The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) is dedicating ₦100 million in support of the efforts to curb Covid-19. In a statement, the NSE said that ₦60 million will be donated to the Capital Market Support Committee for Covid-19 (CMSCC), a Security and Exchange Commission-led committee set up to mobilise the capital market to play an active role in curbing Covid-19, while ₦40 million will be devoted to the ‘Mask for All Nigerians’ (MFAN) campaign.

The MFAN campaign will have 100,000 reusable face masks donated to state governments most affected by the virus, while the NSE also initiates sensitisation programmes on the safe use of these masks on both traditional and social media.

Concerning the initiative, the Chief Executive Officer of NSE, Oscar N Onyema, said, ‘At the Exchange, we recognise the health and economic impact of the [Covid-19] pandemic on Nigerians and the need to adopt more proactive steps in stemming the tide. In line with our tradition of supporting the communities where we operate, we have launched the [MFAN] campaign to ensure that protective masks get into the hands of citizens in the more vulnerable places’.

In his remarks, the President of the National Council, NSE, Otunba Abimbola Ogunbanjo, said, ‘We are facing an unprecedented existential threat that requires us to adopt a more collaborative approach in fighting this pandemic, especially where social interaction is inevitable. As we work to encourage the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) through adequate production and distribution of reusable face masks, we call on the capital market ecosystem to support this initiative by wearing a mask when in public settings and donating masks especially to those at the bottom of the pyramid to protect lives leading to the reactivation of our economy’.

Source: Vanguard

Photo source: S Remeika