News
60% NCDMB trainees secure employments
Sixty percent of the participants in the Smart Electrical Engineering Training organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) have secured employment placements.
Four of the 50 engineers secured international placements with BIC Electric and now work in Europe, while other successful participants got employments in Nigeria with AOS Orwell, Daystar Power Group, Eauxwell, Jubaili Bros and PNN amongst others.
The six-month classroom and on the job training was conducted at the Lagos Energy Academy (LEA) by AOS Orwell, an oil and gas servicing company on behalf of the NCDMB. The second batch of 50 engineers would commence their training in September at the same location. The beneficiaries, like all other trainees of NCDMB were selected from the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Joint Qualification System (NOGICJQS) and underwent qualifying tests and interviews.
Speaking on Wednesday in Lagos at the certificates presentation ceremony, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote commended AOS Orwell for the success recorded with the Smart Electrical Engineering Training. He described it as a validation of the Board’s new model for human capacity building, which emphasizes the delivery of trainings with a line of sight to employment opportunities.
He stated that the Board had now adopted a 60-20-20 model for human capital development, whereby 60 percent of the training spend and efforts gets devoted to programmes that guarantee jobs for the participants. ”Before we give a training contract to any company, the firm must undertake that 60 percent of the people they would train must secure employments.”
He added that 20 percent of the Board’s trainings would be designed to improve the skills of persons already employed while the remaining 20 percent will cater for general and non-certificated trainings.
According to him, the Board’s new capacity building model would contribute to meeting the targets set in the Nigerian Content 10-year roadmap and achieving the drive of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to create employment for young persons from the activities of the oil and gas industry and ancillary sectors.
Wabote regretted that several organizations within and outside the oil and gas industry expend huge resources and train thousands of youths, without defined strategies to get the beneficiaries engaged or employed afterwards.
He challenged other organisations to take a cue from the Board’s training model, adding that ”we are willing to work with other oil and gas service providers with a well thought out training programmes in fulfilment of our mandate.”
He also congratulated the participants, noting that 50 of them graduated without a single drop-out and reports of their performance showed that they passed their tests and now have international certification from Siemens.
He charged the young engineers to utilize any opportunity they get in life and to continue to improve, acquire new knowledge and remain confident.
The Executive Secretary also challenged the incoming participants to surpass the enviable record set by the first batch and to look beyond the collection of stipends to focus more on the acquisition of practical skills under this programme.
He added that “the focus area of this training on smart electrical engineering is also an area very important to the industrialization of our country Nigeria. As the nation moves towards the realization of provision of reliable power supply, it is people like you that will be required to sustain the sector. You should therefore see this training as very relevant as the skills will continually be in high demand.”
The General Manager Lagos Energy Academy (LEA), Mr. Leke Adegbola noted that the 6-month training was conducted in collaboration with Siemens and other international power companies. In addition to the engineering modules, the participants were also trained in values and social responsibility and coached to be in employability state. A total of 960 training hours was recorded in the programme, he said.
The participants made glowing comments about the training, the knowledge and mentoring they received. Some of them recalled that they lacked experience and were unemployed before the programme but have now acquired highly specialized skills and begun careers in electrical engineering with reputable companies.
They also thanked NCDMB and the LEA for the lifetime opportunity and promised to remain good ambassadors of the programme.
The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.
Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.
The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.
Nnaemeka Ani Admonishes African Techies to Build for Legacy
Book Review of The Village Priest by Remmy Nweke @NDSF 2025
Tinubu The Audacity To Hope – Two Years After
LASG Acquires New Outboard Engines For Optimum Boat Performance
Elon Musk builds Hotel in Mars, Sets to launch soon at $5million per night – Photos
