The Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Foundation has donated a 1.5 Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imagery (MRI) system to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) in Nnewi, Anambra.
Newsextra24 reports that the high-tech medical diagnostics equipment was handed over to the management of the university at Nnewi on Friday.
Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), NNPC Ltd., said the intervention would impact thousands of lives within Anambra and the entire Southeast by reducing time, money and other resources spent on seeking medical attention in far distance.
Ojulari, who was represented by Mrs Emmanuella Orukwe, the Managing Director of the Foundation, urged stakeholders to protect the facility from neglect and to ensure their sustenance for posterity.
He said it was part of the company’s social investments which were viable currencies that intersected its relationship between providing and managing energy for Nigerians and meeting stakeholders’ expectations.
“Today marks a milestone achievement as NNPC Limited commissions and officially hands over an equipment that is critical to optimal healthcare delivery in Nigeria.
“The installation of the MRI in NAUTH exemplifies our commitment as our intent is to build enduring institutions, sustainable systems and legacies.
“This intervention aligns with our conviction that access to quality healthcare underpins human dignity, longevity and economic productivity,” he said.
On her part, as the Managing Director of NNPC Foundation, Orukwe said the intervention was in response to NAUTH’s request for a 1.5 Tesla MRI system to support its ultramodern trauma and diagnostic centre.
She said the MRI Machine and associated accessories were delivered to the hospital in December 2025 while installation, calibration, pre-commissioning activities, and operator training were completed in April this year.
She said the NNPC areas of intervention include Energy and Environmental adding that no fewer than 50 patients benefited from free MRI test services during training of the handlers.
“In the area of health particularly, we have delivered free and successful cataract surgeries to over 6,000 Nigerians, including children with congenital blindness, screened over 4,000 Nigerians for cancer.
“I am optimistic that it will serve its purpose to the benefit of all Nigerians,” she said.
In his address, Prof Nnamdi Ugboaja, the Chief Medical Director of NAUTH described the event as not just an installation of equipment; but of hope, precision, and excellence in healthcare delivery for the people of Anambra and Nigeria.
Ugboaja said the dream of his administration to make NAUTH rank among the top three health facilities in Nigeria by the year 2030 would not be achieved through government funding alone but the generosity of corporate partners who share the vision.
He said for a long time, patients in the institution’s catchment area have had to travel long distances to access high level diagnostic precision, often at prohibitive costs but the burden had been eliminated with the installation.
“Today, the NNPC Foundation has demonstrated that corporate social responsibility is not just a policy statement-it is a lifeline for institutions like ours.
“The 1.5 Tesla MRI represents a quantum leap in our diagnostic capabilities, MRI remains the gold standard for systems, and oncological conditions.
“This intervention aligns seamlessly with our 10-year strategic and development plan, particularly our pillar on acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and processes,” he said.
