By Cyril Ogar
In a bold push to support the transformation of healthcare delivery in Nigeria, NLNG, has upgraded the Neonatal Wards and Intensive Care Unit of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba, with an appeal by the Federal Ministry of Health for more stakeholders to support efforts to improve healthcare facilities for newborns and others in the health sector.
This was disclosed in a press statement by Anne-Marie Palmer-Ikuku, Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs and made available to Aljazirah Nigeria in Abuja.
according to the statement, the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) was responsible for equipping the Neonatal Wards, and also the renovation of the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) of the FMC Asaba, with Dr. Phillip Mshelbila, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the NLNG duly handing over the projects to FMC Asaba through Dr. Victor Azubike Osiatuma, the Chief Medical Director of the Centre.
Dr. Mshelbila, in a keynote address presented on his behalf by the NLNG General Manager, External Relations, Dr. Sophia Horsfall, expressed delight at the depth of relief the new facilities and infrastructure upgrade would bring families and even the government and medical professionals, particularly because of the lives of the very vulnerable newborns and infants that will be saved as a result of the intervention of the NLNG through its Hospital Support Programme (HSP).
The managing director said: “As a Medical Doctor, I understand the impact that the newly renovated and equipped neonatal ward and intensive care unit will have in saving lives, especially the most vulnerable newborns and critically ill infants.
“Today’s commissioning of these upgraded facilities affirms the transformative impact of the NLNG-sponsored Hospital Support Programme (HSP). It marks a decisive step forward in our commitment towards fostering a healthcare system that works.
“With these enhancements, the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba is now better positioned to deliver care with improved tools, quicker response times, and better outcomes for our youngest and most fragile patients.”
The NLNG through the HSP had decisively and strategically stepped into the gap to usher in much relief for Nigeria’s health sector especially in the light of the dearth of quality service delivery exacerbated by the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which came with so much pessimism when it shook the more advanced Western and Asiatic countries.
“The board approved the programme in July 2021. The goal was clear: to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure, beginning with 12 federal university teaching hospitals across all six geo-political zones and the FCT.
“In 2022, we signed formal agreements with each hospital to set the stage for a seamless implementation of impactful investment in the development of critical medical facilities for the medical institutions. Now, in 2025, we are seeing the results.
Nine hospitals have already been transformed from Yenagoa to Uyo, Abuja to Kano, with upgrades in obstetrics, neonatal ICUs, occupational therapy, and even neuromodulation rehab centres.
“Today, FMC Asaba joins that list. A walk through these renovated wards shows a clear transformation: upgraded neonatal and intensive care units, recovery rooms, specialized care and prep spaces, a nurses’ station, a waiting lounge, automated doors, and more. Everything is designed for better care, faster response, and safer outcomes.
“This investment could not be timelier. According to the World Bank, Nigeria accounts for 20% of global maternal and child deaths – a sobering reality that requires urgent attention.
‘The NLNG HSP Programme is a response to that call: translating concern to tangible outcomes.
The Hospital Support Programme is a part of our broader vision to improve lives sustainably.”
He said that critical intervention by the NLNG was not restricted to the health sector as the organisation has also been investing in people through scholarship programmes that advance education and empower the next generation.
“We also priorities infrastructure development because we believe progress is best achieved when opportunity is multifaceted”, Mshelbila noted, urging the staff and patients at the FMC Asaba to utilize the upgraded facilities in order to add value to the celebration of “the strength of partnerships” that the donation represents.
“To the staff and patients of FMC Asaba: this is your space. Use it well. May it bring healing, hope, and a better start for every child who comes through its doors”, he said.
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, who was represented at the inauguration by the Director of Hospital Services at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Jimoh Olawole Salaudeen, commended NLNG’s commitment to reducing infant mortality through its strategic intervention, Dr. Saluadeen noted that reduction of neonatal and child mortality to the barest minimum remained part of the cardinal programmes of the Tinubu administration.
He thanked that management of the NLNG for the valuable donation of the facilities and state-of-the-art medical equipment to the FMC Asaba, “which will definitely improve the survival rate of neonatals”, noting that such investment was so highly priced that return on the investment is usually more than 100%.
He appealed to other organizations and well-placed individuals to emulate NLNG’s gesture of strategic infrastructural support with the donation of the SCBU and and the neonatal wards in the FMC Asaba, as the government could never shoulder all in the crucial sector of health.
The minister also commended the board and management of the FMC for their commitment to the development of the medical centre, such that the FMC has continued to attract support from corporate groups like the NLNG and the Delta State Government through various interventions, because “what the NLNG has done is not just for today but for posterity.”
He expressed delight to “witness this epoch-making event that makes another milestone in our quest to provide quality service delivery, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.
“One of the four-point agendas of the current leadership of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, is reduction in mortality and infant mortality.
“Therefore, the support from NLNG to donate this magnificent Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a welcome development. This NICU is equipped with the latest technology and staffed with highly trained professionals.
“And as I earlier mentioned, God willing, this centre of neonatology will be a regional centre for neonatology in this country.
“It will drastically improve the survival rate and quality of life of premature babies and critically ill infants.
“On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health, I want to thank the leadership of NLNG most sincerely for channeling their corporate social responsibility in the most appropriate manner.
“This is the kind of support that the population will benefit from. It is a known fact that the return on investment in any health-related project is usually more than 100%, unlike in other infrastructure projects.
“This one that LNG has done today, that provides care to the children who are the future of the nation. It is an investment for the future of the country.
“I want to use this opportunity to call on other partners and corporate organizations to emulate the NLNG and what NLNG has done and support the health sector to improve on our health care infrastructure for quality service delivery to our citizens.
“I say thank you to the Medical Director, my dear friend, Dr. Victor Osiatuma, and his entire management team. The rapid development of the hospital by Dr. Osiatuma during his tenure is a testament of an uncommon professional leadership.
“And, for 15 years I was in Asaba, I knew what this place looked like. Few months ago, I was here, I got lost within the premises because I didn’t believe my eyes!
“And, because of what I have known and what I saw, a memo came to my table requesting for setting up teaching hospital somewhere. And, I told my principals, it will never work. Asaba Federal Medical Centre must transform to become a teaching hospital.
“May I thank the Delta State Government and other stakeholders in the state, especially the traditional institutions, for the overwhelming support for Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.”
In his welcome speech, the Medical Director of the FMC Asaba, Dr. Victor Osiatuma, went down memory lane to relay the process leading to the concretization of the NLNG projects, saying it was a big dream come true for the Centre due to the transparency and diligence of the company’s leadership.
While noting the NLNG projects will go a long way in tackling the increased number of premature births in the hospital, he assured of the readiness of the staff of the Centre to continue to work hard to sustain the quality services to justify the confidence the Federal Government, the Delta State Government and other stakeholders have reposed in the FMC.
In his remarks, the Chief Medical Director of FMC Asaba, Dr. Victor Osiatuma, expressed profound gratitude to NLNG, applauding the company’s transparency and commitment throughout the project.
Dr Osiatuma said, “This facility was not only rebuilt and re-equipped but also piped with oxygen to ensure that every baby, whether in a cot or an incubator, has direct access to life-saving oxygen.”
The Chairman of the Board of the FMC and National Women Leader of the APC, Dr. Mary Alile, and the Asagba of Asaba, Obi Prof. Epiphany Azinge, also thanked the NLNG for the valuable intervention through equipment and facility upgrade of the wards and intensive care unit for both newborns and infants.
