Emma Arubi
10 October 2011, Sweetcrude, WARRI- THE Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, in Delta state was yesterday commended by the traditional ruler of Uvwie kingdom,
HRM Emmanuel Sideso, Abe 1 for donating a 100kva sound proof electricity generating set to the Ekpan general hospital in Uvwie Council area of the state.
Abe 1, stated that the gesture would certainly uplift the standard of medical care delivery in the council area but maintained that it is the function of the state government to provide the needed facilities for the smooth operations of the hospital and appealed to the relevant authorities of the state to rise up to the challenges of lack of infrastructures and equipment in the hospital.
Speaking during the installation and commissioning of the power generating set, the Managing Director of WRPC, Mr. Simon Itua Ehiemua charged the management of the hospital to embrace the maintenance culture that would ensure a longer life of service by the generator, saying the donation is in fulfillment of his promise to give the hospital light as requested by the royal father when he paid him a courtesy visit on assumption of office early this year.
The hospital has been without a power generating set for long, making medical operations extremely difficult for both Doctors and patients who have to put up with the epileptic public power supply of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria.
The President-general of the Uvwie Improvement Development Union, Chief Tuesday Onoge on his part maintained that doling out cash for the developmental projects to community leaders is the primary source of crisis and violence in most Niger –Delta communities and commended the WRPC for the provision of the generating set, adding that “this one will not bring any in-fighting”.
The Zonal Medical Director of the Ekpan general Hospital on his part thanked the company for the gesture but reminded them that unless they go the extra mile of providing at least 5,000 litres of diesel monthly to power the set, it would make no meaning to them as their monthly imprest account can not sustain a regular supply of diesel to power the plant even as he appealed to the relevant authorities to come to the aid of the hospital in the areas of providing medical and office equipment, building of more structures, paintings of the existing buildings and landscaping/interlocking the water logged hospital premises.
