By CHARLES IWUOHA

The two-week free training programme for graduate Engineers and Technologists from the South East geo-political zone on sustainable water technology and renewable energy resources by Fordmarx Nigeria Limited and its foreign partner, Lorentz Germany, in collaboration with Enugu State Government, has ended with expression of gratitude and accomplishment from the participants.

The free training tagged, “Train the Trainer/Capacity Building Programme on Sustainable Water Technology” was flagged off by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on November 23, 2021 at The Base Event Centre, Enugu, and ended on Friday, December 3.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Water Resources, Anthony Dubem Onyia (Jnr.), Gov. Ugwuanyi explained that the programme was intended to build capacity for sustainable water technology especially in the area of borehole drilling, water treatment and plant management, renewable energy, irrigation and fire fighting.

The governor urged the participants to pay attention and utilize the ample opportunity to learn more about their areas of interest, and commended Fordmarx Nigeria Limited for the programme which he said was the first of its kind in Enugu State.

Speaking at the end of the two-week programme, the Managing Director of Fordmarx Nigeria Limited, Dr. Clifford Nnaji, explained that the training was initiated to expose the participants to the modern ways of doing things in terms of installation, maintenance and designing of solar power system, renewable energy, water supply, water treatment and plant and fire fighting.

Dr. Nnaji said that the event was successful and impactful, pointing out that the participants were happy and satisfied with the training they received.

“They will go back to their various communities and train others, transfer that knowledge they have acquired here to other people to make sure that potable water is available for everybody in their communities, South East and Nigeria in general”.

The Fordmarx MD, who disclosed that Gov. Ugwuanyi’s administration has been supportive, added that “the state government has been doing a wonderful job to ensure that we build capacity for leaders of tomorrow”.

Reacting at the end of the programme, a cross section of the participants described the event as the first of its kind in Enugu State in particular and the South East in general and thanked Fordmarx Nigeria Limited and Enugu State Government immensely for the initiative, which they said was innovative, engaging and impactful.

One of the participants, Emmanuel Okona, disclosed that the programme taught them how to harness water as well as how to drill and treat water using modern technology without altering the environment “with regards to the carbon and decarbonization agenda of the world”.

According to him “This training has opened our eyes to make us understand to a larger extent that water is not just water; that water that is not potable is not safe for any domestic activity.

“We have learnt that water is not just used for domestic activities; water is used for industrial, commercial and very wide-range of activities in the society. So you can say that water is a very important aspect of human living.

“We sincerely thank and commend Fordmarx Nigeria Limited for collaborating with Enugu State Government to give us this programme as part of the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of giving back to the society.

“It is a very good initiative for Enugu State Government to partner a big company like Fordmarx to train us. I mean what a better way to give back to the society than to train the youth, young engineers who will take over the industry tomorrow?”

The participant who noted that the Enugu State government has been proactive in addressing the issue of potable water for the citizens to enjoy sufficient supply, said: “We know about a lot of programmes they have been doing in the villages. Even in my own village, Akpugo in Nkanu West Local Government Area there is a EN-RUWASSA project there and a lot of other villages.

“Also in the course of the training, we were taken to some of the facilities the Enugu State Government contracted Fordmarx to develop for them such as the 9th Mile Borehole Crash Programme which involves the total rehabilitation and conversion of so many industrial boreholes to solar power to ensure sufficient and sustainable water supply to Enugu residents.

“There at the site, you will see the wondrous work the state government is doing to tackle the water problem that we are facing in the city for so many decades.

“So, on behalf of other participants, I must commend Enugu State Government and the company (Fordmarx) because it is a very big plus for us the participants to come close and learn a lot about water techniques”.

Also speaking, the representative of Network of Civil Society Organizations, Okechukwu Umeh, maintained that the training was “one of the most impactful programmes that I have seen organized that tend to address the global core challenge of climate crisis”.

Umeh added that “the programme has come to also address the issue of job creation”, stating that “we have observed a lot of empowerment programmes held by Enugu State Government”.

Another participant, Osita Ogwacha from Imo State equally appreciated Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his efforts in tackling the challenge of unemployment in the state through various innovative training and empowerment programmes.

He described the training organized by Fordmarx Nigeria Limited as a veritable opportunity for participants who are graduates in engineering fields to come together, learn and try to proffer solutions to water problems in the country.

In her reaction, Juliet Udakwu, a beneficiary, revealed that the training has spurred her to develop interest in renewable energy.

According to her, “Before now, I didn’t have any intention of going into renewable energy resources but after this training programme, I discovered that there are a lot of things I can do concerning these renewable energy resources.

“I have learnt a lot through this training and I am grateful to Fordmarx Nigeria Limited for orgainsing this programme. I must applaud the Enugu State government because this is a wonderful project.

As the theme of the programme reads: “Train the Trainer”, after here we will go out there to train others; what we have learnt here, we will educate others and correct the mistakes they make during drilling and other related activities”.

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