 Staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) have been extolled for their readiness to promptly and speedily respond to emergency situations in case they happen at the workplace.
The commendation came from the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke and the GMD of the Corporation, Engr Austen Oniwon during the NNPC Towers Mega Evacuation Drill held at the Corporate Headquarters, Abuja.
The mock exercise, which saw about 3, 000 persons evacuated out of the 14 floors in each of the four towers at the same time was the first to be held in the CHQ so far.
Addressing staff at the muster points, the Minister said: “I commend you all for your orderly and speedy response to this exercise. But I am even more pleased that all of you calmly came down here in a timely fashion and without any panic.”
Mrs Alison-Madueke added that it was critical for employees not to panic in an emergency situation because panicking has been adjudged to be one of the leading causes of casualties.”
“In the event of an incident, the conditions are not going to be like these ones you have now. In fact, when it happens, you could be coming out of your offices in darkness. So your safety during such situations depends largely on how calm and efficient you respond,” she stated.
The Minister also commended the NNPC Safety Wardens for their commitment, hardwork and resourcefulness during the drill. She observed that the mock exercise would be conducted occasionally until the target response time is achieved.
Also speaking at the occasion, the GMD thanked staff for their quick response to the drill, urging them to do more to ensure that the response time is shortened further during subsequent drills.
He said: “Remember, that Naira you want to save out of your desk during emergency, you may not live to spend it. Remember, your life is not only important to you, but to your family, to the NNPC and to Nigeria. So you must respond on time.”
The GMD who observed that every staff is a safety officer in the oil and gas industry however warned that “during emergencies, don’t attempt to act as a Safety Warden if you are not one. Leave the job for the Safety Wardens.”
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