The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri has said that the Petroleum Technology Development Fund-owned College of Petroleum and Energy Studies, Kaduna, will soon become operational.
The minister stated this during a facility tour of the institution located along the Kaduna-Zaria Expressway way, behind the Kaduna International Trade Fair Complex.
Lokpobiri, accompanied by top management staff of the PTDF expressed satisfaction on the state-of-the-art facilities on ground in college established in 2009 which has so far gulped more than N15bn.
Our correspondent reports that 15 years later, the projects still remain incomplete but under the new leadership at the PTDF, projects in the institution are near completion.
However, the minister after the facility tour of projects, noted that with the facilities on ground, it was time to ensure the college was operational while adding that the ministry will not allow the college to rot away.
According to the Minister, "The college with the mandate to train senior cadre officers in the oil and gas sector, would save the country a lot foreign exchange from training Nigerians overseas."
The Minister said, "I am waiting on the Executive Secretary to give the relevant briefs then I will brief Mr. President to see how the place will be commissioned and put to use as soon as possible.
"So, I believe that today's inspection is absolutely satisfactory because I saw more than what I was told in the briefs. I am happy that I came today and I am happy that Nigerians will also have the privilege of seeing this through different media and then continue to give us the cooperation that is needed to enable us to complete this project and then use them for the purpose that they have been built."
Earlier in his address, the Executive Secretary of the PTDF, Ahmad Aminu, expressed the readiness of the institute to go operational as most projects had reached completion stage.
He added that so far Sixty-three (63) out of the Eighty-Seven (87) contracts awarded have been completed while twenty four (24) contracts were at various stages of completion.
