In a bold move to tackle the rising number of preventable deaths nationwide, co-founders of Help Buddy Emergency Response Solution have launched an ambitious grassroots campaign to train 50 million Nigerians as first responders, using mobile technology and QR code systems to deliver critical life-saving instructions.

The co-founders, Dr Oluwakolade Abayomi, Dr Ayodotun Bobadoye, and Dr Ademolu Owoyele, who paid a courtesy visit to Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, formally presented the initiative and sought the government’s collaboration for what they described as a “social re-engineering campaign.”

The delegation noted that a significant number of lives had been lost not due to lack of help, but because of inaction and ignorance in the crucial minutes before professional intervention.

Bobadoye, a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of GET Consortium, Bobadoye, says people die not because help is unavailable, but because bystanders don’t know what to do.

Abayomi, co-founder and Managing Director of Wellane Health, said they aren’t just building an app; rather, they are launching a campaign to prevent avoidable deaths.

Owoyele, co-founder and CEO of Harley and Rainbow Specialised Laboratories, while highlighting the scale of the challenge, said: “The ambulance is just one part of the equation. Almost nine in 10 Nigerians don’t know what to do in an emergency, but almost 100 million Nigerians have mobile phones. Let’s use that tool to close the knowledge gap.”

In his response, Abayomi, who lauded the innovation and timeliness of the campaign, commended the team’s innovation and pledged the state’s willingness to collaborate.

IN another development, a non-governmental organisation, Funmilayo Charity Foundation, has enrolled 60 children into schools and empowered 20 women with business support in Lagos State.

The founder of the non-governmental organisation, Olanrewaju Hakeem, disclosed this during an interview with The Guardian at the University of Lagos.
He said that the aim of the Foundation was to help the needy, support education, and reduce the number of out-of-school children.

According to him, the foundation enrolled 60 children in schools two years ago and has repeated the gesture this year by sponsoring another 60 pupils, providing them with school uniforms, learning materials, and paying their fees. Hakeem said that the organisation had also empowered both men and women with food, healthcare, and business support.