Abuja, Nigeria — 9 July 2026
The Nigerian Red Cross Society has formally inducted two distinguished Nigerians into its First Aid For All(FAFA) Campaign marking a significant step forward in the Society's mission to make basic first aid knowledge accessible to every Nigerian regardless of sector, background, or geography. The inductions, which took place during a high-level courtesy visit to Covenant University, Canaan Land, Ota, Ogun State, saw Professor Timothy Ashibel Anake, the 6th Substantive Vice Chancellor of Covenant University, recognized as a FAFA Champion, and Mr Israel Rimamchika Yabkwa of Doubleyou Centre recognized as a FAFA Advocate. Both designations form part of the four-category stakeholder architecture of the First Aid For All Campaign, through which NRCS engages institutional leaders, sector personalities, and public figures in a structured, long-term commitment to community emergency preparedness.
Covenant University: Building a First Aid Ready Campus
The courtesy visit to Covenant University opened what both parties described as the beginning of a substantive and enduring institutional relationship between Nigeria's highest-ranked university and its foremost humanitarian organization.
Professor Timothy Ashibel Anake, a Professor of Mathematics and the 6th Substantive Vice Chancellor of Covenant University, brings to his FAFA Champion role the full institutional authority of a university ranked first in Nigeria and West Africa and 74th globally by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings. His university serves over 10,000 students across four Colleges, and his vision of a Total Man education, encompassing the intellectual, spiritual, physical, and emotional development of every student, aligns closely with the FAFA Campaign's conviction that emergency preparedness is a human responsibility rather than a specialist skill.
Discussions during the visit explored a long-term institutional partnership between NRCS and Covenant University, covering the deployment of certified first aid training for students and staff, the establishment of a permanent NRCS campus unit to certify each incoming student cohort annually in perpetuity, and the integration of First Aid training into Covenant University's student orientation and development programmes. The proposed NRCS Permanent Unit at Covenant University would represent one of the most enduring physical legacies of the FAFA Campaign, producing certified first aiders on the Canaan Land campus every academic year long after the campaign formally concludes.
Professor Anake expressed appreciation for the recognition and reaffirmed Covenant University's commitment to exploring a sustainable collaboration with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, noting that the university's founding values of excellence, discipline, and service to humanity made the FAFA partnership a natural institutional fit.
As a FAFA Champion, Professor Anake's role centres on the institutional mandate he will issue from the Vice Chancellor's office, directing the integration of NRCS-certified first aid and CPR training into the Covenant University student experience. Champions in the FAFA Campaign do not perform or create content on schedule. They issue mandates, convene peers, and set institutional precedent from within the organizations they lead.
Israel Yabkwa Inducted as FAFA Advocate
Mr Israel Rimamchika Yabkwa, founder and chief executive of Doubleyou Centre, was inducted as a FAFA Advocate in recognition of his instrumental role in facilitating the strategic connection between the First Aid For All Campaign and Covenant University. His dedication to building the kind of bridge relationships that translate strategic ambitions into institutional conversations exemplifies the role that FAFA Advocates are designed to play: personalities whose community credibility, sector relationships, and genuine belief in the Campaign's mission open doors that formal institutional outreach cannot.
A Campaign Built on Partnership
These engagements reaffirm the Society's commitment to building strategic partnerships that expand access to first aid education, strengthen community resilience, and create a culture of humanitarian service across Nigeria.
The First Aid For All Campaign is the most ambitious community emergency preparedness initiative in Nigerian history. It aims to certify 500,000 Nigerians in basic first aid and CPR across six phases covering the Finance and Insurance, Informal, Telecommunications, Entertainment and Hospitality, Institutions and Education, and Sports sectors, funded entirely by Nigerian private sector sponsors.
