Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Nigeria LNG Limited, NLNG, has commissioned a cutting-edge laboratory complex at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, ATBUTH, Bauchi, in a significant push to improve diagnostic healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
The newly unveiled facility, equipped with advanced technologies including an Automated Tissue Processing Machine, Cryostat, Immunoassay Analyser, ELISA Washer, haematology systems, and vein finders, is the latest milestone under NLNG’s flagship Hospital Support Programme, HSP.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Philip Mshelbila, represented by Sophia Horsfall, General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development, said the project underscores NLNG’s long-term commitment to sustainable health infrastructure.
“This laboratory complex offers Bauchi State a vital partnership and gives us the opportunity to actualise our vision of improving lives sustainably through healthcare infrastructure. This programme demonstrates what is possible when private enterprise and public good align with purpose.”
The commissioning follows similar interventions across Nigeria, including a recently commissioned neonatal ward and intensive care unit at the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Asaba. The Bauchi lab is the tenth completed project under the HSP initiative.
The complex also features purpose-built sample preparation and storage areas, solar-powered backup systems, automated access controls, and modern reception and waiting areas designed for efficiency and patient comfort.
Mshelbila explained that the design of the facility was informed by a detailed needs assessment, and tailored to address diagnostic gaps within the hospital system.
“We are building a network of care across the country. Through HSP, we’ve transformed medical services in all the institutions we’ve touched, boosting the confidence of medical professionals and restoring public hope in quality healthcare,” he added.
The Chief Medical Director of ATBUTH, Professor Yusuf Bara Jibrin, hailed the facility as a game-changer, particularly in view of increasing national health challenges.
“This laboratory stands as a fortress of response, equipped with the tools, technologies, and manpower to detect, analyse, and inform timely medical interventions. It will greatly enhance our ability to confront rising cases of Lassa fever, antibiotic resistance, and cancer.”
Jibrin commended NLNG for going beyond routine corporate social responsibility and disclosed that ATBUTH had already developed a comprehensive framework for the facility’s maintenance and operations.
The Hospital Support Programme has now impacted ten tertiary hospitals across Nigeria, delivering infrastructure in obstetrics, neonatal care, occupational therapy, and neuromodulation rehabilitation.
NLNG continues to rank among Nigeria’s leading private contributors to national development, with sustained investments in energy, education, healthcare, and critical infrastructure.
