Why we’re advancing staff welfare in Total E&P – Hector-Amiwero

As part of it’s bid to enhance workers welfare and corporate image, Total E&P recently launched the Staff Multipurpose Corporative Society Limited in Lagos, Nigeria. In this written interview with Daily Times newspaper, Head Legal, Compliance & Communications at Total E&P Nigeria Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited, Henry Hector-Amiwero sheds more light on the initiative as well as the plan for future.

Can you tell us more about Total E&P staff multi-purpose Co-operative society?

Total E&P Nigeria Staff Multipurpose Co-operative Society Limited (Total E&P Co-op) commenced operations in 1984 as Total E & P (Nigeria) Thrift and Credit Society Limited. It closed employee based cooperative society and has grown from double-digit membership at inception, to 1,643 members today.

With it’s diligence, Total COOP has adjudged the best cooperative society in Lagos state according to the Lagos state chambers of Commerce, Industry & Co-operative for three (3) years running.

What informed the decision to establish this multipurpose society in Lagos Nigeria?

The decision to establish the multipurpose society came during the economic downturn of the early 80s, and also the era of essential commodities was frustrating the average Nigerian; the staff of Total were quick to spot the opportunities in the prevalent nationwide economic recession. They quickly mobilized for communal economics, a situation where they agreed to come together for bulk purchase of essential commodities at reasonable prices for distribution to members.

What do you intend to achieve with the establishment of the Co-operative?

The company intends to have a user centered cooperative for financial inclusion and to build a better society in Nigeria through our CSR projects.

Asides the Co-operative society, does Total E&P engage in other Corporate Social responsibilities?

Certainly, Total E&P engage in Corporate Social Responsibility such as scholarships, renovation of facilities in Universities and disaster interventions

What are the challenges so far?

The Challenge is that that of meeting up with the huge demands of staff as needs often exceeds the resources available. However, Total E&P Co-operative has clear strategy towards poverty alleviation and contribution towards developmental issues in Nigeria.

From 2015, through our corporate social responsibility desk, we have been setting aside 0.5% of our annual profit towards giving back to the society in areas related to healthcare, advocacy and education. Our major strides in this regards was in 2015 when we partnered with Canceraware Nigeria to sponsor 100 cancer patient for mammogram testing in conjunction with Lagos University Teaching Hospital.

We also sponsored the feeding and care-giving for 17 children with Cerebral Palsy in 2017. As part of our resolutions to also give back to the society in educational aspects, we sponsored the following:

Also, we paid for the school fees of 100 Albino children in conjunction with The Albino Foundation and trained 40 people with special needs of eyesight in conjunction with the Anglo-Nigeria Welfare for the Blind (ANWAB) among others.

On the Advocacy aspect, we have partnership with accredited non-governmental organizations

1. Partnered with the Nigeria Bar Association Ikorodu Branch on the decongestion of prison for indigent people on unlawful custody and about 5 prison inmates who were jailed for no just cause have been released on that account

2. Partnered with the Women Economic and Leadership Transformation initiative

3. Partnered with CeCe Yara Foundation on children with sexual violence

So far, we have impacted the lives of over 1,200 people in Nigeria working with over nine accredited non-governmental organization as a way of contributing towards poverty alleviation.

How do you think the oil and gas sector in Nigeria can move to greater heights and compete in the highest level?

Definitely, Nigeria can move to greater heights and compete in the highest level. Nigeria is the world’s 20th largest economy as of 2015, worth more than $500 billion and $1 trillion in terms of nominal GDP and purchasing power parity, Nigeria is the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the 8th largest exporter, and has the 10th largest proven reserves. Oil and Gas a large role in the Nigerian economy, accounting for 40% of GDP and 80% of Government earnings.

Are we seeing more of these cooperatives replicated in other countries of the world?

The international credit union movement added more than 14 million members in 2018 to reach a new high of more than 274 million in 118 countries, according to World Council of Credit Unions’ newly released 2018 Statistical Report.

African Cooperative saw the largest increase in membership, with a 21% jump from 2017. Asian Cooperative grew at a rate of 13%.

Cooperative membership worldwide has grown by 90 million since the beginning of the decade—with nearly 40 million members being added since 2016.

The global Cooperative movement is growing at a rapid pace as our philosophy of “people over profits” continues to resonate across six continents. We continue to see high growth among those credit unions which provide their core services via online and mobile channels. 

Total Cooperative have also trained some cooperatives in Nigeria. In August 2019 Developmental Educators visited Total Coop.  The delegation was led by the Chief Executive Officer of ACCOSCA (African Confederation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Association) Mr. George Ombado as well as the Chairperson of the board Mr Cambridge Mdlalosa. The delegation visited the Total head office in Victoria Island as well as the brand-new office of Total CoopNG, fondly called The Coop Place.

Total Coop also have exchange and internship programmes to encourage and provide capacity development for other cooperatives in Africa.

Finally, what do you think Total E&P Cooperative is doing differently to cement its place among the world’s topmost oil and gas company in the world.

Total COOP is one of the few co-operative society in Nigeria whose board (Co-operative Management Committee) and management team (a group of professional experts) are clearly delineated and structurally set up as a going concern.

In the same vein, Total COOP is one of the few cooperative society in Nigeria that has one of the “big 4” (PwC) as its external auditor after setting up professionally sound risk, compliance and internal control department with appointed audit and supervisory committee at board level.

Finally, the Cooperative’s staff structure is professionally set up with regards to key business support areas such as Legal Compliance & Communication, Human resources & Administration, Accounts & Financial Reporting, Real Estate, Commerce and Business Development, Risk management and internal Control.