News
Shell Summer School Trains 120 Undergraduates
The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) last Monday added another cap to the litany of accomplishments as its Summer School kick-started the training of 120 top petroleum engineering and geosciences undergraduates of four universities in the Niger Delta as a practical demonstration of its desire to create a pool of competent human resource base to drive the oil and gas industry in the years ahead.
Of this number, 60 petroleum engineering students began their classes on Monday, and would stay on campus till August 15, while the other 60 geosciences students would join their class on September 14 through 19, in very intensive, practical sessions accounting for a cumulative 4,500 contact hours, covering a whole semester’s work.
Speaking during the inauguration of the school at the Information and Communication Technology Centre (ICTC), University of Port Harcourt, Choba, SPDC Managing Director, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu said the 120 top performers participating in the two six-day summer schools are drawn from the host university, Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), and the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
Represented at the event by the General Manager, Geosciences, Mr. Nedo Osayande, the managing director stressed that the programme was aimed at transferring industry experience to the students while at the same time bridging the academic-industry gap in curricula as a means of providing veritable platform for development of future exploration and production recruits in the industry.
He stated that the Shell staff, who constitute the faculty would provide on hands-on lectures, lead group discussions, syndicate practical and interactive sessions/exercises, and deliver practical modules in such subjects as mathematics, physics, mechanical, electrical and petroleum engineering as well as geology, geophysics, among others, adding that the initiative was strategically targeted at encouraging excellence in the four universities.
According to him, apart from the public relations benefits, the summer schools also provide significant window for talent-spotting as the industry grapples with the enormous challenges of replenishing its stock of competent reservoir engineers and other professionals in the oil and gas exploration and production environment, and promised to monitor the performance of the students for possible future employment.
Sunmonu noted that SPDC was committed to contributing to the enhancement of educational standards in exploration and production disciplines in Nigerian universities through direct transfer and impartation of practical and current industry knowledge and experience to the top performing students in the catchment universities, and assured the students of a better future in the industry, if they perform well on graduation.
An elated Vice Chancellor, University of Port Harcourt, Prof Don Baridam, while declaring the school open, lauded SPDC for collaborating with the university in this strategic initiative, particularly the introduction of geosciences summer school, saying that it would promote better interactions and more benefits to both the four universities and the participating students.
Prof Baridam listed other Shell involvements in the university to include establishment of Shell/Aret Adams chair in petroleum engineering, the donation of significant volumes of modern textbooks to both university library and the Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, the establishment of a state-of-the-art geophysics computing centre and the promise to supply more equipment to the centre as the research progresses, and requested Shell’s donation of a decommissioned Linux cluster to assist the university faculties to meet their computing needs.
The UNIPORT VC reminded the participating students that the course work was intensive, competitive and highly demanding, and said the authorities of their universities expect them to seize the rare opportunity to further expose themselves to the best industry knowledge, experience and cutting-edge technologies to prepare them for participation at higher levels of the oil and gas industry operations, especially in Shell.
The event, which collapsed into full academic session for the students, was witnessed by a cream of Shell staff and top members of the academia, including UNIPORT DVC, Academics, Prof Biozor Anyologwu, Director, UNIPORT ICT Centre, Prof Joseph Ebeniro, Director, Shell/Aret Adams Professorial Chair in Petroleum Engineering, Prof Wale Dosunmu, Director, UNIPORT Institute of Petroleum Studies, Prof Joseph Ajienka, Prof Onyewuchi Akaranta, deans, heads of departments, among others.
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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