The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny, Professor Tamunoimim Abbey-Hart says the institution was poised on becoming the foremost manpower developer in West Africa and as such was already rolling out programmes in diverse fields to shore up its human resource development profile.  

This was in line with its vision of impacting through requisite training the human resources component of the oil and gas sector in the country, especially in the Niger Delta.

Prof. Abbey-Hart told Kristina Reports in his office in Bonny that everything was being done to provide topnotch and world class human resources through the institution’s strategic training modules in diverse fields covering the oil and gas sector.

According to him, this was in view of the commencement of the Nigerian LNG train 7 plus project and other high profile oil and gas businesses billed to take-off soon in the region.  

He outlined the programmes to include regular programmes for undergraduates, postgraduates, specialized industry-specific certifications, and even executive programmes for senior level manpower.  

The Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny is “a federal public institution set up to meet the middle-level manpower development needs of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria, in particular, and the West African sub-region, in general”.

The institution aims to achieve these “in line with industry needs, community aspirations, as well as forging partnerships with world-class institutions in order to produce a quality workforce that can be employed globally”.

Over the years there has been a gaping lacuna in the development of competences and capacity building for oil and gas sector players which has impacted negatively on the sector.

Oil and gas firms have had to pay dearly to build the capacity of their staff to fit in into critical areas. In other cases, individuals have had to go as far as Ghana, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Angola, among others in search of the requisite training to be able to play strategic roles in the industry.

This regrettable situation led to the establishment of the institution to bridge this gap, making it accessible and cost-effective. This informed locating it in the heart of the Niger Delta region, Bonny Island, which serves as the gateway into the south-eastern business hub of the country.

Prof. Tamunoimim Abbey-Hart, a seasoned academic and erudite scholar with vast knowledge of the oil and gas environment was mandated by the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government to pilot the affairs of the institution. This mandate, Kristina Reports findings indicate, he has been discharging meritoriously.

When Kristina Reports visited the polytechnic, normal academic activities were ongoing with the students engrossed in their semester examinations.