By Abdul Abdulkareem
Total Energies Upstream Nigeria Limited, TUPNI, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, and their joint venture partners, CNOOC, SAPETRO and Meren, have commissioned a five-laboratory science complex at Government Secondary School, Kuje, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to strengthen practical learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM.
The fully equipped facility, comprising laboratories for chemistry, physics, biology, agriculture and home economics, is expected to improve teaching and learning outcomes for students in the school and neighbouring communities.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Managing Director/CEO and Country Chair of TUPNI, Matthieu Bouyer, said the project was designed to raise the standard of science education in Kuje and provide students with the practical resources needed to build careers in STEM-related fields.
Bouyer, who was represented by the Acting General Manager, Corporate Social Responsibility, TUPNI, Moyosola Areola, said the initiative was also aligned with Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which promotes inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all.
He said the Kuje project formed part of TotalEnergies’ broader investment in education in Nigeria.
According to him, the company has donated geoscience resources to six Nigerian universities — University of Lagos, Federal University of Technology, Akure, University of Ilorin, University of Ibadan, University of Port Harcourt and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Bouyer also highlighted the company’s scholarship programmes, including the National Merit Scholarship Scheme, which he said had benefited more than 30,000 students since 2003.
He said the TotalEnergies International Scholarship, jointly sponsored with NNPC and its partners, had also supported more than 170 Nigerians through postgraduate studies overseas.
He further cited the Community Scholarship Scheme, which has operated since 1973 and benefited hundreds of students in host communities across the country.
Another initiative, he said, was the Empowering The Teachers, ETT, Fellowship, launched in 2011 to expose African academics with science and engineering backgrounds to teaching methodologies, mentorship and coursework at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, in the United States.
Also speaking, the Acting Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, NUIMS, Olanrewaju Igadan, described the project as a demonstration of partnership and a shared commitment to using education to transform communities.
Igadan said NNPC’s commitment to sustainable development went beyond oil and gas operations to encompass people, communities and institutions.
He commended TUPNI and the other partners for their contributions to the project, as well as the consultants, contractors, community leaders, school management, teachers and students who supported its delivery.
Addressing the students, Igadan urged them to make effective use of the new laboratories, describing the facility as one that “belongs to you.”
He encouraged the students to use the opportunity to develop curiosity, deepen their knowledge and pursue excellence in STEM.
He also urged the school management and host community to take ownership of the facility and ensure its proper maintenance, stressing that preserving the infrastructure would enable future generations to benefit from the investment.
The project brief stated that each of the five laboratories was equipped with dedicated storage space and a subject teacher’s office.
The laboratories were also stocked with reagents, apparatus and subject-specific equipment to facilitate practical lessons and give students greater exposure to hands-on learning in science-related subjects.
