Chevron Project representative, Koyode kolawale (L) presenting document of the new science laboratory complex to Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Ekpo, during the virtual commissioning of the project in Uyo.
By Kufre Etuk
A week ago, Akwa Ibom State witnessed a large turnout of dignitaries, mostly from the oil sector who came from Abuja, Lagos, and other parts of the country to donate medical equipment and other supplies to the state in view of the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic. The donations were in three key schematic areas, provision of medical consumables, deployment of logistics and inpatients support system as well as delivery of medical infrastructure in select states.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, and Chairman, Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19, Mr. Boss Mustapha, represented by the Minister of States for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, Mr Boss Mustapha at the donation ceremony, described the intervention as initiative of the federal government to mitigate the Coronavirus pandemic through the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 in collaboration with Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, International Oil Companies, IOCs, under OPTS, indigenous producing companies under IPPG, major oil marketers, crude oil and product traders, depot owners and Petroleum Product Marketers, Nigeria LNG Petroleum Technology, and others.
On the occasion, one presentation that attracted plaudits from millions of Akwa Ibomites was the virtual commissioning of Science Laboratories at Senior Science College, Ndon Eyo, Onna Local Government Area. The science laboratory complex, constructed by Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited (a Chevron company and operator of the Agbami unit) and its parties in the Agbami field; Famfa Oil Limited, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Equinor Nigeria Energy Company Limited, and Prime 127 Nigeria Limited, was considered the best gift and highly appreciated by government and the people of Akwa Ibom State.
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While the collaborative medical intervention in Akwa Ibom was urgently put up by IOCs and others to meet the need of the hour, the Agbami Parties Social Investment Programme championed by Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited, a Chevron company is designed to provide lasting quality science education to secondary school students in the state.
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The newly inaugurated state-of-the-art science complex at Senior Science College Ndon Eyo, Onna local government area donated by Chevron, has biology, physics and chemistry laboratories. Equipment in the laboratories are by far the newest, most modern any science lab located in the area has. These laboratories will serve both the host school which is the direct beneficiary of the project as well as science teachers and students from nearby school.
Worthy of note is that the Agbami parties so far built 39 science laboratory complexes in schools in Nigeria. They have also built eight conventional and hybrid libraries plus the Agbami Medical and Engineering Professionals Scholarship (AMEPS), all in a bid to expose Nigerian youths who are in school to quality science education, improve the standard of education and create a conducive learning environment.
Recently, the General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs of Chevron Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Esimaje Brikinn, disclosed that the Agbami parties have given scholarship to 16,547 students in Nigeria.
“Since inception of the AMEPS in 2009, over 16,547 students from all the states of Nigeria have benefitted from the scholarship programme, out of which 715 students have graduated with first class degrees,” he noted. He added that about 1,489 students from Akwa-Ibom State have benefited from the Agbami scholarship programme.
Esimaje averred that beyond the education sector, the Agbami parties have made substantial investments in health infrastructure, especially in the management of tuberculosis, and have on that purpose built 28 standard chest clinics with consulting rooms; fully equipped laboratories with mobile X-ray units and gene expert machines, in health institutions across the country. The Agbami parties have also donated nine mother and childcare centers and one medical diagnostics laboratory in some States in Nigeria.
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Before the latest science complex built in Akwa Ibom, Chevron Nigeria Limited had constructed a chest clinic in Oron. The clinic was demolished by the administration of Senator Godswill Akpabio to make way for the construction of highway. Out of deep love for the state, the company bore the cost a second time and rebuilt the chest clinic; this time at Immanuel General Hospital, Eket.
Chevron’s love for the people of Niger Delta goes beyond Corporate Social Responsibility. It can be recalled that in September 2019, Star Ultra Deep Petroleum LTD, a Chevron company, in collaboration with Cross River State Government, and other stakeholders conducted a- five day training for teachers in public schools and donated teaching and learning aids to five secondary schools in the state, to wrap up the training. The five days capacity development which took place at West African People’s Institute, Calabar, had teachers trained on safety, security, classroom management, environment and ICTs. Further to this, Chevron in collaboration with parties in Agbami field, presented lofty awards to five public secondary schools that emerged champions in the 2019 Agbami STEM Innovation Challenge Projects in Lagos State. These token of kindness and raw commitment to the uplift of Akwa Ibomites, Niger Deltans and Nigerians, have kept the parties pretty in the eyes of right thinking Nigerians. Chevron Nigeria Limited deserves some gbosas for her community services. Chevron has sufficiently demonstrated that though she is in Nigeria for business, she is a caring corporate citizen.
Etuk writes from Uyo.
