Catching future oil and gas industry professionals while they are young connects with the priorities of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), hence the reason why the agency is partnering with the relevant federal education body to bring this about.

A partnership between the Board and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) aims to upgrade basic education and also build capacities so that the young citizens of the country will be able to meet the needs of the energy sector without qualms.

This collaborative move kickstarted on Tuesday 23 July, 2024 when NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe hosted his counterpart from UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi at the Board’s liaison office in Abuja.

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During their meeting two weeks ago, both leaders agreed to set up a joint committee that would help fine-tune details of their coming together with the overall goal of contributing meaningfully to the future of the Nigerian economy.

The crux of the engagement attended by the top execs of the agencies centred on how the monitoring board could successfully link up with UBEC to give a facelift to some dilapidated primary and junior secondary schools needing attention all across the country.

In addition, the effort seeks to train teachers and upgrade critical facilities to meet the demands of the present age.

Discussions between both agencies also hovered around making basic education work sustainably, developing digital resource centres and smart school systems as well as synergising efforts of stakeholders in the education sector for maximum impact.

NCDMB’s earlier efforts in this line precede it. Before this moment in history, it had developed over 150 ICT centres in secondary schools across the country and likewise improved the image of select technical colleges.

Added to these are interventions in some universities as part of the Board’s institutional strengthening programme, following support from international and indigenous oil-producing companies.

In his remarks at the meeting over 14 days ago, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB announced the introduction of a bespoke capacity-building project tagged Back to the Creeks/Villages.

This initiative would seek to revamp dilapidated primary schools, especially in the creeks of the Niger Delta and other parts of the country. It will develop the infrastructure of the concerned schools, their teaching personnel and curriculum, then turn all these into world-class standards that make for sustainable interventions.

Ogbe revealed his passion for contributing to the development of remote parts of Nigeria and mentioned that he had started engaging some international oil-producing companies. He hopes the oil companies will embrace the initiative and channel their human capacity development (HCD) budgets to the new programme for symbiotic benefits.

On his part, the UBEC boss Dr Hamid Bobboyi bemoaned the embarrassing state of basic educational institutions across the country and remarked that a nation that neglected the first level of education had invariably embraced a bleak economic future and dysfunctional society.

He rued several challenges that impact the development of basic education in the country, such as insufficient budget, and lack of interest by some state governors among other issues.

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Meiza Nigeria