Thirty-eight young graduates of engineering and geosciences on Friday in Port Harcourt completed kick-off formalities for a 12-month Nigerian Content (NC) Human Capacity Development (HCD) Training Programme on the Provision of Turnkey Joint Venture (JV) Services for Workover and Recompletion of Obiafu 44 Well. Located in the Obiafu-Obrikom Field (Oil Mining Lease 61) within the Niger Delta, the Well is a strategic offshore gas-condensate asset.
Structured into six months of intensive classroom instruction and six months of on-the-job training, the programme covers Basic Drilling Engineering Operations, Well Planning and Design, Measurement While Drilling (MWD), Logging While Drilling (LWD), Drilling Rigs Operation and Well Logs Data Analytics Theoretical/Practical Training. Soft skills to be covered include Entrepreneurship and Business Management and Computer (Microsoft/Office 365).
In a keynote address at the ceremony, the General Manager, HCD, Ms. Alexis Emelle, stated that the programme represented “an opportunity to develop specialised technical expertise in a field that demands precision, discipline, professionalism and accountability.”
According to her “These competencies are critical to the safe, efficient, reliable, and environmentally responsible operations of the oil and gas industry.” He pointed out that beyond developing technical proficiency, the programme was designed to cultivate professionalism, discipline, problem-solving, teamwork, and a strong culture of safety.
The NCDMB official emphasised that the oil and gas industry needs innovators and problem-solvers who could be entrusted with critical responsibilities, and that individuals who demonstrate integrity, accountability, teamwork, adaptability, and commitment to continuous learning are highly valued in the sector.
She said the training programme, which is being delivered by the Board in partnership with Oando Energy Resources Nigeria Limited and their training partners, is a deliberate investment in the beneficiaries, a statement of belief in their potential, while urging them to own it and extract value from it.
She expressed appreciation to Oando Energy for the partnership and commitment to developing Nigerian Content, noting that, by supporting the programme the company is “shaping capability, building confidence, and strengthening the future of the industry.”
Earlier in opening remarks, the Manager, Nigerian Content Division of Oando Energy Resources, Mr. Deji Agboola, challenged the trainees to appreciate the importance of the HCD programme, pointing out that it was the Federal Government’s strategy for curtailment of capital flight which had severely undermined the country’s economic interest in the past, when there was dominance by expatriate personnel in the industry.
“NCDMB, Oando and Hilong have given you an opportunity to help Nigeria,” he explained, adding, “Finding yourselves here, there is enormous responsibility to salvage the country.”
In his own remarks, the General Manager, Hilong Oil Service and Engineering Nigeria Limited, Mr. Thompson Wealth, explained that the NC-HCD programme is in respect of the project (Provision of Turnkey Joint Venture (JV) Services for Workover and Recompletion of Obiafu 44 Well) being executed by his company.
He advised the trainees to put in the best, stating that they would find it rewarding. He made a promise: “At the end of this training programme, I assure you, that even us [Hilong Oil Service] will be interested in you.”
Also speaking, the Zonal Secretary, Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), Engr. Chika Chinwa, stated that the training organisation, D’ARK Global Resources Limited, is a member of his Association, and that he was confident that expectations would be met.
In closing remarks, Ms. Adanma Chika, of D’ARK Global Resources, thanked the NCDMB, Oando and Hilong for making the HCD programme possible, and urged trainees to view the training as an investment in their future.