**** Reiterates commitment to human capacity development
The management of Total Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNI), has donated a block of five science laboratories to Tonyo High School in Ado-Odo Local Government Area of Ogun ,as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Mr Ahmadu Kida-Musa, the Deputy Managing Director, Deep Water District,TUPNI assured the company’s support in developing the educational sector in Nigeria during the commissioning of the laboratories.
The science laboratories which consists of physics, agric, home economics, chemistry and biology was donated by Total and its partners.
He also reaffirmed the company’s commitment in promoting quality education and contributing to the growth of the sector through its CSR initiatives.
Kida-Musa represented by the Executive General Manager, CSR and Medical Services, Mr Vincent Nnadi,said the company had invested a lot in education because it remains the key to human development.
According to him, the completion and commissioning of this project, is in furtherance of the company’s CSR in deep water operations.
” As you know, according to some extant regulations , deep water operations adopt the entire country as host especially for its CSR activities.
“This edifice was put together in collaboration with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), PETROBRAS, SAPETRO and CNOOC to support the education sector.
He said in July, the company commissioned 10 projects in various areas of interventions including health, education and water.
He said that right now, the company had over 10 projects ready for commissioning in various part of the country.
” Our education intervention has gone full circle with impacts all over the country and beyond.
” We have intervened in Catch-Them -young program for primary school pupils, primary, post- primary, post- secondary and post- graduate scholarships with some tenable records.
“We also conducted book reading program to inspire students, skills acquisition programs and provisions for education infrastructure among others,” he said.
Kida-Musa said the laboratories was just one out of the many embarked upon by NNPC/Total and its partners in the current plan period.
“As we hand over this project to the beneficiary, we implore you to ensure the sustainable use so as to impact on the students positively.
“The sustainability barometer shall be seen during the impact assessment exercise, when the company will come back to check on how the project has helped to improve the studies in this institution,” he said.
He emphasised the importance of education to the students, saying “it is the quality of education you receive that determines your contributions to national development in future.
“We believe in giving back to the society where we operate. One of the ways we do that is through our support to the education sector. Education is the best legacy that could be given to any child.
“We are happy to be with you as part of those that benefited from the company’s CSR initiatives.
“The purpose of the donation is to see positive development in the students’ performance in terms of their studies in sciences.
“We will send our monitoring and evaluation team from time to time to the schools to see how the materials are being used.”
Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun commended Total Upstream and its joint venture partners for investing massively in education toward enhancing educational studies of Nigerians.
Abiodun represented by Dr Waheed Olalonye, Director, Department of Primary and Higher Education, Ministry of Science and Technology, said the state government appreciated the public partnership investment by Total.
According to him, Total has keyed into the governor’s public partnership programme in ensuring that the state maintained its positive impacts in education.
“In Ogun State, we have started rehabilitation of schools and employment of quality teachers in both primary and secondary schools.
“The science laboratories built and donated by Total will be used judiciously by our students to achieve desired purposes,” he said
In her remarks, Mrs Bolanle Akoniyon , acting Principal, Toyon High School, thanked the company for the building of the block of five science laboratories with standard equipments.
Akoniyon said the management team of the school was impressed, adding that the science laboratories would assist the school in improving its standard in science studies.
She, however, appealed to the state government to assign science teachers to the school to improve the quality and performance of students.
