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Heritage Bank Joins Forces With Gail Sickle Initiative To Rescue Sickle Cell Patients

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Heritage Bank Plc has upped the ante of its support in the corporate social responsibility space by joining forces with Gail Sickle Initiative to rescue people living with sickle cell anemia.

The partnership with Gail Sickle Initiative, a non-profit organization, according to the Executive Director, Heritage Bank, Osepiribo Ben-Willie with its back-to-school project support, is to ameliorate the burden of sickle cell persons in Nigeria and to ensure that all affected persons live normal pain-free lives.

She stated it has become of concern to Heritage Bank to help alleviate the burden as over a 40million Nigerians are healthy carriers of the sickle cell gene, whilst 150, 000 children are born with the disorder. This, according to her, is by far the largest burden of sickle cell disorder around the world, especially in Nigeria and most of these children die in childhood from lack of access to early diagnosis and proper care.

“In Heritage Bank, health is a priority, that is why we want to continue partnering and supporting the NGO, Gail Sickle Initiative on welfare support, early detection and improved treatment and proper care,” she said.

Ben-Willie further affirmed that said that Heritage Bank in partnership with Gail Sickle Initiative is synergizing to create significant awareness and support for individuals affected by the disease.

Speaking at an event, the convener of Gail Sickle Initiative, Oluwafemi Ajayi, disclosed that with the support from Heritage Bank, the NGO has gone beyond its support to her members whom she refers to as winning warriors, to supporting and donating to people living with the sickle cell disease across the country.

According to her, as an organization that supplies supplements to winning warriors, the Gail Sickle Initiative partnered with Heritage Bank and with the funds provided went beyond the organisations’ members and reached out to other winning warriors who have no parental support and to those in various hospital to give them supplements and offset the bill of some who were unable to pay their bills.

Ajayi further stated that Sickle Cell disorder poses various challenges to the carriers like health challenges, stigmatization, and economic challenge amongst others.

According to her, the Gail Sickle Initiative focused on how to cover every aspect of these challenges by birthing the Sicklepreneur, this aids the warriors to be trained so they can acquire relevant skills and equip themselves to be independent. Therefore, apart from trying to eradicate sickle cell disease, they ensure that the stigmatization label on the warriors does not result in depression for them.

She encouraged other corporate organizations to learn from Heritage Bank’s sterling example to the winning warriors by supporting the initiative and further contributed to the back-to-school project with relevant items donated.

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BREAKING: Remains Of Late President Buhari Arrives In Katsina [VIDEO]

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The body of former President Muhammadu Buhari has reached Katsina State for his official burial ceremony.

Contrary to the initially scheduled arrival time, the former president’s remains landed at exactly 1:59 pm, shortly after President Bola Tinubu arrived.

The aircraft carrying Buhari’s remains landed at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua International Airport, where President Tinubu was expected to receive it before it would be transported to Daura for the burial.

Members of Buhari’s family also arrived at the airport, including the visibly emotional former First Lady, Aisha Buhari, who was seen among the crowd.

Aisha Buhari and her children, all dressed in black, were accompanied by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.

Contrary to earlier reports suggesting the body would be flown in as cargo, Buhari’s remains arrived aboard the presidential jet, which also carried his family and a delegation led by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

 

More to come…

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Amaechi Wears Turban To Buhari’s Burial In Daura

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Rotimi Amaechi, who previously served as the minister of transportation, attended the funeral of former President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina state, wearing a turban.

Buhari, the former president and head of state, passed away on July 13. His burial took place in his hometown, Daura, amidst national mourning.

Amaechi wore the cultural headgear to the ceremony held in honour of the late leader.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, Buhari’s remains were transported from London to Nigeria aboard the presidential jet.

Why Is Amaechi Wearing A Turban?

Amaechi received the title of Dan Amanar of Daura — which translates to “trusted son of Daura” — on February 5, 2022, as an acknowledgment of his contributions to the transport sector.

At that time, Silas Zwingina, a former deputy majority leader in the Senate, dismissed suggestions that the turbaning had political undertones, instead calling it a cultural show of gratitude by the Daura Emirate.

Zwingina stated that the Daura Emirate traditionally honours those who have made significant contributions to the development of the area.

He said it was unrelated to politics and urged people not to attach unnecessary meanings to the gesture, noting that Amaechi’s completed projects in Daura and across Nigeria stood on their own.

Amaechi’s turban has previously stirred controversy. In 2022, Musa Saidu, a leader of Arewa in the south, asked him to refrain from using the turban during political campaigns.

Saidu said the turban carries strong Islamic significance and should not be used as a political symbol.

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What Buhari Told Me About President Tinubu After Fuel Subsidy Removal — Katsina Governor Radda

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Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State shared details of his conversations with the late former President Muhammadu Buhari following his retirement, including a discussion on President Bola Tinubu’s decision to remove petrol subsidy at the start of his administration.

While addressing reporters at the late president’s burial in Daura, Radda recounted his interactions with Buhari after he left office in 2023. He described gaining insights from Buhari’s leadership and patriotic values during this period.

He said that once Buhari returned to Daura after completing his term in 2023, they were able to engage more frequently, which allowed him to benefit from the former president’s wisdom and humor.

Radda mentioned that their conversations often focused on the challenges facing Nigerians and national service.

He shared that Buhari once told him, Your Excellency, go and do your best and be honest as a leader. You cannot satisfy Nigerians; only God can do that. He added that Buhari often spoke about the burdens he faced in office but felt relieved after retirement.

According to Radda, Buhari also said, I pity Bola (President Tinubu) for what he is doing. He is a brave man for removing the fuel subsidy. When I was president, whenever I made an attempt to remove the subsidy, a lot of people would give me too many reasons not to do so. But Bola did it immediately. If he had consulted people, he could not have removed the fuel subsidy now.

Radda emphasized that this was one of the conversations with Buhari that will stay with him. He said Buhari’s passing has left a significant void in Katsina State that will be difficult to fill.

President Tinubu ended the petrol subsidy on 29 May 2023, the day he assumed office after Buhari. He said the move was necessary to support economic growth and advance national progress.

He also stated that the Nigerian economy had long been underperforming due to various structural issues that hindered its development.

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