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By Babatunde Akinyele
For many people, having cancer is like having a death sentence. For a mysterious disease with unknown causes and a tricky treatment regimen, it is no surprise many are scared. However, if detected in time, modern medical science can treat it. It is this luxury of early detection that the NNPCL is bringing to the doorsteps of ordinary Nigerians.
And it is such a good move. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 79, 000 cancer-related deaths in Nigeria annually. Some common cancers affecting Nigerian men are prostate and liver cancer, while for Nigerian women, it is breast and cervical cancers. While many of these cancers are treatable or better managed, presentation in late stages is what are often responsible for the fatalities.
Hence, the drive, which is being spearheaded by the NNPCL Foundation has seen the establishment and its partners spread the gospel of cancer screening to ensure early treatment. To areas this, the NNPCL embarked on a campaign tagged “Cancer Awareness and ZSX Screening” to ensure humans understand the importance of regular screenings.
In recent times, NNPCL has devised health initiatives ranging from installing modern medical facilities to conducting screenings to performing surgeries. Together with its Joint Venture (JV) partners, the company’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Mele Kyari, has taken the CSR in the direction of improving healthcare. As part of its CSR, NNPCL recently inaugurated a mammography centre at the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lafia, Nasarawa State.
Developed in partnership with TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria Limited, SAPETRO, CNOOC, and PRIME 130, the facility which can handle over 120 examinations daily is equipped with the Senographe Pristina 3D mammography system and stereotactic biopsy capabilities. Given the high incidence of breast cancer, especially among women, this gift can be described as divine. With this, women can come for screening and if anything is discovered, early treatment can commence.
Earlier, NNPCL had constructed a similar facility at Garkida General Hospital, Adamawa.
Speaking at an event to launch the facility, the Chief Upstream Investment Officer of NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), Mr Bala Wunti, said that NNPC Ltd. is committed to improving healthcare in Nigeria.
“We hope that under the stewardship of the state government, this facility will become a beacon of comfort and a critical resource for timely diagnosis and treatment of cancer,” Wunti said.
Commenting on the development, the Managing Director of TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNI), Mr Matthieu Bouyer, also reassured of his company’s commitment.
“This mammography centre is among 84 infrastructural projects TotalEnergies has delivered since 2016,” Bouyer said.
“It signifies our active role in the global fight against cancer and reflects our alignment with the #WorkingWithCancer initiative, which supports recovery and retention for individuals affected by cancer.”
Thus far, this initiative has seen the setting up of six screening centres in Kaduna, Rivers, Ondo, Benue, Imo, and Gombe. They would focus on screening for breast, cervical, and prostate cancer for early detection amidst at-risk populations. According to NNPCL, it aims to screen 3,000 individuals in the six geopolitical zones and also provide health education, workshops, and consultations.
“This campaign is about more than just screening,” said the Managing Director of the NNPC Foundation, Mrs Emmanuella Arukwe.
“It’s about saving lives, building awareness, and creating pathways to preventive care for Nigerians who need it most. In a country of over 200 million people, too many still lack access to the early detection tools that could make a life-saving difference. NNPC Foundation is dedicated to addressing this critical gap by bringing cancer screenings directly to communities. Early detection is crucial to improving survival rates, and this campaign is a vital step towards that goal.”
It is interesting to observe that the drive by NNPCL syncs with the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) which introduced ‘United by Unique’ as its theme for celebrating World Cancer Day from 2025 to 2027. World Cancer Day is held every February 4.
“United in our goals, unique in our needs,” UICC explains the theme on its website.
As the date to mark another event comes up, NNPCL’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, believes the company’s intervention in ensuring early detection is a win-win.
“These free cancer screening campaigns reflect NNPC Ltd.’s broader mission to promote health equity and enhance the well-being of Nigerians across the country through its Foundation,” Soneye said.
Also spreading its tentacles, NNPCL and First Exploration & Production Limited jointly donated N53 million to Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) addressing healthcare, education, and economic growth. NGOs that benefited from this largesse include Irede Foundation, which provides artificial limbs to child amputees, and the Niola Cancer Care Foundation, which conducts colon cancer awareness and screening programs.
But it is not only in the area of cancer detection that the oil behemoth spreads its CSR. Through its “Eye Can See” programme, NNPCL in partnership with Seplat Energy, is restoring peoples’ vision. In Ohaji/Egbema community in Imo State, 639 eye surgeries were performed while over 10,000 reading glasses were distributed to the residents. Also, partnering with SNEPCo Production Sharing Contract (PSC), they launched the Vision First Programme in Lagos. AT the Ilaje community in Bariga, the initiative offers comprehensive healthcare services, including cardiovascular screenings, BMI assessments, and treatment for chronic diseases, alongside free eye care services.
Interestingly, NNPCL’s CSR straddles into other sectors beyond healthcare. Together with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), it commissioned a state-of-the-art ICT centre at Bauchi State University which includes computer laboratories, 3D Printing Labs and a Wi-Fi lounge. This move is sure to enhance IT education in the northeast. And for the Niger Delta University sited on Wilberforce Island, Amassoma, Bayelsa State, NNPCL and its partners in OML 18 – Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board (NCDMB), SNEPCo, Total Energies EP Nigeria Ltd, Nigerian Agip Exploration Ltd, and Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Ltd – donated a modern 2,300-seater digital library. The set-up consists of 100 computer systems, e-learning and research facilities, interactive smart boards, projectors, camcorders, e-books, e-journals, e-learning portal, and reading halls.
Regarding members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the company equipped 284, 000 corps members with business skills and startup support. The company also subsidised by 50 per cent the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration fees for corps members wishing to register their businesses.
Truth be told, this article may not do justice to NNPCL’s CSR interventions. The company has over the past few years shown that it cares about humanity and not only oil money. Maybe this stems from the experience of deprivation which its CEO, Kyari, knew while growing up as an almajiri child. Now, possibly as head of the oil giant, he can easily observe the gaps in our socio-economic life as Nigerians and is doing his best to bridge them.
Anyhow it is, the most important thing is that NNPCL is succeeding in showing to others how to be corporately responsible in a country like Nigeria. Other firms, both big and small, should do well to emulate.
