Adewale Sanyaolu
The 650,000 barrels per day(bpd), Dangote Petroleum refinery has announced the completion of pilling works described as the largest in the world.
Group Executive Director (GED), Strategy, Capital Projects and Portfolio Development for Dangote, Mr. Edwin Devakumar, disclosed this on the sidelines of the close out/graduation ceremony for the Ibeju/Lekki Youth in Lagos yesterday.
The GED explained that the pilling work is a 148,000 pile, making it a construction project with the largest number of piles in the world.
He equally said the civil works and underground works have been completed while the super structure work and some of the building works are coming up.
‘‘The next phase of the work is piping. And as you know, we have announced the plan to complete mechanical works by December 2020 which I believe we will be able to do.
As planned, December 2020 is the plant and mechanical completion while commissioning will come up in the first quarter of 2021.
On the skill acquisition programme for Ibeju/Lekki youths, Devakumar, explained that the six months intensive programme was designed to empower and create job opportunities for 200 youths.
He noted that the programme which was organised by Dangote Petroleum Refinery and facilitated by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) remained Dangote’s contribution towards addressing the challenge of youth unemployment.
The skill acquisition programme, according to him cuts across a wide range of vocational skills which included; plumbing, furniture and carpentry, bricklaying, welding, iron bending, auto mechanic and electrical works. The GED told the graduands to put the skill acquired during their training to good use in a bid to better their lots and that of their families.
“With the tools given to you today, you should be good ambassadors of this great community. So many graduates outside there are still searching for jobs, but yours is different because you have been trained.
We are ready to give you our maximum support because our host communities remain our priority.