A foremost indigenous Nigerian oil firm with deep commitment to community development, Belemaoil Producing Limited (BPL), is to commit N3bn to building an engineering faculty in the Army University located in Biu in southern Borno State.
Belemaoil has also entered into partnership with the Nigerian Army University to promote research, technology and human capital development. Belemaoil is operator of Oil Mining Lease 55 and is now maintenance contract holder of the controversial OML 55 owned by SPDC.
While calling on other companies in the country to support the young institution for human capital development, Tein Jnr disclosed that it was part of Belamoil’s corporate social responsibility that it had embarked on the construction of the N3Bn Faculty of Engineering in the University.
Belemaoil and the Army University made their intentions known Thursday in Abuja when the management of the Nigerian Army University led by its Vice Chancellor, Fatima Tahir, paid courtesy visit on the President/ Founder of Belemaoil and Belema Aid Foundation, Jack-Rich Tein Jnr.
Tein Jnr said the motive behind the company’s support to the Army University was to develop sound academic programmes that would equip graduates with skills that are needed in the modern global economic environment where, science, technology and innovation are key.
He also charged the newly established institution to develop learning and teaching modules that would produce modern economic game changers, and to develop the right economic ecosystem that would move to country forward.
The President/Founder urged the Nigerian Army University to go beyond academic programmes and put in place vocational and skills acquisition training to equip women and youths particularly in the area of agriculture which has comparative advantage in Biu, where the University is sited.
Earlier, the VC said the visit was in acknowledgement of the wonderful support given to the institution by Belemaoil
Tahir who lamented that the University was in dire need of facilities such as classroom blocks, hostel accommodation and offices (it is still sharing facilities with the Borno College of Education in Biu while students of the institution are being accommodated in military barracks), called on other companies as well as public-spirited individuals to come to its assistance like Belamoil.
The VC assured the oil company of the University’s readiness to contribute its quota in terms of research and other intellectual needs to the company and asked the Founder/President to help the institution identify resourceful persons particularly in the area of Engineering and Environmental Studies for employment while assuring that admission into the institution is open to all qualified candidates from any part of the country.
The VC added: “Being a new university, it is faced with challenges of facilities, relying on borrowed facilities.”
Ignatius Chukwu, Port Harcourt, & James Kwen, Abuja
