A total of 40 women from Onne in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State have been given starter Packs to commence business on their chosen fields of trade at the and of a four-week intensive skills acquisition training  sponsored by oil giant, Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN).

The women who were drawn from the four clans of Onne were trained in agro and agro-processing enterprises such as egg production, Snail farming, honey production, Yam, wheat, plantain flour production and fish farming techniques.

Handing over the starter-packs at a brief ceremony at Onne, Wednesday, an Executive Director with Mobil Producing Nigeria, Mrs Gloria Essien-Danner said the programe was aimed at equipping Onne women with economic skills that will make them self employed and employers of labour in years to come.

The Executive Director revealed that the programe was the direct off-shoot of a baseline study for an integrated and sustainable Socio-Economic Rural Development Plan for Onne, adding that the report of that study showed that “about one-third of the house holds are fully managed by women and that women do take care of the provision of basic needs of the household, hence, the need for economic training.”

She reiterated the commitment of mobil producing Nigeria to adding values to its host communities by building capacity of the indigeneous population adding that the company believes that the training of women translate to training a nation.

In his remarks, the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Council who was represented by Hon. Okaka Telewin, Councillor Ward 7, thanked MPN for the gesture and challenged other companies doing business in the area to borrow a leaf from MPN with regard to embarking on programmes and projects that directly impacts the life of the people positively.

Responding on behalf of the beneficiaries, the president of Onne Women Development Foundatin, Mrs Obarijima Padmoore Wawah, thanked MPN for facilitating the programe and disclosed that apart from offering the beneficiaries Micro enterprise skills, it has also challenged and awakened in them the quest to succeed.

“We strongly believe that all of us that have benefited from this programe will be shining examples and inspiration to other women in Onne,” Mrs Wawah said.

The women foundation president recalled that in 2010, MPN Sponsored the training of 48 women in tailoring, tie and dye, catering and computer appreciation and gave the beneficiaries starter packs to commerce business activities in addition to the provision of mosquitoes treated nets to households in Onne.

“It is evident that of the more than 150 companies operating within our community, MPN is the closest to Onne People, especially the women,” she declared.

Items handed over to the beneficiaries included wooden battery cages, feeding and drinking troughs, electrical appliances, day-old broilers and pullets as well as feeds for those trained in poultry production. Those trained in snail farming got concrete pens with wire meash cover, feeder, water cans, breeders stock snail and feeds, while graduates in plantain, wheat, yam flour production had drying materials and equipment, sealing machines plastic sachets, Oven and bunches of plantain.

Dignitaries who graced the occasion included the Port Manager of Onne Port, Alhaji AA. Goje and the paramount ruler of Onne, HRM, J.D. Osaronn and his council of chiefs.

Sogbeba Dokubo