Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo, has identified education and health sectors as key drivers of the socio-economic development of the country and stressed the need for a robust private sector collaboration with the federal government towards addressing challenges confronting the education and health system.
He urged investors in the oil and gas sector to commit more funds to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes to reposition the two vital sectors of the nation’s economy.
Ekpo gave the charge at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, during the commissioning of the Accident and Emergency Unit (A&E) facility reconstructed, equipped, and donated to the hospital management by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, as part of its Hospital Support Programme (HSP).
The minister who made cash donations to the management of the hospital to support the procurement of medications at the new pharmacy of the A&E unit, and for offsetting medical bills of some indigent patients in an emergency, commended the NLNG for the intervention.
He said the NLNG intervention at the UUTH, other institutions completed, and other teaching hospitals across the country, was in line with the priorities of the President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu -led administration’s social security programmes to cushion the pains of the ongoing economic reforms and enjoined other companies doing businesses in the oil and gas sector to emulate.
Ekpo said: “The NLNG project in healthcare facilities in our Universities aligns with the priorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration which focuses on education, health, and social investments as essential pillars of development especially in education, health, and social investments.
“The NLNG Hospital Support Programme (HSP) particularly epitomizes a commitment to enhancing healthcare delivery across Nigeria. This initiative is not just a Corporate Social Responsibility endeavor; it is a lifeline to millions of Nigerians, providing access to improved healthcare facilities and services.”
