‘We remain committed to renewable energy, human capacity development’

Oil major, Total E&P Nigeria Limited has expressed confidence in maintaining a profitable financial year amid the harsh business terrain occasioned with the Covid 19 pandemic, even as it reaffirms commitment to renewable energy and human capacity development.

The Executive Director, Corporate Affairs and Services, Total E&P Nigeria Limited, Abiodun Afolabi, represented by the Manager, Diversity and Method Human Resources, Total E&P Nigeria Limited, Gillian Laniyan at the graduation and closing ceremonies of Total Access to Disability Mobility Initiative Project, added that the pandemic has been challenging for different sectors of the economy, but stated that the company is weathering the storm to achieve a profitable operating year.

According to her, the company is also investing a lot of its resources into renewable energy, maintaining that Total is also looking at many ways to bring power and technology into the country.

“We have already started and the pandemic has shown us that there are many ways to communicate and we need to be adaptable to the environment. We hope to partner with the federal government and we know that they are listening to come to a happy resolution bringing our ideas to see to the future of the upcoming generation. Things are changing we have to bring a better change to Nigeria,” she said.

She said in October 2018, the company joined the Global Business and Disability Network Charter of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and had since remained committed to promoting and respecting the rights of persons with disabilities, raising awareness, empowering disabled persons; developing policies and practices; and implementing measures to enable disabled employees to remain on the job.

“At Total, we believe in diversity and equal opportunity. We are committed to promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace with the conviction that no matter your physical circumstances, you have the potential to achieve greatness,” she said.

She stated that Total partners with non-governmental organizations and other specialist agencies and companies in the realization of its diversity objectives, stressing that the company is collaborating with the Women and Children with Disability Initiative (WACWDI) to select 13 children who are unable to attend school as a result of visual impairment and who are from indigent homes within Lagos State; evaluating the mobility needs of each beneficiary and provide coaching as well as life skills to0 facilitate their independence and facilitate the enrolment of beneficiaries into school while also providing school-readiness packs for the 2020/2021 academic session.

Also speaking, the Founder, WACWDI, Mrs. Funmi Gbadamosi, said she has worked really hard along with various Managers of Total E&P to access tremendous financial support for the initiative.

“At WACWDI, we envision a society where everyone irrespective of the challenges of life or birth circumstances, especially and particularly of visual impairment can confidently and productively take his or her place in the society devoid of any inferiority complex and attain his or her potentials optimally,” she said.

She added that Total’s commitment to promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities is worthy of emulation by organizations that seek to genuinely touch the lives of people whose course in life have been negatively impacted or altered through circumstances that are not necessarily of their own making.