Nigerian welders actively engaged on Trans-Sahara gas pipeline project – Welding Institute
The Nigerian Institute of Welders (NIW) has stated that its members are actively engaged on the Trans Sahara Gas Pipeline Project (TSGPP), contrary to claims made by some media reports.
According to a statement by NIW obtained by our correspondent titled “Setting the Record Straight on Welder Engagement on the Trans Sahara Gas Pipeline Project,” the institute noted that its members were actually delivering on the project and that the media reports on them being shut out of it were taken out of context.
The TSGPP is a 4,128km project initiated by the Federal Government with the aim to deliver over 30 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year to Europe. The project, estimated to cost $13bn would have 1,037km within Nigeria, 841km in Niger Republic and 2,310km in Algeria.
In many reports now public, Shehu Abdullahi Ma’aji, a member of the institute and a professor at Federal University of Technology Minna sounded the alarm during NIW stakeholders’ conference in Port Harcourt recently.
Prof. Maaji was quoted as saying by Thisday, “God forbid that this gas pipeline from Ajaokuta to Kaduna, to Kano, to Niger, Morocco to Algeria will not involve Nigerian technicians. This kind of thing won’t happen in India or China. They are ready to do training overnight and get the required manpower.
The funding is from foreign loans. They will siphon the money back through this way. We must find the way forward.” The technologist said NIW had trained over 500 certified welders funded by the government of the Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to ensure local welders took part in the project.
In the counter-statement from NIW, the institute said, “Indeed, Nigerians welders are on the project across all levels and steadily delivering the project. Thanks to the combined brilliance of Austin, Lester, Joseph and a host of other key professionals, they are not leaving any stone unturned to deliver quality and in good time at that.
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“In fact, with some of the plans in view by Oilserv, if well implement and followed, we see them ascending the Continental Manufacturing Champion status which Africa really needs and being driven by The Welding Federation in collaboration with PETAN and OGTAN to grow African content.”
The statement explained that welders were trained under the Petroleum Trust Development Fund but some issues arose at the commencement of TSGPP that led to few welders participating. According to NIW, “This has raised many questions including; Were the skill projections wrongly made? Were the welders truly competent? Were there continuous effort to keep the skill of the welders valid in and out of projects?
What are the fault lines and who takes the responsibility? What and what are the reasons why less than 20% of a workforce specifically developed for a project in view ended up being a part of the project? Is there a validity to the call of Prof Shehu Maaji? The answer is yes, his claims are valid, and the answer runs deep into several bends on gaps not plugged appropriately.”
