Friday, 29th March 2024
To guardian.ng
Search

ExxonMobil’s UAP produces seven new geological maps

By Sunday Aikulola
18 November 2015   |   10:11 pm
SEVEN new maps have been published by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), through the University Partnering Programme (UPP) of ExxonMobil’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL).

ExxonMobil-an-American-oil-giantSEVEN new maps have been published by the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA), through the University Partnering Programme (UPP) of ExxonMobil’s affiliate, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL).

Speaking during the launch recently in Lagos, The General Manager Exploration EEPNL, Mr. Andrew Ejayeriese, said the new maps signify “the outstanding success of an innovative social investment vehicle we introduced to improve on the quality of geosciences education in the Nigerian university system. We are delighted that the maps produced from the UPP field trips have passed the scrutiny of the relevant authorities, and have now been published, increasing the number of published maps to 16.

The success of this progamme has strengthened our resolve to extend this partnership to every public university in Nigeria in due course, in our determined quest to ensure that Nigerian geosciences graduates can stand on equal competitive footing with their counterparts from the best universities across the globe.

He explained that ExxonMobil introduced the UPP in 2007 as a means of supporting Nigerian universities in providing geosciences academic instruction comparable to their counterparts in advanced economies, adding that the programme had been extended to 14 Nigerian universities so far.

According to him “When we introduced the University Partnering Programme (UPP) in 2007, little did we know we would be celebrating its impact on the scale we are at this event. For us at ExxonMobil, the UPP was a child of necessity. As an organisation, we were concerned about the quality of geosciences education in Nigerian universities, especially with regards to the practical aspect of the course.
“Introducing the UPP therefore, was our way of supporting Nigerian universities in providing a level of academic instruction comparable to their counterparts in the advanced economies. Among the key programmes of the UPP were the donation of vehicles, geosciences equipment and financial assistance for geological fieldtrips and analysis to the beneficiary universities,” he informed.

He also noted that ExxonMobil affiliates had through the UPP and a related programme, the University Assistance Programme, (UAP) invested over N9.2 billion in the Nigerian university system, while over N5 billion in scholarship awards have been invested in students for study at secondary and tertiary educational levels both in Nigeria and leading universities internationally.

One of the students who designed the map, Kasali Ahmed, a student of the University of Ilorin said: “I really thank ExxonMobil for the facility they provided for us. From our school at Ilorin, we travelled to Kogi State for the fieldwork. It is indeed a privilege. It is like bridging the gap between the theory we were taught in class and the practical aspect. When we talk of the leadership, training, assisting students even to the level of professionalism, ExxonMobil is always there. My advice to other companies is to imitate what ExxonMobil has done by providing funds and facilities so that we can be better geologists in the future.”

0 Comments