CALABAR — The Cross River State Government has commenced a training programme for 2,000 youths aimed at equipping them with professional skills and knowledge required to participate in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
The training, organised through the Office of the Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas in collaboration with the Research Gateway Professional Institute, is designed to provide participants with CPD-accredited certificate and diploma programmes under the theme, “Skill Up in the Season of Sweetness.”
The Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, represented by the Speaker of the Cross River State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Elvert Ayambem, said at the commencement of the programme at the State Library Complex, Calabar, on Thursday that the initiative was part of his administration’s commitment to youth empowerment and human capital development.
Otu said the oil and gas industry offered opportunities beyond exploration and production, adding that areas such as engineering, logistics, safety, environmental management, procurement, maintenance and data services also required skilled manpower.
He said, “Our responsibility as a government is therefore to ensure that our young people acquire the knowledge, technical competence and professional credentials required to compete effectively for these opportunities.”
The Governor urged the beneficiaries to approach the training with discipline and seriousness, stressing that obtaining a certificate should be regarded as a foundation for continuous professional development, entrepreneurship and meaningful participation in the economy.
He said the government would continue to support initiatives that expanded access to skills, enterprise opportunities and productive employment for young people in the state.
Also speaking, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas, Ukpong Umoh, said the programme was designed to prepare Cross River youths for meaningful participation in the oil and gas industry rather than merely provide them with certificates.
Umoh said the sector covered several areas, including engineering, fabrication, logistics, testing, health, maintenance and entrepreneurship, and therefore required competence, discipline and properly trained personnel.
He urged the beneficiaries to use the opportunity to acquire knowledge, build professional relationships and understand the industry, saying they should be prepared to take advantage of opportunities whenever they emerged.
“We want to see entrepreneurs emerge from this programme. We want to see service providers. We want to see innovators,” Umoh said.
He added that the state wanted participants to create jobs for themselves and others rather than depend solely on employment opportunities.
According to him, the government-sponsored training was also intended to ensure that Cross River had a pool of skilled young people ready to participate in the oil and gas industry when opportunities emerged.
Umoh said a similar certification programme at the institute could cost an individual not less than N350,000, adding that the state government had undertaken the training as part of its investment in youth development.
He urged the 2,000 participants to maximise the opportunity, saying the programme should produce not only certificates but competent young professionals capable of contributing to the economic development of Cross River State and Nigeria.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Political Affairs, Dunamis Archibong, described the programme as another step towards human-capital development, youth empowerment and economic inclusion in the state.
Archibong said the initiative demonstrated the administration’s emphasis on skills acquisition, entrepreneurship and capacity development.
He urged the beneficiaries to take the training seriously and translate the knowledge acquired into productive ventures and meaningful contributions to their communities.
The Director of Research Gateway Professional Institute, ThankGod Arong, commended the state government for supporting the training, saying the programme would help prepare young Cross Riverians for opportunities in the oil and gas sector.
He said the institute was committed to ensuring that the beneficiaries acquired professional knowledge and skills that could enable them to contribute to the state and the wider Nigerian economy.
The training is expected to expose the beneficiaries to different aspects of the oil and gas industry and strengthen their capacity for employment, entrepreneurship and professional development.
