Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt 

The Renaissance Africa Energy Company Limited in collaboration with the Nigeria Content Development Board (NCDMB) has began the process of overhauling and equipping the Government Technical College, Port Harcourt.

They disclosed that the rehabilitation will cost over $3 million, including building of a new Information and Communication Technology Centre, all four workshops and the general upgrade of facilities in the college.

General Manager, Nigerian Content at Renaissance Africa Energy, Olaruwanju Olawuyi, explained that the initiative followed a directive from the NCDMB which oversees activities of the oil and gas industry in the country.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ engagement on strengthening technical education for sustainable development held in Port Harcourt, yesterday, Olawuyi explained that the meeting was aimed at getting the buy-in of stakeholders on the project.

He stressed that they are kin in ensuring sustainability and protection of the facility when completed in order to achieve a shared ownership, pointing out that work including rebuilding of the perimeter fencing of the school has begun.

Olawuyi stated, “Renaissance and NCDMB are working on a project at the Government Technical College Port Harcourt. It is an upgrade project. We are doing three things.

“NCDB oversees all our activities in the oil and gas industries. So the NCDMB has directed Renaissance as part of the Human Capacity Development initiative to undertake this work. That’s how we got involved.”

He further said, “The first thing is that we’re upgrading the facilities as you will be able to tell. We are taking out all the rundown facilities, the ICT centre, the four workshops. We’re taking them out and we’re building new ones. We are equipping it.”

According to Olawuyi, “Equipping it means that we are putting the latest versions of these things and new ones into that place, both in terms of the ICT centre and the four workshops. Number three is that we are making it sustainable.”

Ensuring the retraining of the teachers, Olawuyi said, “We are scaling up the students, and we are making sure that the facility itself, we want to set them up for success such that it becomes more self-generating financially and it can run itself.”

Also speaking, Director of Capacity Building, NCDMB, Abayomi Bamidele, said aside regulation the Board emphasises development and professionalism.

Bamidele said the Board is not just a regulator in the oil and gas industry to make sure people do things right, but also about development. 

“These are the people, the assets, and the goods we produce in the country. So our role, some other people call us local content. So we must make sure that we use everything we produce here, we utilise any of the people in employment and jobs, and also anybody that has any assets.

“Are you able to look at it quickly to make sure that the right type of training, I mean, education is done, so that by the time you graduate, nobody will be arguing whether you should get a job or not,” Bamidele said.

He continued, “And that is why we’re focusing on universities, we are focusing on the professional education, we’re also focusing on secondary and primary school. In fact, just last year, we launched ‘Back to Greek’, which was about or focused on primary and secondary education.”

He added that the stakeholders’ engagement was important to rob minds, ‘take action and make sure that in a few months’ time, we can start and deliver quality education in Government Technical College.”

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