Arik Air sponsors conjoined twins to New York for surgery

Arik Air, West and Central Africa’s largest airline has sponsored the return tickets to New York,  for conjoined twins, Miracle and Testimony Ayeni in order for the twins to have immediate access to medical care and surgery that they require.

The airline is offering this support in partnership with Linking Hands Foundation, a non-governmental organisation which has secured free medical treatment for the twins at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.

Arik Air will be sponsoring the twins as the airline’s own little way of not only ensuring that the Ayeni twins get needed medical treatment speedily but also to assist the family in reducing some of the financial burden associated with this trip.

The Founder of Linking Hands Foundation, Efe Farinre while thanking Arik Air for accepting to fly the twins and their family said Miracle and Testimony Ayeni were born on 16th November, 2015, at St. Patrick Hospital Enugu, to Mr Samuel Olusegun Ayeni and Mrs Mary Abiodun Ayeni, both of Kogi State, Nigeria.

The twin girls who are conjoined in the pelvic region were taken to The University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu immediately after delivery. They were moved to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) on 22nd April and have been under medical supervision.

“We are grateful to Arik Air for linking hands with us to give Miracle and Testimony Ayeni the opportunity to have individual lives. Through this invaluable support, Arik Air has given the twins a chance to live and yet again demonstrated leadership in corporate social responsibility”, said Farinre.

Arik Air’s Chief Commercial Officer, Suraj Sundaram commented: “Arik Air has been committed to the community since its inception having contributed to various charitable activities through a number of events, programs and initiatives. In this instance, our support will enable these twins access to specialized medical care and give them an opportunity to build a healthy and productive future they deserve.”

Arik Air is Nigeria and West Africa’s largest airline and operates mainly from two hubs at Murtala Mohammed Airport Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

It operates a fleet of 28 state-of-the art regional, medium haul and long haul aircraft including two Airbus A340-500 making the airline the first operator of the wide bodied aircraft in Africa.

The airline currently serves 19 destinations across Nigeria as well as Accra (Ghana), Banjul (Gambia), Dakar (Senegal), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Monrovia (Liberia), Cotonou (Benin Republic),  Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), Douala (Cameroon), Luanda (Angola), Libreville (Gabon), London Heathrow (UK), Johannesburg (South Africa) and New York JFK (USA). The airline operates a combined number of about 120 daily flights from its hubs in Lagos and Abuja, and has been Africa’s fastest growing airline for the last five years.

Ifeoma Okeke