By Firdaus Jibril
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Rt. Hon. Obongemem Ekperikpe Ekpo has praised the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for using Nigeria’s local content policy to improve lives through community development projects.
Ekpo gave the commendation on Saturday while commissioning a new Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Centre at Ika Comprehensive High School, Ikot Akpan Anwa, in Akwa Ibom State.
He described the project as an investment that would strengthen human capital development, improve digital literacy and support sustainable community development.
According to the minister, the ICT centre would provide students with opportunities for research, online learning and digital skills needed in a technology-driven economy.
“This ICT Centre is far more than a building equipped with computers; it is an investment in the future of our children and a gateway to knowledge, innovation, creativity and opportunity,” he said.
He added that the project aligns with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda by expanding access to quality education, youth empowerment, digital transformation and inclusive economic growth.
The ICT facility, built and equipped by the NCDMB, features a computer laboratory with 50 networked desktop computers, an interactive smart board, projector, server room and Starlink high-speed internet connectivity.
The centre can accommodate up to 70 users and also includes air-conditioned learning spaces, a staff room, storage facilities, a 15kVA generator and a 15kVA solar power system with battery backup to ensure uninterrupted power supply.
Representing the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Board’s Director of Corporate Services, Dr. Abdulmalik Halilu, said the project reflects the agency’s commitment to developing skilled manpower for the oil and gas industry and the wider economy.
He said digital literacy and ICT capacity development remain central to the Board’s human capital development mandate.
“This ICT Centre is more than a building; it is an investment in the future of our young people,” Halilu said.
He urged the school and host community to take ownership of the facility by ensuring its proper maintenance and sustainability.
“Our expectation is not simply to hand over a facility but to see measurable outcomes in the lives of the students who will use it,” he added.
Managing Director of Standard Institute of Technology Limited, Engr. Alexander Nsidibe, whose company delivered the project, thanked the NCDMB for the opportunity and pledged to support maintenance of the facility for one year after its handover.
He said the centre would improve students’ digital skills and better prepare them for future careers.
The Principal General of Ika Comprehensive High School, Mrs. Nkom John Umoette, described the ICT centre as a major intervention that would bridge the school’s digital infrastructure gap.
She noted that the school previously lacked an ICT facility, limiting students’ exposure to digital learning and computer-based education.
A representative of the host community also commended the minister and the NCDMB, saying the centre would reduce the burden on students who previously travelled to Uyo and neighbouring communities to register for and sit computer-based examinations such as the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).
The community representative said the new facility would improve access to digital learning while reducing the costs and logistical challenges faced by students.