By Joseph Kanjo, Benin

Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife and five other top Nigerian universities are to benefit from internship of Duport Midstream Company Limited (DMCL), an energy park, as soon as the company kicks start operation.

Dr. Akintoye Akindele, the Chief Executive Officer of the company who made the disclosure during an inspection tour of the facility alongside other partners in Egbokor, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State, said 100 students drawn from Engineering departments, OAU, would be taken for internship as soon as the company kicks off operation, April, 2022.

According to him, second phase of the internship would accommodate six hundred students of Engineering departments from six top Nigerian universities, adding that they would be renumerated based on the nation’s minimum wage.

L-R: Kunle Soriyan, CEO, Africa House; Dr Benedicta Oyiana, Partner, Platform Capital; Lerato Molebasti, board bember, Platform Capital South, Africa; Tosin Odunsanya, Director, Duport Midstream; Kenny Nwosu, CEO Norsad Capital; Teshome Nkrumah, Deputy High Commissioner, Canadian High Commission; Dr Akintoye Akindele CEO, Duport Midstream, Oteng Sebonego, Investment Director, Norsad Capital; Gregory Georges, CEO, West Indies Oil Company, Antigua; ,Adeola Ajibade, Partner,  Platform Capital South Africa; Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, Vice-Chancellor OAU; Prishani Satyapal, Partner, Platform Capital; Shakti Satyapal, Director, Sustainability Truthing; Dr. A. S. Osunleke, Lecturer, OAU; Oludare Odejobi Ag. HoD. ,OAU; Tomi Amosun, CEO, Summit Oil; Samantha Petersen, board member, Platform Capital South Africa; Oje Ologun, Sector Head, Oil & Gas Access Bank Plc, and Dr Ogho Okiti, Managing Director, BusinessDay newspaper

The CEO who took partners of the company during the tour to various units of the company, said the first phase of the facility, which has a modular refinery operations, gas processing facility, data centre and power plant, would commence operation by April 2022.

“We are proud to announce to give 100 students internship every year to experience this project. For a start, we will offer internship programme to 100 students from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and their emoluments will be based on minimum wage and will be housed in the staff’s quarters. (Sic)

“Afterwards, it will be extended to top six universities across the country, amounting to 600 students per annum,” Akindele said.

Akintoye Akindele, CEO, Duport Midstream (Left) and Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, Vice-Chancellor, OAU, during the inspection.

He added that the project has over 70 percent local content with 95 percent total workforce being Nigerians.

“This is an energy park from a point of view of all the sources such as gas, power, oil and then added data centre technology. 

“We have fused old industry of energy and new of technology to create a carbon-accretive, modern day business that not only impart environment positively, create jobs and also boost confidence of local engineers. (Sic)

“Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into this project and this is 99 percent locally funded by government through the Nigerian Content Development Board (NCDMB), by bankers through the First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Union Bank, Zenith Bank and Polaris bank.  percent of that funding has been local shareholders.”

Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede, Vice-Chancellor of Obafemi Awowolo University, while expressing gratitude to Duport, said the institution is ready to work with the firm.

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“I am here as the Vice-Chancellor to represent the management, staff and students to say thank you to the partners of this project. We believe there are mutual benefit we can drive from this partnership.

“We are looking forward to a time when our students will be here to enjoy the good things happening to Nigerian students. We are not only talking of our students, our staff will also want to be here to see how they can work with the company,” Ogunbodede said.

Partners present during the inspection are: Tomi Amosun, Chief Executive Officer, Summit, South Africa; Teshome Nkrumah, Deputy High Commissioner, Canadian High Commission; Prishani Satyapal, board member, Platform Capital, South Africa; Matthew Pratt, Norsad Capital, South Africa;

Dr. Akintoye Akindele (right) explaining operation of the company to some of the partners.

Others are: Lerato Molebasti, member, Platform Capital, South Africa; Samantha Petersen, Platform Capital, South Africa; Adeola Ajibade, Partner, Healthcare and South Africa, Platform Capital and Shakti Satyapal, Director, Sustainability Truthing, South Africa.