Technical manpower of HYPREP today are Ogoni youths – Dekil

Lorine Emenike

Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Projects (HYPREP) has flagged-off its training of Ogoni youths as part of its strategies fo community and youths inclusiveness in the remediation and clean up process of Ogoni land.

The flag-off of the training of youths for the remediation project took place at the Eleme local government council auditorium.

The event had in attendance the Project coordinator of HYPREP and his team, the executives of the Eleme local government council, the trainees who are youths drawn from various Ogoni communities and representatives of various companies involved in the cleanup process.

Dr Marvin Barinem Dekil, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, who also stood in the capacity for the honourable minister of environment, Dr Mohammad Abubarkar, said the training is in furtherance of youth empowerment program of the cleanup exercise.

“We have always stated that the youths are a key part of the implementation process.

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“The youth empowerment programme was deliberately built into the project to ensure youths in Ogoni land benefit from it.

“So the component of this program is such that we want to do two things, we want to train the youths on vocational and technical skills.

“The training is designed to empower youths with the requisite remediation skills to perform optimally in their current task.

“You will recall that we have trained initial sets of scientists, so the technical manpower of HYPREP today are Ogoni youths.

“The scientists we have sent to be trained in Switzerland and the ones we have trained in Nigeria and the ones we have continued to train, they are the ones that are doing the designs, the technical high-level skill requirements of the project and they are all indigenes of Ogoni land.

“It is our firm belief that at the end of this training, you will not only be equipped with the necessary skills but with a position to transfer some of the knowledge acquired to others, that in no time, Ogoni would have created a hub of professional remediation experts that will be outsourced to other people.

“We want you to be the repository of environmental skills and expertise in the region so that as we progress to other parts of the region, you will help to train others, you will be that expertise that is required to help drive the government remediation plan of clean up of the entire Niger Delta.

“It is important to say to you that the remediation going on in Ogoni land is the beginning of the template that will be used for the rest of the region.

“This training is not only happening here. It is happening simultaneously in the other three local government areas in Ogoni (Khana, Ghokana and Tai LGA’s).

“We have maximum cooperation from the youths and we want to continue to enjoy that with you.

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“The importance of this training is giving ownership of this process to the community people. Because this training empowers the communities to understand and participate in the implementation process.

“As pioneers beneficiaries of this capacity building, I urge you to stay focused and leverage on the opportunities provided by this training through HYPREP to change your lives and to be the drivers of economic growth in your communities.

“HYPREP will be concluding plans again to train one thousand two hundred (1200) women in different trades, including Agro-Processing, technology and skills. That training will be carried out by UNITA, a training arm of the United Nation”

On his part, the chairman of Eleme local government area, Philip Okparaji commended HYPREP for the huge transformation processes of the lives of the good people of Ogoni.

“The environment of Ogoni will be restored by the special grace of God. I believe that at the end of the day, you are going to be useful to the community”

The Eleme local government chairman urged the youths/trainees to be focused and determined in their task. He also urged them to be good ambassadors.

“Do your best because at the end of the day, whatever benefit is going to come to you, will also come to your communities”

“With HYPREP, our environment will be restored. Let us have trust in the leadership of HYPREP because I know the competency and the capacity of the coordinator.

The Project Manager, Mrs Ikubie commended the entire people of Eleme local government for according them all of the required support needed to make the training a success.

She advised the trainees to be diligent and to take the training very seriously.

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“At the end of this training, you will be certified. You will have a certificate which you can use hereafter to other places and I think that’s a great asset for each and every one of you.

“I implore you to concentrate, ask questions in areas you don’t understand because remediation staff are scarce. It is not something you get ordinarily everywhere, so utilize this opportunity.

“I hope you will make use of this opportunity to your own advantage”

While appreciating the team of HYPREP for the training opportunity, one of the beneficiaries of the training, Mr Godwin Mbaka, a native of Obolo in Eleme local government area said ” on behalf of the trainees and the committee I thank you for your gesture towards the development of Ogoni Kingdom.

“Although we have heard a lot of rumours about it, actually we have seen the reality of what is going on. Being at the site, we have seen the level of development and remediation process”

Another trainee, Mr Jacob Chijor from Alode in Eleme local government area said ” I want to use his opportunity to thank Dr Marvin for availing our youths with this great opportunity.

“I also want to use this medium to say to the entire nation that the project is real. Like my colleague said, when we heard about it, we thought that it was not going to be a reality but today, the president of the Federal Republican of Nigeria has fulfilled the promise he made during his campaign, to clean up the Ogoni land and the clean up is on”

The trainees requested that incentives and adequate consideration be put in place by HYPREP, to guarantee good health after work, as they will be working at contaminated areas in Ogoni land.