Yemisi Izuora
States that have not benefited from medical facilities and infrastructure support from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and her partners in the ongoing intervention initiative have no cause to worry.
The corporation’s Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, stated that the National Oil Company’s coordinated support would eventually reach them, explaining that inhabitants of the concerned states are a constituent of the 200 million Nigerians who are the shareholders of NNPC.
Mallam Kyari disclosed this Tuesday in Abuja during the inauguration of the Thisday Dome COVID-19 Testing, Tracing and Treatment Centre equipped by Industry stakeholders and other corporate bodies among which are the NNPC, Sahara Group, CA-COVID and China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC), a release by NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, stated.
“NNPC is owned by the 200million Nigerians. We have a primary responsibility to stand with the country and our citizens at any time to ensure that we fight COVID-19 together. We are doing this with the support and the guidance of the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, pulling together the entire Oil and Gas Industry to bring support to the country,” Mallam Kyari quipped.
He stated that in order to have a coordinated approach in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the NNPC, as the leader in the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry, brought all her partners together to deliver medical consumables and infrastructure.
“One of the many things we did is to bring our partners on the table and one of our great partners is the Sahara Group with whom we have many businesses. We have Downstream businesses and we also have Upstream businesses with the group. It is common knowledge that for every Oil and Gas business in Nigeria, NNPC is a partner, either as a direct equity holder or as a cash-contributing partner. Therefore, everything done in this Industry is with the support of the NNPC,” the NNPC GMD enthused.
Mallam Kyari expressed profound happiness over the completion of the COVID-19 testing, tracing and treatment Centre, saying that the NNPC would continue to support all her partners to deliver more medical facilities and infrastructure in all states of the federation.
The NNPC GMD stated that NNPC and all her partners would set up permanent healthcare structures in all the six geo-political zones, adding that the aim was for the facilities to outlive the COVID-19 period and be of great use to Nigerians after the pandemic.
Mallam Kyari averred that the Corporation had also upgraded one of her medical facilities in Abuja to receive and treat COVID-19 patients, revealing that it equally supported the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital with facilities that would enable her treat COVID-19 patients.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Sahara Group, Tope Shonubi, applauded the NNPC for the support extended to the group in providing medical equipment to humanity in the face of the global pandemic.
Inaugurating the Centre, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce, Boss Mustapha, applauded the NNPC and all her partners for supporting the Federal Government in the fight against COVID-19.
The facility is a one-stop shop that could deliver Coronavirus report of 200 samples collected within 24 hours, and boasts of an Intensive Care Unit, Ventilators and a 54Gene laboratory.