Peter Uzoho
Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) said it has started a one-year training for 40 youths from its host communities of Assa North and Ohaji South in Imo State.
SPDC’s Country Head of Corporate Relations, Mr. Igo Weli, announced this in a statement in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
“The aim is to make ready these youths for opportunities in the operations of the gas project and for the entire Nigerian gas development value chain,’’ Weli stated.
According to him, the training, taking place at the Mudiame University, Irrua, Edo State, is being supervised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
“The training is part of SPDC Joint Venture contributions to build the capacity of people in our host communities and is the outcome of recommendations by the NCDMB,’’ Weli said.
The trainees were selected from the host communities cluster development boards.
They include Assa, Ochia, Awarra, Obile, Obosima, Obuomadike, Umunwaku, Ohoba, Obitti and Umuapu in Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area (LGA) and Avu in Owerri West LGA.
The trainees would be trained in project management, welding, fitting, scaffolding, rigging and lifting, electrical installations, electrical engineering, carpentry, building technology, drafting, and ICT, surveys, quality and safety procedure.
Sixty per cent of skilled and semi-skilled workers for the gas project would be from the host communities from where 10 per cent of equipment operators would also be drawn.
The project site is located approximately 25 kilometres outside of Owerri.
The Assa North-Ohaji South Gas project would deliver 300 standard cubic feet of gas per day to the domestic gas market and also sell 20,000 barrels per day of condensate to a nearby Waltersmith Modular Refinery.
Shell stated that the project’s scope included drilling of six oil wells, construction of a primary treatment facility and gas evacuation pipeline in a unitised field between SPDC’s Oil Mining Lease (OML) 21 and Seplat’s OML 53.
