The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, is to build a new infectious diseases’ hospital in Borno state as part of support for the public health system.
This was announced on Saturday in Maiduguri when Governor Babagana Umara Zulum received the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva and Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, at the Government House, Maiduguri.
The Minister and GMD were in the state to support the state in the ongoing fight against COVID-19.
The Minister informed Governor Zulum that NNPC will not only build an infectious diseases hospital, but was also donating some medical equipment and consumables critical to healthcare management.
Sylva explained that earlier in March this year, President Muhammadu Buhari had set up a Presidential taskforce to avert COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant impact on critical sectors of the nation’s economy, headed by the Secretary to Government of Federation, Boss Mustapha.
It was in response to the President’s initiative that actors in the petroleum industry to embark on making interventions on three areas: provision of medical consumables, deployment of logistics, and in-patient support system and delivery of medical infrastructure.
Borno Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum while expressing appreciation to the Minister, and GMD (Mele Kolo Kyari, who hails from Borno state) described the intervention as timely, especially given the number of internally displaced persons in the state with increasing need for medical attention.
“The establishment of this infrastructure will add value to the already existing facilities we have. On behalf of the Government and people of Borno State, we remain eternally grateful for all the support” Zulum said
