________________________________________ Nigerian Breweries Donates Food Items to Oyo State NUJ to Cushion Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic

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ayo Adelaja, Corporate Affairs Manager, West Africa, Nigerian Breweries PLC
Mr. Tayo Adelaja, Corporate Affairs Manager, West Africa, Nigerian Breweries PLC

The Nigerian Breweries (NB) Plc, has donated of some food items to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Chapter, to reduce the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on them. 

Presenting the items at the NUJ Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, the Corporate Affairs Manager, West Africa, Mr. Tayo Adelaja said the items were to support members of the union and pledged a better working partnership with the media.

The donations, made through the Community Support Programme of the company, included bags of rice, garri, packs of vegetable oil, packs of semolina, packs of noodles, packs of maltina products, washing soaps and hand sanitisers.

According to Adelaja, the visit was part of the Brewery’s efforts at reaching out to its immediate communities with a view to cushioning the economic effects of COVID-19, adding: “The whole world is challenged, of course, we know. We were very excited at the turn of 2020, which is the beginning of a new decade. There comes this world challenge. This pandemic is here.”

He further noted that one major consequence is that a lot of people have lost their jobs while for those, who have not even lost their jobs, some are not being paid when they should be paid and those who are being paid, are at best paid half salaries. He said a lot of things have gone wrong totally that no one knows how long it is going to take for everything to come back.

It is for the reason of the pandemic that the management of the Brewery decided to look at its immediate community and do the little it can do for them to have little impact as a business.

Mr. Adelaja added that the brewery did not bring the items to the NUJ because it read somewhere that its members were hungry, but it was just a little gesture, pledging the company’s readiness to support the programmes of the Union.

“There is no establishment that can actually exist without the media. We look forward to a synergy. We look forward to a very good working relationship with the NUJ. I can assure you that our relation will be strengthened much better than what revolves before now,” he said.

The chairman of the Chapter, AdemolaBabalola, received the items on behalf of the executive and commended the company for the gesture. He emphasized on the need for the company to ensure its presence was felt by the union through execution of projects at the press centre, adding: “I want to assure you on behalf of my colleagues across the state that in Oyo NUJ today are professionals, who know their onions and are ready to partner Nigerian Breweries to deliver on your mandate to the public.”