The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commenced a six-week cabin crew training programme for 19 Ogoni youths in Lagos, in furtherance of its mandate to build human capacity and promote sustainable livelihoods in Ogoni.
The training, which is part of HYPREP’s Aviation Programme under its Sustainable Livelihood initiative, is designed to equip Ogoni youths with high-demand skills and strategically position them for employment in the aviation industry.
Speaking during an orientation session for the beneficiaries, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Professor Nenibarini Zabbey, congratulated the participants for meeting the requirements for the programme and urged them to approach the training with commitment and discipline.
“This is the beginning of a new chapter in your lives in terms of building a career in the aviation industry,” Prof. Zabbey said.
He disclosed that HYPREP would be rolling out additional trainings in other high-demand skills within the year, noting that a “gentle revolution” is underway in Ogoni as the Project continues to positively impact lives and communities.
Prof. Zabbey charged the trainees to see themselves as key agents of the ongoing restoration in Ogoni, describing them as carriers of hope whose post-training contributions would support the economic transformation HYPREP is driving.
“What you do after this training will contribute to the economic impact we are pushing, which will position Ogoni on the national and global map,” he stated, urging them to be good ambassadors of the Ogoni clean-up project.
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Also speaking, the Project Support Lead for Renaissance Africa Energy Company Ltd, Mr. Ehioze Igbinomwanhia alongside Head of Sustainable Livelihood at HYPREP, Mrs. Josephine Nzidee, encouraged the participants to take the programme seriously in order to maximise the opportunity.
Mrs. Nzidee emphasized that certification would be awarded strictly on merit, stressing that only participants who successfully complete and pass the training would receive certificates.
In his closing remarks, the Director of Technical Services, Professor Damian-Paul Aguiyi, advised the trainees to remain focused and committed throughout the programme.
“Whatever you learn, whatever you acquire is yours; nobody can take it away from you,” he said.
HYPREP had earlier trained 30 Ogoni youths in Phase One of the Aviation programme.
The initiative is a core component of the Project’s Sustainable Livelihood Programme, “aimed at empowering Ogoni youths with relevant skills that meet current industry demands and enhance long-term economic inclusion.”