As part of its desire and determination to build the vocational and technical capacity of youths of Ogoniland as well as empower them, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), has commenced the training of over 300 community workers drawn from the various clean-up sites where work is currently going on in the four Ogoni-speaking local government areas in Rivers State.
The training programme which commenced last Tuesday is taking place simultaneously in the four local government areas of Eleme, Tai, Khana and Gokana.
Declaring the event open in Ogale Community in Eleme Local Government Area, HYPREP’s Project Coordinator, Dr Marvin Dekil, said youth empowerment was deliberately built into the clean-up project to ensure that Ogoni youths maximially benefited from it, adding that HYPREP had so far trained 15 youths in fabrication of cassava processing machines and another 24 scientific officers in both Nigeria and Geneva.
He noted that the current training programme was designed to empower the community workers at the clean-up sites with the requisite remediation skills to perform optimally.
“It is our firm belief that at the end of this training, you will not only be equipped with the necessary skills but would be better positioned to transfer some of the knowledge acquired to others so that in no time, Ogoni would have created a hub where professional experts could be sourced,” Dikel said, and urged the beneficiaries to stay focused and leverage on the opportunities provided by the training to change their lives and be the drivers of economic growth in their communities.
According to him, HYPREP was poised to deliver a world class remediation to the people of Ogoniland and the rest of the country.
On his part, the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Barr. Philip Okparaji, expressed delight over HYPREP’s desire to lift the burden of empowering youths of the area off the shoulders of the council, and urged the beneficiaries to do their best as well as be good ambassadors of the various local government areas.
He expressed optimism that HYPREP would at the end of the day restore the Ogoni environment.
The training programme is organised by HYPREP in conjunction with D.M.C Kinsey and Associates Limited.
Donatus Ebi
