With continued collaboration, Covid-19 will be conquered globally – FMN’s COO

As part of measures to strengthen the fight against Covid-19, Flour Mills Nigeria, FMN recently announced donation of N1bn to government. It is also providing immediate support to the most affected parts of the country by providing cash, food products and medical supplies across the country to tackle the pandemic. In this interview, the company’s COO, Boye Olusanya speaks on the pandemic and explains the donations to both federal and state governments. Excerpts

FMN recently partnered with state governments in support of the nation’s ongoing food relief efforts amid the ravaging scourge of Covid-19. What was FMN’s motivation for this initiative?

The coronavirus is easily the biggest crisis that the world is facing right now. We see large cities and developed economies around the world groan under the effects of the virus, and Nigeria is not faring any better. Our socio-economic activities and general way of life have been disrupted. So, you can imagine the effect that this will have on the average Nigerian. These are trying times, and that is why FMN is playing its part to support the efforts of the government. The partial lockdown is well informed and intended to curb the spread of the virus, but we also understand that Nigerians must continue to get access to healthy food, and that is where we come in. As one of the largest Foods and Agro-allied groups in the country today, we understand that our role in society is vital. For 60 years, FMN has continued to demonstrate its commitment to ensuring that Nigeria gets access to healthy and nutritious meals, and we are not about to stop now. We have a shared heritage with the country – we have been here at the best of times and at difficult times and will remain here for many more years to come creating shared values across our communities and ensuring Nigerians always have access to healthy and nutritious meals. We are positive that as we continue to work together, we will overcome the current challenges.

What does FMN hope to achieve with this partnership?

At this moment, I believe it’s a little bigger than just what FMN hopes to achieve. The coronavirus is a Global crisis of monumental proportions. As at today, the virus has spread to as much as 185 countries and territories across the world. As at today, there are more than 36,000 cases and over 1,500, deaths in Africa alone. Sadly, that number is increasing, and since this is not something any one person can fix, we must trust in the power of humanity and continue to work together. As a Food and Agro-allied group, we know that we can help by ensuring we continue to produce healthy and nutritious foods for Nigerians and we are doing that. We have established a carefully structured protocol at all our offices and plants to ensure that our employees from the farms, to production, and then distribution can safely continue to produce food. We assure Nigerians that Golden Penny products will continue to be available.

What measures have been put in place on accountability to ensure the donation gets to the right hands?

We are working very closely with the government at different levels to ensure that priority is given to the most vulnerable in our society, like low-income families, the elderly, children and more. For Lagos State, we have the commitment from the Governor that food donations will be distributed as equitably as possible. We must use this opportunity to commend the efforts of the government so far. The measures that were put in place to combat the virus across are commendable. We have complete faith in government and will continue to seek out avenues for partnership until the virus is eliminated in Nigeria.

How do you plan to ensure the safety of your staff and individuals they come in contact with during the donations of food?

Our priorities were to ensure the safety and reduce the risk of exposure of our employees, partners and other stakeholders as well as, ensure that Golden Penny products are still available. As essential services provider, we are committed to ensuring our operations are not hindered, so one of the first things we did was to implement a strategic business continuity framework, and a Crisis management plan to ensure that our employees are protected and, our supply chains and production processes are not hindered. Most of our employees now work remotely, and the few who must be at the plants follow the strictest safety protocols and adhere to appropriate safety measures as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), and Federal and State Health Agencies including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

What has been the company’s greatest concern about food supply to all social classes in the country?

More than anything else, the biggest challenge at this period is accessibility. The restriction on movements means that most people can’t get access to the right type of food. Markets are not open or only operating marginally. It is easy to imagine the impact that all of these will have on the most vulnerable in our society. When we initiated the food donation drive, our intention was to target this class of people – low-income households, the elderly, children, and more. We actually have a long list of charities and special needs organisations that we want to reach with food, and we will work with the state government to ensure that we can provide some relief at such a trying time.

Are there any other initiatives FMN has done/plans to do to ‘Feed the nation’?

As part of measures to further strengthen the fight against the spread of the virus, FMN, through the Nigerian Private Sector Coalition Against Coronavirus (CACOVID), donated the sum of N1 billion to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).   In addition to the cash donation, we have just procured medical supplies worth about $1.5 million . As the virus continues to gain grounds in the country, it has become evident that we must immediately expand our testing capacity in the country. It is our hope that the medical supplies which include COVID-19 testing kits, ventilators and Personal Protective Equipment will rapidly beef up Nigeria’s testing capacity for the virus and give us a fighting chance at such a tough time. The medical supplies will facilitate: 100/day field-testing capacity, 35,000 laboratory-based testing capacities, and provide about 331,000 pieces of PPE including N95 Masks, Coveralls, Protective gloves, and Protective eyewear. This should be enough to provide regular use for about 10,000 Nigerian health care professionals over two months. This medical equipment will provide the much-needed support to medical emergency workers across the country, who are selflessly working to ensure that Nigeria can slow down the transmission of the virus and save lives. In the next couple of days, we would have distributed the medicals to NCDC and its lab networks across the country.

How has Covid-19 affected the production/supply of FMN goods?

The virus has greatly affected the world in general. However, we have also implemented strict protocols on all our operations including a carefully designed Business Continuity Plan that ensures that we can continue to produce enough food for Nigerians. During this period, logistics and how quickly we can receive raw materials and distribute finished products have come under the most strain. But like any other challenge that a business of our size can encounter on a daily basis we have structures in place to help us adjust and continue operations.

What effect do you think Covid-19 will have on FMN’s operations, and the industry at large?

The restriction of movement and other measures introduced to curb the spread of the virus, will expectedly put some strain on the agriculture and manufacturing sectors. There is bound to be some reduction in the amount of food that is produced across the value chains. Restrictions to movement, means farmers can’t produce as much, or labour-intensive industries can’t get access to the manpower that they need. With fewer people able to get around, the access to labour or manpower is naturally affected. Most of these are perhaps not that noticeable now, because of the lockdown, but eventually we could witness some scramble for high value commodities which will in turn encourage a hike in prices. The slowdown of the Global economy necessitated by the lockdown in most countries has already had some severe effects on global oil trade, with oil prices now lower than $30. This has in turn had some dire effect on the revenue of Nigeria, and our ability to earn foreign exchange. The impact on the demand for Forex will only mean that Industries will continue to face tough times.

What will be your advice to the government and the general public as they deal with the new normal engendered by Covid-19?

The safety of Nigerians during this period is paramount to us, so we encourage all Nigerians to continue to adhere to the necessary protective measures against the virus and other diseases. Wash your hands thoroughly or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, practice good personal hygiene, maintain social distancing, stay informed and follow the advice given by the World Health Organization (WHO), and Federal and State Health Agencies including the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).We are encouraged by the efforts of the Federal and state government across the country to fight the virus and will continue to provide support as necessary. We know that with continued collaboration across the country, the pandemic will be conquered in Nigeria, Africa and all over the world.