By John Ikani
Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) on Wednesday recorded a major breakthrough in capacity building for oil- and gas-related offshore operations with the graduation of 20 professional divers as Dive Medic Technicians (DMTs) at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State.
The 20 DMTs who have already secured full-time employment with oil and gas companies are the first set of such professionals to be trained locally in Nigeria. In the absence of indigenous manpower in that area of industry operations, foreigners had been dominant, and Nigerians had to be sent to South Africa for training and certification by the International Marine Contractors Association (IMCA), with its international headquarters in London.
Speaking at the close-out ceremony for the 12-month training programme at the PTI, the NCDMB Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Mohammed Ahmed, who represented the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, Alhaji Abdulmalik Halilu, expressed the profound appreciation of the Board for the remarkable accomplishment of the PTI.
Ahmed noted that “A training like this had never been done in-country,” and that PTI has made it possible for identified skill gaps in offshore diving and related functions to be remedied here in Nigeria at relatively lower costs than what was required for such training abroad.
He was equally impressed with the report from the PTI Management and the graduands that all 20 who completed the training have been employed and are already actively engaged in offshore platforms. He assured the Institute that NCDMB would “definitely send in more people for the training” in its drive for in-country capacity development and deepening of Nigerian Content.
SNEPCO, for its part, thanked the NCDMB and PTI for their contributions that made the training programme a huge success. The company’s Nigerian Content Development Manager, Engr. Obi Onochie, echoed the remark of NCDMB’s Ahmed that a milestone has been achieved in local content development in the industry with the successful completion of the training. He added that his company was highly impressed with reports on the conduct and performance of all the trainees.
Earlier in opening remarks, the Managing Director, PTI Consultancy Services Limited, Dr. Oriri Asemota Omoriodion, commended the collaborative efforts of the NCDMB and SNEPCO that yielded an outcome so crucial to oil and gas industry manpower requirements. She assured both organisations that the Institute has what it takes to continue to provide quality training in diverse skill sets for the industry.
On the nature of the programme, the Director/Coordinator, PTI Offshore Technology Energy Centre, Dr. Stanley Okiy, said 10 months were dedicated to on-the-job training, which entailed the placement of the trainees in appropriate companies in the oil and gas sector, while two months were for class work.
He described the comportment and focus of the trainees throughout the duration of the programme as “superb.”
Speaking on behalf of the graduands, Mr. Okoro Uwara Ota commended the NCDMB, SNEPCO and PTI for the opportunity afforded them and for what he described as wonderful experience during the training, with all costs borne by the Board and the international oil company, which in addition provided adequate monthly stipends for all trainees.
“We cannot thank you enough – you have changed our lives,” he declared.
On the relevance of the skills acquired, Ota explained that “A dive medic technician is the first responder whenever there is an emergency offshore,” pointing out that they acquired real-life experience during the training.
The core responsibilities of a DMT include emergency medical response, which involves immediate care to diving-related injuries and illnesses; monitoring diver health, and operating hyperbaric chambers, as in treatment for decompression sickness and related conditions and ensuring proper chamber functionality and maintenance.
The NCDMB team was led by Mohammed Ahmed, and included Ms. Lekoma Sonia Phimia, General Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate, Yusuf Abdullahi and Manfred Odoya Onisodemuya of Corporate Communications Department and Omeme Paulker Emmanuel, of Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate.
