Dangote Refinery to kick-start 1st Quarter of 2021

The Group Executive Director, Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development, Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Mr Edwin Devakumar has disclosed that the refinery will kick-start in the first quarter in 2021.

Speaking at the closeout and graduation ceremony of two hundred graduands trained by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in vocational training in Ibeju- Lekki, Devakumar said the project will be completed by December 2020 and commissioning would come up a first-quarter in 2021.

He revealed that the graduands have acquired skills in various stages, carpentry, welding, refrigerator and air conditioning, machinery and auto mechanic.

While addressing the graduands, he stressed that, the various skills that they have learned is capable of reforming their lives.

“Unfortunately we facing a high level of unemployment in the country. There are so many graduates with years of job experiences and they working as drivers earning like N30,000. I have come across with people with a degree in Chemical Engineering employed as casual workers but you have acquired skills and it will be more easy for you to get jobs, start with something and be independent enough to set up a workshop or you can go and work in any firm,” he stated.

He advised them to practice what they have learnt because it is very easy to forget if it is not put into practice, he added “try to practice and as I have said, we will also give you the opportunity to practice what you have learnt in our company”

The State Coordinator, National Directorate of Employment, Mrs Serena Edward stated that, the journey was not easy at all but the most important thing is that it ended well.

She disclosed that some of the challenges encountered were that, some of the trainees dropped along the line, some were very comfortable doing nothing, which took the intervention of the royal fathers before they fell in line with training.

She said the skill acquisition program has also improved the social standard of the graduands, as most of them, do not have account details and relevant documents.

She appreciated the Dangote Petroleum Refinery for bringing a solution to the problem of unemployment in the community.

“The Dangote group have given you skills, there are so many people outside like he said, Masters, Bsc degree holder that are looking for jobs. With what you have, you can get and earn what a Phd holders earns if you are diligent in your work” she stressed.

Edward said, the success story is that, Dangote group has succeeded in taking Youth off the street making them socially presentable to the society because as it is said, an idle hand is the devils workshop.

The Onibeju of Ibeju Land, Oba Olusegun Salami and the Onileki of Lekki, Oba Lasisi Ogungbekun lauded the initiative and appealed for employment for all the youths.

While responding to the appeal, the Managing Director, Lekki Worldwide, Dr Tunde Sodade said he is hopefully the youths are employed into the Lekki free trade scheme, stating that his job is not complete if they are not employed.

SOURCE: DailyTimesNigeria