By Dayo Adesulu

DIRECTOR, Deepwater and Production Sharing Contracts, Star Deepwater Petroleum  Limited, Mr Jeffery Ewing has said that for Nigerian students to succeed in this new information based and technology driven global society, they need to develop their capabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

“Ewing who spoke during the Agbami  STEM symposium held at Lagos Business School said: “Youths need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels far exceeding what was considered acceptable in the past.”

“According to him, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are undeniably some of the key subjects to study now because of the need for Nigeria to evolve the scientific and technological innovations needed to face the challenges of globalization and also build an evolving knowledge based economy.

“Speaking through the  General Manager, Deepwater and Production Sharing Contracts, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr Lanre Kalejaiye, he posited that STEM education is directly linked to global competitiveness and future economic prosperity of Nigeria. “He said, as Agbami Co-venturers, they believe that the most rewarding investment is the investment in people, adding that the greatest assets of a nation are its people.

“This is the underlying philosophy behind our social investment in the areas of health, education and economic empowerment. We believe in the principles of adding value and enriching lives in any society we operate in,” he said.

“He explained that Agbami Co-venturers began investing in education in 2008, stressing that ever since, it has invested over N7. 5 billion in the Agbami Medical and Engineering Scholarships (AMEPS)  which targets building capacity in students of Medical and Engineering courses across the nation.

“The scheme has recorded an impressive total of 122 First Class graduates,” he added. “The Agbami Co-venturers, he disclosed have also built, furnished and equipped 32 science laboratories, and 6 hybrid libraries, which in addition to the students, have empowered 38 local  community contractors during their construction.