Sopuruchi Onwuka

Africa’s leading gas export company, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Nigeria, has commissioned new Neonatal Ward and a renovated Intensive Care Unit at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba, Delta State.

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Manager in charge of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, declared in a statement that the two facilities mark additional milestones in NLNG’s Hospital Support Programme (HSP) conceived to support the transformation of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

The upgraded FMC Asaba facility now boasts of world-class treatment areas, all tailored to accelerate emergency response, improve outcomes, and enhance care for Nigeria’s most vulnerable patients – the neo-natals.

Some of the new facilities are neonatal and ICU suites, recovery rooms, prep zones, automated doors, a dedicated nurses’ station, and a family lounge.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of , NLNG, Dr Philip Mshelbila, who spoke at the commissioning ceremony, stated that NLNG’s investment in the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba and other hospitals in the country accurately reflected NLNG’s intentions expressed in its vision of being “a globally competitive energy company improving lives sustainably.”

Dr Mshelbila was represented at the event by the General Manager in charge of External Relations and Sustainable Development, Dr Sophia Horsfall, who emphasized that the HSP was part of NLNG’s broader nation-building agenda.

“We invest in people, not just infrastructure. Through education, health, and capacity-building, we are helping shape a sustainable future. The commissioning at FMC Asaba signals more than the completion of a project, it reflects a clear, steadfast vision: a healthcare system where Nigerian lives are preserved through precision, preparedness, and partnership.

“A single step into these wards in FMC, Asaba, reveals transformation with purpose. This is what it means to turn concern into action and statistics into lives saved. Nigeria contributes 20% of global maternal and child mortality. This must change, and we’re committed to that change,” he said.

Speaking during the ceremony, Minister of State for Health, Dr Iziaq Salako, commended NLNG for its contribution to health and urged other organizations to emulate the company.

The Minister, represented by the Ministry’s Director of Hospital Services, Dr Jimoh Salaudeen described the facility as another milestone in the quest for quality health services in line with the Federal Government’s renewed hope agenda.

In his remarks, Henry Obih, a member of NLNG’s Board of Directors, emphasized that the occasion reflected NLNG’s steadfast commitment to the well-being of the Nigerian people. He noted further that through the NLNG HSP, critical infrastructure has been provided, offering immense benefits to families, newborns, ill infants, and to healthcare workers dedicated to delivering quality service.

Receiving the facilities, the Chief Medical Director of FMC Asaba, Dr Victor Osiatuma thanked NLNG for selecting FMC Asaba as one of the benefitting institutions, through a transparent process devoid of lobbying.

The Hospital Support Programme (HSP) was NLNG’s strategic intervention in response to the urgent need for improved medical infrastructure during the COVID-19 crisis. Approved by the NLNG Board in July 2021, the initiative set out to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system, starting with 12 federal university teaching hospitals across all six geopolitical zones and the FCT.

Nine health institutions in Nigeria have already achieved transformative upgrades in obstetrics, neonatal ICUs, occupational therapy, and neuromodulation rehabilitation through HSP.

NLNG continues to lead in the private sector’s contribution to nation-building, investing not only in energy but in education, healthcare, and infrastructure, because progress must be holistic to be sustainable.