Ike Amos
Abuja — Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, and its partners, Tuesday, handed over 10 projects in health, education and information technology, valued at N1 billion to northern eight states.
The partners are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Petrobras, South Atlantic Petroleum and CNOOC, while the benefitting states are Bauchi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Borno, Katsina, Kogi, Kebbi and Kwara state.
Speaking in Abuja during the commissioning of ten megaprojects as parts of its Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, initiative, Deputy Managing Director, Deepwater District, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Mr. Musa Ahmadu-Kida, said the projects are part of the 33 projects embarked upon by the company and its partners across the country.
He disclosed that the projects were borne out of the need to mitigate the gaps in qualitative and technical education, maternal and child health, access to clean water and sanitation.
“The projects we are commissioning today, along with the equipment put in there, cost about N1 billion,” Ahmadu-Kida stated.
He noted that the locations of the projects were also carefully chosen to positively impact the internally displaced persons especially in the north-east region of the country, adding that the projects were also in congruence with the United Nations’ Sustainable Goals numbers 3, 4, 6 and 7.
Ahmadu-Kida disclosed that the projects were delivered with integrated solar power which is friendly and cheaper to run, noting that the completion and commissioning of the projects were in furtherance of the CSR initiatives of its deepwater operations.
He said, “NNPC/Total and her partners (Petrobras, Sapetro, and CNOOC) continue to intervene in the social environment of Nigeria through the deployment of various projects. Annually, the company provides 1,600 scholarships to beneficiaries in tertiary institutions. Other projects include construction, equipping of model schools, science laboratories, and Information and Communication Technology, ICT, centres.
“In the area of health, the company is constructing four units of maternal and child referral centres in the north-east to assist the women impacted by the ongoing insurgency in the area. One of these is being commissioned today at Bama.”
Ahmadu-Kida further stated that the company would deploy mammogram centres across the country, with one already commissioned in Lagos State, while another is being commissioned at Anka, Zamfara State.
“This is a major milestone in realizing early diagnosis of breast cancer, preventing late-stage presentation of cancer, aiding treatment and follow up of patients,” he noted.
The company, he revealed, is currently constructing over nine units of solar-powered boreholes with treatment plants in various parts of the country, while four had been completed and part of the projects handed over.
Also speaking, Group General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services, NAPIMS, a subsidiary of the NNPC, Mr. Musa Lawal, assured that majority of the projects handed over to the eight states would be replicated across all states of the country.
Lawal, who was represented by the Manager, Public Affairs Division, Mr. Aliyu Jafaru, further called on the beneficiaries to ensure effective utilization of the projects for the benefits of their people, while he urged the states to efficiently manage the facilities.
