Marking its 10th edition, this year’s campaign themed ‘5 Days; 6 Cities; 6,000 Meals’ successfully kicked off in Lagos on Monday, 16th December 2024, at Holy Cross Cathedral School, Onikan, Lagos, with 1,000 individuals, including children, youth, and the elderly, receiving packed meals. The event created a festive atmosphere filled with joy, celebration, laughter and entertainment.

Speaking on this year’s edition of the project, Dinesh Balsingh, Airtel Nigeria’s CEO, represented by Lagos Regional Operations Director, Airtel Nigeria, Peter Francis, emphasized that the broader significance of the 5 Days of Love festive period program was beyond meal distribution.

“At Airtel, we pride ourselves in being a people-centred organization. This event is not only about providing meals; it is a meaningful way to connect with communities, share moments of warmth, joy, and togetherness, and create a vibrant atmosphere of celebration and love. Today reminds us of the core values of joy, love, kindness, and shared humanity that define this initiative and Airtel’s mission. Together, we can continue to make a lasting positive impact.”

Following the successful completion of Lagos event, the 5 Days of Love train moves to Borno on Tuesday, 17th December; Abuja on Wednesday, 18th December; and Enugu and Rivers States on Thursday, 19th December; before concluding in Osun State on Friday, 20th December 2024.

Also speaking during the event, Executive Chairman, Lagos Island East Local Government Development Area, Muibi Alade Folawiyo, lauded Airtel Nigeria for a thoughtful initiative of sharing love with individuals and communities, encouraging the telco to keep the program alive.

“This is a remarkable act of kindness, and I appreciate Airtel for its dedication to uplifting lives and spreading love to individuals. I am grateful to Airtel Nigeria for spreading joy to us in this part of Lagos,” he said.

The 5 Days of Love campaign reflects Airtel Nigeria’s commitment to enriching the lives of Nigerians through meaningful community engagement and support.

By fostering a sense of togetherness and goodwill, Airtel continues to exemplify its role as a socially responsible organization, creating lasting positive impact during the festive season and year round.

The Airtel ‘5 Days of Love’ programme is designed to cater for less privileged persons as well as support people in communities across the country.

Since the commencement of the initiative eight years ago, Airtel has partnered with leading fast-food vendors to feed people across major cities.

However, the last edition took an unprecedented approach following the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as the campaign focused on the distribution of raw food supplies to 5,000 vulnerable families in IDP camps.

This season of the ‘5 Days of Love’ is focused on distributing food in 5 days to 5,000 people across 5 states – Lagos, Ogun, Enugu, Rivers and Kaduna. At the Lagos distribution, 1,000 persons including children, women, youth and the elderly were served nourishing meals in a fun-filled atmosphere.

Speaking during the Lagos event, Surendran Chemmenkotil, the Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, noted that the Christmas season is a time of celebration and is synonymous with giving and sharing especially with the less privileged who have no one to cater to them and over the years, Airtel Nigeria has celebrated the yuletide season with the less privileged through its ‘5 Days of Love’ programme.

“It is that time of the year when we appreciate our family, friends and loved ones; and for us at Airtel, we have seized the opportunity of using this programme to spread our love to everyone. Airtel is committed to touching the lives of underprivileged persons in society as well as empowering stakeholders in the communities where we operate,” he added.

Following the commencement of the ‘5 Days of Love’ initiative in Lagos, the distribution continues in Ogun State on Tuesday, 6th December. While on Wednesday, 7th December, the programme will hold in Enugu State. The next stop will be in Rivers State on Thursday, 8th December. The final stop for this year’s ‘5 Days of Love’ season will be on Friday, 9th December, at Kaduna State.

Through this initiative over the last seven years, Airtel has touched a lot of lives and will continue to spread love to people across the country.