The Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, has called for stronger partnerships between government, private investors and host communities to accelerate development, following the airline’s donation of a community health centre, a solar-powered borehole and a perimeter fence to Aso-Ayegunle, Ijan-Ekiti, Ekiti State.
Okonkwo made the call on Monday during the commissioning of the projects, explaining that the intervention was part of the airline’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to improve the welfare of communities around the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport. He said the company wanted residents to benefit directly from the economic opportunities created by the airport.
The airline chairman said the decision to provide the facilities followed the company’s annual retreat in Ekiti State, where he felt inspired to make a lasting contribution to the host community. According to him, the airline consulted relevant stakeholders to identify the community’s needs before deciding to construct the health centre and provide the solar-powered borehole. “The Holy Spirit taught me that it was not enough to finish our retreat and leave; we should leave a mark here,” he said.
Okonkwo commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for supporting the airline’s operations in Ekiti, describing the state government’s cooperation as important to attracting private investment. He said the airline also ensured that members of the host community participated in the construction work, with about 90 per cent of the jobs reportedly handled by local residents.
He further pledged to accelerate plans to develop air cargo services at the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport to support the transportation of agricultural produce to wider markets. “Cargo for agricultural products is very important to this state. We are going to hasten and facilitate our process of developing our cargo wing to ensure that we serve Ekiti State,” Okonkwo said, assuring residents that the airline would consider further development initiatives.
Speaking at the event, Governor Oyebanji thanked the airline’s management for the investment, describing the project as a demonstration of the benefits of public-private partnerships. He said the health centre complemented his administration’s efforts to expand access to primary healthcare, noting that about 180 health centres had been rehabilitated, remodelled or newly constructed across the state in the preceding four years.
Oyebanji promised to equip the facility with the necessary medical equipment, personnel and consumables to ensure effective healthcare delivery. “A building alone does not treat, and it does not heal. I therefore charge the community to take ownership and use it well,” the governor said, urging residents to patronise the centre for prompt and accessible medical services.
The governor also called on traditional rulers and community members to cooperate with the government and investors to attract more development projects to their areas. He stressed that communities around the airport should benefit from its economic activities, adding that the government would continue to encourage investments capable of creating jobs and improving livelihoods.
The Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adeyemo Adejugbe Aladesanmi III, commended Okonkwo and United Nigeria Airlines for the intervention and urged residents to protect and maintain the facilities. The monarch also called on prominent Ekiti indigenes to invest in the state, saying community development required collective commitment from government, businesses and individuals.
Residents of Aso-Ayegunle expressed delight over the donation, describing the health centre as a welcome development that would bring essential healthcare services closer to their homes. They said the facility would reduce the difficulties associated with travelling to access medical attention, particularly for pregnant women, nursing mothers, children and other residents requiring urgent care. The community also welcomed the solar-powered borehole as an important addition to local infrastructure, expressing hope that the projects would improve their living conditions and support the community’s development.
The state Head of Service, Dr Folakemi Olomojobi, said the health centre would improve access to maternal and child healthcare, immunisation and other essential medical services. She emphasised the need to provide adequate medical personnel and equipment to complement the infrastructure, while the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Honourable Oyeniyi, described the commissioning as an important milestone for the state and commended the airline for its contribution to community development.