Shell will implement three projects worth nearly N2 billion to mark Nigeria’s centenary as the Anglo-Dutch oil giant identifies with the aspirations of the largest Black African country on the attainment of 100 years of modern nationhood.

They are a 200-seater library in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a health project at Oloibiri, Bayelsa State and upgrade of athletics infrastructure in five secondary schools in Delta State.

Shell is implementing the library and health projects exclusively, and funding 30 percent of the cost of the athletics infrastructure upgrade through its share in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd (SPDC) Joint Venture, with the other partners, NNPC, Total and ENI providing the rest of the funding for this project.

“The projects show our commitment to a long-term future for Nigeria,” said SPDC Managing Director & Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mutiu Sunmonu, on October 29 as he briefed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim. “We’re pleased that the projects will deliver significant benefits to the people, and help boost literacy, healthcare and youth empowerment, in line with our robust programme of social investments in Nigeria.”

In his response, Senator Anyim expressed gratitude for the projects. “We celebrated Nigeria’s centenary in February 2014 with the private sector wholly funding the event in the first example of its kind. The projects by Shell show that the private sector is continuing to support the centenary celebration.”

On October 30, Mr. Sunmonu formally unveiled the three centenary projects at a road show on sustainable development organised in Abuja by SPDC. The projects are being overseen by implementing partners, the Port Harcourt Literary Society, Federal University, Utuoke and Africare, Nigeria. Representatives of the implementing partners and the Delta and Bayelsa state governments pledged their co-operation for a timely execution of the projects.

The road show itself is an annual public display by beneficiaries of SPDC Joint Venture’s social investment programmes covering health care, the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) youth and women empowerment and education. The theme of the 2014 edition was ‘Partnership for development.”

Speaking, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Dr. Joseph Dawha, represented by the Group Executive Director, Gas & Power, Dr. David Ige, commended the implementation of the centenary projects and the social investment interventions of Shell and the NNPC/SPDC Joint Venture.

Group General Manager of NAPIMS, Engr. Jonathan Okehs, represented by Manager, Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kenny Obateru, observed: “The partnership between NNPC and SPDC has brought about significant investments and development in education, health, environmental preservation, economic empowerment, local content development and provision of social amenities in the communities where we operate in particular and across the country in general.”

Recipients of the social investment programmes of the SPDC Joint Venture mounted exhibitions at the road show highlighting the benefits and gains from the various initiatives.

Nigeria is the largest recipient of social investment by the Shell Group globally. SPDC and another Shell company in Nigeria, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) spent more than $100million on voluntary social investment activities in Nigeria in 2013 alone.