Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, NLNG and the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, have donated food palliatives worth over N100million to Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The gesture by the oil and gas firms operating on the Island, follows the surge of Coronavirus infections which prompted the Rivers State Government’s lockdown order on Bonny and Onne in the state.
Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, in June had locked down Bonny Local Government Area in a bid to stem the increasing spread of COVID19 on the Island, after engagements with stakeholders including the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, King Asimini Pepple; Oil and Gas companies operating on the Island – NLNG, SPDC and ExxonMobil.
At the meeting with the Governor and these stakeholders, the oil and gas firms committed to provide food palliatives to cushion the economic effect of the lockdown on residents of the Island.
The NLNG/SPDC food palliatives for Bonny Community comprise 1,200 bags of Rice, 1,200 bags of Beans, 1,200 bags of Garri, 1,200 cartons of vegetables oil and 1,200 cartons of Indomie noodles.
NLNG General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, Eyono Fatayi-Williams, said in response to the current global focus on the fight against Coronavirus, NLNG has spent over N1.4billion on health facilities upgrade and supplies of sundry consumables.
Fatayi-Williams disclosed that NLNG supported the Rivers State Government with the provision of two trucks, medical equipment, PPEs, consumables and upgrade of facilities at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital valued at N630million.
“The company also spent N380million to support Bonny Island, its host community with the provision of a 24-bed Covid-19 treatment centre, medical consumables, PPEs and food palliatives.
“Under the NNPC-led Oil and Gas Industry COVID-19 Intervention, the company has committed N450million to support the Federal Government to upgrade facilities at the Federal Medical Centre Yola at N180m and donate medical equipment, PPEs and consumables worth N108m to Lagos Mainland Hospital, as well as donating medical equipment, PPEs and consumables to Akwa Ibom, Edo, Adamawa and Bayelsa States at N54million for each of the states.
“To boost the health and well-being of people in its host community, NLNG recently launched the Bonny Health Community Insurance Scheme, to ensure affordable healthcare for the people on the Island.”