6 senior lecturers occupying educational chairs endowed in Nigerian universities by the Shell Petroleum Enhancement Company of Nigeria Restricted (SPDC), have reiterated their commitment to procedures that would enhance collaboration concerning the intercontinental oil company and the academia to satisfy Nigeria’s technological aspirations.
At a new 2022 Joint Review with SPDC Joint Undertaking Professorial Chairs and Centres of Excellence held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the professors talked over their function ideas covering exploration, marketplace operate experience for students in their care and schedules to meet up with the technological aspirations in selected gap regions.
A single of the professors, Variation Ogagarue, who is the director for the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Company (NNPC)/Shell Joint Undertaking Centre of Excellence in Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Benin reported: “the collaboration is envisioned to be an industry-supported centre for the coaching of marketplace-all set graduates.”
Professor Ogagarue praised the achievements of the collaboration, stating the centre in College of Benin had graduated 7 sets with master’s levels awarded to a total of 101 learners.
“Of the 101 graduates, 91 percent a gainfully employed 44 precent are on tenured technological positions in major oil and fuel businesses in Nigeria 23 percent are in the academia some are presently senior lecturers in universities and 25 precent are possibly in govt establishments or non-public observe. The aim is to placement the centre in line with the global energy trend,” he said.
SPDC director and head, Corporate Relations, Nigeria, Mr. Igo Weli, stated: “the collaboration with Nigerian universities, together with other educational programmes like the annual sabbatical and investigation internship programmes, continues to variety vital facets of SPDC’s work to contribute to the advancement of larger instruction in Nigeria.”
Weli, who was represented by SPDC Social Efficiency and Social Expenditure Manager, Mr. Emmanuel Anyim, explained: “the collaboration is a mutually effective connection in which Shell obtains specialised solutions from the professorial chairs and centres of excellence, though they, in convert, acquire business practical experience and publicity to new systems, coach business-completely ready graduates and improve the university curriculum.”
Next a critique of its a long time-aged guidance to education in Nigeria by means of scholarships and provision of marketplace experience to undergraduates, SPDC now sponsors two centres of excellence in Geosciences and Petroleum Engineering at the College of Benin – led by Ogagarue and in Maritime and Offshore Engineering at the Rivers State University, Port Harcourt – led by Dr. Charles Orji.
The four professorial chairs are in Environmental Administration and Handle, College of Nigeria, Nsukka (Professor Anene Moneke) Petroleum Engineering, College of Port Harcourt (Professor Sunday Sunday Ikiensikimama) Geophysics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife (Professor Mary Olowokere) and Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello College, Zaria (Professor Danjuma Yawas).
In the meantime, a two-time occupant of the SPDC-Aret Adams in Petroleum Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Adewale Dosunmu, has inspired other organisations to emulate the strategies of Shell Corporations in Nigeria in selling academia-market collaborations.