Esso trains 51 university geoscience lecturers

The programme is sponsored by Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL), an ExxonMobil affiliate in Nigeria, in conjunction with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Schlumberger. Esso is the operator of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 133, with Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCO) as its co-venturer.

The training is a part of Esso’s University Assistance Programme (UAP) designed to improve the learning and quality of Geoscience education in universities by providing them with world class tools being used in the petroleum industry for the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the workshop in Lagos, Andrew Ejayeriese, the General Manager, Operations Technical Geoscience, EEPNL, represented by Goodluck Adagbasa, Manager Operation Technical Geoscience – Deepwater, EEPNL said the desire to improve the quality of graduates coming out of the country’s universities was the driving force for the programme.

He said a total of 17 universities have benefitted from the training since inception, adding that this year’s beneficiary universities include the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), University of Ilorin, University of Nigeria Nsukka, University of Port Harcourt and Niger Delta University, Yenagoa. Three lecturers from each of the universities participated in the training. Lecturers from the other 12 benefitting Universities would over the next few weeks undergo the same training.

In addition to the training benefits, Esso will also donate four Petrel Workstations to each of the benefitting schools in order to enable them keep in touch with evolving trends in the petroleum industry and provide their students first hand practical experience comparable with other parts of the world.

In his remarks, Ayodele Fasakin, Head Operations, Schlumberger Information Solutions, Nigeria and Gulf of Guinea, said Schlumberger has contributed substantially to the UAP project with the donation of all the software, licenses and training demos to all the benefitting institutions. He said this was in line with the company’s belief in human capital development.

Doctor Alexander Opara of FUTO, on behalf of the lecturers, expressed his thanks to EEPNL for the opportunity to develop capacity in the geosciences discipline in universities across the country through the UAP scheme. He said that all the lecturers were looking forward to transferring the skills acquired from the 5-day workshop to the students in their respective institutions.

The UAP initiative started in 2006 with the construction of mini-Geoscience workrooms in geoscience departments of benefiting universities. The workrooms are equipped with interpretation dock stations, discussion tables with six revolving chairs, manager’s desk, a writing board and interpretation workstations. For safety, the workrooms are protected with security doors and burglary proof windows. Air conditioners are also installed to make room temperatures conducive for the equipment. EEPNL also sponsored the installation of 30 KVA generators to address power concerns in each of the universities.

Contact:
Mobil Producing Nigeria 
Mobil House, 1 Lekki Expressway 
Victoria Island 
PMB 12054, Lagos 
Nigeria 
Public and Government Affairs