Petroleum Training Institute 2021 Convocation Ceremony  

Address               By TIMIPRE          SYLVA         Hon   Minister     of      State Petroleum          Resources, Federal       Republic     of      Nigeria      

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Protocols….. • His Excellency, The President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR, • His Excellency, The Executive Governor of Delta State, DR. IFEANYI OKOWA, • Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members of the National Assembly, • Members of the Federal Executive Council, • The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, • Director, Department of Petroleum Resources and Chairman, PTI Governing Council, • Members of the PTI Governing Council • Vice Chancellors and Rectors of Tertiary Institutions • Honourable Commissioners, • Your Royal Majesties, • My Lords Spiritual and Temporal, The Executives and Captains of the Petroleum Industry, • PTI  Fellows, • Management and Staff of PTI, • PTI  Alumni, • Gentlemen of the Press, • Graduating Students, • Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

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It gives me great pleasure to be a part of this year’s  graduation ceremony. Today is a momentous day for the graduands and their loved ones. As you graduate, as you confront with your anticipation and the world of uncertainties, I want you to try and create your country that you want to be part of. Do the best you can and get involve in the current national development to move Nigeria forward. As Petroleum Training Institute graduates, it befits you to bring into the industry new ideas, innovations and inventions that would transform the nation.  

2. Nothing is too big, nothing is too small. As effectively put by a United State Admiral William H. McRaven to graduates of University of Texas in 2014 “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.” 

3. Hearty Cheers  and best wishes to you all in your chosen careers.in  4. The occasion today, gives me the opportunity to talk about the emerging prospects in the oil and gas industry and in the  country as a whole by the  passage of the Petroleum Industry Act.

5. One central theme that runs through the Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Industry  today is the effective implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act to unlock the huge potential of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and the economy. The Act provides opportunity for purposeful investment into the development of Oil and Gas Resources  by providing clear and simple fiscal terms that would guarantee reasonable investors margin. I am confident that we are on the right path to achieving that, the institutions are fully in place and the earnest work of implementing the law  has begun.  Key into the opportunities.

6. Graduands, I welcome you all to an exciting  world of opportunities and a  promising outlook especially in the oil and gas industry.

7. Distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen, once again, I welcome you all to 2021 PTI  Graduation Ceremony.

8. Graduands Congratulations !!!

TIMIPRE SYLVA  HON. MINISTER OF STATE FOR PETROLEUM RESOURCES

Represented by the Permanaet Secretary, MPR, Dr. Nasir. Sani Gwarzo

PETROLEUM TRAINING INSTITUTE, EFFURUN

AN ADDRESS BY DR. Henry A. ADIMULA, PRINCIPAL AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE, PETROLEUM TRAINING INSTITUTE, EFFURUN ON THE OCCASION OF THE 2021 GRADUATION CEREMONY HELD ON THE 23RD OCTOBER, 2021 AT THE PTI CONFERENCE CENTRE

His Excellency, the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, GCFR

His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State

Honourable Members of the National Assembly,

The Honourable Minister of State, Petroleum Resources,

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources,

Chairman PTI Governing Council,

Members of PTI Governing Council,

Honourable Commissioners,

Your Royal Majesties,

My Lord Spiritual and Temporal,

The Executives and Captains of Petroleum Industry,

PTI Fellows,

Management and Staff of PTI,

PTI Alumni,

Gentle Men of the Press,

Graduating Students,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

1.0 INTRODUCTION/FELICITATION

It is with great joy that I welcome you all to the 2021 Graduation Ceremony of the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State.  Let me seize this opportunity to congratulate our dear graduands and their families for the success that is being celebrated.

 Today is a day of joy in the annals of the history of this institute.  It celebrates  the successful completion of your various programmes in PTI which has endued you with attributes such as tenacity; serious mindedness and an independent mindset which are requirements for all your future endeavours that open you up to opportunities in the labour market worldwide and especially empowered you with the requisite skills and knowledge that prepares you for the ever dynamic operations of the Oil and Gas industries.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to present to you today our competent graduands who have been found worthy in character and learning to be awarded the Institute’s Diplomas and Certificates in various Disciplines of Engineering, Sciences and Petroleum Business Technology.  Dr. Maxwell Martzs in his book titled, Psycocybernatics, “we are engineered as goal seeking mechanisms,  we are built to conquer environment; to solve problems and to achieve goals, there is no real satisfaction or happiness in life without obstacles  to conquer and goals to achieve”.

Graduating from PTI is like a daunting task and I congratulate you for your academic success.  You have come; you have seen and you have conquered”; Congratulations:!!!

In this regards, for the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 academic sessions a total of 2297 gruduands will receive the Institute’s prestigious Diplomas and Certificates.  Out of this number, 1408 will be awarded National Diplomas, 1153 graduands will be awarded Higher National Diplomas while 16 Graduands will receive the PTI General Welding Certificates. I am enthused to inform you that 161 students graduated with Distinctions while 810 students graduated with Upper Credit grades.

2.0 ACHIEVEMENTS

Based on the new direction in realigning the Institute to the Oil and Gas and Allied Industries operations, the Institute has recorded the following milestones within one year of this Management team.

1. The Petroleum Training Institute has established collaboration with the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS) to align the curriculum to meet the industry expectations and improve the technical competencies and capacity of our staff to be attuned with the ever dynamic oil and gas Industry.
2. The Institute has established the Nigeria Diving School in conjunction with NCDMB/NNPC/SNEPCO with JFD Aberdeen, Scotland as our technical partner.  This is an   internationally recognised Diving School that will offer training; certifications and re-certifications of Divers in Nigeria and Africa. A Local Regulatory Capacity is being built in conjunction with the Department of Petroleum Resources for International Standardization and Accreditation.  The scope covers both Onshore and Offshore operations.
3. The Institute is in the last phase of attaining ISO 9001 – 2015 certifications.  When attained this will place the Institute as one of the top-ranked Institutions of training worldwide.  In the light of the above, 90 members of Staff of the Institute have been certified as implementation and documentation Instructors for ISO 9001:2015.
4. The Skill Development Academy and the Entrepreneurship Development centre has kicked off their training with over 150 participants trained in various skills. Training activities at the Fire Academy would commence soon.
5. The National Skill Qualifications framework (NSQF),a system for the development ,classifications and recognition of skills,knowlegde and competencies acquired by individual irrespective of how the skill or training was acquired has been introduced by the Institute.  This Programme is to ensure a collaborative strategy between PTI and the Oil and Gas Industry. This will ensure continuous training of competent workforce in this dynamic oil and gas and allied industry.  It will also enable our trainees to be grounded in their capacity development. NSQF is a hybrid certification system that ensures continuous training of competent hands for the oil and gas industry. Seven staff of the Institute have been certified as Assessors of the NSQF programme.
6. International certification of various programs is currently ongoing. The School of Industrial & Continuous Education (SICE) is currently liaising with some professional bodies like Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organization (OPITO) in this regard.
7. The Petroleum Training Institute has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Benel Energy for PTI to be a Certification centre for International Well Control Forum (IWCF).  This partnership will improve PTI Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and put the Institute name on the International Map.
8. The Institute is collaborating with PEGIS Global Services to ensure that the Institute PVT Laboratory runs effectively. This will enhance PTI collaboration with the Industry and equally help in the capacity development of PTI staff.
9. The Institute has signed a E-Learning MOU with Maxfront Technology Nigeria Limited  to deploy a Learning Management System through which PTI booster courses can been accessed online anywhere in the world.
10. PTI is in the final stage of getting Licence from the Department of Petroleum Resources to train downstream oil industry personnel on MISTDO.

3.0 ROAD MAP

There are several plans by the Management of the Institute to improve her capacity

1. Plans are in top gear to explore the Public/Private partnership with Local and International partners for the development of a Modular Refinery. The Mandate to design and develop a modular refinery  has be given to the Institute in the year 2017 by the ex while Minister of State for Petroleum and this has been re-emphasised by the current Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.
2. The construction of a 2000 bed space capacity serviced hostel; Facilitating the construction of an International Convention and Exposition centre is also being negotiated for 2022.

iii)        The Institute is also looking at setting up of Operation/Field laboratory services for the industry development of on-the- job-Training (OJT) facilities.

4.0 CHALLENGES

PTI is in urgent need of the following:

• A special intervention fund to serve as a stop gap to quickly meet our immediate challenges in the areas of upskilling the competencies and capacity of our staff.

• The Printing Press needs to be upgraded to address the issue of operating below capacity.  Additional machines acquired through the PTDF are still been expected.
• Software licenses are needed for laboratories and workshops equipment purchased by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).  We are hereby appealing to the Executive Secretary of PTDF, Dr. Bello. A Gusua to assist the Institute in this regard.
• We call on our sister agencies like the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (MDPRA), Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), PTDF to assist the Institute in the area of Research development and Training grants  of the Staff.

5.0 APPRECIATION

            I want to appreciate our indefatigable Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva for his uncommon leadership in steering the ship of the Ministry.  I also congratulate him on his appointment as the Chairman of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) Steering Committee

            I salute the efforts of our amiable Permanent Secretary Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Nasir.S. Gwarzo for showing great interest in the Institute within the short time of his posting to the Ministry. A big thank you also goes to the Chairman and members of PTI Governing Council for their insightful Leadership in their policy directives.  We are thankful to the Captains of the Oil and Gas Industry for their donations to the Institute.  Equally, we appreciate our dynamic staff that have ensured that the Institute focus on its vision and mission.

Special thanks goes to the Management of Department of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian Custom Services, Petroleum Equalization Fund for their support in their patronage of our Booster Courses and Financial support for the forth-coming PTI Hydrocarbon Conference.

Once more let us put our hands together to congratulate our esteem graduands. Congratulations! Congratulations!! Congratulations!!!

AN ADDRESS BY THE CHAIRMAN, PTI GOVERING COUNCIL, ON THE OCCASION OF THE 2021 GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE PETROLEUM TRAINING INSTITUTE, EFFURUN, HELD ON 23RD OCTOBER, 2021, AT THE PTI CONFERENCE CENTRE.

His excellency, the president and commander-in-chief of the Armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State, Distinguished Senators, Honourable Members of the House of Representatives, Members of the Federal Executive Council, The Honourable Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Director, Department of Petroleum Resources, Members of PTI Governing Council, Honourable Commissioners, Your Royal Majesties, My Lords Spiritual and Temporal, Executives and Captins of the Petroleum Industry, PTI Fellows, Management and Staff of the Institute, PTI Alumni, Gentlemen of the press, Graduating Students, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my esteemed honor and privilege on behalf of the Governing Council of the Petroleum Training Institute Effurun, to welcome you all to the 2021 graduation ceremony. It is my delight to specially welcome the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylvia, to the Petroleum Training Institute. The ministry of Petroleum Resources has seen unparalleled  feates under your exemplary leadership despite the challenges encounted by the COVID 19 pandemic. The oil and gas sector under your sterling leadership has indeed sailed on despite daunting challenges presented by the pandemic.

Let me also congratulate our dear graduating students for courageously weathering the storm of handson training received from the Petroleum Training Institute. We all are aware of the challenges posed by the COVID 19 Pandemic to the education sector. Our children had to stay at home for a long period due to the lockdown resulting from the pandemic. When the Pandemic abated, they were recalled back to school and some into examinations halls. Despite all these challenges, you have succeeded in distinguishing yourself.

As you move on in life, remember the words of Mark Twain ‘keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great.’Therefore, keep striving for greatness. I say congratulations to you all.

Permit me please to congratulate the commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, President Mohammadu Buhari, and the Honourable Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on the signing of the Petroleum Industry Act. It is germane to mention, that with the Petroleum Industry Act, the Petroleum Training Institute is better positioned and recognized as a key player in capacity  building and competency training in the oil and gas Industry. The emphasis for the Institute is enhancing its skilled hands-on-training, especially now that the Federal Government has awarded contracts for TurnAround maintenance of its ailing refineries in the country, starting with the port Harcourt refinery. Ladies and gentlemen, you will agree with me that once the refineries are fully operational, graduates of the Petroleum Training Institute will again be in high demand in the oil and gas sector of Nigeria.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, the Petrolem Training Institute, Effurun, has continued to make progress in developmental projects and academic excellence. Let me at this juncture congratulate Dr.Henry A. Adimula on his appointment as the substantive Principal/Chief Executive of the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun. Your appointment as Principal/Chief Executive has certainly heralded unprecedented changes and development in the Institute.

It would interest you to know, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, that the Federal governments’ repositioning of the Petroleum Training Institute to better meet the dynamic needs of the oil and gas industry has yielded several positive results. For example, the Institute has been empowered to establish a National Driving School in conjunction with NNPC/SNEPCO and JFD Aberdeen, Scotland. This will certainly enhance the technical and develpmental capacity of the Institute. Also, the current plan of the Institute under the direction of the Governing Council to attain the the ISO 9001-2015 certification will plce the institute among the top ranked educational institutions in the world.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, it is worthy to note that the skill Acquisition Academy of the Institute has indeed attracted youths from all over Nigeria who are trained in Various entrepreneurial skills. So far, 150 participats have been trained. Many of them are self-employed and some are now employers of labour. I want to assure you that the Governing council would do its best to continuously promote and ensure the growth and development of the Petroleum Training Institute through dynamic and rebust synergy with stakeholders in the oil and gas industry.

I want to thank the two in-house unions (NUPENG and PENGASSAN) for maintaining industrial peace existing between them and management. The Governing Council will continue to support the management of the institute in ensuring that the welfare of members of staff is given priority.

Finally, my heartfelt gratitude goes to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Honourable Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, Executives and Captains of the oil/Gas Industry. I thank you for taking time off your busy schedules to honour our graduates and the Institute with your presence.

Thank you and God bless.

Represented by: Engr. Adeyemi Adetunji

              23^rd October, 2021

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE EXECUTIVE GOVERNOR OF DELTA STATE, SEN. (DR.) IFEANYI ARTHUR OKOWA ON THE OCCASSION OF THE 2021 GRADUATION CEREMONY OF THE PETROLEUM TRAINING INSTITUTE, HELD AT THE PTI CONFERENCE CENTRE COMPLEX, EFFURUN ON 23RD OCTOBER, 2021.

1.0 PROTOCOL                                                                                           

           Let me on behalf of the Government and the good people of Delta State, welcome the Honourable Minister for State Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva to our very peaceful, safe and secure State. Permit me to pay tribute to the Chairman Governing Council of this Institute, Engr. Sarki Anwalu, the Principal and Chief Executive, Dr. Henry A. Adimula, the Academic Board and the entire Management and Staff of this Institute. This great citadel of knowledge has a rich history of academic excellence evolving about five (5) decades in churning out competent technical and technological manpower for our nation’s oil and gas industry.

2.0 FELICITATION

           We are gathered here today to celebrate a moment of fulfilment, joy and a deep sense of accomplishment on the part of the graduating students as well as the happiness and pride on their parents, relatives and friends who had eagerly looked forward to this day. Let me joins hands to share the joy of this day with the graduating students, by once more congratulating all of you for graduating from the Petroleum Training Institute. I urge you to go out there to project, and exhibit the qualities that you have internalized while here.

3.0   ADMONITION

            The world you are stepping into does not judge people based purely by the Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) you have earned while here. It goes beyond that. You would be judged alongside your academic credentials with the content of your character, the ideals you share, your acute understanding of the immutable concept of right and wrong, your capacity to be curious beyond the areas of your core academic competencies. You will be judged by how you comport yourself; how you are able to apply yourself to the realities of the ever-changing and the fluidity of the post-modern world. It is a world that will not always give you what you think you deserve, but what you demand from it.

      You must have the capacity and the emotional intelligence to handle these disappointing circumstances while remaining hopeful. The manner with which you handle these all-but certain situations, which invariably shapes character is what will enable you to come back here some years down the line and tell graduating students that if you were able to overcome the contours of life, they too, can equally make it. I believe the quality of training you have received here will stand you in good stead to compete with your contemporaries all over the world and in the process project the foundational tenets and vision of this great institution as its ambassadors.

4.0   EDUCATION AS THE PIVOT OF THE SMART AGENDA

        My Administration believes that providing quality education is the pivot upon with the SMART Agenda rests on. We share the sentiments of the late South African Legend, Nelson Mandela, who once said “Education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world”. We consider education as one of our cardinal responsibility, and this responsibility is a social debt we owe Delta State and that accounts for the huge investment we have expended in education. That is why the College of Education in Agbor, the Anwai Campus of Delta State University (DELSU) and the state-owned Polytechnics in Ozoro, Isoko North, were recently converted to full-fledged Universities.

     Education remains free and compulsory in Delta State, from primary to secondary levels. Every student of Delta State origin is entitled to access our bursary scheme which cuts across all tertiary institution in the State. We also ensure that our students study under the most conducive environment. We have employed quality teachers for our public schools, our beliefs being that public schools should be funded properly and education received in public schools should be of the same standard with that received in private schools. At this juncture, let me call on both public and private sector or organisation as well as individuals and captains of industries, to look inward to the grandaunts of the Petroleum Training Institute in our bid to resuscitate the ailing oil and gas industry. This would reduce dependence on foreign expert to revive this very crucial sector of our economy. I can proudly say PTI has been a pace-setter, pathfinder, and a trailblazer in this regards.

5.0   CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY TO PTI

         My Administration had taken into cognizance, the input of the Petroleum Training Institute in improving our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), and have also resolved as a Government that is sensitive to reciprocate this gesture through making our presence felt in the Institute as a way of Corporate Social Responsibility.

6.0 CONCLUSION

         In conclusion, let me bid our graduating students God’s mercies and divine favour as they set out in the next phase of their lives. Today, you have been confirmed, certified and found worthy in character, and in learning to be admitted into this Diploma of this Citadel of knowledge. I implore you, therefore, to be great ambassadors of this Institute and let the light of the knowledge you have acquired here brighten your road as you navigate your way around career paths and service to humanity.

Thank you for your kind attention.

 God bless the Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun.

 God bless Delta State.

 God bless Nigeria.

Represented by: Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, Commissioner for Higher Education