An indigenous oil and gas company in Rivers State, Niger Delta Petroleum Resources (NDPR), has embarked on training of 120 youths from the company’s host communities in Rivers State.
The launching of the training programme, tagged ‘New Skills Acquisition Programme’ was held in Port Harcourt, last Thursday, with representatives of all Oil Mining Licence (OML) 54 six host communities namely: Owaraka, Otari, Ogbelt, Odumeze, Oshigbokor and Rumuekpe and other relevant bodies.
Speaking at the event, the chairman, NDPR Board of Trustees, Chief Chamberlatin Oyibo, said the skills acquisition programme was put together under the auspices of the NDPR Community Development Trust to improve the lot of the youths in line with UNDP’s Millennmin Development Goals (MDGs) to eradicate poverty .
Oyibo explained that the importance of skills acquisition cannot be over emphasized, saying “lack of skills is a major cause of poverty and suffering facing our country today. The importance of skills acquisition includes self-employment, diverse job opportunity, employment generation and crime reduction”.
He said further that the trainings were designed to provide a platform where youths from OML 54 communities would be adequately educated with a view to creating wealth, adding that “participants will be trained foster skills acquisition and produce more creative and well thought out services that will result in better offerings to consumers”.
Oyibo explained that participants would be trained in 14 areas of discipline including carpentry, dressing / barbing , welding and fabrication, among others, and urged both trainees and trainers to fulfill the expectations of the NDPR Community Development Trust by taking the trainings seriously.
He assured that a starter park would be provided for successful graduands along with stipends for feeding and transportation.
In his goodwill message, the immediate past Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Local Government Affairs, Chief Felix Odungwere, who used the accasion to announce that he was performing his last duty in the ministry, charged the trainees to avail themselves the opportunity that the training provides to better their lot and thanked NDPR for the initiative.
Also speaking the head, National Oil Spice Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Rivers State Office, Mr Cyrus Nkangwung, commended both NDPR and the communities for their peaceful co-existence, saying that since assuming office in Rivers State, he has not heard about any spills in OML 54 communities.
Giving the vote of thanks, the Eze Nwa Ula, Chief Agwana Fyneface, commended the NDPR for the programme and promised that the communities would ensure that the training which is expected to last for six months would be taken seriously and starter packs put to judicious use.

Tonye Nria-Dappa & Theresa Ebizimor