The Senate has directed the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited to allocate $43 million from the $4.3 billion Train-7 project towards human capital development initiatives.
This directive came during an interactive session held at the National Assembly on Tuesday, involving representatives from NLNG, NCDMB, Saipem Contracting Limited, and Daewoo Engineering & Construction.
Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the chairman of the committee, emphasized the importance of compliance with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.
According to a statement released by her chief press secretary, Arogbonlo Israel, in Abuja, Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan stressed the significance of transparent and effective utilization of the allocated funds to benefit Nigerians and enhance the country’s human capital development and institutional strengthening.
Of the $43 million designated for human capital development, $25.8 million, constituting 60 percent of the total, is earmarked for learning institutions from public primary to tertiary levels nationwide.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan highlighted the infrastructure deficits in Nigeria’s primary and secondary schools, citing a report by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), which identified approximately 40,000 classrooms in deplorable conditions. She suggested that NLNG’s human capital development initiatives should support UBEC’s efforts to provide adequate educational facilities.
Moreover, the senator pointed out discrepancies in reported figures for the NLNG Train-7 project. Depending on the project’s valuation, she outlined different allocations for institutional strengthening and various training programs.
For projects in the oil and gas sector valued over $500 million, 1 percent of the project value is allocated to human capacity development and institutional strengthening.
The Senate committee, in collaboration with NLNG and NCDMB, aims to establish a framework and select public institutions across the country to benefit from the strategic program.
This initiative is geared towards enhancing the capacity of learning institutions, addressing the issue of out-of-school children, and improving learning structures in public institutions.
The effective utilization of these funds is expected to have a positive impact on the country’s human capacity development and institutional strengthening.
