NCDMB Commissions ICT Centres

…Partners Stoilic Shipping on Cadets Training

By Adaobi Rhema Oguejiofor and Patience Moses Chat

As part of deliberate efforts to deepen internet penetration and digital education in the country, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), has commissioned three state-of-the-art Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centres, with dedicated broadband Internet, in three rural secondary schools in Akwa Ibom State.

The Board disclosed that at the benefiting institutions, which are girls’ high schools, a dedicated block that is fully air-conditioned and well-secured with protectors and reinforced metal windows, serves as the ICT Centre. Each of the Centres has 31 units of desktop computers, 31 purpose-built desks and seats, two stools, 25 solar panels, which have already been installed, two 20kVA inverters with 30 pieces of battery, a 20kVA generator, a server unit, a printer, a scanner, a router, a dish for Internet services, and a giant smart screen display board with vast teaching and learning potentials.

The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, told the Management and staff of the Schools that the mandate of the Board centres on local capacity development and that it has a deliberate policy to make students familiar with digital tools for learning as a way of enhancing their competitiveness as they progress in education.

He added that the policy is to “catch them young,” which implies stimulating their interest in the area of science and engineering at an early age so that they could pursue careers in those disciplines as they grow up.

Wabote explained that the Board is also deliberately promoting Science, Technology, and Mathematics (STEM) education in secondary schools across the country in order to guarantee the development of indigenous manpower to secure the future of the country’s oil and gas sector.

The NCDMB Boss, who was represented by the Board’s General Manager of Corporate Communication and Zonal Coordination, Mrs. Angela Okoro, said that the ICT Centres would make it possible for the students to have access to the current state of knowledge in all subject areas, as the smart screen and dedicated broadband Internet provide access to the latest publications and research results.

The Centres also guarantee recognition by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) for teaching of ICT-related subjects and the students would be able to prepare and sit for various external exams.

The NCDMB Zonal Coordinator for Akwa Ibom and Cross River States, Mr. Uduak Obot, while stating his remarks, expressed that “it is a thing of joy to start a thing and complete it,” recounting how work on the ICT Centres began a few months ago and had thus far been completed.

Obot thanked the principal and staff of the school, as well as the contractor of the project for their efforts and quality work. He told the students that the oil and gas industry is knowledge-based and that they must be ICT-savvy to be sufficiently competitive in the sector.

According to him, the ICT Centre elevates the standard of the school, and children of the masses will now have access to digital tools that only their counterparts in the expensive private schools have been enjoying over time.

Obot further stated that the dedicated broadband Internet that has now been provided will enable students to read any book anywhere in the world, a fact that makes the facility a library of an advanced nature, adding that their studies would no longer be hampered by lack of money to buy books or non-availability of required texts from local bookshops.

In another development, NCDMB has marked the commencement of the Cadets Training Programme that is being organized in collaboration with Stoilic Shipping Limited, a renowned maritime training school.

The information was disclosed in a statement from the Corporate Communications Unit at NCDMB. The ceremony which was conducted recently in Apapa, Lagos, had in attendance representatives of NCDMB, Stoilic shipping, and the cadets. The Cadet Sea Time training Programme offers 10 Nigerian cadets real-world experience and hands-on instruction aboard international vessels, giving them the practical skills and information required for a successful career in the maritime sector.

The cadets are expected to receive extensive training in various elements of marine operations, safety protocols, navigation techniques, and industry best practices for 12 months. This hands-on learning will prepare them to effectively acquire their Certificate of Competence (COC) which will prepare them to effectively contribute to the sector and make a positive impact on the nation’s economy.

The Manager, Human Capacity Development, NCDMB, Mr. Timbiri Augustine, hinted that the training is part of the Board’s core mandates, noting that the project started years ago with the training of 20 cadets and that over 76 cadets have been trained so far.

He highlighted the sterling role Stoilic Shipping Limited played in facilitating the training and charged the cadets to be committed to this “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

The training curriculum was improved by Stoilic’s experience and competence in maritime solutions and it is expected that the company would provide advanced training modules that would comply with global marine standards, as well as provide training boats, and seasoned and experienced mentors.

The Managing Director (MD) of Stoilic Shipping Limited, Mr. Lotanna Macfoy commended NCDMB for making the development of the capacity of Nigerians in the maritime sector a priority and other areas of the energy-related industries. He assured that the programme will equip the cadets with skills to become the “best version of themselves” and urged them to be determined regardless of the challenges they would face in the programme.

The Cadet Sea Time Training Programme is a vital aspect of NCDMB’s initiatives to strengthen local content development, increase employment prospects, and increase the participation of Nigerians in the international maritime arena. Equally, the partnership with Stoilic supports the Board’s goal of fostering economic development and building sufficient and competent human capacities in all areas of the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

The cadet’s training is part of NCDMB’s enduring investments in the Nigerian maritime sector, which is a key component of the oil and gas industry. The training will contribute towards constructing a brighter future for the nation’s marine landscape by investing in the development of young minds and talents.