United Nigeria Airlines has handed over a newly constructed community health centre, a solar-powered borehole and a perimeter fence to the Ekiti State Government as part of efforts to improve healthcare access and support grassroots development.
The facilities, located in Aso-Ayegunle, Ado-Ekiti, were inaugurated by Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who pledged that the state government would equip the centre, deploy qualified medical personnel and integrate it into the state’s primary healthcare system.
Oyebanji said the government would begin the process of making the facility operational to ensure residents have access to quality and affordable healthcare within their community.
He explained that the agreement with the airline required the company to construct the facility, while the government would provide medical equipment, personnel and other resources needed for its effective operation.
The governor urged residents to protect and maintain the infrastructure, noting that the health centre would reduce the need for people, particularly pregnant women, nursing mothers and children, to travel long distances to access medical services.
Speaking at the inauguration, the Executive Chairman of United Nigeria Airlines, Professor Obiora Okonkwo, said the project reflected the company’s commitment to supporting communities and contributing to national development beyond its commercial operations.
He described the intervention as an example of how public-private partnerships could help address infrastructure gaps, particularly in critical sectors such as healthcare.
Okonkwo commended the Oyebanji administration for creating an environment conducive to private investment, saying the government’s collaborative approach influenced the airline’s decision to undertake the project.
According to him, the Ekiti State Government selected United Nigeria Airlines as its preferred carrier after assessing its operations and capacity. He said the company considered the health centre project an opportunity to reciprocate the confidence placed in it by investing in the welfare of residents.
He added that the airline chose to establish a lasting community asset rather than limit its relationship with the state to flight operations.
Okonkwo also disclosed that the company had carried out other corporate social responsibility initiatives in different parts of Nigeria, including humanitarian assistance to flood-affected communities in Bayelsa State and development projects in Anambra State.
He said further interventions were planned across the country as the airline continued its efforts to contribute to community development.
The airline chairman also expressed the company’s readiness to support Ekiti’s tourism and agricultural sectors, particularly through partnerships aimed at transporting agricultural produce as export opportunities expand.
In his remarks, the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, described the health centre as a significant development for Aso-Ayegunle and commended the airline and the state government for their contributions.
The monarch recalled earlier opposition to the acquisition of land for the Ekiti Agro-Allied International Cargo Airport, noting that the benefits associated with the project were beginning to emerge through investments and development initiatives in surrounding communities.
Speaking on behalf of residents, Fajuyi Olumide thanked United Nigeria Airlines and the state government for the intervention, expressing optimism that the facility would improve access to healthcare and create opportunities for further development in the area.
The project highlights the role of collaboration between government and private organisations in delivering community infrastructure, with the state government now expected to equip and staff the centre before it begins providing services to residents.
