Seven-Up boosts Nigeria’s Covid-19 effort with donation to food relief projects

L-R: Abisola Olusanya, special adviser on agriculture to the Lagos State governor; Segun Ogunleye, marketing manager, Seven-Up Bottling Company; Gbolahan Lawal, commissioner for agriculture, Lagos State; Gboyega Soyannwo, deputy chief of staff, and Olayiwola Onasanya, permanent secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture, when Seven-Up Bottling Company made a donation in support of Lagos’ Covid-19 effort.

Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC) has put its weight behind Nigeria’s fight against coronavirus with a relief donation to states currently battling the COVID-19 pandemic.

The company on Monday announced it would be donating 2 million bottles of its drinking water brand, Aquafina, and other beverages from its portfolio as well as allocating its media assets to help sensitise people in grassroots communities.

Ziad Maalouf, managing director, SBC, said this is the company’s way of supporting vulnerable communities during this tough time.

Maalouf expressed his gratitude and admiration for those at the forefront in the fight against Covid-19, stating that SBC believes that people are stronger together when they take collective action to help each other stay safe.

“As we face a global pandemic caused by Covid-19, Seven-Up Bottling Company (SBC) would like to express its solidarity with every Nigerian, every healthcare worker, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the Federal Ministry of Health, state governments and the Federal Government in its entirety,” the company said in a statement.

With more cases of the COVID-19 pandemic being recorded across the country, the company is hoping its media campaign could help curb the spread and ensure the virus is beaten, together.

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So far, Nigeria has had 224 confirmed cases, with 27 recoveries and five deaths. A total of 14 states in the country have now recorded at least one case, with the most cases occurring in Lagos State, which was placed on a 14-day lockdown by the Federal Government since Monday, March 31, 2020, along with Abuja and Ogun State.

To assist citizens of the state at this time, the Lagos State government launched the Emergency Food Response Project, with focus on those in vulnerable communities. Seven-Up’s donation of 1 million bottles to the state now places the state government in a better position to reach more people, the company said.

As part of its statement announcing its donation, Seven-Up Bottling Company also expressed its commitment to assist even more state governments as the entire nation works to beat the COVID-19 pandemic.

With media assets that have a nationwide reach, the company will also be providing various states with the sensitisation of the populace needed to limit community transmission. The media sensitisation campaign is in partnership with celebrated Nollywood director, Niyi Akinmolayan.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers. She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay. She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos. As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender. She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies. Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category. She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category. She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations. Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.