A total of 29 Nigerian graduates have received Post Graduate scholarship awards from Eni’s subsidiary, Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAE) to further their studies in various Nigerian and overseas Universities under its 2023/2024 Awards Scheme.
Details of the awards contained in a statement by Eni on Tuesday in Abuja showed thatn nine of the beneficiaries would undertake postgraduate studies in various Universities in the United Kingdom and a university in Finland.
The remaining awardees, the statement said, would pursue their postgraduate studies in various Nigerian Universities in disciplines such as Engineering, Geosciences, Petroleum and Environmental Technology and Petroleum Law.
Eni said the lucky beneficiaries were selected based on their past academic standings and performances in the computer-based test conducted recently for over 700 short-listed applicants for this year’s awards as part of the company’s annual corporate social responsibility in its area of operations.
The award letters were presented to the beneficiaries in Abuja by Eni Nigeria’s Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Fabrizio Bolondi, in a ceremony he described as a moment of pride for the company and the awardees.
Bolondi, who congratulated the beneficiaries for the awards, said the scholarships were in recognition of the incredible talent and dedication of the scholars, adding that the awards highlight the significant investment of Eni in the future of education, innovation, and progress in the country.
He said 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.
“To date, a total of 290 graduates have benefited 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,” Bolondi said.
The MD said Eni, through NAE, has implemented other sustainability initiatives in Nigeria in the areas of health, education, access to water and infrastructure provisions, as well as specific initiatives for stakeholder empowerment in local communities.
These initiatives, he said, include the 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 North-east Nigeria.
Others initiatives, he said, include 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 Operator or as Co-Venturer with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
