In spite of the hard times international oil companies (IOCs) are going through in the hands of militants in the Niger Delta region, oil and gas major, Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), has kicked off the construction of a Surgical Theatre and Consultation Rooms at Ekpan General Hospital in Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State.
The project, kick-started last Wednesday, is coming on the heels of the inauguration of the N75 million Women Development Centre in the community in 2015.
General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr Deji Haastrup, while speaking at the event, explained that the project was in consonance with the company’s frantic efforts to raise the bar in quality health delivery in the country.
Mr Haastrup said the project also included the provision of a 60KVA sound proof generator.
He added that the company had also carried out a de-worming exercise in some schools in the community as well as building and handing over a fully-equipped and computerized library to Ekpan Primary School.
These, he said, were part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility to Ekpan community in spite of economic downturn orchestrated by the activities of militants against the company.
“The Delta State government and Ekpan Development Committee (EDC) lent their support in making the ground breaking of the project a reality,” Haastrup noted.
The CNL boss also assured that the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture would continue to extend the frontiers of partnership with the Delta State government and institutions in the state to support projects as well as programmes in its immediate environment in order to improve the standard of living of the people.
However, the Delta State Commissioner for Health, Dr Nicholas Azinge, who represented the state, appealed to youths in Ekpan community to embrace the attitude of peace and progress.
He enjoined them to eschew habits that would hamper the progress of work in the project while thanking Chevron “for acceding to the request of the EDC and the hospital management by granting approval for the amendment of the project specific agreement to favour the construction of a surgical theatre with consulting rooms”.
The Usiavwe of Ekpan, Chief Victor Ewrhujakpor Otomiewo, while expressing appreciation on behalf of Ekpan community, commended Chevron for embarking on more CSR in the sea in spite of crisis in the region.
“For not using and/or taking advantage of the crisis and/or unrest in Ekpan community as an excuse and/or reason to scrap, divert and/or delay the execution and/or take off this laudable project in Ekpan Community,” he noted.
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