Ejiofor Alike
Dangote Refinery and Fertiliser Plant will recruit 900 engineers between February and June 2018, the company’s Senior General Manager in charge of Human Asset, Mr. Umar Hamza has said.
Speaking when another batch of trainee engineers, who returned from five-month course at the Bharat Petroleum Mumbai Refinery (BPCL) in India shared their training experience at the Dangote Free Trade Zone site of the refinery and petrochemical plant in Lagos, Umar stated that a fresh batch of 30 brilliant engineers will be sent to India in March 2018.
“Another batch of 30 will travel in April and don’t forget that the fertiliser group is also recruiting trainee engineers. I think they are also documenting about 50. So, as you can see, we have so far, either sent or prepared about five batches and it is a continuous process because from now to June, we intend to recruit 900 other engineers. All of them will undergo one form of training or the other abroad.
In terms of the cost implications, I can’t give you the specifics but I can assure you that it runs into millions of dollars – no doubt about it,†Umar said.
Also speaking at the event, the General Manager in charge of the fertiliser plant, Mr. Akin Oladiran said the overseas training was part of the company’s planning process to ensure that Nigerians develop the necessary skills and technical competences to run the refinery and fertiliser plant in the future.
“There is this saying that if you don’t plan at all, you have already planned to fail. You see, sending these young men to India to acquire the training, is part of the planning process to avoid what you talked about capital flight. That is the plan. From what they have demonstrated, you can see that they are also focused. They are working with the vision. Like my colleague has said, as the refinery is doing, the fertiliser plant is also doing. We have already packaged about 50 to be sent to the same India to go and experience the running of fertiliser plant and it is a continuous process. So, very soon, you see competent Nigerians running refineries and fertiliser plants. That is the vision,†Oladiran explained.
He added that the training is a long term plan to ensure that Nigerians take over the running of the plants.
Some of the graduate trainees, who shared their experience, identified the benefits of the Indian training to include increased value of human assets in Dangote Group, increased company turnover and competent employees, good company profile and reputation, enthronement of best practices in safety and management, and increased profitability and productivity.
The other benefits include eligibility of employees to manage colleagues and subordinates, improved knowledge and exposure, optimisation of ideas for cost savings, and motivated workforce guaranteed by management commitment to career growth.
