BYSG Lauds Shell For Training 100 Gbaran Youths

The Bayelsa State Government has showered praises on Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) for training 100 Gbaran Ubie youths in various life-sustaining skills.

The Secretary to the State Government, Hon Didia Ekere, who unleashed the encomiums at the graduation ceremony of the 2010 Youths Training and Enterprise Programme (YTEP) in Yenagoa, the state capital, last Thursday, said the government and people of Bayelsa State were grateful to Shell for the generous investment in the future of the youths and the sustainable development of the state.

Represented by the Permanent Secretary, Political Affairs Bureau, Hon Collins Daniel, the SSG stressed that the government sees the training as very vital to the development of Bayelsa, and therefore, attaches great value to the contributions of the youths in the quest to revitalize the economy of the state.

He noted that in recent past, Shell had keyed into the development aspirations of the state by supporting and building infrastructure projects as well as developing the capacity of the youths to respond to the dynamic challenges of the present generation and generations yet unborn.

Ekere charged the 100 young men and women to see their training as a call to serve and contribute meaningfully to the development of the state, and advised them to live up to the expectations of their families, communities and the state.

Speaking, Shell’s General Manager, Sustainable Development and Community Relations, Tony Attah, said the 18-month training programme, consisting of vocational and technical training, industrial attachment, business development and leadership training workshops as well as certifications examinations, was conducted by the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) and the Delta State University, Abraka, adding that at the end of the programme, the trainees took and passed Trade Test 2 and 3 examinations administered by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.

Represented by the Relations Manager, Major Projects, Chris Idogu, the general manager said that Shell regards the more than N118million investment in the training and equipping of the youths for business start-up as valuable and worthy expenditure, and emphasized that with the skills acquired, the youths would make meaningful and sustainable contributions to the development of Gbaran Ubie communities and the Niger Delta.

Attah reminded the youths that they were bound to meet challenges on the path of self-employment, but implored them to be wise and determined to succeed at all times, stressing that that was the only way to justify the huge corporate social investment the company has made in their future.

Also speaking, Project Manager, Gbaran Ubie Integrated Oil and Gas Project, Okechukwu Elechi, said the project team was glad to be part of the success story of the training and empowerment of the 100 youths, and charged them to take advantage of the rare opportunity to make a difference in the lives of their communities and the people of the Niger Delta.

The 100 young men and women, who were trained in professional catering, welding and fabrication, information and communication technology (ICT) as well as electrical installation and repairs, were handed over their certificates, prizes and starter packs, in addition to N200,000.00 each to facilitate their business operations.

Nelson Chukwudi