colour to our school, we
are now the pacesetter, thank you for making Opebi Senior Grammar
School your choice, I am happy you made my school to be chosen”, she
added.
Making his remark, Babaeko lauded the
Governor Sanwo-Olu, and his team in the education ministry for always
allowing the creative company to partner with the government annually.
“This is our 8th year in business and every year, we would always come
back to renovate part of a public school in Lagos and handover to them.
According to the X3M Ideas’ CEO, the
company built the hand washing system for the students because they
represent the future of this great state. “This year, in view of
COVID-19, it becomes imperative to create the hand-washing station just
to continue to maintain the high level of hygiene among the students, to
protect them and to protect ourselves to ensure that we help flatten
the COVID-19 curve and make sure all the wonderful health workers who
have put in the time to help manage the crisis don’t have to do more
work”.
He noted that the Glo MiFi internet modems were donated to help the
students and their teachers keep abreast of the latest COVID-19 news and
also help in their academic pursuit.
Corroborating the position of the SUBEB
Chairman, Babaeko also enjoined other corporate citizens to pick up a
public school and support them in whatever capacity possible. “I am a
product of public school as well, so I understand how it is, students in
publics school have to be supported with facilities they need to be
successful Nigerians”
A representative of the students
community, Fatima Mustapha who sees the X3M Ideas’ 2020 CSR project as
wonderful, said it was very important to the students’ population at
this period of coronavirus, as they needed to remain healthy and wash
their hands regularly. “This will be very useful even after the pandemic
and we promise to make judicious use of the facility and keep it in
good shape. We pray that God will uplift the donor, X3M Ideas” Mustapha
said.
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