PTDF to establish research laboratories

Dr Aliyu Gusau, Executive Secretary, Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), says the fund will establish laboratories to aid research work for capacity building in the oil and gas sector.

Gusau made this known while addressing newsmen at the meeting of PTDF National Board of Trustee on the Endowment Programme on Thursday in Abuja.

“One of the things we are planning for quite some time which is at advance stage now is that we are thinking of establishing research laboratories.

“Maybe two of them, maybe more, but for now, if we have facility centralised, researchers all over Nigeria can come and leverage on such facilities to work.

“This is one of the things we are doing and this meeting is going to discuss some of the processes that we need focusing on achieving this,’’ he said.

He said that though funding remained one of the challenges for most institutions, but the Fund would work with what it has.

“So, the important thing is to appreciate what our problem is and decide that the little we have we will allocate to the project,’’ he added

Gusau said that the PTDF was also collaborating with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in identifying key research issues that would help in the sector.

He said that the aim of establishing the laboratory was to bring capacity building to the front burner as the major focus of its mandate.

“And to do this, it requires information and knowledge. The only way you can get knowledge is through continuous research.

“So, at PTDF, we need to dedicate the project across universities in the country,’’ he added.

Gusau, earlier in his opening remarks, charged board members to find the best ways to run its programmes and come up with new programmes that would help to further bring development in the sector.

He also charge them to find best ways to achieve the establishment of the laboratories across universities in the country.

“We cannot do research, if we do not have the necessary facility to do that.

“Part of the matter is that I have seen that there are instances that people have to go to other countries to access facilities to carry out research.

“So, one of the things I really want us to put on the table in the course of this meeting is how do we take the task and how do we do,’’ he said

Our correspondent reports that five university vice chancellors were among those present at meeting.

They were from universities of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello, UNN Nsukka, Jos, Maiduguri, Port Harcourt and Usman Dan Fodiyo.