By Idowu Abdullahi,
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)-led Oil & Gas Industry Intervention Initiative on COVID-19, has reiterated its commitment to donate medical facilities alongside coronavirus infrastructures across Nigeria to support governments efforts in its fight against the pandemic.
It said the intended donations were part the ongoing N21 billion intervention initiative on the COVID-19 pandemic by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry, thus its commitment to ensuring all states of the federation benefitted from the intervention.
The corporation’s Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, revealed that states that are yet to benefit from the intervention are the next targets of the industry’s initiative, adding that the coordinated support would get to every state as they are all shareholders of the corporation.
Kyari gave the assurance while speaking 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), on Tuesday in Abuja.
According to him, the completion of the COVID-19 testing, tracing and treatment Centre, in partnership with other industry players remain a testament to the commitment of the sector in prioritising the needs of Nigerians at a time of global crisis.
The NNPC GMD noted that the team would ensure permanent healthcare structures are delivered in all the six geo-political zones of the country, adding that the Corporation had also upgraded one of her medical facilities in Abuja to receive and treat coronavirus patients.
“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,” he said.
While 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.
