The training facility of the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State, may be upgraded to train and develop local technology that will manage the oil and gas industry before the exit of the present Buhari administration in the country.
This was made known by the Director of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Asmau Shehu Adaji, who is the chairman of the PTI Repositioning Committee on Monday during a working visit of the committee to the Institute for a general assessment of the school’s training facilities.
The Repositioning Committee was recently set up by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, with the mandate to ensure the rightful positioning and restructuring of PTI in line with international best practices.
Speaking during a meeting with the management team of PTI, the Repositioning Committee chairman noted that the team would conclude the assignment before the exit of the present Buhari administration in the country.
She said, “I’m glad that we’re here to assess the institute. We want to conclude this assignment before the end of this regime. From the principal’s comment, I’m happy for the zeal PTI has to reposition the Institute. Without your support, we can’t do it. We need a physical assessment of what we’ve been told for a proper repositioning”.
Speaking further, she said “We’re here as a committee set up to look at the positioning and restructuring of the academy and the main purpose for which we are here is assessment. This is part of our assignment. At least we need to physically inspect the Institute and see where they are now so that we can pass the information to the government. We’re here for two days.
“They’ve talked about some equipment that are obsolete and looking for funds. The main purpose is funding as you can see is that we want to restructure the academy to meet the first class in line with international best practices to be able to provide the manpower in the oil and gas industry especially now that the Act setting up PTI has been approved and much is expected in the act”.
Earlier in a welcome address, the Principal and Chief Executive of PTI, Dr. Henry Adimula lauded the visiting Repositioning Committee noting that “the physical inspection would enable the team to see the suitability and also see areas where the government may need to reposition the Institute as the training hub for the oil and gas industry in Nigeria and the entire Africa region”.
Adimula described the assessment visit as the final drive to achieve the aim of repositioning adding that “it is not impossible that in the few months left in this administration, we would achieve the desired goals.”
According to him, it is the desire of the committee to make sure that this is speedily achieved.
