Says gesture must not be seen as FG’s

As NLNG donates holding centre in Bonny

By Egufe Yafugborhi

RIVERS State’s fight against Coronavirus got a boost Wednesday as Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) provided two PCR machines with Governor Nyesom Wike declaring it was the first time the oil major earned his commendation.

The SPDC gesture comes just as a sister company, the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) advanced its N1 billion interventions at fighting the pandemic in the state with the delivery of a 10-bed Holding Centre, to the Bonny Zonal Hospital.

Wike, receiving the Shell donation in Port Harcourt, told the company, “This is the first time I am going to commend you. Thank you for supporting the State Government in the fight against coronavirus. We are not fighting anyone, but it must be stated that this is not from the Federal Government.”

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Managing Director, SPDC, Osagie Okunbor, represented by his Deputy Simon Roddy, said April 7, 2020, Shell had earlier donated of oxygen concentrators suction machines, defibrillators, ventilators, wheeled stretchers, PPEs, Ambulance and generator.

He said the latest donations were aimed at enhancing clinical capabilities at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital and the COVID-19 Treatment Centre at Eleme.

“The Two PCR Machines are approved by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to deliver COVID-19 Molecular screening tests. It is pace-setting technology enhancing testing capacity and fast cycling times, first in Rivers”, Okunbor said.

Rivers Health Commissioner, Prof Chike Princewill said the machines were exact models recommended by World Health Organisation for confirmation of COVID-19 tests.

SPDC Community Health Manager, Dr Akinwunmi Fajola, said equipment “have capacity of rapid tests every day. SPDC used seven weeks to source the machines and NCDC has ready staff to get them to functionality.”

On the NLNG gesture at Bonny, Health Commissioner, Chike said: “Only recently, the company demonstrated again that it is a friend to Rivers by its donation of medical equipment worth over $500,000 dollars to the State to manage Coronavirus. The Company also pledged an intervention at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital worth $1 million.”

Vanguard