The Chairman of Meridian Group of Companies, Charles Addo has called on rich individuals and entities to support the government with their resources to overcome the menace of the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19).

He appealed that “…your money at this time would not save you, if sitting in a bank account” and that the money in this critical moment is of essence, when invested into efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Group Chairman urged that individuals must consider it as important to help the government, since almost every state in the world is devastated by the disease and support is not coming from anywhere except from within.

According to him, medical officer who he referred to as “Medical soldiers” and others providing essential services such as water, power and communication service are the ones that needed most support and attention.

Mr Addo made the call when he donated cash in an amount of GHC400, 000 to the Ministry of Transport recently in Accra.

He said the cash donation was for the Ministry to use it to buy things it considers essentials to keep people safe from harm as well as enhance their effectiveness against Covid-19.  

The amount was used by the ministry to purchase Veronica bucket, toiletries, and gallons of sanitizers for the National Road Safety Authority for onward distribution.    

“Basically, it is to support humanity and to support our frontline workers- “medical soldiers”. We need to support them. We need to arm them so that they can fight this battle for us. And also our transport organisations, they need to be able to practice hygiene and they required all these items to be able to do that,” he added.

The Meridian Group Chairman explained that the gesture was part of the Companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility to give back to society, specially at this critical time.

He once again used the opportunity to urged the rich ones among the public not allow their millions sit idle in their bank account without assigning responsibility to it.

Mr Addo furthered that it made no meaning to have money sitting in ones account while the world around him or her is crumbling.

“I am businessman, I have made millions of dollars. The money is sitting in my bank account while the whole world is crumbling around me. I can’t go to America to spend my money. I can’t go to Dubai. I can’t even go to Nsawam. I can’t even step out to my office and I’m just sitting at home eating and drinking and feeling lonely.

“Then before you realise, if you don’t solve this problem effectively, all those essential services that we required- water, electricity, mobile services etc- it all going to ground into a halt. Because all these services are manage and run by human beings, people just like us so if they also become sick and they can’t go to work, how are you going to get water to drink, how are you going to get the electricity? How would you even go to the market to buy groceries for your family?”

He further urged rich people not to hold back their resources and that they should help the government to win the battle over the pandemic.

The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah received the donation and thanked the chairman for the kind gesture and promised that the fund would be used for the purpose for which it was assigned.

He called on others to do same to help reduce or contain the virus, which has affected some 152 persons in the country with five deaths and two recoveries.

Mr Asiamah urged the transport organisations obey the directive of reducing passengers so that the virus would be kept from spreading.

By Bernice Bessey