Oil Industry Stakeholders Brainstorm on Ways to Revamp Nigeria’s Petroleum Institute

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Stakeholders in the oil and gas sector from private and public establishments have held a one day interactive meeting on how to reposition the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) in Effurun, Delta State.

A statement from the Director of Information, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Enefaa Bob-Manuel, stated that the move was part of efforts to restructure the institution for effective service delivery.

In his address at the event held in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary at the ministry, Tanimu Aduda said that at inception, PTI had specific functions and was expected to be a major force in improving the lot of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

“Indeed, it started well, but along the line, some things happened and today, the institute has become a shadow of itself,” he added.

Aduda told the stakeholders that the whole idea of the meeting was to discuss and fashion out pathways that could help in repositioning the institute to be able to deliver on its mandate to the oil and gas industry.

He stated that it was extremely important that issues such as the act setting up the institute and its sources of funding , among others should be revisited.

He told the gathering that the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (APPO) was looking up to the PTI for the manpower training and development of Africans in the oil and gas sector.

The statement added that the minister informed that in this regard, APPO had put up a team that would visit the institute within the first quarter of 2023.

In her address, the Director, Human Resources Management at the ministry, Mrs. Asma’u  Adaji, said the PTI was the foremost manpower training institution in the country with an enviable record that impacted the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and beyond.

She however noted that in view of fallen standards, industry players began to overlook the PTI for their training needs.

Adaji relished the enthusiasm demonstrated by all stakeholders in the drive towards repositioning the institute since the restart of the process.

“This is quite encouraging and a strong motivation for the ministry of petroleum resources to provide the needed leadership that is required to attain the set goals,” she posited.

In his remarks, the Principal PTI, Dr Henry Adimula, said the institute was envisioned to be the leading oil and gas technological manpower in the whole of Africa.

He re-echoed the view of the permanent secretary about the institute starting well because it was servicing the training needs of the oil and gas industry and providing the needed technical manpower.