NNPC, oil industry coalition donate to Southwest states

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The Oil and Gas Industry Intervention Initiative on the COVID-19 has donated six ambulances, medical equipment including nose masks, surgical gloves and ventilators, among others, to the six states in the Southwest, to fight Coronavirus.

The donation was made yesterday at the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Ikoyi, Lagos.

The Oil and Gas Industry Intervention Initiative on the COVID-19, an initiative introduced by the NNPC Group Managing Director, Mallam Mele Kyari, is a coalition of players in all segments of the oil and gas industry, including the NNPC, Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Independent Petroleum Producers Group (IPPG), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) and other petroleum producers, traders and marketers.

Speaking at the presentation of the donation, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Sylva Timipre, said the oil industry coalition made similar donation in Abuja two weeks ago after raising N21billion and was replicating same in Lagos for the Southwest states.

He said the intervention is hinged on three broad factors – provision of medical consumables, deployment of medical logistics and delivering of health infrastructure.

Timipre added that similar items would be delivered in Kano in the coming days,

Mr. Boss Mustapha and received the donation on behalf of the Southwest states, said the gesture was commendable.

“You have done so well and I can assure you that posterity will be kind to you, especially at this time. What you have presented today and will present in the days and weeks to come will fortify the health sector,” he added.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who stood in for his colleagues (other governors), said the donation would contribute to containing and eradicating COVID-19 pandemic.

He thanked the donors for what they did and what they would do.

Sanwo-Olu commended their efforts to fortify the health sector and promised that the donation would be put to judicious use.

He said that the items would be delivered to the states, adding: “Our people will come out of the pandemic strong.”

The Group General Manager, NAPIMS, Bala Wunti, said anything that “affects our health, safety and environmental sustainability will bring down this industry. It is in view of this development that the players in the oil industry came together under the initiative of the Minister of Petroleum, GMD to see how we can mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the citizens and on our operation.

“Through the initiative, we were able to raise N21 billion to make provision for ambulances, personal protective equipment and ventilators, among others. What we are doing today in Lagos is a replication of what we did in Abuja. We have six ambulances and other medical materials and equipment for the six states in the Southwest –Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Ondo, Osun and Ekiti.

“We will deliver them to the states or they will come and collect them. When the fight against the coronavirus pandemic is over, we will ensure we have 12 permanent world class and well-equipped infectious disease hospitals (IDHs), at least two in each geopolitical zones of the country.”

The Chairman of IPP Group, Ademola Adeyemi-Bero, stated that they were glad to be part of the initiative to collectively fight the coronavirus pandemic, adding that part of the donation besides the ambulances included five million nose masks, surgical gloves, ventilators and diagnostic laboratory, among others.

Oil and gas industry chief executives including the NNPC chief, Mele Kyari and officials of Lagos State Government, including the Commissioner of Energy and Mineral Resources, Olalere Odusote, were in attendance.