The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Environment, has sought ways to end issues of pipeline vandalism, re-pollution, and oil theft in Ogoni.
As a way to divert and dissuade teeming youths of Ogoni from indulging in such illegal activities, the FG, through the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), said that engaging the youths and enhancing their skills are viable way to stop the menace.
The Project Coordination Office of HYPREP said that it is hopeful that empowering the youths with career and employability skills, through workshops and training programmes, will serve as a solution to the issue, providing them with a positive outlet, while equipping them with abilities needed to secure meaningful employment and build a brighter future.
Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, while speaking at the Business Proposal Development Workshop for 300 youths drawn from the four local councils in Ogoni, who are students and fresh graduates from tertiary institutions.
Zabbey said that based on the mandate of the FG, the students undergoing capacity training will turn out to become the vanguard of the project and help amplify the awareness campaign against vandalism and oil theft.
He said: “The workshop has 300 participants. It is a critical mass of the youth. If at the end of the workshop they deliberately become ambassadors of the clean-up, they will continue to disseminate the message of the cleanup, which is about building resilience, empowering the Ogoni people, while cleaning and restoring the environment.”
