The Nigerian Content Development
and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, and the Nigerian Universities Commission, NUC,
have initiated ‘Adopt-A-Faculty’ (AAFac) programme aimed at facilitating the
link between the country’s oil and gas industry and the university system.
NCDMB and NUC, which agreed to
the initiative at a recent meeting in Abuja to ensure that both functioned to
the benefit of the Nigerian economy, said a joint committee has been set up to
develop a detailed action plan within four weeks.
Both agencies have named members
of the joint committee and they have started work.
The Executive Secretary of NCDMB,
Denzil Kentebe, described the AAFac Programme as a capacity development
initiative of the Board aimed at using academic institutions as a catalyst for
local content development.
“The programme aims at
facilitating partnerships between the academia and the oil and gas industry so
as to align the university curriculum to industry technology as well as skills
requirements to enable them train their students in courses and programmes
relevant to the needs of the industry,” Mr. Kentebe said.
The Executive Secretary listed
other goals of the programme to include developing a culture for applied
research; stimulating commercialization of research findings from Nigerian
academic institutions; encouraging beneficiaries of Nigerian oil and gas
resources to invest in manpower and innovation; and maintaining healthy
pipeline of oil and gas talents.
He said that the Board would use
its regulatory powers and mandate to ensure that oil and gas operating and
service companies complied with the requirements of the AAFac programme.
The Executive Secretary of the
NUC, Julius Okojie commended the Board for initiating the programme and
considering the Commission as partner first, rather than going directly to the
various institutions.
Mr. Okojie, who said that Nigeria
had about 142 universities running 610 academic programmes, affirmed the
commitment of the NUC to partner with NCDMB in the implementation of the AAFac
programme.
The NUC boss also decried the
rejection of several Nigerian students by operators in the oil and gas industry
due to perceived lack of relevant skills and expressed hope that the initiative
would help redress the trend.
Mr. Okojie, who was represented
by the Deputy Executive Secretary 1, Chiedu Mafiana, stated that the first step
in the AAFac programme would be to review the
schools’ curricula, identify the gaps, both in theory and practice, and
restructure the curriculum to suit the needs of the oil and gas industry.
Credit: Premium Times
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