Dangote Refinery Employs 330 Fresh Graduate Engineers to Boost Local Talent
By Patience Ikpeme
In a major move to empower young Nigerians and improve the country’s oil and gas sector, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has officially welcomed 330 new graduate engineers into its workforce.
The young professionals, who were picked from top universities across Nigeria, joined the company during a special ceremony held at the refinery complex. These new engineers are now part of a larger team of experts who have already received high-level training and practical experience in different sections of the massive refinery.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Refinery, Mr. David Bird, said that bringing in these fresh minds is a key part of the company’s plan to build local skills and make sure Nigeria has the best engineering talents to run its energy business.
During the event, Mr. Bird praised the trainees for doing a great job so far. He told them that the company has provided a good working environment for them to show what they can do. He also urged them to keep learning and to put in their best effort in their daily duties.
“The training has prepared you for what is expected while working in a world-class modern refinery like Dangote Refinery,” Mr. Bird told the new staff.
The young engineers come from various fields, including Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, and Instrumentation Engineering. To complete their training, the engineers were divided into groups where they presented and defended special projects. They were questioned by the company’s bosses on what they had learned and what new ideas they could bring to help the refinery grow.
Their projects focused on finding real-life solutions to challenges in the plant, such as how to model the entire refinery process and how to use research to make the work better.
Dr. Ebele Oputa, who coordinates the program and serves as the Assistant General Manager of Human Asset Management at the refinery, said the program shows that the company is truly committed to helping young Nigerians grow. She explained that the training was designed to help the engineers turn the theories they learned in school into practical work skills.
“This is meant to develop their practical and leadership skills over time so they can lead their teams effectively. While some people are born leaders, these skills can also be taught so that all our trainees can do well in management roles in the future,” Dr. Oputa said.
She added that the program gives the engineers a chance to meet experts in the industry, find their own strengths, and set clear goals for their careers. According to her, the hands-on experience will give them the confidence they need to face any challenge at work.
“They go through induction, observation, and shadowing at the refinery. They also have classroom lessons and supervised work with coaching for the rest of their time,” she explained.
The new engineers expressed their joy and thanked the management for the chance to work at the world’s largest single-train refinery. Many of them described the opportunity as a “dream come true” and promised to work hard and make the company proud.
