NNPC, partners to invest 53% COVID-19 intervention fund on hospitals construction
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, and its partners say they are investing 53 per cent of the N21 billion COVID-19 donations from the sector in the construction of hospitals across the six geo-political zones in the country.
In a statement on Thursday, the group General Manager, Corporate Affairs of the corporation, Dr Kennie Obateru, said, “Of the N21billion ($58million) pledged in kind as medical intervention by the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry to combat COVID-19 and improve on healthcare delivery in the country, 53 per cent of the sum pledged has been earmarked for the construction of medical infrastructure across the six geopolitical zones in the country.”
He said the ground-breaking ceremonies for the construction of 200-bed Infectious Diseases Hospitals with in-situ laboratory had already been held in Bayelsa, Borno and Katsina States, with that of the other locations to follow.
Dr Obateru added that a recent report of the group’s delivery schedule indicates that other medical consumables and logistic support have been delivered to 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
He quoted the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Malam Mele Kyari, who led the intervention group, to have said that 14 medical centres in total and two Intensive Care Units (ICUs ) expansion and upgrade would be delivered across the federation as part of the intervention initiative beginning from the end of this month.
According to him, the group’s Governance Committee made up of Managing Directors of oil companies and other Industry players, headed by the NNPC GMD, has also allocated 26 per cent of the intervention fund to the deployment of logistics and in-patient support systems
He said that 21 per cent of the sum was also for provision of medical consumables across the country.
“All the initiatives by the respective stakeholders form part of their usual Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, programme/commitments.
“The report said medical consumables comprising respirators, protective suites and test kits as well as logistics and in-patient support systems among which are ambulances, ventilators and beddings and laboratory equipment have been delivered to 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory,’’ he added.
He said the States that had received medical consumables as well as logistics and in-patient support systems are: Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Borno, Delta, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kwara, and Kaduna.
Others are Kano, Katsina, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Sokoto, Plateau and Rivers State as well as the FCT.
“Intervention is provided in kind by donors using internal transparent procurement processes driven with a clear governance structure of the various coalescing companies,’’ Obateru, said
The Oil Industry Intervention group is made up of the NNPC, Oil Producers Trade Section, OPTS, Independent Petroleum Producers Group, IPPG, and Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN.
It also includes Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers, DPPMA, Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, PETAN, and Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, NLNG.
The sector embarked on an Industry-wide collaborative intervention in recognition of the ravaging impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the critical sectors of the national economy.
The initiative was to support the Federal Government’s efforts and work with the Presidential Task Force and the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, to curb the pandemic.
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