Royal Father Happy With NDDC Over Solar Street Lights

Traditional ruler of Rumuokuta, Eze Michael Chinda is excited with the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission for lighting up the streets of Rumuokwuta, and other parts of Rivers State.

Saying that with the solar powered street lights, the NDDC had brought life and development to his domain, the royal father said his people were peaceful and peace loving and would continue to live in peace to attract more development.

He spoke at a ceremony to mark the opening of a CNG conversion and training centre at Rumuokwuta community in Port Harcourt, in line with the presidential directive on CNG initiative.

He also thanked the management of Lapomik Energies and the PCNGI Programme Director, Michael Oluwagbemi, for siting the training centre in his domain.

Oluwagbemi had earlier led his team to the NDDC Managing Director of NDDC, Dr Sam Ogbuku, on a courtesy visit, where the MD said the initiative was President Bola Tinubu’s way of providing succour to Nigerians, following the harsh effects of the fuel subsidy removal policy.

The NDDC Chief Executive Officer noted that implementing the CNG policy would create jobs and local technology transfers for youths and women by supporting auto manufacturing, retrofitting, conversions, and developing critical gas distribution, processing, and production infrastructure and facilities.

A few hours after the visit, Ogbuku led the commission’s management team to Rumuokwuta for the ground breaking of the training centre. There, he said “this groundbreaking event, the first of its kind in the Niger Delta region, is part of the efforts to set up training centres in all parts of the country.

“The more we train our youths in energy conversion facilities, the more youths we train to make them gainfully employed and financially independent. We want to make the Niger Delta the hub of CNG technicians in the country.”

The NDDC boss said that the commission was making efforts to set up training facilities to train youths on the conversion to CNG in the Niger Delta region, noting that with the energy transition in the country, Niger Deltans would be allowed to take advantage of the transition to gas.

Meanwhile, Presidential Compressed Natural Gas Initiative, PCNGI, and the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to facilitate the implementation of the CNG policy in the Niger Delta region.

According to  Oluwagbemi, “the key objective is to drive down and manage transportation costs for Nigerians by utilizing the cheaper gas alternative that is abundant but currently under utilised in Nigeria.

“Our pilot phase started with training 1,000 auto technicians, engineers, and support staff. By the end of 2024, we aim to have trained 2,500 individuals, and by 2027, our goal is to reach 10,000 trained professionals.”