Get Guardian on GoogleThe Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) have committed $9 million to research programmes in six Nigerian universities, with each institution expected to receive $1.5 million to develop solutions to challenges in the oil and gas industry.
The programme will establish professorial research chairs in the universities, with areas of focus ranging from natural gas processing and pollution control to digital engineering, energy transition and satellite intelligence.
The beneficiary institutions are the University of Ibadan, Rivers State University, Modibbo Adama University, Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and the University of Abuja, also known as Yakubu Gowon University.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Adeleye Falade, said the investment was aimed at helping Nigerian universities turn research findings into solutions that could be used by industries.
He said the changing nature of the energy industry made continuous research important, particularly in areas such as operational efficiency, emissions control, safety and the maintenance of industrial facilities.
“In the energy industry, we understand that technology and energy systems are evolving, and the need for sustained research cannot be overemphasised,” Falade said.
He said the programme would also encourage closer working relationships between universities, government and industry, allowing researchers to learn from industry experience and test their findings against real challenges.
Falade disclosed that the NLNG Research and Innovation Centre for Computer and Electrical Engineering (RICCEE) at Rivers State University would serve as a meeting point for research activities involving the six universities.
The NLNG chief urged the universities to look beyond publishing research papers and focus on developing ideas that could be turned into useful products and services.
“Expand the scope, reach for more grants and funding which can push the frontiers of knowledge and commercialisation of intellectual property,” he said.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Felix Omatsola Ogbe, described the $9 million endowment as an investment in Nigeria’s research and innovation capacity.
He said the programme would complement the board’s existing investments in research infrastructure, including the establishment of specialised research and development centres in six universities.
Ogbe said the partnership was expected to bring academic researchers closer to the needs of the oil and gas industry and help develop solutions that could be used locally.
