The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), on Tuesday, stated that together with its partners, it would extend its ongoing COVID-19 medical intervention to other states of the federation yet to benefit from the initiative.
In a statement in Abuja, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, stated that the NNPC’s coordinated support would eventually reach every state of the country, especially as inhabitants of the concerned states are a constituent of the 200 million Nigerians who are the shareholders of NNPC.
Kyari stated this in Abuja 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).
He said, “NNPC is owned by the 200 million 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 stated that in order to have a coordinated approach in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the NNPC, as the leader in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, brought all her partners together to deliver medical consumables and infrastructure.
“One of the many things we did is to bring our partners on the table and one of our great partners is the Sahara Group with whom we have many businesses. We have downstream businesses and we also have upstream businesses with the group.
“It is common knowledge that for every oil and gas business in Nigeria, NNPC is a partner, either as a direct equity holder or as a cash-contributing partner. Therefore, everything done in this Industry is with the support of the NNPC.”
Mallam Kyari expressed satisfaction over the completion of the COVID-19 testing, tracing, and treatment Centre, saying that the NNPC would continue to support all her partners to deliver more medical facilities and infrastructure in all states of the federation.
The NNPC boss stated that the corporation and all her partners would set up permanent healthcare structures in all the six geo-political zones, adding that the aim was for the facilities to outlive the COVID-19 period and be of great use to Nigerians after the pandemic.
Mallam Kyari averred that the corporation had also upgraded one of her medical facilities in Abuja to receive and treat COVID-19 patients, revealing that it equally supported the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital with facilities that would enable her to treat COVID-19 patients.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Sahara Group, Tope Shonubi, applauded the NNPC for the support extended to the group in providing medical equipment to humanity in the face of the global pandemic.
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 a Coronavirus report of 200 samples collected within 24 hours and boasts of an Intensive Care Unit, Ventilators, and a 54Gene laboratory.
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