NLNG, NCDMB Pledge $9m Endowment for Professorial Research Chairs in Six Nigerian Varsities

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) as well as the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) have launched a $9 million professorial chair endowment programme across six Nigerian uni-versities.

The organisations stated that the move is to develop commercially viable solutions to industry challeng-es, strengthen local research capacity and advance technological innovation.

Under the Nigerian Content Research and Development (NC-R&D) Professorial Chair Endowment Pro-gramme, each university is to receive $1.5 million to establish a specialised professorial chair focused on agreed industry research priorities.

The initiative is being implemented in partnership with the NCDMB, under the supervision of its Plan-ning, Research and Statistics Directorate, the organisations said in a joint statement.

According to the statement, the schools include:  The University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Rivers State Uni-versity; Modibbo Adama University, Yola, Adamawa State and Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Kano State.

Others are: University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, and Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja.

Speaking at the kick-off ceremony, NLNG’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Adeleye Fa-lade, described the programme as an investment in Nigeria’s capacity to translate academic knowledge into practical solutions.

His keynote address, titled: “Reshaping Nigeria’s Future Through Innovation, Research and Capacity Development,” emphasised the importance of sustained collaboration between government, industry and academia.

He said: “In the energy industry, we understand that technology and energy systems are evolving and the requirement for sustained research cannot be overemphasised.”

He noted that the programme would support research into challenges central to the energy industry’s future, including improving operational efficiency, managing emissions, strengthening safety, maintain-ing critical infrastructure and making industrial processes more sustainable.

Beyond the research endowments, Falade outlined opportunities for a “triple helix” approach that brings government, industry and academia together through specialised programmes, sabbaticals, ex-change opportunities, practical testing of research assumptions and the joint development of postgrad-uate curricula.

The six beneficiary universities will undertake research in distinct areas and the NLNG Research and Innovation Centre for Computer and Electrical Engineering (RICCEE) at Rivers State University is envis-aged as the coordinating point for these collaborations among the universities, the statement stressed.

Falade said discussions were already underway with the university on implementation arrangements and commended its Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Zeb-Obipi, for his role in advancing the proposed col-laboration.

“We have already gotten indications of other partners like Google, Cisco and MTN who showing interest to support this initiative,” he said.

Falade also highlighted the opportunities for younger researchers to deepen their expertise, investigate industry problems and learn from experienced academics and practitioners.

He urged the beneficiary institutions to build on the endowments by strengthening research partner-ships, attracting additional funding and pursuing the commercialisation of intellectual property.

“Expand the scope, reach for more grants and funding which can push the frontiers of knowledge and commercialisation of intellectual property,” he said.

Acknowledging NCDMB’s role in bringing the initiative to fruition, Falade called for sustained commit-ment to technology transfer and the development of home-grown solutions without compromising quality assurance or safety.

He emphasised that the programme’s lasting value would lie in stronger institutions, research outcomes deployed in the field and the development of the next generation of Nigerian researchers and industry professionals.

Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Felix  Ogbe said the $9 million endowment pro-gramme represents a strategic investment in the future of Nigeria’s research and innovation ecosystem.

The initiative, he said, complements the Board’s ongoing investments in research infrastructure, including the establishment of specialized R&D centres of excellence across six  universities in the country.

“Taken together, these interventions demonstrate the Nigerian oil and gas industry’s commitment to creating an integrated research ecosystem that connects academic expertise, modern research infra-structure, industry requirements, and commercialisation opportunities,” he stated.

Represented by the Senior Technical Adviser, Austin Uzoka, the executive secretary underscored that by supporting specialised professorial chairs in critical areas of the industry operations, NLNG and NCDMB were creating opportunities to bridge the longstanding gap between academic research and in-dustrial application.

He further charged the universities to deliberately transition from research for publication to research for application, and from innovation as an academic pursuit to innovation as a driver of industrial trans-formation.

 “The beneficiary universities must see this endowment as both an opportunity and a responsibility and they would be expected to deliver clearly defined research objectives, measurable outcomes, prudent resource utilization, effective stakeholder engagement, and sustained collaboration with industry part-ners,” he added.

He urged beneficiaries to ensure that the professorial chairs generate commercially viable solutions, strengthen local technological capabilities, support industrial competitiveness, and contribute meaning-fully to the long-term sustainability of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Details of the endowment indicates that the University of Ibadan will focus on natural gas processing, pollution control and environmental management, while Rivers State University will concentrate on digi-tal engineering, intelligent energy systems, automation and asset integrity.

Also, Modibbo Adama University will undertake research in energy transition and the environment. Ali-ko Dangote University of Science and Technology will focus on sustainable energy innovation and cli-mate-resilient food systems.

Besides, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, will specialise in green energy production and geoenviron-mental engineering, while Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja, will focus on ge-oscience and satellite intelligence for resilient gas infrastructure.

“Each university will work towards agreed research targets and commercialisation pathways, providing a framework for measuring progress and translating findings into practical applications.

“ The institutions will also jointly host an information management hub to support knowledge sharing and exchange programmes.

The funding includes provision for minor civil works and infrastructure upgrades to transform identi-fied spaces into fit-for-purpose research centres.

“Proposed arrangements would enable industry professionals to contribute practical expertise in tech-nical and non-technical disciplines while pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees. This would give stu-dents greater exposure to industry experience while strengthening the connection between postgradu-ate study and practical problem-solving,” the statement noted.

The programme, according to the statement, reinforces NLNG’s commitment to developing Nigerian ca-pability and creating opportunities for local expertise to address industry needs, guided by its recently approved ‘NextGen Nigerian Content Strategy’ .

The NLNG said it plans to sustain the gains through focused delivery of previous commitments in align-ment with the NCDMB as well as enable its business by facilitating deeper adoption of Nigerian Content Development as a business principle.