Nigerian Agip Exploration awards post-graduate scholarships to 29 Nigerian graduates

Oredola Adeola

A total of twenty-nine (29) Nigerian graduates have benefitted from Eni’s subsidiary, Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE) scholarships for post graduate studies overseas as well as at Nigerian Universities under the company’s 2023/2024 Awards Scheme.

Folu Olapade, Manager, Government and Institutional Relations, NAE, made this known in a statement obtained by EnergyDay on Tuesday.

According to Olapade, nine of the beneficiaries will undertake postgraduate studies in various Universities in the United Kingdom and a university in Finland.

The statement said, “The remaining awardees will pursue their postgraduate studies in Nigerian Universities in disciplines such as Engineering, Geosciences, Petroleum and Environmental Technology and Petroleum Law.

“Beneficiaries were selected based on their past academic standing and performance in the computer-based test conducted recently for over 700 shortlisted applicants for this year’s award scheme.

Mr. Fabrizio Bolondi, Eni Nigeria’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, who presented the award letters to the beneficiaries in Abuja, stated that the ceremony represents a moment of pride for the company and the awardees.

He stated that the award presentation not only recognizes the incredible talent and dedication of the scholars, but also highlights the significant investment in the future of education, innovation, and progress in the country.

EnergyDay gathered that the postgraduate scholarship scheme was instituted in 2007 as part of the company’s human capital development initiatives to promote knowledge acquisition and to bridge the skills gap in specialized fields relevant to deep offshore Oil and Gas operations in Nigeria.

Eni stated that to date, a total of 290 graduates have benefitted from the Postgraduate Scholarship Schemes, instituted by the company in 2007 to promote knowledge acquisition and fill skills gap in the Oil and Gas sector, as well as contribute to the training and equipping of local professionals with requisite knowledge required in the industry.

The statement further said, “Eni, through NAE, has implemented other sustainability initiatives in Nigeria in areas of health, education, access to water and infrastructure provisions, as well as specific initiatives for stakeholder empowerment in local communities.

“These include provision of 22 integrated water schemes for domestic consumption and irrigation purposes in North-East Nigeria and Abuja Federal Capital Territory, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to improve access to water for the communities affected by the humanitarian crisis in Northeast Nigeria.

“Others are the provision of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) equipment to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt; Cardiothoracic equipment including Heart-Lung Machine LivaNova (Sorin/Stockert) S5 complete system at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano; as well as a Research and Innovation Laboratory at the University of Lagos, Nigeria.

Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE) was incorporated in 1996 to manage the company’s deep offshore exploration and production assets.

NAE has the distinction of being the first oil and gas company in Nigeria to produce oil from the country’s deep offshore. NAE has interests in six deep offshore blocks in Nigeria, either as an Operator or as a Co-Venturer.