Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — As part of its corporate social responsibility, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, TEPNG, on Wednesday donated medical consumables and equipment to Erema General Hospital in OML58, as proactive measures against the corona virus pandemic.
The medical items donated by the French oil firm include, hospital beds and mattresses, surgical masks, hand sanitizers, surgical hoods, sprayers, dressing packs, cartons of drugs, etc.
Handing over the items to Erema General Hospital, Executive Director, PHC District, TEPNG Mr. Victor Bandele, said the donations are medical consumables which would be useful even after the COVID19 pandemic.
Bandele, explained that Erema General Hospital is symbolic to the company, hence, the need to use the hospital as an outlet to reaching the people of their host communities, in line with its corporate social responsibility.
He assured the OML58 community of continued commitment of TOTAL to support the people and their wellbeing, as a responsive and responsible organisation.
According to him, “This is our own way of supporting our communities in terms of medical equipment, hand sanitizers and all the things that is required to handle the COVID19 pandemic.
“It’s a strategic action that we have taken to ensure that these equipment get to people in our communities.
“We have had a relationship with this hospital for a very long time, we have always supported this hospital and we have seen that people from this area have always benefited from the activities of this hospital and that’s why we’re taking this bold step of using them as an outlet to reaching the people of the communities where we operate.
“The medical consumables that we brought is more like wanting the hospital to up and ready for any kinds of emergencies.
“I give the commitment of TOTAL as a responsive and responsible organisation, to always lived up to expectations in our communities, we have been here for a long time and we will still be here for a very long time.
“TOTAL is responsive company and we will always play our own part as a major stakeholder in this place. We cannot promise that we will give everything, but we can always promised that we will give the maximum that we have.”
Responding, the King of Egiland, H.R.M. Prof. Anele Nwokoma, commended the management of Total for the donation against COVID19 while urging the oil firm to also provide food palliatives to the people of Egi.
Nwokoma prayed that TOTAL should prosper in 100folds after this COVID19 pandemic, citing that it was only when the oil firm makes progress that the people of Egi can also make progress.
TEPNG’s CSR incomparable with other IOCs – Host communities
“We thank you for the medical consumables you have brought to Erema General Hospital. TOTAL company in France, the Senior Vice President, Nicholas Terraz, MD of TOTAL in Nigeria, Mike Sangster, and the DMD of Port Harcourt District, Dulout Gulliame, we thank you all.
“I knew that you would come even without me asking you to come. I have always maintained that TOTAL loves Egi, but it’s Egi that does not love themselves, and I reiterate that today.
“All over the world, we have been mandated to work and sit at home as a result of COVID19, what that means is that the poverty level in Egi has quadrupled. I therefore used this medium to appeal to TOTAL to look at providing food palliatives to Egi, in every single way.”
Receiving the medical equipment, the Resident Doctor of Erema General Hospital, Dr. Wosu Goc, expressed joy and satisfaction over the gesture by TOTAL.
Goc who disclosed that he was a one-time beneficiary of TEPNG’s scholarship, said has already been informed of how the French multinational has been supportive of the hospital.
“Before I was sent here, I have already been told that TOTAL has been supportive of the hospital. So we really appreciate this, infact I was so excited when I got the call from TOTAL that you will be bringing medical equipment to this hospital.
“And we will do well to send the feedback to my bosses who sent me to this place. The donations will certainly be used for this hospital.
