Yemisi Izuora
Nipco plc .an indigenous integrated oil and Gas Company has restated its commitment to promoting use of Liquefied Petroleum Gas [LPG] as domestic cooking gas through the donation of free cylinders to scores of residents of its host community –Apapa.
The offer of the accessories which is one of the corporate social responsibility initiatives of the company attracted hundreds of people including community leaders the Baale of Marine Beach, Apapa, Chief Joseph Ogunmola [JP] was also part of the conscious programme of the company to deepen use of gas and discourage use of kerosene as domestic cooking fuel.
In a message to the beneficiaries, the Managing Director of Nipco, Mr Venkataraman Venkatapathy said the donation of the 6kg cylinders attached with burners was part of the company panacea to addressing the challenge of needed accessories to jump-start use of gas as cooking fuel.
According to him ,the company had to fill up all the cylinders donated to enable beneficiaries begin its use almost immediately with the hope that after such use they would have seen the inherent benefits of switching to gas as the most efficient cooking fuel .
The MD whose message was delivered at the event held at Apapa Nursery & Primary School in the centre of excellence by the company’s Corporate Affairs Manager, Lawal Taofeek recalled that such initiative was undertaken by the firm last year at Auchi, Edo State in furtherance of Nipco resolve to be part of the change mantra in the use of gas as healthier source of domestic fuel across the country.
He explained that as key player in the industry contributing about 30% of the entire LPG needs of the country through its plant at Apapa would continue to support initiatives that would make the populace harness the abundant gas resources in the country through popularization of LPG as a better alternative to orthodox cooking fuel like firewood and kerosene.
Venkatapathy noted that the company in ensuring access to gas to prospective and current adherents of LPG as cooking fuel, Nipco had provided skids to serve as refill centres across the country with emphasis on accurate filling by gas users aside from numerous campaigns on safety y concerns in its utilization .
A community leader who chaired the event, Chief Ogunmola commended the efforts of the company in this realm adding that he had followed the level of corporate responsibility of the company for some time with lots of amazement.
According to him, Nipco had made a mark in assisting schools with requisite infrastructure, a feat that had improved quality of learning in the two schools the company had intervened in Apapa and Ijora area of the state.
He enjoined the company not to rest on its oars stressing that firms like this ought to be supported to attain higher heights to enable them contribute more to the overall development of the state in particular and the nation in general.
One of the recipients, Mrs Ramoni Adeola expressed deep appreciation to the company and asserted that the donation will further spur beneficiaries to adopt LPG as domestic cooking fuel even as she commended her for widening the scope of beneficiaries this year
She recalled that last year donation was only to teachers in the Apapa Local Government Education Authority but the 2015 edition included other residents including other women within the Apapa community .