Shell, NNPC hand UNILAG solar-powered geosciences facility

Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) has teamed up with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to deliver a Geosciences Centre of Excellence at the University of Lagos, a world-class learning and research hub in a critical sector of the economy.

The centre which was commissioned today (April 17) is an impressive five-level structure equipped with state-of-the-art learning and research facilities, including facilities for research in hydrogeology, mineralogy and environmental geology, a seismic laboratory and seismic interpretation room as well as a library and digital museum.

The facilities are designed to support undergraduate and postgraduate studies and help to reduce the reliance of the Nigerian oil and gas industry on international markets for testing, training and research.

“This Centre represents a long-term investment in Nigeria’s greatest asset, its people,” said SNEPCo managing director Ronald Adams at the ceremony. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos state governor, who was represented by commissioner for tertiary education, Tola Sule said “The building will create an environment where students don’t just learn by textbooks but by doing.”

Olanrewaju Igandan, chief upstream investment officer of the NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, described the handover of the Centre of Excellence as “a testament to what can be achieved when industry, regulators and academia work together with a shared vision for national development.”

Felix Ogbe, executive secretary of NCDMB, was represented at the handover ceremony by Abayomi Bamidele, director of capacity building. He said: The success of this centre will not be measured by its structure, but by its impact. The number of skilled graduates produced. The quality of research it generates. The solutions it provides to industry challenges.”

Vice Chancellor, University of Lagos, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, highlighted expectations from the facility. “It will provide advanced analytical, interpretative, and research services that meet international standards as well as offer degree programmes, customised short courses, professional certifications, and executive training programmes tailored towards the needs of industry, government agencies, and international partners.”

The project, which was originally conceived in 2010, was executed by an indigenous company, 225MM Construct Limited. Students from the University of Lagos, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, University of Ilorin and Yaba College of Technology served on an internship during construction, thereby gaining technical experience and exposure to project execution.

The establishment of the Centre of Excellence is the latest milestone in a wide-ranging support for education by SNEPCo and its partners, which involves the award of scholarships, the donation of science laboratories to secondary schools across Nigeria and the construction of e-learning centres at universities in Delta, Enugu, Edo and Bayelsa states.