ExxonMobil invests N3bn in geoscience education in Nigeria
ExxonMobil Nigeria, through its subsidiary, Esso Exploration & Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL) in production sharing contract with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has invested over N3 billion into Geosciences Education in Nigerian universities.
The General Manager, Operations & Technical Geoscience, Mr. Michael Udoh, said this at the presentation of Geosciences equipment and financial support to six universities under EEPNL's University Partnering Programme (UPP) at the Head Office of the Nigerian Universities Commission in Abuja last Friday.
According to Mr. Udoh, these investments were in demonstration of ExxonMobil's commitment to ensuring that the quality of Geosciences education in Nigerian universities were comparable to that of some of the leading institutions in the world.
'Through our University Partnering Programme (UPP) and University Assistance Programme (UAP),' Mr. Udoh said, 'ExxonMobil, along with its production partners, has invested over N3 Billion into Geosciences education in Nigerian universities and will continue to invest more in the future towards ensuring that Nigerian Geosciences can stand on equal footing with some of the best universities in terms of the quality of the instruction and practical knowledge'.
He said ExxonMobil had a long term commitment to improving the quality of education, 'not just in the Geosciences, but in the area of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) education', adding that 'we have spent over N5 billion in undergraduate scholarships and annually commit substantial sums to awarding 13 post-graduate scholarships to deserving young Nigerians to some of the leading universities in the world'.
At the UPP Presentation ceremony, six universities- Akwa Ibom State University, Mkpat-Enin, Anambra State University, Ulli, University of Jos, Federal University of Technology, Akure, University of Ilorin, and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, were each presented with Logitech thin section making machines, 300 mosquito nets, 24 digital cameras and a cheque for N5.77 million to pay for students' logistics and lecturers' field allowances during the geological field trips.
'To date, we have committed over N900 million to the UPP programme', Mr. Udoh said, 'and our long term goal is to ensure that every public university in Nigeria offering Geosciences benefits from the programme towards improving the quality of their studies'.
A total of 14 universities have benefitted from the UPP Programme so far, with universities under the programme required to prepare maps of the areas in their proximity for review and publication by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA). So far, 12 maps produced through fieldwork under the UPP programme has been published by the NGSA, four are under review while another 6 are currently being drafted for review by NGSA by the universities that have benefitted from UPP.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Universities Commission, Professor Julius A. Okojie, commended ExxonMobil's support for the Geosciences, noting that the equipment donated would further improve the quality of the programme in Nigerian universities, adding that 'happy days are here again for Nigerian universities'.
The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. Macjohn Nwaobiala, said ExxonMobil's support for Geosciences through its social investment programmes portrays the organization as a responsible firm that fulfills its corporate social responsibilities and that 'sustainable university education in Nigeria is a collective responsibility of the government and the private sector as demonstrated by EEPNL and its production partners'.