The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bashir Bayo Ojulari, has identified brain drain, medical tourism, lack of consumables and equipment, as well as dilapidated infrastructure, as the challenges facing the health sector in Nigeria.

He stated this in his keynote during the commissioning and handover of the rehabilitated three wards with 100-bed capacity to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos, by the NNPC Foundation, the CSR arm of the NNPCL.

Ojulari, who was represented by the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), NNPCL, Adedapo Segun, noted that the project was delivered in record time, within 12 months, assuring that it would serve its purpose fully.

“Nigeria’s health sector is faced with palpable challenges, including lack of personnel owing largely to brain drain, medical tourism, lack of medical consumables, dilapidated infrastructure and lack of equipment, among others. For this 80-year-old facility, NNPCL’s intervention was targeted at revitalising worn-out structures of critical sections of the hospital’s service for patient care.

“Today, we are delivering three wards fully renovated to best standards, having the capacity to hold 102 patients in an environment whose ambience will facilitate better patient care and treatment,” he said.

He noted that the NNPCL, as an energy company of national significance, understands that true value is not measured only in the barrels of oil produced, but in lives impacted, “which is why we have made a deliberate decision to institutionalise our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through the NNPC Foundation.”

On his part, the Executive Vice President, Business Services (EVP, BS), NNPCL, Mrs Sophia Mbakwe, said the company recognised that its responsibility goes beyond energy.

“We are committed to contributing meaningfully to national development, and we are ensuring this through strategic CSR initiatives and investments. NNPC, over the years, has been involved in impacting lives positively across Nigeria – supporting with infrastructural development, such as equipping primary healthcare centres, providing social amenities, such as potable water through borehole installation, providing educational sponsorships through its national quiz programme, and a host of other projects and initiatives.

“Now, as a Limited Liability Company, NNPCL is set to do more and to ensure the projects we undertake are sustainable and impactful for the benefit of Nigerians. Through the NNPCL’s CSR arm, the NNPC Foundation, we have progressed in more social investments, with focus on the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks, and promoting inclusive development for all Nigerians,” she added.

According to her, recent projects and initiatives have encompassed health, education, environment, agriculture, empowerment of youths, humanitarian support and effectively managing the expectations of stakeholders in every community the company operates.

The Managing Director of NNPC Foundation, Emmanuella Arukwe, described the rehabilitated facility at the hospital as a game-changer, saying: “If you look at it, it’s the best of the wards right now, and it’s really done with world-class standards. Everything required in an orthopaedic ward has been put in place. So, we know it will go a long way. Before now, they had a lot of bed constraints.”