CHOBA (Rivers) Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on Thursday inaugurated a 300,000 U.S. dollars (N49.2m) Petroleum Engineering Drilling Mud Laboratory Equipment at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
The Managing Director of SPDC, Mr Mutiu Sunmonu, said at the inauguration of the equipment in Choba, Rivers, that the facility would be used to conduct research on Exploration and Production (E&P) in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
Sunmonu, who was represented by the company’s Manager, Well Engineering, Mr Bernard Obaorekpe, said that the equipment had been fully tested and put to use in research and development and teaching.
“This equipment is going to help boost research work in E&P challenges – and that should help to boost the petroleum engineering activities in this (Niger Delta) region.
“I have no doubt that certainly with the use of this equipment we will be able to transform this institution (UNIPORT) into a centre of excellence for petroleum engineering and boost the local content in our (petroleum) industry.[eap_ad_2]
“This same set of equipment has been donated to two other universities – the Federal University of Technology, Owerri and the University of Ibadan – and the formal inauguration of the equipment is also being planned.
“The equipment is state-of-the-art (technology), and this is the kind of equipment you will find anywhere in the world you go.“
Sunmonu said the company had recently launched a new education strategy that focused on generating the intellectual and creative energy required for sustained performance and future global competitiveness of Nigerians.
He expressed optimism that the strategy would produce the next generation of scholars, who would be intellectually equipped to take up responsibilities toward the nation’s development.
On his part, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Ethelbert Nduka, who took delivery of the facility, said already the university was the centre for excellence in oil and gas studies in sub-saharan Africa.
Nduka, representing the institution’s Vice Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ajienka, said the laboratory facility would be put to best use to enable UNIPORT to compete favourably with top universities in the world. (NAN)[eap_ad_3]