By Emmanuel Awari, Jalingo
Shortage of blood has remain a major challenge in Nigeria, affecting maternal care, accident victims, surgical procedures, and emergency medical response.
The Founder of Doubleyou Centre, Mr. Israel Yabkwa, disclosed this while speaking with Journalists during the 2026 National Blood Drive, which was held nationwide.
According to him, the initiative seeks to address this challenge through large-scale voluntary donor mobilization across communities nationwide.
“Blood shortage remains a major challenge in Nigeria, affecting maternal care, accident victims, surgeries, and emergency medical response. This initiative is designed to address this challenge through large-scale voluntary donor mobilization across communities nationwide,” he said.
Yabkwa explained that the drive was conducted in partnership with the Nigerian Red Cross Society and other medical stakeholders to ensure safe blood collection, proper donor screening, and adequate medical oversight.
He noted that the National Blood Drive 2026 is a coordinated nationwide humanitarian initiative designed to mobilize voluntary blood donors across Nigeria in order to strengthen the availability of safe blood for hospitals and emergency care.
He further revealed that the vision of Doubleyou Centre is to build a nationwide culture of voluntary blood donation that saves lives and strengthens Nigeria’s healthcare system.
The 2026 edition, he explained, was designed as a simultaneous nationwide exercise across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with collection and mobilization centers including:
Universities and tertiary institutions
Churches and faith-based communities
Youth organizations and volunteer networks
Community outreach centres
Yabkwa called on partners to support the initiative through:
Mobilization: Encouraging participation across networks, communities, and institutions, and creating awareness campaigns on voluntary blood donation
Volunteer Engagement: Providing volunteers for coordination, registration, and donor support
Strategic Support: Offering logistical, financial, or institutional backing to strengthen nationwide rollout
He stated that the initiative aims to:
Mobilize thousands of voluntary blood donors nationwide
Strengthen blood availability for hospitals
Save lives through timely access to safe blood
Promote a culture of humanitarian service and national solidarity
Yabkwa also disclosed that a similar blood drive initiative organized in 2025 under the theme “That They May Have Life” was successfully conducted across Lagos, Jos, Jalingo, and Abuja (FCT).
“The success of that outreach inspired the expansion of the initiative into a national movement,” he added.
According to him, the Doubleyou Innovation Centre is a technology and innovation hub focused on building scalable digital platforms that expand access to knowledge, empower young people, and drive social impact across Africa.
He noted that as the creator of Labari Books—a multi-format learning platform delivering content in read, listen, and watch formats—the Centre is redefining how knowledge is accessed and experienced for a new generation.
Beyond product innovation, he emphasized that Doubleyou has demonstrated execution at scale by leading Nigeria’s National Blood Drive across all 36 states and the FCT, reflecting its capacity to deliver large-scale, mission-driven impact initiatives.
“Positioned at the intersection of technology, education, and social impact, the Doubleyou Innovation Centre partners with global institutions, governments, and leading organizations to design and deploy solutions that transform lives at scale,” he said.