The Nigerian government is training 30 youths from the Niger Delta region in Electrical Engineering in Grenoble, France, in line with the government’s commitment to transforming the power sector.
The training programme is organised by the Ministry of Niger Delta in partnership with the French government and Schneider Electric to train the youths over a one-year period.
It is a manpower development strategy of the government aimed at producing competent hands that will ensure that the transformation of the sector is achieved and sustained.
Channels Television’s energy correspondent, Olu Phillips, reports that unlike young energetic people of African descent, who travel to the west in search of greener pastures for themselves, these ones are burdened with a societal challenge they hope to fix.
Nigeria’s commitment to revamping the power sector was seen last year when it unbundled the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, making it possible for private ownership.
Schneider Electric, is one of the world leading energy companies with high competency and the Nigerian government hopes that the youths would, by way of hands on the job training, acquire needed skills and knowledge that would boost the power sector in Nigeria.
“Barely few months in training, their progress appears resounding,” Philips says.
A consultant Engineer in Electrical Electronics, Mr Mohammed Neheili, said that in the first part of the training, the youths would be made to become good workers and that the second part would involve design of domestic fittings.
Their willingness to be part of the solution to Nigeria’s power problem has shown in their commitment to ensuring they achieve a lot from the training.
The Director Programme, Scheider Electric, Francois Miliowi, said: “With their motivation, the time they spend to learn, their expectation when they are back, their vision of their role in their society in their country is really something that surprised us, sincerely”.
One of the trainees told Channels Television that they are committed to contributing their best in revamping the power sector after the training.
“It is a Federal Government initiative created to get the necessary manpower to tackle the power problem in Nigeria and I want to say I am happy to be here today to be part of the solution and not part of the problem or trying to lay blame,” one of the trainees said.
Philips said that the enthusiasm of the young Nigerians from the Niger Delta region was great, as they try to acquire the necessary competence that would revamp the power sector in Nigeria.