The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Warri, Delta State, Prof. Akpofure Rimi-Ruke, has charged Nigerian youths to explore the opportunities in the hydrocarbon resources industry to reduce the rising unemployment rate in the country.
He gave this charge on Tuesday while speaking on the topic ‘Virtual Gas Pipelines: A Comparative Model’ at the Nigerian Content Midstream – Downstream Oil and Gas Summit organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Lagos.
Noting that Nigeria is endowed with abundant hydrocarbon resources that are yet to be fully harnessed for national growth and development, Rimi-Ruke explained that virtual gas pipelines could provide employment opportunities for many Nigerians.
To guide the deployment of the pipelines, which facilitates transportation of gas across the country using modern trucks, he said the university and TLOG, a Trinidad and Tobago-based oil and gas consultant, had set up the Gaspreneurs Centre of Excellence within the university.
According to him, the Centre offers courses in three categories aimed at improving safety in the transportation of natural gas and other petroleum related products.
The university don said the training duration for tanker drivers was three months, for intermediate class, six months; and engineering class, nine months.
He said: “What we are doing is that after training they can form a cluster across the value chain. We want to provide opportunities for Nigerians as it relates to transportation using the virtual gas pipeline.
“We believe that Nigerian youths can take up these opportunities to reduce poverty and contribute positively to the economy”, Rimi-Ruke added.
Speaking at the event, the NCDMB’s General Manager, Research and Statistics, Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu, said Nigeria could be transformed into a gas-powered economy with the right programmes and policies.
Halilu explained that the NCDMB had, as one of its statutory mandates, to collaborate and support indigenous companies to increase their participation in the oil and gas sector and provide better life for Nigerians.
