NNPC Team Donates to South West States
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)-led Oil and Gas Sector coalition against COVID-19 today 23 April, donated six ambulances and medical consumables to Nigeria’s South West states.
A release by the Corporation’s spokesperson, Dr. Kennie Obateru, stated that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva handed over the vehicles on behalf of NNPC and the Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), comprising of 26 indigenous oil companies,
The items, Chief Sylva said, are part of the N21 billion intervention initiative on the COVID-19 pandemic by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry, which is coordinated by the NNPC.
Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, a member of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu both received the donation on behalf of the PTF and the other Governors of Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, and Ekiti.
Chief Sylva said the states will get additional thousands of testing kits, and Personal Protective Equipment, including face masks, body suits, hand gloves and sanitisers.
Rivers and Bayelsa States have similarly been favoured with the donations which he said will spead to other states of Nigeria, beginning shortly with Kano and Katsina States.
He also announced tht a groundbreaking ceremony for the constructin of emergency and infectious diseases hospitals will shortly be done in Uyo (Akwa Ibom) and Yenagoa (Bayelsa), to kickstart the plan earlier announced to establish “permanent and sustainable medical infrastructure in each of the geopolitical zones in the coming days.”
All states in Nigeria will benefit from the gesture, he said.
Dr. Mamora commended the initiative of the Oil and Gas Sector in the fight against COVID-19 while Gov. Sanwo-Olu said the donation would be used to support the critical infrastructure that was a challenge to the healthcare Industry.
IPPG Chairman, Mr Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, said the group, made up of indigenous oil firms, was working towards procuring 5million face masks, 100, 000 test kits, 12 ambulances, ventilators, beddings and overalls for healthworkers.
He said the group would also donate one isolation unit in a location to be advised by the NNPC and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and molecular labs in some parts of the country.
Earlier in his address of welcome, Mr. Bala Wunti, Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) who is also Coordinator of the Initiative, said the initiative of the Oil and Gas Sector was based on an informed business interest, noting that If economic activities were down, there would be no need for oil and gas.
“We are at a crossroad today and that is why the Industry made an informed decision to come together to do what is right to help Nigeria mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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