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Government should source for Vibrant, resourceful Nigerian youths across the world, says Oki

By Editor
27 August 2016   |   1:40 am
Adeyinka Adefioye-Oki trained as a mechanical engineer in Italy and has worked in several international blue-chip companies. He has partnered with global companies like Tecnogas and Ravasini in Italy....
Adeyinka Adefioye-Oki

Adeyinka Adefioye-Oki

Adeyinka Adefioye-Oki trained as a mechanical engineer in Italy and has worked in several international blue-chip companies. He has partnered with global companies like Tecnogas and Ravasini in Italy, Kosan Crisplant in Denmark, Oando Plc in Nigeria, Dogumak Makkina, Turkey, East African Vision in Kenya, among many others.

He was in Nigeria a few weeks ago for his father’s birthday and told The Guardian the story of his sojourn to Italy. His uncle relocated to Italy and Oki joined him at 15 years of age and immediately began his studies at ItisBerenini.

He said: “I didn’t know a word of Italian language, but I managed to learn hard to make my parents and family proud. Therefore, I made my studies a priority in Italy to ensure excellence. I eventually graduated with an excellent result. “After graduation in year 2004, I did a course sponsored by the European community as a mechanical designer that gave me the opportunity to do my industrial training in a company like Massenza fu Giuseppe Italy that specialises in manufacturing well perforation machinery”.

He became project manager of LPG and CNG plants in the very popular Tecnogas Spa Italy, which enabled him to travel to several countries. In 2015 he was in Nigeria to supervise the installation of 3 LpGrefuellingministations.

According to him: “Customers don’t ever expect you to be in front as a black person, but my skills were able to break down the wall of prejudice,” he recalls. .

In 2013, when an Israeli delegation on the initiative of the Office of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Transport visited Italy, he was chosen as a consultant by a major multinational company to illustrate the benefits and risks involved in the use of natural gas.

According to the 32-year old Nigerian, ‘’I was delegated from Italy to deliver a course on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPG) to the government of Israel in 2013 because I was one of the best hands in that field.”

Apart from being an engineer, Oki also sings in two Italian orchestras and has gathered a couple of television appearances as a hip hop dancer.On his marriage, he said meeting his wife was the greatest achievement in life. “We met at a disco in Piacenza and at the beginning it was not easy. We often discussed together in Italian, English and Portuguese languages and we were always together.”

He is married to Debora, a Portuguese and they have two daughters, Rachael and Angel.Oki has not forgotten his roots as he visits Nigeria once a year to see his parents and relatives. For him: “Nigeria is a blessed country endowed with numerous natural resources, but we lack the technical expertise to manage the country. I have made up my mind to be of assistance to any country that desires to partner with me in the field of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) so as to create more opportunities to elevate our country. This is one of my major concerns to make Nigeria great in the comity of nations.

‘’With my years as an employee and consultant to global companies as a mechanical engineer, I discovered that Nigeria is endowed with natural resources to make the country worthwhile to nations and make it a place of pride, but we don’t have the expertise to make it so.

“Where I work in Italy, Nigerian companies often came to hire us to work for them. In few years, I wish to situate my company in Nigeria to help provide solutions to the problems of CNG and LPG. I have worked with several global companies on consultancy, design and engineering,” he said.

Comparing his relationship with people in Nigeria and Italy, he said, “I love my country so much; l left for Italy at the age of 15, but when I grew up, it was very easy for me to relate with everyone because Italians like you more when you are resourceful irrespective of your colour, but despise laziness.”

On his advice to the Nigerian government and younger generation, he said: “Our government should source for vibrant, resourceful Nigerian youths across the world and integrate them into their policy formulation to develop our country. The younger generation should shun violence, be self-reliant and contribute meaningfully to the growth of our beloved country, Nigeria.”

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