PTI begins local content drive

Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Effurun, Delta State, has commenced its pilot Dive Medic Technician (MDT) Training scheme as part of efforts to meet the 2027 deadline for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry local content input policy.

The Institute, in collaboration with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), kicked off the scheme, which started with six professional divers, selected from different oil and gas industries in Nigeria.

The PTI Principal and Chief Executive, Dr. Henry Adimula, while unveiling the programme, noted that the DMT training, which is an International Marine Contractors Association (lMCA)-approved, is one of the key steps taken to ensure increase in local content initiative, adding that the pilot project would last for 10 days.

He said: “PTI has contributed its quota to Nigeria for 50 years and our goal is to make PTI an international centre for training hub, not just for Nigeria but also for Africa. What we are unveiling today is the product of a robust partnership with JFD, our foreign technical partner based in United Kingdom, we are officially flagging off the training in PTI, which was hitherto done only in abroad.

“One of the major focus of President Muhammadu Buhari administration is capacity-building in local content, and what we are doing here today is to make practical the dream of Mr. President in line with the Local Content Act. This domiciled training session for Dive Medic Technicians taking place in PTI is a major breakthrough considering the specialised nature of the skills and the job specification,” he said.

He explained that the first batch of Dive Medic Technicians was sponsored by NCDM and SNEPCo.

The Deputy Manager, NCDMB, Mr. Ahmed Mohamed Ahmed, expressed confidence in the partnership as it supports the key mandate to NCDMB.

Also speaking, the SNEPCO representative, Mr. Obi Onochie, commended the PTI management for making the institute a veritable platform for specialised training.

Earlier, the Director of PTI Offshore Technology and Energy Centre (OTEC), Dr. Michael Adegbite, praised the NCDMB management and SNEPCo team, and other industrial players for making the training a reality.

Adegbite recalled that in 1988, Shell sponsored four PTI Diving personnel to France for training, a collaboration, which, he said, produced very good and successful result for the institute and the nation at large.

PTI’s Managing Director Consultancy Services Limited, Dr. Oriri Omorodion, while presenting the trainees before the academic board, said: “The concept is all about training our youths in specialised skills to fix various aspects of our economy, particularly the oil and gas industry.

“Though right now, PTI is organising this local training in partnership with a foreign body, our ultimate goal is that very soon the entire process will be conducted here in Nigeria and the certification will be internationally recognised and PTI will not rest until we realise this dream and many more,” she added.

The commercial offshore diving involves maintenance of oil platforms and building of underwater and other marine structures in the oil and gas industry.