The third convocation of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE), Delta State, holding today, will not only give out certificates to graduates, but it will also gather experts in the oil and gas sector to brainstorm on issues affecting the industry, the Vice-Chancellor of the institute, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, has said.

He said by bringing seasoned experts, the university would be actualising its main mission of promoting research-driven academic excellence as the first petroleum university in the country.

One of the experts, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wobote, will deliver the convocation lecture with the theme: “Defining the Value of Local Content in Petroleum Education.”

At a pre-convocation media briefing, the vice-chancellor said the experts would also be discussing topics such as: “Facilitating a formidable industry, government and academia partnership to foster energy sector innovation” and “Energy transition: Onshore Asset Divestment by IOCs – What’s next for Nigerian indigenous companies and local content.”

He also disclosed that the university would install its new Chancellor, the paramount ruler of Remo land, Oba Babatunde Adewale Ajayi, during the two-day convocation ceremony, which starts tomorrow.

The vice-chancellor said this year’s ceremony would be different in that it would abandon the ‘double helix model’ of government and university for ‘the triple helix model’ of government, university and industry.