As part of its strategy to curb the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic in Nigeria, Ardova Plc, formerly Forte Oil, has donated solar energy systems to isolation centres in Lagos and Abuja. This is to ensure that the medical teams have an uninterrupted power supply while working to save the lives of infected patients and prevent further spread.
According to an official statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Olumide Adeosun, fuel has also been donated to power other isolation centres and pandemic nerve centres in Lagos.
In addition, Ardova donated N50 million to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) collective industry fund, via the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), to aid the upgrade of hospitals and building of isolation centres.
Recall that the company had earlier activated intense monitoring across its offices when the index case of COVID-19 was announced in Nigeria. It later transitioned to remote work even before the government declared lockdown when the infections in Lagos rose past an earlier pre-determined threshold.
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This, according to the statement, is in line with the company’s response programme to safeguard staff and customers, empower communities to fight the disease, even while it continues to deliver customer needs.
“Being an energy provider means we have to remain operational during the lockdown, as transport fuels, lubricants, and cooking gas are essential to everyday life for Nigerians.
“As such, we have heightened safety & hygiene standards at all our facilities: staff at our retail stations, lubricants. and chemical plants have been provided with the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), to ensure that they are protected while getting their jobs done,” the statement read.
All non-operational employees of the company are working remotely, in observance of the social distancing measures required to contain the spread.
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Ardova is also taking a step to support the most vulnerable adults and children in their areas of operation, by partnering with Five Cowries Initiative to make donations to community-focused causes.
Adeosun expressed support for the Government’s decision to remove fuel subsidy, noting that in a period like this, it could be channelled to other critical sectors of the economy for greater impact.
He commended other private sector initiatives for cushioning the effects of the pandemic on the country and encouraged Nigerians to hold on as the crisis period would soon come to an end.
“When some semblance of normalcy returns, we all must continue what we started in this unparalleled time; the work of building a socially inclusive world,” he said.
