NNPC, partners donate ambulances, others to South-West states

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and its partners handed over six ambulances and medical consumables to South-West states on Thursday.

NNPC said the donation was presented by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on behalf of the corporation and the Independent Petroleum Producers Group, comprising of 26 indigenous oil companies.

The corporation said in a statement issued in Abuja that the donation was part of the N21bn intervention initiative on the COVID-19 pandemic by the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

The items donated to Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo and Ondo states were received by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, who is a member of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, and Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Speaking at the ceremony, Sylva said apart from the six ambulances, the states would also get thousands of testing kits, Personal Protective Equipment, including face masks, body suits, hand gloves and sanitisers.

He said similar donations had earlier been made by the oil and gas sector in Abuja, Rivers and Bayelsa states, adding that collaboration was needed to defeat the novel coronavirus.

The minister added that similar items would be delivered to Kano and Katsina states and that the industry would build emergency and infectious diseases hospitals in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

On his part, Mamora commended the initiative of the oil and gas sector in the fight against COVID-19.

Speaking on behalf of the South-West governors, Sanwo-Olu said the donation would be used to support the critical infrastructure that was a challenge to the healthcare industry.