The management of Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) on Tuesday, urged the oil and gas operators in Nigeria to collaborate more with public agencies with experience on research and development.
The General Manager, Strategic Planning, Research and Documentation, Mr Jide Adebulehin, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
Adebulehin said that this became necessary against the backdrop of the ongoing Nigeria oil and gas Industry Research and Development (R and D) fair, organised by Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
He said that it became imperative for oil and gas operators to involve public agencies with wide experience in research and development in the oil and gas industry such as PTDF and NCDMB.
According to him, “my view is that R and D is the bedrock of any successful oil and gas country; you cannot grow if you do not have any robust research and development activities in the country.
“That was what NCDMB was able to do in collaboration with other agencies that have continuously contributed immensely to growth of the industry.
“PTDF has started research and development activities since 17 year ago by instituting professorial endowment shares in six different universities across the country,’’ he said.
Adebulehin said that the agency was going to collaborate with NCDMB since they were both government agencies to avoid duplication of activities and responsibility.
He said that the oil and gas industry would benefit immensely from the R and D activities in the sector to increase productivity, technologies and staff effectiveness.
He said that research and development was key, which was why none of the companies relegated it.
“If you go to the most countries of the world, R and D is projecting them and they are doing very well.
“We have a very robust training and education department that is monitoring the thesis and research activities of students we sent abroad and with the collaboration of the schools, we are getting first hand reports about the output of the research the students are doing.
“PTDF is growing R and D through institutional development; we pioneer R and D as a public institution in the last 17 years. We also provide enabling environment by doing physical facility where lecturers will learn.
“We want to come together to give the oil and gas a credible and productive research and development empowerment in the oil sector,’’ he said.
Source: NAN
