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Nigeria LNG Limited has so far awarded a total of three thousand and fifty-three (3,053) scholarships to Nigerian students. This is part of the company’s education intervention programme for deserving students at Post Primary, Undergraduate and Post Graduate levels of education.
The latest set of 10 beneficiaries – among whom is a visually impaired female Law Graduate from Bonny Island, NLNG’s primary host community, – were awarded the Overseas Post Graduate Scholarships at a ceremony hosted recently in Port Harcourt.
The event was attended by the beneficiaries, their families and friends, as well as representation from the Rivers State Government and NLNG.
This batch of the Post Graduate Scholarships beneficiaries brings to 48, the total number of such awards since the commencement of the scheme in 2013. The beneficiaries from all over the country, who emerged via a rigorous qualification exercise involving more than 2,000 applicants, shall be pursuing further education in specialty areas in top universities in the United Kingdom.
Speaking at the occasion, the General Manager, External Relations of Nigeria LNG Limited, Dr Kudo Eresia-Eke said, “The goal of the Nigeria LNG Post Graduate Scholarship Scheme is to provide support for the development of competent professionals who will bridge the specialists’ manpower gap in the country, especially in high profile fields of Engineering, Geosciences, Environmental Studies, Management Sciences, Information Technology, Law and Medicine at Masters Level only.”
The 2016 award will cost the company over N200 million to cover tuition, living expenses accommodation and travels for the beneficiaries.
“The overseas scholarship scheme is another effort by Nigeria LNG Limited to consolidate on its human capital development aspirations, in a bid to trigger the necessary indices required for the growth of Nigeria’s economy besides the current state of dependence on oil and gas.” said Kudo Eresia-Eke, General Manager, External Relations. “When most companies are winding down their operations and reducing production costs; including laying off workers and abandoning all Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives in order to survive the recession, NLNG is still keeping faith with its programmes, particularly, the aspect that touch on human capital development”, he added.
Beneficiaries of the 2016 scheme include Miss. Ibiere Helen Jumbo, a Law Graduate who is going to study Energy & Environmental Law with Professional Skills at the University of Aberdeen UK; Miss Zainab Diana Titus, awarded to study Petroleum Engineering also at the University of Aberdeen; Ihuoma Mamma Onwusor proceeds to study Public Health at the University of Bradford in the UK; Miss Ihuoma Gift Amadi will be studying Medical Science with specialisation in Human Nutrition at Glasgow University, and Mr Jonathan Olanrewaju Aina who was awarded to study Digital Communications at the University Of Leeds.
Other beneficiaries are Miss Tamunoibim Elaine Anidima awarded to study International Health at the University Of Leeds; Miss Mvena Jennifer Chubu is going to study Sustainable Energy Systems at the University Of Leeds; Miss Bisa Tuwonimi Tuonims was awarded to study Human Resource Management at the Glasgow Caledonian University; Miss Hafsat Muhammed Kaugama who was awarded to study Information Systems at Middlesex University; and Miss Loveline Chizobam Owoh who declined the award offer to study Oil and Gas Management at Coventry University for personal reasons.
The Nigeria LNG Overseas Post Graduates Scholarship scheme was first awarded in 2012 to10 beneficiaries; 13 beneficiaries each in 2013 and 2014 and 15 in 2015.
The last award ceremony was graced by the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Education, Dr (Mrs) Patricia Ogbonna who commended Nigeria LNG’s initiatives at supporting the development of human capacity in various fields. She advised the beneficiaries to take maximum advantage of the opportunity provided to develop themselves into agents of economic advancement for the nation and themselves, in line with the aspirations of Nigeria LNG Limited, adding that they should emerge with excellent results that will distinguish them as ambassadors of Nigeria LNG which stands for excellence.
Also at the event, some past beneficiaries of the scholarship scheme who had graduated and returned to Nigeria lauded the company’s commitment to human capital development. Mr Aselemi Godpower Umor, a beneficiary who graduated from Robert Gordon University, UK, with a Masters Degree in Oil and Gas Accounting, said “Nigeria LNG CSR initiatives are outstanding, especially because they have direct impact on improving human existence, given the privilege that the scholarship scheme has provided me and all other beneficiaries to obtain Masters Degree in fields considered critical to national development and our personal economic enhancement”.
NLNG Scholarship series commenced with the undergraduate scholarship scheme as a critical component of education intervention programme in1998, even before the first LNG cargo was exported; an action which authenticates the company’s vision as a global LNG company helping to build a better Nigeria. This is in addition to NLNG’s support for technical education through the Bonny Vocational Centre (BVC) which provides technical training in various fields.
600 young Nigerians were also recently trained in various aspects of ship building technology both in South Korea and Nigeria, courtesy of Nigeria LNG’s Nigerian Content initiative as part of the acquisition of six new vessels built by Hyundai Heavy Industries and Samsung Heavy Industries of Korea.
NLNG is owned by four shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC (49%), Shell Gas BV, SGBV, (25.6%), Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15%), and Eni International (N.A,) N. V. S. a. r. l (10.4%).
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