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Tag: Shell Petroleum Development Company

  • 400 undergraduates get N60m in Shell scholarship scheme

    400 undergraduates get N60m in Shell scholarship scheme

    Shell PetroleumDevelopment Company (SPDC) on Thursday awarded N60 million in scholarship awards to  400 indigent undergraduates from Abia, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Rivers States.

    The undergraduates, who are  studying in different universities across the Niger Delta  region, received a cheque of  N150,000 each as scholarship for the 2015/2016 academic session.

    Mr Igo Weli, SPDC General Manager, External Relations, said at the award giving ceremony in Port Harcourt that the SPDC-JV-sponsored scholarship scheme  was for indigent undergraduates of its host communities.

    He said out of thousands of undergraduates who sat the SPDC-JV University Scholarship examination,  only 400 passed after undergoing a transparent screening process.

    “The scholarship programme provides opportunity for the less privileged  to pursue their dream of acquiring higher education.

    “Selection for the scholarship programme was based solely on performance while it covers all fields of study in both arts  and sciences.

    “The scholarship is for undergraduates in our host communities with 2.5 Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA).

    “SPDC-JV will stop granting scholarship to beneficiaries  whose CGPA falls below 2.5.

    “ However, we will resume payment if the beneficiary remedies  and improves the CGPA,” he said.

    Weli said the scheme,  which began in 1953,  had  seen thousands of Nigerians across the region benefit from the scholarship.

    He added that aside scholarship for undergraduates,  SPDC-JV currently pays tuition of over 1,000 indigent secondary school students of its host communities annually.

    According to him, other scholarship schemes include Cradle-to-Career scholarship for 60 gifted young people and one-year Master’s overseas postgraduate scholarship for  10  graduates.

    “Also, we recently launched the maiden edition of the Scholars Meet Shell Programme where scholarship beneficiaries with First Class CGPA are brought into close interaction with our staff.

    “This is part of our commitment to contributing  to Nigeria’s human capital despite the low oil price and economic challenges that have impacted to funding of oil and gas operations,” he said.

    Weli said that the company had built science blocks,  donated science equipment and established  centres of excellence  in some universities to enable the nation achieve its Millennium Development Goals on education.

    John Kingsley, one of the beneficiaries of the scholarship awards and a 200-level undergraduate  student  of Abia State University,  Uturu, commended SPDC for the scholarship.

    Kingsley said he was on the verge of dropping out from the university due to his parents’ inability to meet his tuition fees and living cost before he sat and passed the examination.

    “I am very grateful because SPDC has wiped away the tears from my eyes and that of my parents.

    “ I thank SPDC-JV for giving me the opportunity to purse my academic dream,” he said.

    Another beneficiary, Miss Nengi Christian,  commended SPDC-JV for upgrading the scholarship grant from N75,000 to N150,000 per annum  inspite of the current dwindling  oil prices. (NAN)

  • Shell invests massive funds to develop Niger Delta

    The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) seems to be a victim of wrong public perception. Shell is always portrayed as a selfish oil multinational, whose mission is to exploit the petroleum resources in the Niger Delta region without undertaking enough projects and programmes to develop the region.

    But SPDC’s records of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have always proved otherwise. The company has always posted impressive CSR records and its projects dot the sands of rural and urban communities in the Niger Delta region. Recently, in a two-day SPDC-Joint Venture (JV) Integrated Stakeholders Engagement, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the company released its recent investments on developmental projects in the region.

    SPDC said between January and August this year, it invested N7bn to provide basic infrastructures in the region. Many stakeholders were in attendance. Operatives of various security agencies and their commanders were also present at the event.

    Where did the money go? The company explained that money was used to finance Global Memoranda of Understanding (GMoUs) between SPDC and many of its host communities. The host communities used the money to build schools, hospitals and skills acquisition centres.

    Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Dr. Alice Ajeh, the company’s Stakeholders Relations Manager, who represented the General Manager, External Rekations, Mr. Igo Weli, said that the funds were jointly managed by Shell, government and the communities.

    She said: “We have spent N7 billion in the Niger Delta this year in the GMoU clusters, not in Bayelsa alone. What happens with the GMoUs is that we agree with the communities in the programme they will have and shell puts money into it. So that money goes into an account that shell, government and the communities operate.

    “Many of the areas include health , education, entrepreneurial development and other infrastructural development. But that is what has been released, it does not mean that that is all we are spending”.

    The company further said that between 2012 and 2016, it along with its partners contributed $29bn to the Nigerian government while $1.8bn was paid to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) since 2002.

    Also data made available by the oil company indicated that SPDC paid its share of royalties and corporate taxes to the Nigerian government amounting to $ 1.04bn  in 2016. In obedience to the Local Content Act, the company said its 94 per cent of awarded to Nigerian companies amounted to $0.74bn.

    The records also showed that 96 per cent of the entire Shell employees in the country were Nigerians while direct spending on social investment by the company and its partners was $29.8million.

    Ajeh said the consultations with  the stakeholders became important to address grey areas of disagreements. She said the interaction was necessary to inform the communities of the company’s global direction.

    She said: “We are here because we believe that we need to discuss with our stakeholders and we are holding these meetings according to clusters. We are opening up the conversation. It’s not about Shell but about the Niger Delta, our challenges, but also challenges of the delta and how we can solve them.

    “We would like everybody to see the issues the way we see them and also make recommendations and solutions as a people. We are bringing global issues to the people’s attention.

    “Sometimes they don’t know. We have not come here for a finger pointing exercise . It’s about looking at the issues and how we can deal with them differently. How the Niger Delta can take advantage of what is going on so that we are not stranded by what is going to happen”.

    She added that many countries were opting for viable alternatives to oil. According to her, Norway had already said that by  2025 there would be no oil and gas powered vehicle while the United Kingdom (UK) pegged theirs at 2040. But she observed that  80 per cent of Nigeria’s revenue still comes from oil.

    Commissioner  of Police in Bayelsa Amba Asuquo appealed to all stakeholders to join in the war against pipeline vandalism and oil theft. He said that the war must involve oil companies and the communities , adding that the only way peace could be achieved was by working together.

    Asuquo appealed to stakeholders to place prioritise on the prevention of crimes rather than waiting for them to happen, adding that prevention was cheaper than reaction. The police boss called on the communities to give information to the security agencies that could lead to nipping sabotage in the bud.

    Also speaking, the Director-General, Bayelsa State Partnership Agency, Mr. Braboke Stanley,  advised that the communities should no longer shut down operations of oil concerns out of anger. He asked them not to cause damage to the facilities.

    “As a government, we are also saying the companies should review some of their GMoUs . There are some grey areas that need to be reviewed. If the communities are developed, the state will develop”, he said.

    He said that the governor empowered his office to receive all manners of complaints from communities and the oil companies and address them within a reasonable time.

  • Shell awards contracts to Nigerian firms

    The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) has awarded maturation studies services contracts to four Nigerian firms, which would help them, build their capacity in that key aspect of the oil and gas industry.

    These pioneer contracts, according to the Corporate Media Relations Manager, Tony Okonedo, would enable the four companies – Laser Engineering and Consultancy Nigeria Limited, Ankorpointe Nigeria Limited, Integrated Data Services Limited, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Nubian Nigeria Limited to conduct front-end subsurface maturation studies in SPDC’s onshore eastern operations for over two-years.

    Maturation studies involve evaluation of subsurface data to build a picture of the hydrocarbon reservoirs and are vital to determining major oil and gas development plans.

    In the past, there was a tendency to conduct some maturation studies overseas as a way of meeting planned targets. However, in line with Nigerian Content Development objectives, SPDC is working to domesticate these studies, thereby empowering Nigerian companies to acquire the necessary expertise while also significantly providing jobs in-country and reducing costs.

    SPDC’s Manager, Geosolutions, Nedo Osayande, representing General Manager, Development, Bayo Ojulari said at the contract signing ceremony in Port Harcourt: “It has been a long journey; we liaised with the contractors on the conduct of subsurface studies, understanding their challenges and working to resolve them to a point where they can now render the required services. This is a top moment for Nigerian contractors in the oil and gas sector, and the four pioneers must seize this opportunity and prove that the investment in time and resources has been worthwhile.”

    The managing directors of the four companies signed on behalf their organisations, thanking SPDC for the opportunity and promising to execute the contracts efficiently.

    In 2011, SPDC also inspired in-country manufacture of carbon steel pipes when it awarded a $37 million contract to SCC Nigeria Limited, a move that led to the establishment of the first line pipe manufacturing facility in Nigeria.

    Meanwhile, Shell companies in Nigeria have been given an award as the “Most Local Content Friendly International Oil Company” at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping in Lagos. The award is in recognition of their “constant drive to source maritime materials and equipment within Nigeria, and giving priority consideration to Nigerian companies in evaluation of bids for maritime contracts.”

    General Manager, Nigerian Content, SPDC, Igo Weli, said: “We are grateful for the award which is further confirmation of the leadership role of Shell companies in Nigeria in NCD development.”

    Shell companies in Nigeria have won three awards this year in recognition of their local content performance.