The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NAPTIN

  • Sector lacks engineers, NAPTIN chief

    The Director-General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Rueben Okeke, has  decried the dearth of qualified engineers in the power sector.

    Speaking during a conference in Lagos, Okeke said there is shortage of manpower in the sector following the sack of 60 per cent of workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) by private investors this year.

    He said many of the workers were sacked due to old age, though many of them were good.  He said the development made the government to recruit more engineers to fill the gap in the industry.

    Okeke said NAPTIN has graduated 241 engineers since 2012, adding that more engineers would be trained to handle the technical and critical component areas in the electricity industry.

    He said: “The sector is far from having enough trained engineers to man the huge expansion that we have in Nigeria today. From the manpower planning, which we did in 2012 to support 20,000 megawatts (MW) of power, you will require no fewer than 6,750 engineers. And you will be looking at 17,441 technical personnel to support the planned 20,000MW generation.

    “Since the inception of NAPTIN in 2009 to 2012, we only trained those that were already in the sector; that is, existing workers. But from 2012 to date, we have graduated 241 engineers. These are fresh engineers from the university who have completed their National Youth Service Corps.

    “And we have in enrolment 336 and these ones should be graduating in October, this year. We have another set supported by SURE-P, 220 in number; they were inducted in April this year. They will graduate by March, next year. We have about 520 engineers recruited by the Transmission Company of Nigeria. So, if you check these figures, we will only have about 1,140 plus. The existing personnel, that is, the old engineers in the industry who keep the industry working, are less than 1,500 across the country.’’

  • Poor gas supply stalls 224 substations’ activation

    Poor gas supply stalls 224 substations’ activation

    Gas supply shortage is stalling the activation of 224 distribution substation built by the Federal Government to boost electricity supply, it was learnt.

    The Director-General, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Reuben Okeke, said gas supply from the Nigerian Gas Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), is inadequate.

    Okeke said the 224 substations could not operate optimally due to gas shortage. He said: “Though the stations are ready to help move the country from its current 4,500 megawatts (MW) supply level to 20,000MW in the next few years. However, it has been impossible to achieve this feat, due to gas shortage. Shortage of gas has stalled the various projects initiated by the government to wheel electricity into the national grid.”

    Many of the power generating plants built under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), he said, have not come on stream because of gas shortage. “Aside the fact that the country is targeting 5,000MW from the NIPP,  6,000MW is expected from the privatised successor companies unbundled from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). However, gas is impeeding the country’s ability to generate electricity,” he said.

    Okeke explained that there is no way the country’s energy needs can be achieved without being complemented through renewable sources of power supply.

    Nigeria, he said, requires substantial electricity for sustenance, stressing that thermal and hydro power plants remain the major sources of the country’s power supply.

    “Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, coal and biomass would generate small amount of electricity. The energy from these sources is small and could not facilitate economic growth. Renewable energy should be for the rural areas and should not be relied upon to speed up economic process,” he said.

    Okeke said the decision of developed countries such as Germany and Canada to assist Nigeria develop its renewable energy system was purely selfish. He explained that such countries have developed renewable energy sources to an enviable height and are looking for markets where they would dump their equipment.

    According to him, Nigeria is one of the markets those countries hope to get buyers for their renewable energy products.

    The NAPTIN’s boss said Israel generates 100 per cent energy from coal, while South Africa meets part of its energy needs through coal. “While the renewable energy is good and capable of galvanising activities in communities across the country, it should not be seen as complementing the hydro and solar sources of generating electricity in Nigeria,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the Ministries of Power and Petroleum Resources are collaborating to improve gas supply as part of ongoing efforts to boost power generation.  The development, however, is yet to impact positively on the national grid, as irregular power supply continues.

    The Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, had reiterated government’s determination to ensure stable power supply before President Goodluck Jonathan completes his term next year.

    The current synergy between both minstries on gas supply, he said, would make Nigerians  enjoy steady and sustainable power supply.

  • NAPTIN, power firms collaborate on workforce development

    The National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) is partnering generation and distribution firms and some state governments to address the dearth of qualified personnel for power equipment and facilities.

    The induction of young graduate engineers recruited by the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) and the Taraba State Government, took place in Lagos, to kick start their one-year training.

    NAPTIN’s Director-General Reuben Okeke told The Nation that the recruitment and training became imperative because there had not been any in the sector in the past two decades, adding that apart from the huge deficit of technical workforce, most of the workers were aged, a development he described as a threat to the sector.

    Okeke said: “This is NAPTIN programme. The Sahara Group, the owners of IKEDC and Egbin power station recruited about 110 engineers and the Taraba State Government recruited about 50 engineers  and brought them to NAPTIN to undergo one year graduate skill development programme, which was started since 2012 to build capacity in the power sector.

    “IKEDC and Sahara Group in particular wanted us to train the young engineers they have recruited and, today, we kicked off the programme. It will ensure that the huge investment that Mr. President is making in the power sector receives a matching competent workforce that would be able to manage and operate these equipment and facilities in the power sector when they are commissioned.

    “Some of the equipment and facilities have been inaugurated but we lack the human capital and competent workforce to man them. Sahara Group has recruited a large number of engineers and is about to recruit linesmen and artisans, which they will bring to NAPTIN for training.

    “The Taraba engineers will be trained in NAPTIN training centre in Jos, Plateau State. The engineers after leaving school with B.Sc. or HND still need to acquire one year development skill acquisition where they do applied engineering and hand-on-training on light equipment.”

    On how the training will translate to power supply improvement, Okeke said: “What a competent workforce can do in an industry such as power is huge. If you don’t have a well-trained skilled staff, the improvement we are witnessing will not be there. Without a competent hand, there is no way the facilities that will improve the power sector will be operated.

    “We graduated 243 in 2013 and we have about 500 undergoing the programme. This is important because for over 20 years, there has not been training in the power sector and without training in any endeavour, you cannot get what owners of that business want and that is the reason private sector doesn’t joke with training.

    “So, what we are doing in NAPTIN is the mandate of the Federal Government to ensure that we provide a competent workforce that will operate the infrastructure. The engineers undergoing the training are already employed because we have quite dearth of technical workforce in the power sector, the engineers, linesmen, cable joint workers are not there and those ones that are there are aged.

    “We don’t have people that will fill in that gap. Those who graduated from NAPTIN will be beautiful brides because the regulator is insisting that before you import any skill you have to get a ‘No Objection’ from them; besides, universities and polytechnics are turning out electrical and mechanical engineers every year.”

    On technology, tools and personnel to train the engineers, Okeke said the institute was partnering some organisations to address such problems to ensure that the engineers get world standard training.

    He said: “We have development partners that are helping us both in training the trainer as well as training the candidates. The Federal Government has approved substantial amount of money even though not enough for us to acquire the training aids and equipment. We have partnership with National Power Training Institute of India, General Electric, which we are about to sign; we have already signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Schneider; we have the support of French Development Agency; and the World Bank has given us some facilities, in which we have some foreign experts who come to help us review our curriculum and bring it up to date. We have a lot of partners and trainers that will train these people.”

  • WAFU awards excite Eaglets’ handlers

    WAFU awards excite Eaglets’ handlers

    Members of the Golden Eaglets technical crew are still excited at the awards the team scooped up at the just concluded WAFU B Under-17 Tournament in Togo.
    The Golden Eaglets won the Fair Play Award as receiving the least cautions in the four games played at the competition, while Amos Benjamin was voted as the best goalkeeper of the tournament.
    “Personally, I’m happy that Amos was picked as the best goalkeeper of the tournament because he has improved tremendously since he came into the camp,” the team’s goalkeepers’ trainer and former youth international, Emeka Amadi told KickOffNigeria.com.
    “But more than anything else, I was impressed with his overall contribution to the success of the team and I think he can even get better.
    “From the indices, he was outstanding because we have some other good goalkeeper at the tournament; the Mali and Benin goalkeeper are equally good but I’m happy it was Benjamin that was picked as the best,” he noted.
    Benjamin conceded only one goal in the four matches played and his agility was there for all to see especially in the ill-fated 3-1 semi-finals’ penalty shoot-out loss to Benin Republic.

     

  • TCN threatens new engineers

    TCN threatens new engineers

    The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) will deal with any of the newly recruited engineers whose performance falls below average, the Deputy Director, National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Mr Kayode Amusan has warned.

    He told The Nation that the option of the big stick became inevitable when one considers the low contributions of some workers in the power sector.

    He said sanctions would help in instilling discipline in the workers, and make them productive.

    He said there is a dearth of engineers in the sector, adding that the issue made the government to commit huge resources for the training of the engineers.

    He said: “We would not tolerate acts that are not in conformity with productivity because a lot of money has been committed to the training of engineers, among other workers in the industry. We decided to inject fresh blood into the system, after a study shows that there is dearth of quality engineers in the sector. We want to bridge the gap between the old and the new generation of engineers to avoid a vacuum.’’

    Amusan said one of the problems in the industry is ageing engineers, arguing that the issue has affected electricity distribution, generation and transmission.

    The transmission aspect, Amusan said, is important to the sector because its stands in between the two other components- distribution and generation.

    Also, the Assistant General Manager, Transmission Services, TCN, Mrs Biodun Afolabi said the company has reduced the probation period from two to one year to enable the workers to stay and contribute their quota to the sector.

    ‘’One year probation is a policy in the power sector. Before, the probation period was two years. But we decided to reduce it to one year to encourage the sector’s growth. One cannot rule out the possibility of having truants among the engineers that we are going to train soon.’’ She added. (310)

    The Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo had said ageing workforce is one of the problems of the industry. Nebo said low output of workers of PHCN has affected the industry’s growth, aside infrastructural decay.

  • NAPTIN graduates 243 electric engineers

    THE National Power training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) has graduated 243 electrical engineering trainees through its Graduate Skills Development Programme (NGSDP).

    The Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo, who presented certificates to the graduates at Abuja, noted thier passing out was very timely since the privatization of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has boosted the demand for skilled electrical engineers.

    He expressed optimistism that the graduates would turn around the power sector.

    Nebo, who noted that capacity building is key to development of the power sector, recalled that federal government recently commissioned two power plants.

    He said that the federal government will soon commission the remaining eight National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), stressing that all the plants would be manned by skilled engineers.

    The Director General of NAPTIN, Engineer Reuben Okeke, said that NGSDP programme was conceived as a pro-reform initiative to build the professional level technical manpower required to match up with the infrastructural expansion in the power sector.

    He said: “NAPTIN realised that the quick delivery of projects in the sector can only be completed by the availability of professional manpower in the sector if the reform process is to have the desired impact.”

    Following the launch of the programme in 2012, Nebo stated that over 1,530 applications were received nationwide with a total of about 243 graduate trainees eventually admitted and enrolled.

    He stated that  nine states including Anambra, Bornu, Ebonyi, Kano, Katsina, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and Yobe, sponsored their indigenes for the programmes.

    243 engineers were trained including 92 for generation, 72 for distribution and 79 for transmission.

     

  • FG to invest N15bn on NAPTIN

    FG to invest N15bn on NAPTIN

    The federal government is set to invest N15b on developing infrastructure at the permanent site of National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN).

    The director general, Riben Onwuebuna Okeke disclosed this during a courtesy call on the registrar of Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria in Abuja.

    He said, “10.69 hectares of land has been allocated to the institute at Idu industrial layout in Abuja for development of its permanent site.

    “The development of the new site will be based on Private Public Partnership PPP, this is to resuscitate training in the power sector.

    “For NAPTIN to turn out one skilled graduate engineer, it would require nothing less than N1.8m, covering accomodation, transportation and tution for one year.

    “To meet the government projection of 40,000 megawatts by 2020, the institute will need to turn out one thousand, two hundred and four graduiate engineers each year.

    “There is need to improve on the quality of engineers and technical education in the country,” he stressed.

    Speaking, the registrar COREN, Felix Atume commended effort being made by the government to revive training in the power sector, especially the huge investment in infrastructural development.

    He also said, there should be a review of the engineering curricullum of the nation’s tertiary institution in line with global and international best practice.

  • NAPTIN inaugurates training workshop

    The National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) has stepped up power training technology with the installation and inauguration of electric power system simulator and mechanical training workshop in the NAPTIN Regional Training Centre in Ijora, Lagos State.

    The institute also upgraded its 36-room executive hostel at the Akangba Regional Training Centre in Surulere, Lagos. The facilities were inaugurated by the Minister of State for Power, Hajia Zainab Ibrahim Kuchi.

    The minister said the facilities would not only improve training and skills acquisition in the power sector but would ensure sustainable improvement in power sector supply in the country. She said the government has intensified effort to ensure that more power plants begin operation before the end of the year to boost power supply in the country.

    She noted that one of the key priorities of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is the provision of adequate, reliable and affordable power supply to Nigerians.

    She said: “I want to assured Nigerians that the current improvement in power supply witnessed nationwide would be continuous improved upon towards delivering the promise of the Federal Government to Nigerians.”

    She said in delivering these promises, it is common knowledge that the most important resource would be human capital.

    She said: “We are here to witness investment in the development of human capacity required to drive the provision and sustenance of electricity supply in Nigeria. Federal Government, in pursuit of the power sector reform agenda had long realised the gap in human capital, which bedevils the industry. In this regard, efforts are being made to consolidate the stranded erstwhile Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) training centres into national training institutions.”

    She stressed that the major impediment that has continued to plague the development of the Nigerian power sector had been the dearth of skills required to undertake some of the basic tasks of maintaining the power assets. “Today, we make an important landmark in the development of the Nigerian electricity supplyindustry. The facilities we commissioned for the Nigerian Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) would provide system training opportunities for the workforce,” she said.

    She lauded President Jonathan’s support to the ministry of power and all associated millennium development goals (MDGs) for the discharge of the ministry’s mandate.

    The Director-General, NAPTIN National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, Engr. Reuben Okeke, said that the electric power system simulator marked the move from theoretical approach to training in power engineering to more practical approach where experimentations can be taught and simulated in real life incidences.

    Okeke said the power simulator allows technologists, engineers and electrical system operators to gain knowledge-based learning and skills-based training in all aspects of electric power system.

    He said: “This would further add to the learning potential of our institute and bring us nearer to the dream of being a world class power system training institute. With a 10-person per session capacity per week, the installation of the power simulator will ensure an annual turnout of 520 well skilled engineers and technologist.”

    He said the contract for the procurement, installation and commissioning of the electric power system simulator was signed with Messrs Tecquipment Limited/Auskan International Limited in September 2010, adding that apart from the successful installation of the facility and workshop centre, five NAPTIN engineers/instructors have been successfully trained at the contractors site in Nottingham, United Kingdom, on the use and operation of the power system simulator.

     

  • ‘Govt requires N1.896tr for power’

    ‘Govt requires N1.896tr for power’

    The Head of Service of the Federation, Alhaji Isa Bello Sali, yesterday said in accordance with President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation agenda, about N1.896 trillion investment is envisaged in the power sector between 2011- 2015 Mr Sali, who spoke during the launch of the National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN ) graduate skill development programme in Abuja, said the fund is expected to cover investments in four major areas of power- generation, transmission, distribution, and alternative energy.

    He added that the objective is to provide adequate and sustainable power for industrial growth and national development, as well as intensify rural electrification efforts in a more efficient manner and achieve optimal mix, using the most appropriate technology.

    Sali pointed out that the strategy to be adopted in achieving these objectives is to create a deregulated and competitive electric power sector to attract foreign and local investments, noting that the implication for Human Capital Management is that only the best will be attracted to work in the sector.

    This, according to him, will go more than just being in possession of a Bachelor’s or Masters degree in Electric Engineering or Power related courses. The possession of practical skills and proven track record would be the requisite qualification for practitioners in the sector, Sali stressed.

    Following the need for manpower NAPTIN yesterday began an intervention training Programme for 5,027 skilled employees across the power sector.

    This intervention, said the Director, Business Services of the institute, Mrs. Fatima Jubrila, is one f the steps government requires to bridge the gap of 17,441 skilled employees required in the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in the next five years.

    The Minister of State for Power, Darius Ishaku, who flagged – off the NAPTIN training development Programme, said the graduate engineers will go through a skill development Programme for a period of 12 months.