Covid-19: NNPC Donates additional N10B

Chinazor Megbolu |

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has donated an additional N10 billion to support the fight against Coronavirus disease thus bringing its total donation to about N21 billion.

In a statement, the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Dr. Mele Kyari, who announced the additional donation said the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Timipre Sylva, has also handed over five ambulances to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce for the control of COVID-19.

The statement hinted that Aiteo Exploration and Production Company Limited, a joint venture partner NNPC, donated the ambulances as its contribution to the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.

While handing over the ambulances to Mustapha, Sylva explained that the period calls for partnership and collaborating efforts towards looking for a way forward

The former Bayelsa State Governor noted that the support against COVID-19 was an ongoing one, promising that anything received henceforth would be delivered to the committee directly.

Sylva maintained that the additional support by the oil and gas industry, with NNPC at the helm of affairs, is to contribute their quota to the effort of curbing the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Mustapha had given kudos to the NNPC and the oil and gas sector for their maximum support meted out to the federal government in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sylva, while going around the 190-bed medical facility donated by the petroleum sector, said the Dome, that would house the bed-spaces was donated by another NNPC partner, Sahara Group.

He, however, buttressed that other NNPC partners, home and abroad have been consistently implementing various projects in a drive to support national effort against the pandemic.

Additionally, Sylva disclosed that the feat by NNPC and its partners is as a result of “good corporate citizenship”.

“Aside from consignments of medical consumables and logistics facilities, the industry is embarking on construction of at least two permanent hospitals and world class diagnostics centres in each of the geopolitical zones in the country.

“All these are over and above our regular social investments through various CSR initiatives,” Sylva said.

Editing by ‘Biodun Soyele