By Ovie Okpare
The Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Effurun, Delta State, will play major roles in driving the recently signed Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) into fruition, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has said.
Sylva, a former governor of Bayelsa State, stated this on Saturday at Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, during the 2021 graduation ceremony for 2018/19 and 2019/2020 graduates of the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun.
He said one of the major achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was the passage and signing into law of the PIA after spending over 20 years at the National Assembly.
Sylva, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Nasir Gwarzo, specifically said the Federal Government through relevant agencies will ensure that PTI is saddled with responsibility of human capacity development in the oil and gas sector.
The minister also assured that the federal government will also partner the Institute in her forthcoming International Conference on Hydrocarbon Science and Technology holding soon at the institution.
He stated that the ministry had been mandated by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to increase the nation’s crude oil production to three million barrel per day from its current 1.3 million per day production.
Sylva further added that efforts to rehabilitate the Warri and Kaduna Refineries were on course, pointing out that rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Refinery has commenced.
The minister commended the Principal and Governing Council of PTI for the various achievements recorded under his watch in the last one year, saying he is pleased with the progress recorded at the institution.
“Equally important, the recent passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill now Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is a watershed moment for Nigeria. The Act provides legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian petroleum industry, the development of host communities, and other related matters.
“The President has also approved the constitution of a Steering Committee to oversee the process of implementation of the PIA. The primary responsibility of the Steering Committee shall be to guide the effective and timely implementation of the PIA. On this note, the Implementation Committee will ensure that the PTI is saddled with the responsibility of Human Capacity Development in the Oil and Gas Sector in Nigeria.
“The major stakeholders like the OPTS. the Petroleum Ministry, the PTDF, NCDMB, the Petroleum Upstream Regulatory Commission, and the Mid-stream and down Stream Regulatory Authority will be co-opted to ensure that the PTI is supported with respect to policy achievements and funding”, Sylva assured.
Also speaking, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said PTI Effurun remains partner and critical stakeholder to his administration’s SMART Agenda of providing quality education to the people of the state.
Represented by the Commissioner for Higher Education, Prof Patrick Muoboghare, Okowa assured that though PTI is a federal institution, the state government would continue to make her presence felt in the Institute.
In his remark, Principal of PTI Effurun, Dr. Henry Adimula, commended President Buhari for the development of the institution as well as the signing into law of the Petroleum Industry Act.
While reeling out some of the achievements recorded by the institution in the last one year, Adimula said, “The Petroleum Training Institute has established collaboration with the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) to align the curriculum to meet the industry expectations and improve the technical competencies and capacity of our staff to be attuned with the ever-dynamic oil and gas Industry.
“The Institute has established the Nigeria Diving School in conjunction with NCDMB/NNPC/SNEPCO with JFD Aberdeen, Scotland as our technical partner. This is an internationally recognised Diving School that will offer training: certifications and re certifications of Divers in Nigeria and Africa. A Local Regulatory Capacity is being built in conjunction with the Department of Petroleum Resources for International Standardization and Accreditation. The scope covers both Onshore and Offshore operations.
“The Institute is in the last phase of attaining ISO 9001-2015 certifications. When attained this will place the Institute as one of the top-ranked Institutions of training worldwide. In the light of the above, 90 members of Staff of the Institute have been certified as implementation and documentation Instructors for ISO9001:2015.
“The Skill Development Academy and the Entrepreneurship Development centre has kicked off their training with over 150 participants trained in various skills. Training activities at the Fire Academy would commence soon.
“The National Skill Qualifications framework (NSQF), a system for the development, classifications and recognition of skills, knowledge and competencies acquired by individual irrespective of how the skill or training was acquired has been introduced by the Institute.”
He commended the graduands for the successful completion of the programmes and charged them to remain ambassadors of the institution as they enter the labour market.
A total of 2297 students from both the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 academic sessions graduated with National Diploma and Higher National Diploma certificates while 16 graduands received the PTI General Welding Certificates.
Of the number, 1,408 graduands received National Diplomas and 1,153 graduands were awarded Higher National Diplomas during the graduation ceremony.
161 students graduated with Distinctions while 810 students graduated with Upper Credit grades with Miss Peter Joses Vwegba of Petroleum Engineering and Geo Sciences emerging the overall best student with 3.95 CGPA.
The result won Miss Vwegba 11 awards as well as standing ovation during the graduation ceremony.
