Our Interest in Educational Advancement of Nigerian Students High, Says TotalEnergies

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

In commemoration of theWorld Teachers Day, TotalEnergies Exploration and Production (E&P) Nigeria Limited has stated that its interest in the educational advancement of Nigerian students is high.

Deputy Managing Director, JV Asset, Mr. Guillaume Dulout, stated this at the 2023 book reading and Open Day event in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Dulout assured that the oil multinational will continue to promote reading among students and encourage youths to develop the habit of reading as a way of life.

He noted that the 2023 book reading presents an opportunity to share career trajectories and explore career requirements and opportunities to guide students make early career decisions.

The DMD explained that reading involves a considerable level of concentration and thus builds discipline, patience, critical thinking as well as knowledge, adding that all these virtues will help students who are engaged in reading to form good character development, necessary for living a successful life.

According to him, “It is based on this conviction of reading that TotalEnergies in Nigeria became committed to the educational development of the country.”

He said TotalEnergies as a company, is a melting pot of STEM-driven innovations with technological expertise that has seen them play pioneering roles in deep water developments in Nigeria.

“We have partnered with key stakeholders to improve STEM learning and provide better career opportunities for Nigerians in STEM- professions,” he said.

He revealed that the firm initiated some programmes such as Institute of Petroleum and energy studies (IPES), MIT – Empowering the Teacher ( MIT-ETT), African University of Science and Technology (AUST) and Sponsorship of professional Associations.

“The Institute of Petroleum and Energy Studies is a postgraduate school established in 2003, through an international collaboration between University of Port Harcourt  and Ecole du Petrole et des Mother’s (IFP School) Paris France in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation EP Joint Venture and has graduated about 544 students at postgraduate and master’s degree levels.

“The objective of the MIT Empowering the Teacher programme is to enable outstanding young Nigerian faculty in science and engineering to collaborate with faculty at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in developing new curriculum and teaching methods with emphasis on problem solving while African University helps fund research and equipping their laboratory,” he explained.

Dulout further explained that TotalEnergies sponsors conferences and exhibitions as well as technical sessions of bodies such as Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS).

He regretted that reading has become a more tasking activity because of social media and other forms of entertainment, including electronic games and warned Nigerian students not to allow these media and their devices to sabotage their dream of becoming a success story to the society.

Earlier in his remarks, the Deputy General Managing External Communications of the company, Dr. Charles Ebereonwu, assured that TotalEnergies will continue to do her best in educational advancement of the country 

Ebereonwu noted that TotalEnergies objective was to build a role model to help build a better nation and shape the future of students in the country.

According to him, “Our target is to sharpen and shape the students for a better society.”

He however advised the students to sustain the culture of reading which will help them in future.

The Commissioner for Education, Rivers State, Prof. Chinedu Mmom, commended TotalEnergies for her contributions in advancing the standard of education in the county.

Mmom who was represented by the Director Quality Assurance in the Ministry, Emmanuel Onumbu, urged the students to concentrate in their studies and take their studies and reading serious to better the society.

The book selected for this year’s book reading and Open Day event for senior secondary schools was ‘Second Class Citizens’ by Buchi Emecheta, while nine secondary schools participated in the event.