Yemisi Izuora
Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru, has charged staff of the corporation to get involved in sporting activities towards improving their productivity and service delivery.
Dr. Baru, who made the call during the closing ceremony of the 11th edition of the NNPC Sports Fiesta held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Lagos, said sports ranked high as catalysts for productivity among any workforce.
“There are lots of advantages in getting involved in sports. People who participate in sports exhibit quality lifestyle both at home and in the workplace. And because they are more active, their brains proffer some of the most efficient and viable solutions to the challenges faced today by the corporation and the Industry at large,” Dr. Baru stated.
The GMD said many ailments today were attributable to inactivity characterized by lack of exercise and a care-free lifestyle among people.
He also tasked participants to always make integrity and sportsmanship their watchword, even as he called upon them to go back to their respective zones and unleash their potentials towards ensuring maximum productivity and effective service delivery for the benefit of corporation and, by extension, the Industry’s.
Dr. Baru assured that NNPC would continue to identify with the lofty ideals behind the Fiesta, which he noted aimed at not just mere participation, but fostering unity and cordial relations among the staff.
Earlier in his remarks, the Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, Mr. Isa Inuwa, said the corporation had always made encouraging staff’s sports participation a key element of its welfare package given the strong link between it and improved staff performance.
The NNPC Sports Fiesta, which holds every two years, draws participation from among the corporation’s staff in six locations across the country namely: Abuja, Benin, Kaduna Lagos, Port Harcourt and Warri.
During the games, participants compete in 11 events which are: Football, Basketball, Table Tennis, Lawn Tennis, Squash, Chess, Scrabble, Swimming, 8-Ball Pool, Golf and Athletics.
At the end of the one-week sporting contest which ended Saturday, Lagos Zone emerged the overall best with 11 gold, one silver and seven bronze medals.
Warri Zone, with four gold, five silver and six bronze medals, came second while Benin Zone, with four gold, four silver and four bronze medals, came a distant third.
Over the years, the tournament has served as a platform for selecting the best sportsmen and women that will fly the flag of the corporation in the Nigerian Oil & Gas Industry Games (NOGIG), coming up in Lagos next month.