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.
Source: Premium TImes
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