Airtel Nigeria has adopted a rural school in Cross River State, South-South Nigeria, in what the company describes as being part of its efforts “to provide educational opportunities for less privileged children” in Nigeria.

Speaking Thursday in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, Airtel Nigeria Managing Director & CEO, Mr. Rajan Swaroop, said: “Airtel is pleased to partner with the Cross River State Government to provide educational opportunities for less privileged children. Airtel is in Nigeria to stay and we are totally committed to providing all the required support to enhance the future of this great country.”

Swaroop spoke when he led a team of Airtel executives to pay him a courtesy call on Cross State Governor, Senator Liyel Imoke. He described Airtel’s gesture as being in line with Cross River’s vision to provide education to the poorest of the poor in rural communities of the state.

Swaroop explained that the adoption of Airtel’s adoption of Presbyterian Primary School, Ediba in Abi Local Government entails that the company would renovate the school buildings and provide furniture, textbooks, uniforms for the pupils and writing materials including white boards as well as sanitary materials required for good hygiene for children.

Imoke, represented by the Commissioner for Education, Professor Offiong E. Offiong, commended Airtel Nigeria for adopting a rural primary school in the state unsolicited, which clearly underlines the telco’s commitment to giving back to the community through its visionary Corporate Social responsibility programme.

He explained that indeed latest statistics indicate that about two percent of the state’s population has no access to education, adding that Airtel’s gesture has increased the opportunities available to the people of the state to benefit from modern education in pursuit of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG).

The Airtel Nigeria team (shown in photo) included the Regional Operations Director (South), Mr. Godfrey Efeurhobo; Director of Corporate Communications & CSR, Mr. Emeka Oparah; Zonal Business Manager, Ikezu Onyekucha; and the Manager for CSR, Mr. Chinda Manjor.

On the Cross River State Government side were the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mrs. Anne Odey and the Executive Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Mr. Joseph Ebam.