By John Ikani
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Friday graduated 85 trainees in various industry skill sets after completion of intensive three-month programmes at CHARKIN Maritime and Offshore Safety Limited, Port Harcourt.
The training programmes have accreditations from reputable national and international authorities, including the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation (OPITO), and the Nautical Institute (NI).
Addressing the graduands at the close-out ceremony, the Director, Capacity Building Directorate, NCDMB, Dr. Ama Ikuru, said the success recorded in the training marked a significant milestone in the Board’s implementation of the first pillar of its Nigerian Content 10-year Strategic Road Map, which is Technical Capability Development.
In the pursuit of that goal, the Board has covered over 16 million man-hours in training programmes, with over 13,000 Nigerian beneficiaries trained and certificated in Nigeria and overseas in all critical areas of oil and gas industry operations.
Dr. Ikuru expressed satisfaction with the graduands for the seriousness and discipline they exhibited all through the training programme, pointing out that the NCDMB has invested huge sums of money to build indigenous capacity for industry operations.
To the 85 trainees, he remarked, “Let it be known that to whom much is given, much is expected,” adding that “The skills acquired are very relevant to the oil and gas industry and are to be applied” in productive work to grow in-country value addition. “You’ll have to plough back the knowledge gained,” he emphasised.
He urged the graduands whom he described as “Golden Trainees,” to understand that “The training obtained is only the beginning,” and that they have “to continue to seek opportunities for further skills development.”
The Capacity Building Directorate boss expressed appreciation, on behalf of the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, to CHARKIN Maritime for the excellent skills development programmes it has put in place for manpower development, noting that the company had in recent times “put our cadets in foreign ocean-going vessels” for onboard training to qualify them for Certificates of Competency.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, CHARKIN Maritime, Eze (Dr.) Charles K. Wami, thanked the NCDMB for “the show of encouragement, support and solidarity accorded CHARKIN…by way of sponsoring worthy Niger Delta youths for this vocational training.”
“Today, we are honoured to be partnering with NCDMB,” he noted, adding that “NCDMB believes competence is built on knowledge and this leads to personal and corporate success.”
According to him, “We have a common objective which is to build quality personnel for the maritime, oil and gas industry; with a partnership like this, we are sure to deliver on our shared objective, building competence in the industry in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa.”
To the trainees, for whom he was full of praises, his word was, “We wish you put into good use all you have learnt within this short period of your stay in CHARKIN.” Underscoring the significance of the NCDMB initiative in programmes of this nature, he noted that “By empowering our people, our [crude oil] pipelines will no longer be at risk.”
In an overview of the training programmes, a key facilitator, Engr. Wali Christopher Chika, said the major skill sets covered were Crane Operation, Forklift Operation, Scaffold, Small Power-driven Craft, Driving, and Industrial Catering. He said the performance of the students was generally excellent all through the duration of training.
CHARKIN is a member of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Oil and Gas Trainers Association of Nigeria (OGTAN), International Association of Safety and Survival Training (IASST), International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), and British Safety Council.
