Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) on Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State awarded postgraduate scholarships to 11 Nigerians to pursue master’s degrees in leading universities in the United Kingdom (UK).
The scholarship covers tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and travel and is valued at around £30,000 for each scholar.
Particular focus is given to select professional courses which include engineering, geosciences, environmental studies, management sciences, information technology, law, and medicine, all at master’s degree level.
The postgraduate scholarship scheme was launched to grow a pool of dedicated professionals to bridge specialist skills gaps, in line with the company’s vision of helping to build a better Nigeria.
NLNG general manager, external relations and sustainable development, Eyono Fatayi-Williams, in her keynote address at the event, remarked that the scheme was designed as part of NLNG’s social investment in education.
She charged the awardees thus, “As a global LNG company determined to constantly improve its local community, its business and the country at large, through human capital development, NLNG is offering you this opportunity as an investment in you trusting that when you graduate and return to our country, you’ll contribute to the development and advancement of our nation.”
Also present at the event was the manager, community relations and sustainable development, Godson Dienye. In his speech, he stated that since its inception, Nigeria LNG, in line with the United Nations’ sustainable development goals, has made education a key focus of its human development pursuits.
He stated that the postgraduate scholarship scheme was “one of the most outstanding of our scholarship schemes because of its important role in national development. The importance of research in the development of any company or country cannot be overemphasised. And the level of education that offers the window into research is unarguably the postgraduate level of education.”
A total of 89 Nigerian students have been awarded postgraduate scholarships since the programme started in 2013.
The NLNG scholarships scheme is one of NLNG’s interventions in education. NLNG built and equipped the Bonny Vocational Center (BVC), which helps to bridge the gap in technical education in the country. To date, BVC has trained over 400 Nigerians in a range of vocational and related occupational skill-sets.
The company also funds the NLNG youth empowerment scheme (YES). Over 1,200 youths from Rivers State are participating in different short-term entrepreneurial skills in 2021.
