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Buhari honours Chevron, Agbami parties on contribution to social development

By Kingsley Jeremiah, Abuja
09 April 2019   |   3:52 am
The award was presented to Agbami parties at a Gala night to celebrate TB champions and survivors in Nigeria at the State House conference centre, Aso Villa, Abuja.

Chevron

Wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, has presented an award to Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited (a Chevron company, and operator of the Agbami unit), and its partners in the Agbami field for their contributions towards eradicating Tuberculosis (TB) in Nigeria.

The award was presented to Agbami parties at a Gala night to celebrate TB champions and survivors in Nigeria at the State House conference centre, Aso Villa, Abuja.

Chevron’s General Manager, Deepwater Operations, Michelle Obatoyinbo, received the award on behalf of the Agbami partners at the event, which hosted dignitaries including members of the National Assembly, representatives of the Minister of Health, the diplomatic community, representatives of the entertainment industry and non-governmental organisations, representatives of Global TB Partnership, Geneva, Board members and partners of the Stop TB Partnership Nigeria.

The Director, Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited, Rick Kennedy, who spoke on the “Case of Agbami Parties: Using Corporate Responsibility to end TB in Nigeria,” highlighted the partners efforts in delivering value and improving lives in Nigeria through its social investments in the areas of health, education and economic development.

Represented by Chevron’s General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs (Corporate Affairs), Esimaje Brikinn, Kennedy stated that in the efforts to end TB in Nigeria, the Agbami parties have made appreciable investments in chest clinic infrastructure with modern facilities and state of the art equipment, and sponsored awareness and advocacy programmes in vulnerable communities; built the capacity of health workers as well as provided safeguards for protecting health workers.

According to him, the parties have built, equipped and donated 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 to help facilitate the diagnosis of susceptible and resistant tuberculosis. The Agbami parties have also supported production of National TB Guidelines as safeguards for health workers that provide care for TB patient.

The chest clinics and their sponsorship of civil society partners on advocacy campaigns have increased awareness in the communities on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, he stated.“Tuberculosis Awareness Campaigns have been carried out by the Agbami parties in 10 high burden states of Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and Rivers, Nassarawa, Akwa Ibom, Oyo, Benue, Delta and Sokoto States, reaching over 60,000 community beneficiaries.

“Since 2008, the Agbami parties have spent about N16.6 billion ($2.7million) in building and equipping chest clinics in Nigeria. We are very encouraged by the positive impact these investments have made in supporting the government’s efforts towards eradicating TB in Nigeria,” he stated.

Kennedy added that Agbami parties have also made substantial investments  in education infrastructure, especially in Science education through the building and donation of science laboratories and hybrid/conventional libraries to schools across the Nigeria. 

He said the parties have equally spent over N8.4 billion in the Agbami Medical and Engineering Professionals Scholarship, noting that over 16,300 students from all the states of Nigeria have benefitted from the scholarships, among which an impressive total of 456 have graduated with first class degrees,” he noted.

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