‘Our CSR is about intellectual capacity development, empowerment’

THE General Manager, Corporate and external Affairs, Seplat, Dr. Chioma Nwachukwu has said that its company Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) effort is geared towards intellectual capacity development as well as empowerment of members of its host communities.

Nwachukwu said this at the prize giving ceremony of the Seplat Pearls Quiz competition where the students of Reverend Martin Memorial Mixed Secondary School in Iselle Uku, Delta State, have emerged winners of the Seplat Pearls Quiz competition for 2015.

The students emerged triumphant in the 4th edition of the annual Seplat Pearls Quiz competition, which ended with excitement and jubilation on Friday October 16, 2015 at Imaguero College, Benin City. The winning school, represented by Ubawike Chizoba Hope, Enunwa Tonito Bethel and Isika Ifunnanya Kingsley, went home with a brand new school bus, scholarships, N100,000 cash each and sundry gifts.

Bayflowers International School, Benin City, Edo State, represented by Ewere Deborah, Omodiagbon Oriarewu Efe and Ikogwe Bright, emerged runners up and went home with N2 million, scholarships and sundry prizes. Also, students of Staff Model Secondary School, Agbor, represented by Umudogu Onyeka, Egbede Favour and Ekeogu Charles Jnr., came third place winners and went home with N1 million, scholarships and sundry prizes.

Speaking immediately after the grand finale and award of prizes, GM, External Relations and Communications, Dr. Chioma Nwachukwu, who represented MD/CEO of Seplat Petroleum Development Company PLC, operators of the NPDC/SEPLAT JV assets, OML 4, 38 &41, Mr. Austin Avuru, congratulated the winning schools and runners up for their spirit of excellence and sportsmanship.

While providing a historical context for the competition, Nwachukwu noted, “Our company’s commitment to intellectual capacity development as well as the empowerment of members of our host communities through capacity building remains strong and unshakeable. This is our fourth year of organizing the Pearls Quiz competition and we are constantly impressed by the performance of students, especially the females students who are often disadvantaged on account of their gender”.

A director of Seplat and member of its CSR committee, Ifueko Omogui Okauru, said, “Seplat is committed to investing in education because the reason we are all here is because of education”.

In his own remarks, Hon. Commission of Basic and Secondary Education of Delta State, Chiedu Ebie, said the event was “a re-union of the old Bendel State, now known as Edo and Delta States. We are begging other corporate organisations to emulate Seplat while we call on Seplat to continue to produce more Pearls”.

Jubilant teachers and students of the winning school thanked Seplat for the initiative which was flagged off four years ago as a means of promoting academic excellence, stimulating healthy competition, encouraging learning and rewarding outstanding academic performance among schools in Edo and Delta States in collaboration with the ministries of education in the respective states.