….Urges other governors to emulate Oyebanji PPP model

United Nigeria Airlines has donated a community health centre and a solar-powered borehole to Aso-Ayegunle, a community in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiative, while urging other state governors to borrow a cue from Governor Biodun Oyebanji Public Private Partnership example

The facilities, commissioned by Governor Oyebanji, are aimed at improving access to primary healthcare and potable water for residents of the community, which hosts the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, said that the projects were designed to ensure that communities around the airline’s operations benefited from its presence.

Okonkwo said that the initiative followed the airline’s annual management retreat in Ekiti, where its management resolved to make a lasting contribution to the host community.

He explained that the company consulted representatives of the state government to identify the people’s needs before settling for the health centre and borehole.

The Airline chairman explained that the decision was consistent with the company’s CSR policy of ensuring that communities around its operational locations benefited from its presence

He said, “Some organisations choose what they want to do under their CSR programmes without considering whether the projects meet the needs of the communities. We decided to ask the people what they needed, and they identified water and primary healthcare as priorities.

“We agreed that both projects were important and decided to execute them. Within a week of our retreat and 48 hours of our discussion with the government, the necessary arrangements had been made, and we laid the foundation stone before leaving Ekiti.”

The airline chairman commended Oyebanji for creating an enabling environment for private investment, describing the state’s commitment to public-private partnerships as worthy of emulation.

He said that the airline planned to deepen its relationship with Ekiti through the development of air cargo services to facilitate the transportation of agricultural produce to distant markets.

Okonkwo added that the airline’s intervention would not end with the commissioning of the projects, promising that it would assess their impact and consider further assistance based on the community’s needs.

In his remarks, Oyebanji thanked the airline’s management for investing in the welfare of the residents, describing the gesture as a complement to his administration efforts to expand access to primary healthcare.

He said that his administration had rehabilitated, remodelled or constructed about 180 health centres across the state in the last four years, adding that the new facility aligned with its commitment to bringing basic healthcare closer to residents, irrespective of their location.

Oyebanji assured the community that the state government would ensure the centre was properly equipped, staffed and supplied with necessary medical consumables before integrating it into the state’s primary healthcare system.

He urged residents to protect the facilities and use them responsibly, saying, “A building alone does not treat or heal. I therefore charge the community to take ownership of this facility, protect it and use it well.”

The governor linked the projects to the economic opportunities created by the Ekiti Cargo Airport, which he said that had recorded more than 10,000 passengers through private and commercial flights since commercial operations began on December 30, 2025.

He said that the government was working to maximise the airport’s economic benefits through agricultural aggregation and value-chain development, stressing that communities around the facility must also benefit from the investment.

Also speaking, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, said the health centre and borehole demonstrated the benefits of supporting development initiatives.

He recalled the initial resistance to the airport project and said the traditional council had intervened to facilitate the release of land for its construction.

He urged residents to protect the facilities for future generations, noting that government alone could not meet every community’s development needs.

A leader in the community, Prince Falade Peter thanked Oyebanji for the development recorded in the community, particularly the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, which he said had brought development to the people’s doorstep.

He also commended United Nigeria Airlines for constructing the health centre and solar-powered borehole, describing the projects as evidence of the company’s commitment to the welfare of its host community.

He expressed optimism that more development projects would come to the community, adding that the residents were grateful to the governor and the airline for bringing healthcare and access to clean water closer to them.