By Francis Sadhere
Star Deepwater Petroleum Limited (a Chevron company and operator of the Agbami field) and its partners in the Agbami field: Famfa Oil Limited, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Statoil Nigeria Limited, and Petroleo Brasileiro Nigeria Limited (Petrobras) have been commended for their commitment to safety of children through the Arrive Alive child road safety campaign initiative.
The Delta State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Patrick Muobaghare made the commendation in Warri on Friday November 21, 2014 during the child road safety program executed by the Arrive Alive Road Safety Initiative (AARSI) in collaboration with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Delta State Command.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Chief Inspector of Education, Warri South Local Government Area, Dr Michael Emeshili noted that Chevron has demonstrated its commitment to caring for people around its areas of operations through awareness on the safety of children on the roads.
Stating that the State Government values children’s welfare, he informed the attendees that Road Safety subject has been inculcated in every school curriculum in Delta State and appealed to all to be ambassadors of the initiative.
Mr. Muheez Bello, Government Relations Representative, Policy Government and Public Affairs, (PGPA) West, who represented the company at the event, noted that child road safety campaign was consistent with Chevron’s Tradition of Care and commitment to the safety of lives on Nigerian roads.
He stated that Chevron and its partners in the Agbami field place high premium on safety in line with the commitment to protecting people and the environment and commended the Road safety and AARSI for the partnership in implementing the program.
In his own remarks, the FRSC Commander, Warri Command, Mr. Charles Onyeka Nnamani, noted that some parents and guardians expose their children to risks while some accidents also happen as a result of the child’s unguarded actions on the road. He commended the campaign which seeks to educate kids on being safety champions both in their schools and at home.
He also advised that parents should purchase the car boosters for children below 12 years, those above 12 years can make use of car restrains. He also advised that parents should avoid putting children at the front passenger’s seat because of the high fatality risks in the event of an accident.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, a consultant with the AARSI Mr. Bob Agbo appreciated the guests and the eight participating schools for attending the event. According to him, the AARS initiative which kicked off four years ago has visited more than 90 schools and engaged the kids from these schools in informational research on “safe in-car practices” and “pedestrian practices”.
Other speakers who commended Chevron and its Agbami partners at the occasion included the Mrs. Flora Omolola, Co-ordinator, Virtuous Children Foundation and the Proprietress of Royal Group of Schools, Mrs. Beauty Okpobia.
The program was formally launched by the Executive Secretary of the Arrive Alive Initiative; Mr. Ike Okonkwo while gifts were presented to the participating schools. The event also featured presentations by the schools in the form of dance, song, or drama on the importance of using seat belts and the underlying dangers of not using it and how to cross the road. Also from CNL was Nancy Ugbor, PGPA intern, Warri.
