Oil Firm Commissions Workshop In UNIPORT

As part of its University
Assistance Programme (UAP) aimed at supporting youth development and capacity-building in Nigeria, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL) , a subsidiary of Exxon  Mobil, has formerly handed over a fully-equiped Geosciences Workshop to the Department of Geology, Faculty of  Physical Sciences and Information Technology, University of Port Harcourt.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, the company’s General Manager, Operations Technical Geosciences, Mr Andrew Ejayeriese, said the donation would impact on the quality of Geoscience graduates turned out by the university.
The General Manager, who was represented at the event by the manager, Deep water Production Geoscience, Mr Goodluck Adagbasa, remarked that the company’s gesture would be followed by training of three personnel of the department to man the facility.
“The gesture is aimed at enhancing and complementing the skills of the lecturers, who in turn are expected to train students and other colleagues on the use of the equipment”, he said.
Mr Adagbasa, who also commended Schlumberger Nigeria Limited for providing the petrol interpretation software installed in the machines, mentioned the donated items to include hardware for high-end precision dual core, dell work stations, one external hard drive, 13 com, 16 ports switch, 8″ 24 flat screen monitors and a 30 KVA electricity generating set.
Noting that the equipment was similar to what was in use today in the exploration and exploitation of oil and gas in the petroleum industry,  the company boss stressed the need to use it well for research.
Describing University of Port Harcourt as a centre of Excellence in Geosciences in the Sub-Saharan Africa, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Prof EtheIbert Nduka,  who stood in for the Vice Chancellor Prof Joseph Ajienka thanked Esso for considering UNIPORT as one of the 18 universities in the country to benefit from the University Assistant Programmes.

Chris Oluoh

Cross section of students of School of the Handieapped, at the celebration/commemoration of the 2013 International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Port Harcourt, recently.
Photo: Chris Monyanaga