Always Gets Endorsements at Production Plant Commissioning
By Tunmise Adekunle
It was an occasion of endorsements in Ibadan two weekends ago when dignitaries and brand loyalists defied the heavy downpour to witness the commissioning of the production line in Nigeria of one of the Procter & Gamble's brands, Always sanitary pad.
The event which was at P&G;'s Ibadan plant was commissioned by the Minister of State for Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Usman with P&G; local management, government agencies like National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), marketing agencies and distributor in attendance.
Others are prominent local businessmen and industry representatives as well as representatives of relevant professional bodies like the National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Nigeria (SOGON). They all endorsed Always Sanitary Pad as a brand that command reliability of any woman of quality.
While welcoming guest to the occasion, the chairman of the board of directors, P&G; in Nigeria, Chief Laolu Akinkugbe said the gesture was an immediate salutary effect to the operations of P&G; Nigeria, which was a follow up to the commissioning of Pampers factory on August 30, 2002 by the Nigeria's First Lady. "The commissioning of the Always line today also has a more far reaching positive benefit for the health of our girls and women. Always range of products that are results of research and innovations for which P&G; is well known are now produced locally here at Ibadan for our girls and women for the benefits of their feminine hygiene practice. Long-term, today's event will impact on the country's economic fortune as products from this factory will supply the ECOWAS region," he said.
In his overview of Procter & Gamble World wide Mission, the P&G; Country Manager for West and East Africa Mr. Panos Giannopoulos said that the P&G; Mission remains the same and it is "to provide products and services of superior quality that improve the lives of the world's consumers". He went further to talk about P&G;'s commitment to the Nigeria economy: "This new line expansion is part of our commitment to Nigeria and to the Nigerian population. This investment will surely contribute immensely to the Nigerian economy particularly in the area of job creation and exports. Investing in a new multi-billion Naira world-class Always production line is a clear manifestation of P&G;'s belief in Nigeria and West Africa. The local production makes sense and we are pleased with the seamless transfer of our leading technology and skills into our Nigerian subsidiary".
The Special guest of honour, Mrs. Usman thanked Always for making Nigerian women proud. She further commended P&G; for being socially responsible by bringing the Always factory to Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of women in the state, the First Lady of Oyo State , Alhaja Mutiat Olayinka Ladoja expressed her belief in Always Sanitary Pad as an addition towards the improvement of health of Nigerian women.
In his own good will message Dr. James Akuse, president of SOGON expressed the endorsement of his Association for Always Sanitary Pad . According to him "We as gynaecologists are proud of what Always Sanitary Pad does to the health of our women. The NAFDAC director general, Dr. (Mrs.) Dora Akunyili who was represented by Mrs. Asemota thanked P&G; for bringing joy to Nigerian women through local production. She further said that Always Sanitary Pad and other products of P&G; have over time comply with NAFDAC regulations, thereby making the Agency's job much easier
The new line produces locally all the Always brands that were previously imported into Nigeria.
Always sanitary pad is the world leader in its category. Always is a safe product that has been used by millions of women all over the world to improve the life of girls and women through better management of feminine hygiene. The Always products from thick to Ultra pads suit all needs; from light, regular to heavy types of flow. As a result of this, consumers have voted Always as the leading feminine protection brand in Nigeria.
In 2002, P&G; similarly installed Pampers Plant at its Ibadan facility to produce Pampers Baby Lotion Care. This was commissioned by the Nigeria's First Lady, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo.
Procter & Gamble maker of consumer goods and known for its best in class quality products started operations in Nigeria in 1992. The company has four brands in Nigeria: Always, Pampers, Ariel and Vicks. The P&G; Nigerian office is the headquarters for all its West African operations.
P&G; brands touch the lives of people around the world with one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted, quality brands. The P&G; community consists of nearly 98,000 employees working in almost 80 countries worldwide.
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