TotalEnergies/NNPCL deepens sustainable community development
By Yusuf Yunus
TotalEnergies, in collaboration with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd., (NNPCL) has reiterated its commitment to ensuring consistent implementation of sustainable community development projects in Nigeria.
Mr Bala Wunti, Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), disclosed this at the TotalEnergies’ Symposium and Awards with the theme, “Disrupting engineering education for sustainable national development” on Tuesday in Lagos.
Wunti also assured Nigerians of development services in education and other sectors in the country.
The Business Intelligence ( TBI Africa) reports that the Empower The Teachers (ETT) is TotalEnergies initiative in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
It has produced over 90 fellows, who are revolutionising the teaching of engineering courses in Nigerian universities.
Wunti, who was represented by Mrs Bunmi Lawson, Deputy Manager, External Relations, NUIMS, said the programme was aimed at celebrating teachers.
He said that the programme was not just an initiative but a commitment to nurturing the growth and development of society.
He said that education is the cornerstone of progress and a programme like Empowering. The Teachers witnessed the fusion of innovation, excellence, and global collaboration.
According to him, the symposium and award ceremony mark a pivotal moment in recognising the exceptional contributions of educators who are shaping the future.
“To the educators, your commitment to excellence and tireless efforts in the pursuit of knowledge inspire us all.
“NNPCL and her partner, TotalEnergies, understand that investing in education means investing in the future.
“Our collaboration with MIT reflects our shared belief in the transformative power of knowledge and the importance of empowering teachers with the tools necessary to critical thinking, innovation, the curriculum and a global perspective, ” he said.
The NUIMS boss urged other operators to continue to support initiative, saying that educators bridge the gap between theory and practice.
According to him, it also builds up a realistic curriculum and cultivates an environment where innovation and creativity thrive.
In his remarks, Mr Matthieu Bouyer, Managing Director, TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria Ltd., said that the company had invested in various scholarship schemes.
This, he said, includes the National Merit Scholarship Scheme, from which over 30,000 students had benefited since 2003.
Bouyer said that TotalEnergies International Scholarship, jointly sponsored by NNPC Ltd. and assisted several Nigerians to undergo postgraduate studies overseas, with over 150 graduates since inception.
He said that the programme was another educational initiative that TotalEnergies, in collaboration with NNPC Ltd. and partners, had continued to invest in to further improve the quality of learning in Nigeria.
According to him, under the ETT programme, academics selected from African universities spend one intensive and inclusive semester acquiring knowledge on the innovative and
He noted that it involves cutting-edge teaching methods used at MIT to mould students into industry-ready products.
“The aim of this is to foster new ways of teaching science and engineering in African tertiary institutions, in a bid to produce experts in that field, who can compete with their counterparts in other regions of the world in terms of critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
“The experience of the academics at MIT is expected to culminate in the development of new courses and the modification of existing ones in a bid to revolutionise science and engineering teaching in African tertiary institutions,” he said.
Prof. Tayo Akinwande, Faculty Director, ETT Programme, MIT, said that the programme was borne out of the idea to bring young young African professors to the global stage and nurture them to become agents of change in the African educational landscape.
Akinwande said that the core vision of the initiative was to develop a new African faculty leadership in science and engineering to transform the subjects in tertiary institutions and produce graduates who are problems solvers.
He said, “It is one
of the most rewarding projects l have worked on in my academic career because of its wide-ranging impact on lecturers and students in Nigeria/African universities.
“This would not have been possible without the extreme support of management and employees of TotalEnergies African.
“We are celebrating the success of the ETT today, l will like to challenge fellow potential candidates for this great initiative to strive even harder to “get the job done” at all times.
It would also recalled that since 2010, about 100 universities lecturers from across Nigeria have benefited from this prestigious program.
Awards are also given to different categories.
In outstanding performance in teaching:
AKINWALE, Olawale Babatunde (OAU)
MUHAMMAD, Mubarak Danladi (BUK)
Chika Yinka-Banjo – Unilag
Exceptional Achievement in Research
David Obada (ABU)
DIEMUODEKE, Endurance (University og Port Harcourt)
ln Innovative Contributions to Curriculum Development;
Amir Bature (BUK)
Aderonke Sakpere – UI
