Renowned maritime expert and Chairman of Bics Garden, Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni, has urged the Federal government to establish a modern, state-of-the-art diving institution to train divers in Nigeria.

 Porbeni said the establishment of the institute would create jobs and provide professional training for divers who could operate in diverse sectors such as oil and gas, maritime operations, underwater archaeology, and the marine and blue economy.

The retired Naval Officer, who stated this during an interview with Journalists, decried the situation in which many Nigerians are compelled to seek diving training in foreign countries such as South Africa, describing it as a challenge that requires urgent attention from the government.

“In this country, there are not many divers. Diving schools are very few, so we have foreigners doing diving jobs for us in all areas, including oil exploration, diving and repair, pipeline works and other related fields,

The former Transport Minister noted his experience as a Frogman and naval diver, highlighting the numerous advantages of having skilled divers in the country.

According to him, professional divers are capable of handling underwater tasks such as propeller repairs, underwater pipeline installation, anti-fouling operations, underwater exploration and other critical marine operations.

Porbeni called on the Federal Government to give priority to the development of the nation’s diving sector as a means of creating massive employment opportunities for Nigerian youths.

He lamented the continued neglect of the sector, which, he said, holds enormous potential for job creation in the face of rising youth unemployment in the country.

“If Nigerians have to go to South Africa and other countries to be trained on diving, it is a challenge. Hence, there is a need to establish diving schools that will train young Nigerians to become experts and obtain necessary certifications”, he stated.

He also urged government to prioritise the dredging of the nation’s inland waterways and river ports to enhance the transportation system and promote the use of waterways as a viable means for the movement of goods and passengers.

He called for synergy  among the critical sectors of government agencies such as the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), to improve  the development of inland waterways transport.

Chinedu Wosu

Host Communities of oil and gas firms within the operational catchment area of an oil and gas infrastructure surveillance company, Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd. (PINL), have scored the firm high over its developmental initiatives and programmes.

The stakeholders gave the commendation in joint address presented during a stakeholders engagement meeting held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, by the PINL to assess the performance of the company’s operations in host  communities.

Presenting the address on behalf of the communities, Elder T.K. Ogoriba lauded the firm for its giant and uncommon initiatives which has brought development and empowerment to host Communities within its operational catchment area.

Earlier in his opening remarks, the PINL Consultant, Communities Relations, Dr. Akpos Mezeh, stated that the company would soon unveil empowerment schemes for youths.

He stressed that there has been near zero infractions on the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), hemce an increase in crude oil production, which has ultimately increased Nigeria’s revenue.

“Collectively,  we have been able to achieve near zero infractions on the pipelines that we have been mandated to secure and the implication is that we are experiencing uninterrupted operations in the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), and crude oil production from the fields are flowing without interruption.

“Secondly, we used to experience soot. If you dry your clothes, the next day the colors have changed , and, of course, we are all witnesses that the situation has changed for better and that goes to show that our environment is now enjoying some level of restoration.

“Our environmentalist here can confirm that we are making good progress. We have experienced increase in crude oil production and the implication is that we are making oil revenue available for the federal government and that would go a long way to restore confidence of investors in our economy”, he said.

In a presentation on the impact of oil spillage on the environment, the Manager, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) of PINL, Sunday Otoyo, called on the community stakeholders to dissuade their children and constituents from bursting the pipelines, citing environmental degradation, health challenges and other impacts as consequences.

“Oil spillage possess a significant environmental threat, harming marine life, disrupting ecosystems, and damaging human health and economic activities”, he stated.

In his response, President of Movement For the Survival of Ijaw Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND), Comrade Tonjo Kennedy West, applauded the company for showing exemplary leadership by opening itself for assessment by community stakeholders, calling on other surveillance companies operating in the Niger Delta to borrow a leaf from PINL and create better working relationship with host communities.

Speaking on behalf of the women, Mrs. Moke Ossai, Women Leader, Igbogene Federated Communities, commended the company for carrying women and youths along in their operations.

In his speech, Community Relations Executive of the firm, Mr. Tarila Alamieyeseigha, said the firm would soon roll out a scholarship scheme for the host communities within its areas of operation.

He commended stakeholders for synergizing with the firm, noting that the company will leverage on the cordial relationship existing between her and the host communities “to ensure enduring peace, tranquility and pipeline vandalism-free operational catchment area”.

This, he explained, is in order to protect the environment from  oil and gas related hazards and increase the nation’s oil and gas production for the overall benefit of citizens.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has said the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Train 7 project has reached 80 percent completion.
The Board stated this in a statement released by its Corporate Communications Directorate to newsmen, recently, during the inauguration of 140 trainees for the Train 7 Project.
The trainees had undergone the Nigerian Content Human Capacity Development (NC-HCD) programme it organised in partnership with the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
The Tide gathered that the training programme was an intensive three-month Advanced NC-HCD Programme for the US$5 billion NLNG Train 7 Project on Bonny Island, Rivers State.
The trainees, The Tide further learnt are graduates in different academic disciplines who have completed a 12-month Basic Training Programme in diverse oil-and-gas-industry-related skill sets and are now set for an on-the-job phase which includes active hands-on participation in operational areas such as Turn Around Maintenance (TAM), Commissioning, and Desktop Programmes.
The Corporate Communications Directorate of the NCDMB told The Tide that in November 2024, a set of 331 trainees under Batch A of the NLNG T7 HCD Training Programme began capacity development in facility management, engineering, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Health Safety and Environment (HSE), Quality Assurance and Quality Control, as well as welding and fabrication.
According to the Board, additional 77 trainees under Batch B of the same Training Programme began capacity development in data analytics and supply chain management among several other fields relevant to the operations of the oil and gas industry.
While addressing the trainees and trainers who were drawn from the Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Management Personnel of the NCDMB and NLNG, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr Felix Omatsola Ogbe, said the Advanced NC-HCD training is more than a milestone.
“The NC-HCD training programme is an expression of the collective commitment of the Board and the NLNG to nurturing world-class Nigerian professionals who will shape the future of our oil and gas industry.
“The Board has remained steadfast in its conviction that Human Capital Development is a critical investment in the sustainability and competitiveness of Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain”, the NCDMB boss said.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa