Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The Enugu State Government has taken over a warehouse facility renovated by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Enugu Field Office.
The facility, which was donated to UNICEF by the Enugu State Government fifteen years ago, was formally handed over to the state government on Wednesday after its renovation by UNICEF.
The facility is located at Emeka Ebila Avenue, Enugu.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Charles Lolika, the UNICEF Nigeria Deputy Representative (Operations), expressed joy that the state government was magnanimous enough to have given them the warehouse free of charge.
“On behalf of UNICEF, I am honoured to formally hand back this warehouse facility to the government of Enugu State, closing a productive chapter in our partnership.
“Since 2011, when the state generously provided this facility under a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), it has served as a vital logistics hub supporting programme delivery across our Field Office states.
“Today’s handover reflects more than the return of a building. It symbolises trust, shared responsibility and our joint commitment to advancing the wellbeing of children and communities in Enugu State,” he said.
He added that the warehouse served various purposes: “From health and nutrition supplies to education materials, WASH commodities and emergency response items, this warehouse strengthened supply chains, improved last-mile delivery and enabled rapid response during public health and humanitarian crises.”
The UNICEF representative expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Enugu State Government for the facility and pledged more collaboration between UNICEF and the state government.
“They really did a great job facilitating this rent-free facility, which saved operational costs for UNICEF and other UN agencies.
“We are not only handing over this warehouse as infrastructure, but we also continue to build the capacity of the state government in warehouse management, including digitalisation.
“Wherever there are supplies we get, we will still hand them over to the government, and they will be managing them on our behalf.
“So, that is the status where we are. We are really very grateful to the government of the state,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Enugu State Government and the Ministry of Health, the Commissioner, Prof. George Ugwu, expressed joy that UNICEF was handing back a renovated facility.
“We are here to receive back the warehouse that the government of Enugu State handed over to UNICEF many years ago to help in keeping work-related items.
“They have finished using it and considered it necessary to renovate the warehouse and hand it back to us, the state government.
“We are grateful that UNICEF has renovated it, bringing it to a standard where we can continue to use it.
“The warehouse, in serving our state, allows us to receive and keep many commodities and items, including health supplies, nutrition commodities, WASH items and other materials that we eventually distribute, sometimes, to our healthcare facilities across the state,” the commissioner said.
Similarly, the Executive Secretary, Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), Dr. Ifenyinwa Ani-Osheku, thanked UNICEF for returning a renovated facility and promised that it would be put to better use to serve the state.
“Today is actually a day where we get to witness another episode of what partnership can truly do,” she said.
