TotalEnergies, NNPC Boost STEM Education In Abuja School With New Lab Centre

TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria Limited (TUPNI) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), in partnership with co-venturers CNOOC, SAPETRO and Meren, have handed over a fully equipped five-laboratory science complex to Government Secondary School, Kuje, in the Federal Capital Territory, in a move designed to sustain and deepen STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning in the school and surrounding communities.

The facility, commissioned on Wednesday as part of the companies’ education support initiatives, is intended to give students regular access to working laboratory equipment and structured practical sessions in core science subjects, moving instruction beyond theory and improving understanding of scientific concepts.

Speaking at the event, managing director/CEO and country chair of TotalEnergies Upstream Nigeria Limited, Matthieu Bouyer, said the laboratory was conceived to elevate the standard of science education available to schoolchildren in Kuje and surrounding FCT communities. Bouyer, who was represented by the acting general managing CSR, TUPNI, Moyosola Areola, said the facility would significantly improve teaching and learning outcomes and lay a foundation for the future success of students in the region.

Bouyer linked the initiative to Goal 4 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all.

He noted that the Kuje laboratory is part of a broader education investment portfolio by TotalEnergies in Nigeria, which includes the donation of geoscience resources to six Nigerian universities: the University of Lagos, the Federal University of Technology Akure, the University of Ilorin, the University of Ibadan, the University of Port Harcourt, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

He also cited the company’s continued backing of scholarship schemes, including the National Merit Scholarship Scheme, which has benefited over 30,000 students since 2003; the TotalEnergies International Scholarship, jointly sponsored with NNPC and partners, which has supported more than 170 Nigerians through postgraduate studies overseas; and the Community Scholarship Scheme, running since 1973, which has benefited hundreds of students in host communities nationwide. Bouyer further highlighted the Empowering The Teachers (ETT) fellowship, a programme launched in 2011 that sends African academics with science and engineering backgrounds to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States for an immersive, semester-long exposure to cutting-edge teaching methodologies, mentorship and coursework.

Also speaking, the acting chief upstream investment officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), Olanrewaju Igadan, described the project as symbolising resilience, partnership and a shared belief in the transformative power of education, stressing that NNPC’s commitment to sustainable development extends beyond oil and gas operations into people, communities and institutions.
Igadan commended TUPNI’s partnership throughout the project’s lifecycle, as well as the contributions of consultants, contractors, community leaders, school management, teachers and students.

Addressing the students directly, he said the facility “belongs to you,” and urged them to use it to ignite curiosity, deepen knowledge and pursue excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

He also called on school authorities and the host community to take ownership of the facility by ensuring its proper maintenance, saying that safeguarding such public assets guarantees that future generations will continue to benefit from them.

The complex comprises five fully equipped laboratories for chemistry, physics, biology, agriculture and home economics, each with dedicated storage space and a subject teacher’s office.

According to the project brief, each laboratory is stocked with reagents, apparatus and subject-specific equipment for physics, chemistry and biology, and fitted with wash-hand basins and taps.
Project organisers said the laboratory is intended to promote sustained interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education, improve the quality of teaching through modern equipment, strengthen students’ grasp of scientific concepts by moving learning from theory to hands-on experimentation, and position the school as a resource centre that can benefit neighbouring secondary schools.