[dropcap]S[/dropcap]hell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on Friday donated post-crash equipment worth N14 million to Federal Road Safety Corps and Rivers Government.
Handing over the equipment in Port Harcourt, Mr Kiri Obomanu, SPDC’s Coordinator, Road Safety Unit, said the equipment would be used to save lives of accident victims.
He said aside the equipment that the company had trained and kitted volunteers, who would be deployed to strategic locations to quickly respond and administer first aid to accident victims.
“The equipment is part of SPDC’s Post-Crash programme, which seeks to prevent and provide medical care to accident victims to enable them to survive injuries.
“This programme has also employed the services of volunteers who would be stationed along crash and community corridors with focus to providing first aid services to accident victims.
“The reason is because when accidents occur in their corridors, they (community volunteers) are usually the first people to know about it – which they can effect immediate response.
“Aside the volunteers, it is our belief that the equipment that are being donated to FRSC and the Rivers State Government would be deployed to the roads to save lives on our roads,” he said.
Obomanu said that plans were on to provide emergency ambulance centres at strategic locations and flashpoints to enable medical teams to respond quickly to accidents in the Niger Delta.
He said the programme had been adopted by the West African Road Safety Organisation and urged other road safety organisations to join in efforts to make the roads safe .
Receiving the equipment, Mr Jonas Agu, the Zonal Commanding Officer, FRSC Zone six, Port Harcourt, said that road crashes killed faster than malaria and HIV/AIDS in the country.
He said the equipment would aid current moves by authorities of FRSC to set high standards in operations.
Agu said: “SPDC has by this gesture set a high standard partnership and commitment of saving lives of people of residents in Rivers and people across the country.
“We express our gratitude to SPDC and note that this donation is a right step in the right direction,” he said.
Agu, represented by Mr Joseph Aremu, an official of FRSC, said the equipment would be immediately deployed to road corridors to save lives.
The Rivers Commissioner for Transport, Mr Akie Fubara, commended SPDC for the donation and promised that the equipment would be judiciously used and maintained to save lives.
He urged other multi-national oil companies operating in the area to emulate SPDC and improve on their corporate social responsibility to the people.
(NAN)
