– Petroleum Ministry, NCDMB pledge support
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The drive for local content in the nation’s oil and gas industry has been boosted with the take-off of a specialised oil and gas institute in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, equipped with world-class facilities for human capital development in competencies where the country has been deficient and dependent on foreign expertise.
This is as Standard Testing and Inspection Services Limited – an active service provider in the oil and gas industry with focus in manpower supply, non-destructive testing and related services – has now diversified into human capacity development by establishing the Standard Institute of Technology in Uyo.
Commissioning the Standard Institute of Technology as part of the recently concluded 2022 Practical Nigerian Content Workshop, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, applauded the entrepreneurial passion of the proprietor of the Institute, Mr. Nsidibe Alexander, assuring him of maximum support from the Board.
Wabote noted that the Institute addresses capacity gaps not only in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry but other vital sectors of the economy, pointing out that the initiative was a proof that Nigerian businesses are taking up the challenge to grow their outfits and contribute to the development of in-country capacities and capabilities.
“As technology is evolving it is important to constantly acquire new knowledge and skills through training and retraining as individuals or as an organisation.
“Standard Testing and Inspection Services Limited started off as an active service provider in the oil and gas industry with focus in manpower supply, non-destructive testing, and related services, today they have evolved into an Institue. This move to diversify into human capacity development is strategic.”
Appreciative as he was of the success story of Standard Testing and Inspection Services, the NCDMB boss also challenged its chief executive to design courses that will prepare young Nigerians for the challenges that would come with the impending energy transition.
According to him, energy transition would present new demands in terms of skill sets and the Nigerian training institutes should begin to design training programmes that would build the capacity of young Nigerians in that area.
While calling on companies in the oil and gas sector to emulate the dynamism and trailblazing strides of the STIS boss, Wabote emphasised that indigenous companies have to support other local businesses to ensure a thriving supply chain of oil and gas industry and it can be done without compromising standards.
Similarly, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Amb. Gabriel Aduda, assured that the ministry, at every international forum, will not fail to make the Institute (SIT) known.
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Standard Testing and Inspection Services, Mr. Nsidibe Alexander, said technology transfer and human capacity development were top priorities for the firm and having put in some 20 years of service in the petroleum industry, he decided that the time was ripe to train others, particularly youths in critical competencies needed to grow indigenous capacity.
Alexander also lauded the NCDMB for the motivation he received through the Board’s dogged commitment to the growth of in-country capacity and capabilities and its business-friendly approach to enforcement of regulations.
“The Executive Secretary is the man who has made us to stand tall, to compete with the multinationals. STI is affiliated to reputable international training organisations and people trained here are issued certificates recognised in Nigeria and overseas.”
As part of the formal commissioning ceremonies, guests were taken on facility tour to the workshops of the Institute, where they saw firsthand the state-of-the-art equipment and machines.
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