Eni Awards 29 Postgraduate Scholarships to Nigerian Graduates

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Eni’s subsidiary, the Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE) has awarded scholarships to 29 Nigerian graduates for postgraduate studies overseas as well as at Nigerian universities under its 2023/2024 awards scheme.

Nine of the beneficiaries would undertake postgraduate studies in various universities in the United Kingdom and a university in Finland.

The remaining awardees would pursue their postgraduate studies in Nigerian Universities in disciplines such as Engineering, Geosciences, Petroleum and Environmental Technology and Petroleum Law.

Beneficiaries were selected based on past academic standing and performance in the computer-based test conducted recently for over 700 shortlisted applicants for this year’s award scheme.

The award letters were presented to the beneficiaries yesterday, in Abuja by Eni Nigeria’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. Fabrizio Bolondi.

While congratulating the beneficiaries, Bokonzi said the presentation ceremony represented a moment of pride for the company and the awardees, not only to recognise the incredible talent and dedication of the scholars, but also to highlight the significant investment in the future of education, innovation, and progress in the country.

The postgraduate scholarship scheme was instituted in 2007 as part of the company’s human capital development initiatives to promote knowledge acquisition and to bridge the skills gap in specialised fields relevant to deep offshore Oil and Gas operations in Nigeria.

To date, a total of 290 graduates have benefitted from the Postgraduate Scholarship Schemes, instituted by the company in 2007 to promote knowledge acquisition and fill skills gap in the Oil and Gas sector, as well as contribute to the training and equipping of local professionals with requisite knowledge required in the industry.

Eni, through NAE, has implemented other sustainability initiatives in Nigeria in areas of health, education, access to water and infrastructure provisions, as well as specific initiatives for stakeholder empowerment in local communities.

These include provision of 22 integrated water schemes for domestic consumption and irrigation purposes in North-East Nigeria and Abuja Federal Capital Territory, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to improve access to water for the communities affected by the humanitarian crisis in Northeast Nigeria.

Others were provision of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt; Cardiothoracic equipment including Heart-Lung Machine LivaNova (Sorin/Stockert) S5 complete system at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano; as well as a Research and Innovation Laboratory at the University of Lagos, Nigeria.