The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, announced that the Petroleum Technology Development Fund-owned College of Petroleum and Energy Studies in Kaduna will soon be operational.
During a facility tour of the institution, located along the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway near the Kaduna International Trade Fair Complex, the minister expressed satisfaction with the state-of-the-art facilities. Established in 2009, the college has so far consumed over N15 billion.
Despite the long delay in completion, the minister noted that under the new leadership at the PTDF, the projects are nearing completion. He emphasized that the ministry is committed to ensuring the college becomes operational and does not fall into disuse.
“The college, with its mandate to train senior cadre officers in the oil and gas sector, will save the country significant foreign exchange by training Nigerians domestically,” Lokpobiri stated.
He added, “I am waiting for the Executive Secretary to provide the relevant briefs before I brief Mr. President on how to commission and operationalize the college as soon as possible. Today’s inspection was highly satisfactory; I saw more than what was described in the briefs. I am pleased with the progress, and I believe Nigerians will appreciate the updates through various media channels, encouraging continued cooperation to complete and utilize the facilities as intended.”
The Executive Secretary of the PTDF, Ahmad Aminu, also expressed readiness for the college to commence operations. He reported that 63 out of the 87 contracts awarded have been completed, with the remaining 24 at various stages of completion.
