Engr. Muttaqha Rabe-Darma, a grassroots politician, Youth Leader and former University Don was born on 23rd July, 1966 in Katsina City. He attended Rafindadi Primary School where he obtained his first school leaving certificate in 1978. He proceeded to Government Day Secondary School K/Yandaka, where he obtained the West African School Certificate (WASC/WAEC) in 1983. Darma was admitted into Bayero University, Kano (BUK) and graduated with Second Class Upper Division (2.1) in Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor of Engineering) in 1989. He also obtained his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the same university in 1994. His quest for professional excellence took him to the University of Benin where he obtained a second Masters Degree, this time in Engineering (Production) in 1995. 2. Engineer Muttaqha-Rabe Darma began his working career as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Mechanical Engineering of his alma-mater in 1990. He rose to the position of Lecturer II in 1996 before transferring his services to the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) as Assistant Manager, Egbin thermal station, Lagos. That same year Engr. Darma moved to SCOA industries, Apapa, Lagos as Head, Department of Industrial Engineering System and Methods, a position he held until 1999. He further served as Sales Manager, responsible for multi-lateral finance and diplomatic organizations in Coscharis Motors (BMW/Rover Division) Lagos in 2000. 3. After a successful career stint in both the public and private sectors spanning about two (2) decades, Engr. Darma resigned his appointment and went into politics. An astute politician and a grassroots mobiliser, Darma came into political limelight when he was appointed Director, Research in the Political Affairs Office of Katsina State Government House in 2002 by the then Executive Governor of Katsina State, late Umaru Musa Yar’adua. He was also appointed Executive Director, Katsina State Environmental Protection Agency. Because of his political prowess and profundity in grassroots mobilization, especially among the youths of Katsina State, the then Governor, Umaru Musa Yar’adua appointed him Commissioner in-charge of Rural Development, Women Affairs, Youth, Sports and Social Development in 2003. He was later moved to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transport, as Commissioner between 2006 and 2007. Engr. Darma is a member of the Nigeria Society of Engineers (MNSE), member Nigeria Institute of Management (MNIM), member Renewable and Alternative Energy Network, and an Alumnus of the London Business School. 4. As a grassroots politician with large followership among his people, Engr. Darma was chosen to serve as the Chairman/Convener of the following Community based development associations: i. Chairman/Convener, Cikin-Birni Consultative Forum, Katsina. ii. Chairman/Convener, Committee of Concerned Citizens on Education in Katsina State. iii. Chairman/Convener, Movement for the Creation of Dan-Marna Local Government, Katsina State. iv. Chairman, Movement for the creation of additional/local governments in Katsina State. v. National Coordinator, Shehu Musa Yar’adua Memorial Association in all the States of the Federation. 5. The appointment of Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma as the 5th Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF) on 8th November, 2008 is a clear testimony of the confidence reposed in him by the Federal Government of Nigeria. Engr. Darma came to PTDF with a vision of not only justifying the Fund as the only agency of government with the sole responsibility of developing indigenous capacity, institutions and systems for the enhancement of local content in the oil and gas industry, but also re-inventing PTDF to focus on its primary mandate. In this regard, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma embarked on wide consultations among all stakeholders for consensus building, collaboration and partnership, to make PTDF the lead catalyst for capacities and competency building for the Nigerian oil and gas industry. This also manifested in his overhaul and restructuring of key operations of the Fund, the streamlining and enlargement of programmes and introduction of transparency and integrity based governance regime such that within the first two years of his appointment, he achieved the following: i. The complete take-over of the entire Management of the Overseas Scholarship Scheme by the Fund following the termination of the consultancy for the overseas segment of the scheme. The Fund made a yearly savings of N300 Million which made it possible for more candidates to be sponsored for the scholarship. This resulted in the phenomenal yearly increase in beneficiaries from a maximum of 200 in the preceding year to 500 scholars in the 2008/2009 scheme. ii. He introduced a more vigorous contract management regime making it mandatory for contractors of the Fund’s projects to adhere diligently to work plans and timelines for implementation. This led to non-performing contracts being revoked and advance payments recovered, while setting new benchmarks for valuation, monitoring, and evaluation of projects. The effect was to fast track the implementation of most of the Fund’s projects which for years were stagnated. These include: · The Upgrade of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State. · The Development of the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Ekowe, Bayelsa State. · The Development of the Federal Polytechnic, Bonny, Rivers State, specializing in Environmental Sciences and Gas Technology. · ICT projects in 24 universities, 20 federal colleges of education and 102 unity schools. iii. The development from scratch of the National Institute for Petroleum Policy and Strategy which had been on the drawing board since 2007, took off less than one year after Engr. Darma’s assumption of duty as the Executive Secretary, PTDF. The facility is set to become a flagship institution for training senior Management personnel of the entire oil and gas industry and shall represent the apex institution for petroleum policy and strategy. iv. Under the university upgrade projects, Engr. Muttaqha Darma completed and commissioned 16 upgraded departments offering oil and gas related courses in selected universities. He also extended the upgrade projects to include 10 state universities and institutions. v. Nigeria’s recognition as an international welding nation was made possible under the leadership of Engr. Darma as Executive Secretary of PTDF. As a result, Nigerian welders with certification by the international institute of welding are now in high demand by the oil and gas industry. This followed his intensification of the Welders Training and Certification Programme which made it possible for the first internationally certified welders and underwater welders to be produced in Nigeria by PTDF. Vi. Engr. Darma conceived and commenced the establishment of a skills development and training centre in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, the aim being to provide basic skills required in the oil and gas industry to unemployed youths in the areas of automobile works, basic electronics, catering, electrical repairs, masonry etc. He also stepped up the implementation of the following programmes and activities: · Review of Skills Gap Audit. · Engineering Design Training Programme (EDTP). · Seismic Interpretation Software Training for University Lecturers. · Geosciences Training Programme. · Collaborative Activities with Stakeholders o Oil and Gas Training Association (OGTAN) o Capacity Building Enhancement Programme o Collaboration with United Nations Office for Special Projects (UNOPS)
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 22:22:15 +0000
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