Sixty students of Government Science Technical College, Garki, Abuja, have received practical training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and basic life support under a life-saving initiative organised by City Club Abuja.

The programme, held as part of the club’s corporate social responsibility activities, was designed to equip young people with the skills needed to respond effectively to medical emergencies before professional help arrives.

Speaking during the training, President of City Club Abuja, Oluwasanmi Ajayi, said the organisation chose to focus on empowering students with practical health knowledge that could save lives in their schools, homes and communities.

Ajayi noted that while the club had previously supported orphanages and other community projects, it decided to make CPR and basic life support a recurring initiative, with plans to extend the programme to more schools across the Federal Capital Territory.

Chairman of the club’s Board of Trustees, Deji Adetuberu, said the decision was prompted by increasing reports of people collapsing suddenly in public places without immediate assistance.

According to him, many lives could be saved if more Nigerians possessed basic emergency response skills, adding that students could become ambassadors of the knowledge by teaching their families and peers.

Also addressing the students, Dr. Oladipupo Fasan, Head of the Cardiology Unit at the National Hospital, Abuja, described CPR as a vital survival skill that can sustain an unconscious person until medical professionals arrive.

Fasan expressed concern over the growing burden of cardiovascular diseases in Nigeria, noting that many cardiac arrests occur outside hospitals where immediate intervention often determines survival.

The practical session covered how to recognise an unconscious victim, perform effective chest compressions and provide basic life support while awaiting emergency medical services.

For the students, the exercise was more than a classroom lesson. One participant, Igwe Chimamanda, said the training had given her the confidence to assist someone who suddenly collapses, while another student, Awelewa Elijah, called for CPR education to be introduced into schools nationwide.

City Club Abuja said it intends to sustain the initiative as a quarterly community programme, with future editions planned for additional schools and other professional groups, including journalists.