By Emeka Okafor
Nigeria’s leading indigenous oil and gas company, Shafa Energy Group, has donated medical facilities and drugs worth millions of naira to Ifiekporo community Health Center in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The donation followed the renovation of the healthcare center by the company as parts of efforts to improve health service delivery to residents of the community.
Ifiekporo, an Itsekiri community, is the host community to several oil and gas tank farms including Shafa Energy in Warri.
At the unveiling of the newly renovated health center on Tuesday, Shafa Energy Group commended the community for it’s peaceful disposition since it started operating in the area since 2017.
Shafa Energy’s Terminal Manager, Engineer Soludemi Oludare said the company is concerned about the health and wellbeing of the people of her host community thus the reason for taking up the project.
Oludare stated that aside the renovation of the health center and provision of medical facilities, Shafa also donated all necessary materials for delivery of pregnant women to the center.
“This renovation started with fencing of the healthcare centre premises here in lfiekporo. We have provided enough equipment and materials for treatments and delivery of pregnant women and, today we are handing over to the community head, the local government representatives for usage.
“We don’t want to just handover the facilities to you without carrying out a free medical outreach for the good people of Ifiekporo community.
“We also renovated the Doctors’ Quarter apartments so that if government sends doctors and health workers, they will have somewhere to rest and stay. We’re requesting that even if it’s NYSC doctors, government should send us to attend to our people. We have renovated the Doctors’Quarter to make their stay comfortable.
“Aside the doctor’s quarter, we have also renovated the hall. The maternity room was renovated and we fixed all facilities for safe delivery so that they (medical workers) can be comfortable. And we bought some drugs to give to the elderly ones, and to those that actually need drugs”, he added.
Engr. Oludare further assured the community that the company would continue to support the community and the health center to enable it deliver quality services to the people.
He commended Ifiekporo community leadership, elders and the youths for their continued support for the operations of Shafa Energy Group.
Speaking at the ceremony, chairman of Warri South Council, Dr. Micheal Tidi, commended the company for the project and urged other tank farms operating in the area emulate the gesture.
Dr. Tidi, represented by Dr. Sagay Tosan, said, “The cooperation of the community really helped to see this project is completed. For there are other communities that companies are ready to help in this way, but the people are not cooperating. But your cooperation here helped to see this happened. I say thank you very much.”
