Oscarline Onwuemenyi
22 November 2011, Sweetcrude, ABUJA – Total Upstream Companies in Nigeria has announced that it is re-branding its annual Total Golf Tournament to annual Total Charity Golf Tournament, to reflect the re-engineering of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) philosophy.
The re-branding effort has therefore led to the donation of the sum of N2 million to an Abuja-based orphanage by the company.
Disclosing this transformation in the widely-celebrated golf event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive of Total Upstream Companies, Mr. Guy Maurice, told journalists in Abuja that the change was to increase the impact of Total’s CSR expenditure on the maximum number of stakeholders.
He said, “Starting this year, the annual Total Golf Tournament, which is in its 16th year, will now be known as the Annual Total Charity Golf Tournament. While we retain golf tournament as the main event on our corporate sporting calendar, the new concept marries it with CSR convictions by turning it into a charity event.
“We have, therefore, identified City of Refuge Orphanage, an Abuja-based charity, to be the first beneficiary of a token amount that we have raised from this year’s tournament plus Total’s contribution.”
Maurice explained that other characteristics of the re-branded golf tournament are the inclusion of a Pro-Tournament to start some days preceding the main event with reasonable prize money to be shared amongst the five best players within the category of young professional golfers. This, he added, will permit the development of professional golfers as alternative employment for some youths.
Another change would be the replacement of prizes with trophies, as the purchase money will now be added to entry fees and donated to one chosen charity organization each year. There will also be a request to guest players to contribute to a token amount as playing fees which will be added to the charity fund each year.
According to Maurice, “Our modest contribution today might not be much, but it represents our desire to give back to the society and we call on other corporate organizations to extend the scope and reach of their CSR initiatives to cover our less-privileged stakeholders.”
He noted that the annual Golf Tournament was conceived to bring keen golfers, friends and business associates together for a day of fun and informal interaction, which is usually rounded off with an exciting awards ceremony.
He added that the tournament has provided an opportunity for some participants to network and hone their golfing skills. “For others, the event has further deepened our interest in the exciting world of golf and its limitless possibilities. But most importantly, as true lovers of the sport, we know that the beauty of the tournament is not just in winning but in participating,” he added.
Total Upstream in Nigeria is a subsidiary of the Total Group of Companies. Total is the fourth largest oil and gas company in the world with operations in more than 100 countries. The group’s activities span all aspects of the energy industry, from oil and gas exploration and production to downstream refining and marketing of oil and gas products.
